A Raised Bed Vegetable Garden - Ideal For Cooler Climates
If you live in a cool climate area the best way to grow your favorite vegetables is to have a raised bed vegetable garden. In those areas of the country where the climate is cooler, a spring rain can cause regular vegetable gardens to become wet and cold for far too long.
A raised bed vegetable garden provides two important aspects to your gardening experience. It will allow any excess water to drain out faster and it allows the soil to warm up more quickly. Therefore, you may well be able to grow vegetables in a climate that normally you would not attempt.
One of the more common advantages of raised bed gardening is the extra room that it gives to the plants. When the soil is raised is has more depth to it and this allows the root of the plants to grow deeper than they would have, which in turn allows them to grow larger and better.
A raised vegetable garden bed can be made by creating a planting area and mounding up the soil using a shovel or rake. You have the ability to decide how large you want this area to be, but it is usually around 21 inches across for easy access to individual plants. Soil used in vegetable garden beds should be of the best quality you can manage. High quality topsoil, or regular topsoil mixed with compost or manure is a good choice.
Wooden frames can be used in vegetable gardens or for small projects, to help hold in the soil. These frames can serve as space organizers and can be aesthetically pleasing. Make sure they are tough, however - as they must withstand insects and different weather conditions. Weather treated wooden 2ins. x 10ins. or 2ins. x 12ins. rails are readily available in home center or garden stores.
You can use containers (like tires) to grow your vegetables in as an alternative to building a raised bed vegetable garden. In these different containers the soil will still have the ability to get rid of the excess water quickly and to dry up faster. Tires are a great container because they absorb the heat in the morning and radiate it off at night. This helps to keep your plants warm.
Soil preparation involves raking. This is important for several reasons but an important one is to see to it that the soil is level. This prevents low spots or places where the water can pool around the plant and thus hold excessive moisture. One way to make sure it is level is to water the soil after raking and check for low spots. If there are any add some additional soil to build up the surface prior to planting.
