Raised garden beds are a great way to get started gardening, perfect for gardening in a small space and they are ideal for an easy to reach height for kids and adults alike.
The advantages of raised garden beds are:
- Raised beds warm more quickly in spring, allowing you to work the soil and plant earlier.
- Raised beds drain better.
- The soil in raised beds doesn't get compacted, because they are constructed with accessibility in mind.
- It's easy to tailor the soil for your raised bed to the plants you plan to grow there.
- After the initial construction process, raised beds require less maintenance than conventional garden beds.
Instructions on How-to-Build a Raised Garden Bed:
Do-It-Yourself Network - How to Build a Raised Vegetable Bed
Home Depot Garden Club - How to Build a Raised Garden Bed
Cost - $
$100-250 including lumber and soil
Time - 4 hours
Difficulty - Easy
This Old House - How to Build a Raised Planting Bed
This is the raised garden bed pictured. This is also the raised garden bed that we chose to construct.
$80-200 for gravel and soil
$250-1200 for lumber
We spent around $400 when we built this raised garden bed. You will have additional cost in the lumber, however it is well worth it for the end result. We have had no issues thus far with our raised bed and this will be its 3rd growing season.
Time - 8 hours +
When we (my husband) constructed our raised garden bed 3 years ago, it took longer than 8 hours. There is a good amount of digging and leveling involved if you have uneven ground.
Difficulty - Moderate
Again, the end result is well worth the time and skill level required to build this garden bed.
Other posts in this Series:
Gardening with Children - Getting Started
Gardening with Children - Composting Basics
Gardening with Children - Gardening in a Small Space
Gardening with Children - Rain Barrels
Photo Credit: Amy Lloyd, ThisOldHouse.com
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