Simple Ways To Making Beauty: Raised Bed Gardening

By Gary Shirley

When you've finished building a bed, whether it's from a kit or something you whipped up from scratch, you can begin preparing for actual raised bed gardening. Though your bed is no doubt in place, it's a big empty spot at the moment. Your next step is where the fun begins.

Use the proper soil, water properly and maintain your plants and keep them healthy, and you'll have a beautiful yard, with your raised bed gardening as a delightful focal point.

Soil pH Levels

The first job you have to complete in raised bed gardening is laying down soil. Try mixing one quarter yard soil and three quarters of compost and sand. This combination will provide a nice base for you to build from. Don't forget to test your soil's pH levels -- too high of an alkaline count and your garden is going nowhere.

Weeding Out The Weeds

One of the positive things about raised bed gardening is that its very makeup should help prevent weeds, but in case you end up one of the unlucky who somehow pick up a garden full of weeds, you can try putting organic mulch over the top of your bed.

If that doesn't work, try products for weed guarding to make sure those pesky weeds stay away. If this still doesn't stop them, don't worry too much. They're simple to get rid of, and remember gardening is ongoing work. There are going to be setbacks occasionally.

Water Appropriately

Overwatering is just as dangerous as underwatering, because plants that remain wet for long periods of time are more likely to pick up disease. The best bet for good watering is to simply do it by hand, hitting the areas where the plants are planted -- not any areas surrounding the plants.

A good alternative to doing this by hand involves buying those irrigation systems, which will utilize a neat dripping technology to make sure that water is distributed evenly.

Take Care Of Your Raised Bed

There's actually little maintenance required to keep your garden beautiful through the seasons. The only activity you really need to do is water your plants as needed, and mix in more organic matter in your bed. Try turning the soil over periodically, too.

In the event that disease gets a foothold in your garden, empty the bed and replace the soil with all new soil/compost/sand mixture and reseat your plants. It's also important to keep an eye on your garden and make sure it's not tipping over time.

Raised bed gardening is a simple form of gardening that allows people with little or no experience to indulge themselves in a beautiful accessory for their lawn that will attract attention for years.

The tips above will keep your garden nice and safe -- both for the plants, and for you. - 33393

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