The raised bed vegetable garden can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. As long as you use the principles associated with this type of garden bed then you can expect to get great results with a bounty of fresh healthy vegetables.

Growing Vegetables In Raised Beds

This type of garden is something similar to growing vegetables in containers only the ‘container’ can be so much larger.

For growing vegetables, the soil doesn’t need to be very deep as most vegetables don’t have deep roots apart from the root crop vegetables that is and then a depth of about 12 to 15 inches or 30 to 40 centimeters is mostly ample, potatoes are fine as you mound as they grow.

Raised Garden Bed Sizes

You only need your garden bed to be raised to about 12 to 15 inches. The length can be whatever length suits and the width needs to be a comfortable reach for you to the center from both sides without stepping into the bed.

The height of the bed should be whatever height suits you. If you don’t want to bend over while tending your garden then build your raised bed to a comfortable height that will allow you to tend the vegetables without the need to bend your back.

Raised garden beds are ideal for those with disabilities or the elderly who find it difficult to kneel down and more importantly get up after kneeling down.

If you wish to build your own raised beds then your options are many. You can use timber, concrete blocks, retainer wall paver blocks, stone. If using timber, only use non-treated timber like a cedar as the treated timbers usually contain toxic substances that can leech out into the soil and you will run the risk of your vegetables taking up the toxins.

There are also kits and ready made raised bed vegetable gardens that you can purchase and save the time in building them yourself. Check out your local nursery suppliers or have a shop around online.

It is also possible to have this type of garden without solid sides. Start with a good layer of gravel for drainage and then mound up the soil you wish to use, make sure you loosen the ground underneath before putting down the soil.

As a surround for the bed you could use a thicker border of mulch as an edging. I would only do this if the pathways between the beds were not grass but a mulch or gravel so that weeds or grasses couldn’t find their way into the growing area.

The pathways can be an attractive and low maintenance option too, especially if you use a wood chip or bark mulch or something like decomposed granite.

Advantages

Raised bed vegetable gardens are meant to be low maintenance. That means by using this system, that is, adding your own soil mix to the beds, the weeds, pests and diseases are all but eliminated.

Better drainage is another advantage as having the bed raised allows the water to drain away and not leave the plants water-logged.

Crop rotation is very important when growing vegetables. Simply put, crop rotation means not growing the same vegetable two years in a row in the same spot.

With raised bed vegetable gardens, you can have the beds whatever size you want. This size should be determined by the size of your family or your vegetable needs.

So if you are a person living on your own or have a family of ten, your raised vegetable garden can cater for your needs.

You don’t need a big area to have a vegetable garden using the raised system. If you have a small yard or even a balcony then you can use the same principles to grow your very own vegetables.

The best advantage for you the gardener is, by using this system of raised bed vegetable gardening it has been shown, compared to the conventional vegetable gardens, to produce nearly twice as much in a smaller area.

As long as you follow the principles of raised bed gardening then you can be growing and eating your own vegetables in no time. That is the beauty of vegetable gardening, your wait is only a matter of weeks in many cases.

Before you start your design, take a look at the garden itself. Even if you’re not a seasoned gardener you can make one or two decisions based on simple logic. For example, if your garden doesn’t get showered with sunlight because it is surrounded by trees, fences or anything else, it isn’t going to be a good idea to plant hundreds of flowers. Flowers need light from the sun to live.

Once you’ve properly assessed your land, you’re ready to start your garden design. A good starting point is to pick a style, as it means you won’t get confused with all of the products available on the market and you’ll maintain a consistent image, which is important for any garden. So whether you want a contemporary garden, a Japanese style garden or traditional garden, make your choice and stick to it. If you’re not sure about what styles of garden design you like, then do some research online as there are many websites that can advise you on this.

Once you’ve got a style in mind, get your tape measure out and make a note of the dimensions of your garden. This is important as you’ll more than likely need to know how much space you have to work with at many different stages of the design process.

With your style and measurements in place, you can now start drafting out your initial design. To keep it simple to start of with, just use a pencil and paper to produce a crude sketch, detailing where you’d like certain objects and features to be. Once you’ve figured out an arrangement you like, consider whether it is feasible and realistic with the time, space and budget you have available. Without all three of these things in place, you might have to think about refining your design.

