If you’ve been thinking about building your own raised beds for the garden, using garden sleepers for the structure and carefully chosen soil and compost for your plants, this article is for you.
A lot of homeowners are worried about adding raised beds to the garden area for a variety of reasons.
In reality, it’s very easy to build a raised bed in your garden, and it doesn’t require either expert tools or expert knowledge. There are plenty of informative video tutorials you can follow to make it happen, so this should help soothe your worries.
But even if you understand how to build a raised bed, you may still be wondering if this is the right thing for your garden. Here are 7 reasons why people opt for raised beds.
Photo by Amie Roussel on Unsplash
#1. You don’t have to bend anymore
If gardening is synonymous with back pain in your household, a raised bed makes planting a lot easier. You can build them to the right height so that you never have to bend down to look after your plants.
This is particularly important for people with chronic back or knee pain, and seniors, too. So, adding a raised bed structure makes gardening kinder to your body.
#2. It makes gardening more accessible
In a household with mobility issues and limitations, such as people needing a wheelchair or a support cane, a raised bed can be a game-changer. It instantly brings the planting area to the right level, so that even wheelchair users can enjoy their favourite hobby.
You can also pair raised beds with flat and structured paths to make the whole garden safe to navigate.
#3. It breaks garden slopes
A slope in the landscape can become problematic when it allows rainwater to gather in the same area. This can lead to stagnant puddles, which will create permanent wet and muddy patches. Besides, if the slope directs the water to the house, this will also affect the foundation.
So, it can be a good idea to use raised beds to break the slope and the water flow. You can also combine them with strategically placed drains around the raised bed structure.
#4. It creates zones
If you are into zoning, you can use raised beds to frame different garden zones, which adds a stylish design to your landscape. This makes the whole garden a lot easier to manage too!
#5. You can control the soil quality easily
It can be tough to grow plants in dry or compact soil. As raised beds are self-contained boxes, you have more control over the soil quality as you can use the compost and nutrients you need to create the right growing environment for your plants.
#6. Better for pest control
As a rule of thumb, pests can find it tough to access raised beds. So, this is a great strategy for plants that are frequently targeted by pests in the garden.
#7. Safe from kids and pets
The garden is both a playground and a plant-growing surface. It’s hard to prevent kids and pets from running around and accidentally stepping on your plants. But when you keep your precious greens in raised beds, they are out of reach of enthusiastic feet and paws.
Hopefully, this can help you decide whether a raised structure is the right answer for your needs.