Do any of the following describe your soil?
 

⏹️ Too much clay

⏹️ Too much sand

⏹️ Full of rocks

⏹️ Full of weeds

⏹️ Compacted

⏹️ Drains poorly

⏹️ Prone to erosion
 

Even if you only checked one box, you should strongly consider growing in raised beds, a simple yet highly effective way of growing plants within a framed bed that has numerous advantages.

Raised beds warm up much faster in spring and remain warmer longer in the fall. As a result you can get a jump start on planting in the spring and extend the growing season in the fall.

Raised beds filled with loose, fluffy soil (more on that in a moment) naturally drain better, and poor drainage is one of the leading causes of crop failure. 

Weeds are much easier to manage in raised beds, in part because they can’t creep into the beds from the sides. 

Compaction is bad news for plants, because it restricts root growth. But because you never walk on the soil in raised beds, compaction is basically nonexistent.

The frames of raised beds contain the soil, which eliminates problems with erosion.

If you water by hand (which I do), you need only water the plants within the beds rather than the paths between, and that saves a lot of water. Plus, you can water only the beds that need it rather than all the beds at once.

I think raised beds look better, and give the garden a neater, tidier look. That may not be important to you, but it is to me. (Those are my raised beds in the pictures.)

I’ve always used cedar lumber to build my raised beds, but you can also use wooden fence posts, bricks, stone, or cinder blocks. Cedar isn’t cheap, but it’s easy to work with and lasts for ten years or more even when in contact with the ground. Treated wood is my second choice. It’s much cheaper and it’s no longer made with toxic materials. However, it is more likely to warp.

Three 8’ boards (whether 6”, 8”, or 12” deep) will create a 4’ by 8’ bed, which is a great size for several reasons. You only have to cut one board in half to build the bed, the beds themselves are portable, and it’s easy to reach into the center of the bed from either side. And you can stack the frames to create the depth you prefer.

Filling your beds with a good garden soil plus a mix of soil amendments isn’t exactly cheap, but once it’s done, you need only add a bag or two of additional amendments once a year. You can buy garden soil in bulk or you can purchase it in bags. Bagged products include topsoil, mushroom compost, and cow manure, as well as specialty mixes such as Espoma’s Raised Bed Mix. Combining a few bags of each works great. Fill your beds to within an inch of the top to allow for settling.

Make sure you remove any existing turf grass before plopping your raised bed on the ground. And if it’s Bermuda, dig down to a depth of 4” to make sure you get rid of all the roots and rhizomes. Otherwise, you’ll end up with an excellent crop...of grass! If you don’t want to go to the trouble, you can place a few layers of heavy cardboard on the grass before filling the bed with soil. The cardboard will smother the grass and decompose fairly quickly.

There are all kinds of ready to use raised beds on the market these days, made from wood or metal, often with only minor assembly required. Those built on stands are especially great for folks with bad backs or knees or other physical limitations

Growing fruit at home can be challenging, but the payoff is worth the effort and the results are delicious!