Once you’ve got to this stage, it is worth downloading some free garden design software from the internet to take your planning to the next level. Use your sketch and create a more detailed 3D image of your new garden to make sure it will work as you’d initially hoped. This software will allow you to see things from different angles, offering insight you might have otherwise missed out on, and ensuring you minimise the amount of costly mistakes you make.

Many people want a beautiful garden, but it can take a lot of time to have such perfection. But what if I told you that you could have an almost perfect garden without the high cost, intensive effort or without spending all your time creating it and keeping it that way; if I showed you the secret would this please you?

Now then what if I told you that I learned most all of my “Secret” gardening tricks from a book? Would you believe it? What if I told you the name of the book, so you too could be one with a beautiful garden in 20% of the time, or less? Would you buy it? I did, and the book is simply called;

“Instant Gardens – Practical Projects for the Impatient Gardener” by Peter McHoy; Lorenz Books, Anness Publishing, London; 1999. ISBN: 1-85967-959-5.

The best part of this book is that it is fully illustrated with step by step instructions. Everything you’ll need for each project is listed, as well as substitutions if you cannot get the supplies, want to save a little extra money or modify the project as you go. The book goes into drawings, use of space and renderings, before you start you’ll need a plan; the plan is to have a low-cost beautiful yard and garden, that is easy to make and easy to maintain.

Build lattices, ponds, brick walkways, retaining walls, water features, fences and grass that looks like a golf course green. Understand the eco-system you are building, the birds and critters you’ll attract and how to make it all look like the garden of Eden.

Now then, as this is a book review, I must give you’re the pros and the cons. The pros I have listed above and the cons, well, I can only think of one. I should have bought this book a lot sooner, before I invested 10s of $1,000′s in my garden. Please consider this.

Creating a flourishing herb garden takes more than just sowing the seeds and letting them grow. Therefore, it is important to have some basic herb garden plans before you even put the seeds in the ground.

Because herbs can grow well in poor conditions, it is easy for them to overgrow. Lavender and yarrow can grow like wildfire over large areas. Even chives can proliferate quickly. Be sure you have enough space in your pot or garden for the plants you wish to grow.

Herbs will thrive contentedly as long as they have a foot of space or so betwixt the main sections. For example, chives have a nice appearance and grow well together – but their roots need space for nutrition and water. Other plants nearby will provide competition for the nutrients so be sure to keep that in mind when making your herb garden plans.

Soil preparation for herbs is important when learning how to build an herb garden, but it is not difficult. A wide range of herbs will thrive on a mix of clay and sandy loam or a good compost. Be sure to provide sufficient drainage. A good amount of herbs originate from the Mediterranean, so they can thrive in somewhat dry and rocky soil. Their evolution occurred in areas with adequate drainage, but all herbs need watering. Be sure the soil is moist, but not soaking wet.

To name a few, Lavender and Sage will thrive without you having to water them. Rainfall seems to be enough for them. Peppermint will need additional watering which can be supplied by an automatic drip system.

It’s better to prevent weeds from taking hold in the first place instead of trying to remove them later. One way to do this is to put down a barrier of landscape fabric. If you don’t take this precaution, you’ll just end up having to dig up weeds by hand, or worse yet, needing to use an herbicide product. This should be avoided as some herbs are biologically similar to weeds, so you might just end up killing off what you’re trying to protect. You would also be putting chemicals into something you may want to eat.

Herbs have a good resistance to bugs. However, you might still want to include some “sacrifice” plants in your herb garden plans. For example Dill is an excellent “trap plant” that invites pests to it instead of your other plants.

One thing about learning how to build an herb garden is knowing which herbs will prosper during each different season. Some will thrive year round, but others need to be planted in four week intervals. Yet others must be planted once the winter snows melt.

To save your back and knees you could go with a stand up manual garden till like the famous garden weasel. It is cheap and easy to use.

For medium or large gardens you are going to need a garden tiller with a little more power than your arms. So what type of tiller do you buy?

If you have a smaller or confined garden you will want to go with something maneuverable like an electric mini tiller or cultivator. Or maybe a small 2hp gas model. Most of them are lightweight and very easy to handle. Cost on them is reasonable too for the amount of work they will save you.

One of the biggest pluses for a small garden till is that it uses less storage space. If you buy one with folding handles you can save even more room. A word of warning though, I would not recommend using a small garden tiller to start a new garden where the soil has never been broken up before. You will need something a little more heavy duty to cultivate your soil for the first time.

Renting a large heavy-duty garden tiller the first year to bust up your soil and then get a small tiller for maintenance and cultivating the following year.

