Rise and Shine
You can order garden vegetable seeds online, or buy them in stores. Once your seeds are planted, you're ready to start gardening! This article will explore what to plant in a raised garden bed. Let's get started.
8 Perfect Plants for Raised Beds
These eight vegetables and herbs tend to do well in raised garden beds:
1. Lettuce
Lettuce is one of the best vegetables to grow in a raised garden bed. Whether it is gem or butter lettuce, it does not mind cooler weather and germinates quickly in warm soil. If you pick four to five leaves per picking, you will be able to get approximately five pickings per lettuce.
2. Carrots
Carrots are nearly impossible to grow in an open garden if you have compacted soil as it causes the roots to fork. In a raised garden bed, you can ensure their growing space is just right. Carrot flies fly close to the ground, eliminating this pesky pest from your carrot-growing equation!
3. Tomatoes
Tomatoes need rich soil and well-watered ones, which are easier to control using a raised garden bed, as long as they have enough room for their roots to spread out. You can begin harvesting tomatoes in early July and watch them grow very well in shallow raised garden beds.
4. Peas
Peas grow well in raised garden beds, although they work best when involved in some form of netting support. Start by sowing the pea seeds indoors in March to avoid mice eating them and replant them once they are big enough to go outside.
5. Zucchini
Zucchini is a very rewarding vegetable to grow as one plant can provide you with several zucchini across the summer. Save space by using a trailing variety to go upwards instead of along the ground. Start by sowing your seeds in April and plant outside once the seedlings are big enough, and harvest eight weeks later.
6. Garlic
Garlic is another vegetable that is difficult to grow in an open garden yet strives in a raised garden bed setting. Open a garlic bulb and separate the cloves and simply plant them individually, pointy side up in November. They’ll be ready to harvest the following spring!
7. Basil
Basil is a fantastic herb to grow in a raised garden bed. It grows fast and strong in the right conditions and will provide you with endless basil leaves for delicious pesto, among other things!
8. Parsley
Parsley is probably the most versatile of the herbs and grows brilliantly in the space of a raised garden bed. Plant it in spring along with other herbs, and by harvest time, you will have about a month’s worth of parsley to use and cook with! You can also freeze it in bunches to make it last longer.
What Doesn’t Grow Well in a Raised Garden Bed?
Typically speaking, large plants such as aloe vera that require space are not suitable for a raised garden bed. Neither are more invasive vegetables, such as pumpkins. Using a raised garden bed requires that you keep this in mind: the smaller, the better. You’ll need to work through a bit of trial and error to find your perfect matches, but hey, that is all part of the fun, right?
The Pros and Cons of Having a Raised Garden Bed
Pros
- Raised garden beds are incredibly aesthetically pleasing. They keep pathways clear, and the soil sits neatly in place.
- They can be used in areas with poor soil or none at all.
- They warm up faster than traditional garden beds, allowing for earlier planting opportunities in spring.
- Different raised garden beds can hold various types of soil. This helps you to match the right soil to your crops.
- They are way more accessible than traditional garden beds, making it easier for people with disabilities to work at their own pace.
- They elevate crops to ensure pets and kids do not step on them.
- Greater chance of keeping garden pests away from your crops.
Cons
- Raised garden beds can be expensive to build.
- You’ll need to buy fresh soil, unless you have some in your garden you can spare.
- In the summer, the soil in raised garden beds dries out a lot faster.
- Raised garden beds require more watering and maintenance in general.
- Rows between each bed need to be wider than usual if you plan to use a wheelbarrow.
- Installing drip irrigation is far more difficult than traditional methods.
- Soil is warmer in spring and cools down quickly in the fall.
High-Yield Harvest
The benefits of growing vegetables and plants in a raised garden bed are plentiful. You can have far greater control over this warm, well-drained, nutrient-rich environment. In addition to better quality control, raised garden beds pave the way for better soil. This will allow you to maximize your growth and reduce the need for weeding and pest control. You can create a raised garden bed in many ways, such as with wood, stone or metal.