Weighing the pros and cons of garden beds

Raised beds are convenient and helpful for many gardeners. However, there are a few pros and cons to having garden beds.

When thinking of raised beds, weigh whether your garden needs them and how they can be an advantage for you. They may not be for everyone due to their downsides, although many gardeners are still adopting this garden style because of the proven benefits.

Pros of using garden beds

Garden beds are usually seen in community and school gardens as they can be placed on pavements and other concrete flooring. The pros of having raised beds in your garden include:

Less equipment – There is no need for too many unnecessary materials when creating them. The soil in raised beds can be worked up with a hand cultivator or spade making it easy.

Longer growing season – Raised beds warm up quicker around springtime and they also drain faster. This means planting your plants earlier for a longer growing season.

Improved garden accessibility – With garden beds there is less bending and kneeling when planting, maintaining, or harvesting in your garden bed. The height or width of the raised bed can be adjusted to accommodate your needs.

Less soil compaction – With no foot traffic to compress the soil, compaction is kept to a minimum on raised beds. This provides a looser growing medium for your root veggies and makes it easier to prepare the soil for your next planting.

Aesthetics – They can be an attractive garden feature in your garden. They are neat and with an orderly design that is ideal for smaller gardens.

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Cons of using garden beds

With most gardening techniques there are advantages and disadvantages you need to consider. These cons in your garden bed include:

Cost –Although good to have, raised-bed gardening requires an initial investment to build boxes and fill them with quality soil. All those can cost money when you are still starting your garden beds.

Require frequent irrigation – Raised beds commonly dry out quicker, especially in sunny locations. Your growing crops will need more frequent watering and you may need to invest in an irrigation system.

Can be harder to prepare – Your garden beds will require manual labour to prepare the soil for planting. This can be harder to prepare manually if you don’t have the time.