Front tine vs. rear tine

The best purpose for a front tine tiller is maintaining soil that has been cultivated before. Start out the first time with a rear tine tiller.

Rear tine tillers are easy to handle and maneuver. They will pretty much turn on a dime when needed and require much less effort from the operator. The majority of rear tine tillers can handle any garden job that you require from them.

What Brand To Buy

There are many different brand names in the garden tiller business. Some of the better known garden tiller brands are, Troy Bilt Garden tillers, Mantis Tillers, Honda Tillers, Husqvarna Garden Tillers, Craftsman Tillers, and MTD Tillers. Prices and models vary a lot so the best thing you can do is shop around and compare after you have decided on what type you need for your garden.

If you are a vegetable garden grower I recently read a book called vegetable garden secrets that is going to change the way I garden. I highly recommend it. You can find it on our site.

1. Tomatoes: Perhaps the best option for long term use is the tomato. Choose a variety like Italian Romas or Beefstake which are hearty. Use them in salads, make tomato sauce with them which you can store long term in jars. You can also make stewed tomatoes and salsa and have it available to you year round. Tomatoes are fairly easy to grow, too.

2. Herbs: Growing a few herbs in your garden (or in a small container near a kitchen window) is a fantastic way to freshen up meals. Choose herbs like rosemary, cilantro, parsley, and basil. They can be dried for long term use.

3. Cucumbers: These are some of the easiest vegetables to grow. They do take up a bit of room, but kids love this fresh taste.

4. Peppers: Bell peppers are relatively easy to grow in warmer climates. If you wish to grow hot peppers, you definitely need high temperatures. Still, they can be added to sauces and salsas both fresh and canned. You can dry hot peppers, too, to use throughout the winter months as a way to warm up.

5. Strawberries: Those who love these fresh berries will enjoy growing them. You can also grow them in pots in a sunny location. They continuously produce crops of berries. You may even wish to consider raspberries and blueberries if your climate allows for them.

6. Squash: Summer squash and butternut squash are two favorites. They provide for a hearty meal and they last a long time after harvesting them when stored in a cool, dry location. Add them to soups, stews or serve as their own dish.

7. Beans: Beans are very easy to grow. After sowing them, it only takes a few weeks before you’ll have a strong growth and will be nearly picking them. They will continue to produce so long as you are gentle with the removal of the beans. Choose from many varieties.

8. Corn: For those with a large area for growing vegetables, consider corn. Most people love its taste and it can be a good producer. The only drawback is the long growth time and the amount of space it can take up.

9. Watermelon: Summer is never complete without watermelon. You can grow it in your garden without a lot of work. It does spread widely so be sure that you have enough room to allow for its long reaching arms!

10. Salad Greens: Greens of all types can do very well in a garden. You can grow salad greens, collard greens or any others that you prefer. You can also consider broccoli and cauliflower, green cabbage and red cabbage.

These top ten items are just the start. There are so many wonderful vegetables and fruits to enjoy fresh from the garden.

Would you mind to own the greatest garden in your neighborhood?

No, it doesn’t need to be big. Neither it requires a lot of money. All you need to do is to be creative and arrange your garden well. Do you need some help? Sure, here it is. I’ll suggest you several lovely buildings and other stuff you can build in your garden to make it really cool.

Paths And WalkwaysWell created walkways can really make your garden look like a jewel. There are many types of paths you can create – surfaced with cobbles, bricks, wood, gravel, york stone and more.

If your garden is small, then make narrow paths – 3 feet wide path is functional enough but take 25% less ground than a 4 feet wide path. The standard paths are 4 or 5 ft wide.

When choosing the surface make sure it matches the overall look of your garden.

Mirrors in the gardenIf your garden is small, mirrors are a great way to make it look larger. You can use a mirror to reflect various parts of your garden or to point a sunlight in some shady corner.

The mirrors are not very expensive and are very easy to install. The main problem is that the glass is very easy breakable. So you have to think about keeping it away from children, pets or wild animals.

PergolaIf there is enough space in your garden, definitely consider building a pergola. Pergolas are great and can be practical and beautiful addition to the garden. Pergolas are very suitable for visually and functionally join two parts of the garden or cover part of the parkways.

Pergolas are relatively easy to build and you don’t need a lot more than the basic woodworking tools for that. Some pergolas have a concrete foundation while other use just the ground and even allow keeping the verdure.

A PondMost hobby-gardeners are afraid to build ponds in their yards. They are concerned about water leaks, covering the water with slime, mosquitos and other similar issues. However one well created pond will have none of these issues and at the same time will make your garden very eye-catching. The pond also supplies freshness in hot Summer days.

Building a pond yourself is more complex than the other garden projects but isn’t as hard as it looks. It just requires some digging, measuring, isolation and plcing the right quantity of cement.

A ShedHaving an outdoor storage shed is a must for everyone who wants their garden to stand out. The sheds can be used not only to store things and tools but also as workshops, guest houses or play space for your kids. The shed is one of the buildings that can really increase the value of your property. They also can add to your usable living space.

Building an outdoor garden shed is a complex thing to do if you want to start from scratch. Fortunately there are plenty of prefabricated shed kits available so you don’t need master skills for this either.

Building a good shed by using a prefabricated kit will take just a week or two and will require only basic tools.

Perfect Designs For A Small Garden

The trick to getting the best from a small garden is planning. Before you begin, you need to narrow your wish-list to your top priorities. In a bigger garden, for example, you might have a barbecue area; in a small garden, you may have to settle for a space for a portable barbecue and devise a storage plan when it’s not in use. Small family gardens are hardest to plan as you’ll need to find room for a play area.

We asked garden designer Katrina Wells of Earth Designs to come up with three different designs. Our tip is to choose light-reflecting colours and add details you’d find indoors, such as mirrors, to increase the sense of space. As for budget, we’ve suggested where you can make savings. All you have to do is choose the right plan for you.

Low Maintenance In A Small Garden

Creating a two-level garden linked by steps and flanked by split-level pools fed with waterfalls gives the space more interest. The design is bordered by raised flowerbeds and built-in bench seating, which can seat more guests than garden chairs. A colourful buddleia is an ideal standard plant for this kind of garden; easy to care for, it will attract lots of bees and butterflies when it flowers.

Will it take much looking after? Raised beds can be much easier to look after than borders and you won’t need to get on all fours to tend them. The rest of this garden is given over to paving, which will only need an occasional sweep.

Are there any space-stretching tricks I can use? An attractive standard plant, urn or statuette at the end of the garden will provide a focal point and draw the eye to the garden’s furthest part, tricking you into seeing it as larger than it is. Benches with lift-up lids give more storage. If you need a play area for children, swap tiles for decking in the lower part of the garden and sink a hidden sandpit beneath a section of it?

How can I cut costs? Raised beds look great, but will cost money to install, so you could opt for ground-level planting. Small gardens are more interesting if you add extras, like water features, but you could replace these with more borders and swap decorative paving for gravel or decking.

Small Family Garden

Strong shapes such as circles (arranged diagonally) will make a small garden appear wider and longer. At the heart of this garden is an open grassy circle (to give kids room to run about), while the smaller paved circles are used as seating/dining areas. Stepping stones lead to a tucked-away play area. Children will also love the shape of the allium plant, or ornamental onion. It flowers in early summer, likes most soils and is easy to care for.

Will it take much looking after?

The lawn will need cutting once a week in the summer, and if you go for low-maintenance plants, such as hebes, you’ll only need to give it a quick tidy.

Are there any space-stretching tricks I can use?

Paint walls and fences white to make space appear bigger, keep planting in borders low to make the garden seem wider, and go for a low-level chest storage unit instead of a tall shed.

How can I cut costs?

This is not an expensive garden to create, but you can cut down on planting by making the central grassed area larger, or by stretching it into an oval to fill more of the borders.

Small Secluded Garden

Want seclusion? Then this is the garden for you. All walls/fences have trellis panels fixed to their fronts and tops so that climbers can be trained up to hide the space from onlookers. The wide S-shaped path is cobbled for a relaxed feel, so make sure you choose a table and chairs with chunky legs to avoid wobble. Go for low-maintenance exotics, which provide year-round interest, and place large plants, such as tree ferns and a windmill palm, in the borders, so that the shed can’t be seen from indoors and the bench is hidden from neighbouring houses. Passionflowers grow quickly, but won’t damage fences or brickwork if given supports, such as a trellis, to cling to.

Will it take much looking after? Once planted, this garden will look after itself — aside from the odd pruning of climbers, such as clematis, and the addition of some bright summer blooms, like lilies or poppies.

How can I cut costs? There’s an urn water feature here, but you could replace this with an eye-catching plant, such as zebra grass. Swap the patio cobbles for gravel, which is cheaper to buy and easier to lay.

Perennials and annuals must be grown in an area of the garden that has a significant amount of sun, moisture, nutrients, drainage, and air circulation. If you already have an established planting area, then you do not have to worry about the preparation of the planting site. But if you’re starting from scratch, there are several considerations you have to take into account.

First of all, find an area to prepare for your garden. Areas which have high levels of organic matter are always more fertile. For instance, an area underneath a tree would have a high level of organic matter from years of decaying leaves.

Once the site is identified, you will need to double-dig the entire area, removing any roots and rocks in the process. Double-digging is a soil cultivation process that improves the gardening yield of the plot through the loosening of both subsoil and topsoil. This aerates the soil allowing oxygen, water and nutrients to enter the soil more easily. Naturally this will result in stronger, healthier plants less prone to disease and stresses. The loose, uncompacted soil also allows roots to grow and spread unrestricted. Deeply rooted plants are better able to handle periods of drought.

Double digging improves soil fertility and structure by the addition of organic matter. Organic matter improves absorption and retention of water in the soil, resulting in decreased water runoff and soil erosion. Sandy soils are highly permeable, but drain quickly and don’t hold water around the root zone. Organic matter improves sandy soils by helping to hold water and nutrients in the root zone. Clay soils are less permeable but do hold water – sometimes too well! Organic matter improves clay soils by allowing water to enter and penetrate the soil more quickly.

In order to double-dig, you must first dig a trench the entire width of the garden to a depth of two shovels (retaining the soil by its side). Afterwards, another trench must be dug that adjoins the first one; however, the soil from the adjoining trench should be deposited into the original trench.

While filling the original trench, prepare the soil by adding fertilizers sparingly to it. Compost and granular all-purpose fertilizer can all be used as fertilizers. Consider adding bark to the soil to add structure to its clay content. Remember to thoroughly mix the fertilizer into the soil.

After the soil is double-dug, prepared, and mixed, it needs to be leveled out with a steel garden rake. Areas which are not to be used for planting (E.g. pathways) can be covered up with a mulch of wood chips, which consume and burn nitrogen to the soil as they compost. Water the entire area to help the soil settle.

Congratulations, you are now ready to plant!

Garden Tool Tree: This organizer takes up only 32inches of wall space, has 48 hanging hooks and has a weight limit of 75 pounds. It has a powder coated frame and can be hung inside or outside.

Pro-Star PGR1 Garden Tool Rack: This little rack will hold hoes, rakes, shovels, brooms and just about any other long handled tool there is. It has a removable basket to easily transport small hand tools.

Achla Garden Tool Wall Bracket: This rack arches outward giving extra space for hanging small or larger tools, it anchors to the wall or another flat surface.

Top Mount Track and Tool Rack; extremely heavy duty and versatile, this hanging tool organizer also has attachable accessories. It has mounting holes every 4 inches and features a row of various sized holes along the top and bottom which allows for easy storage of small tools. It comes in lengths of 2, 4, or 6 feet lengths.

Arrowshed Tool Hanging Rack TH100: Mounts easily on any wall and features 5 separate large tool holders and a similar smaller tool holder.

Wall Mounting Tool Rack: Neat, quick and secure organization with this nickel plated 24 inch magnetic tool rack. Tools can easily be removed with one hand and the mounted holder keeps tools well organized and displayed, making them easy to find.

Organizer Ultra-Hold: Great for safely storing tools in your garage, the heavier the object, the stronger the hold. It has adjustable sliding clamps to accommodate the different shapes and sizes of tools, comes in a 4 or 8 hook model.

Heavy Duty Utility Rack: garage storage and organization made easy, this rack is made of heavy duty steel and can hold up to 250 pounds, has 5 hooks and easily installs on any wood studded wall.

Wall Mounted Hand tool Organizer: Easily stores 60 hand tools (garden or work tools) on one rack. This organizer mounts easily on a wall and frees up extra space in larger tool racks for larger tools.

Shelving Tool Rack: This rack comes complete with enough storage space for all your hand gardening tools.

Mesh Hanging Garden Tool Organizer: A coated poly mesh fabric has 8 deep pockets for long handled tools and 8 smaller pockets for short handled tools, 4 quick release straps and buckles.

For more ideas for garden tool organizers visit: Stacks and Stacks, backyard Gardens or Life with Ease.