Vegetable gardens using small raised beds are becoming very popular in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world. The main reason for this is that vegetable gardens can be more productive and cost less to maintain than traditional lawns. One concern people have about vegetable gardens is that the soil in a small raised bed can’t have sufficient nutrients to allow for healthy plant growth. This is not the case at all with well-drained soil in a small raised bed.
Actually, the soil in most apartment gardens is usually much better than dirt anywhere else in the home because raised beds have so many advantages. They require no additional mulch because the root system goes right to the earth, so weeds are not an issue. Also, because there is no overhead cover, pests such as grubs and snails don’t have a safe place to live, damaging plants at the base of the bed.
Most apartment dwellers own more than one unit, so they have more than one small raised bed vegetable garden. By planting beds side-by-side, there is more room for crops to spread out and grow. Crops need room to grow, so when you plant seeds at the bottom and then turn them over to the next crop, you are providing extra growing space. You also won’t have the problem of weeds running down the face of your beds because there isn’t enough room for them to move. When you rotate crops, weeds are put on the outside of the rows so new crops can catch the light and sprout.
Small raised vegetable gardens are also easier to care for. When you are planning the soil for a small garden, there are several things you need to keep in mind. For example, pay attention to the type of soil you have. Soil that holds on to water easily, contains good organic matter and has good drainage is better for vegetable gardens. If you don’t have a lot of sun or if you live in an area where the soil is constantly exposed to heavy rain, you may want to choose another type of soil, such as fertile clay.
It’s also important that your garden has good drainage. Raised beds with good drainage are less likely to develop weeds. In addition, if the soil is too wet or too dry, your garden is more likely to become diseased. Also, if your soil is too acidic, your plants can suffer from too much acidity, which can cause leaves to burn and fruits to spoil. If your garden is not properly monitored, you could end up with nutrient-deficient soil that will be more difficult to grow vegetables in.
To successfully start small raised beds for vegetable gardening, you will need to plan carefully. You can’t just place a few seedlings into each bed and hope they all take off. You should think about what you want the final plant to be like. Will it be tall, bushy, purple, bluish-green, blue, brown, pink, orange, green, ornamental, or vine-like? Your choices will affect the size and type of garden bed you plant.
One of the easiest ways to get started is to work with a plan. There are several great choices when it comes to raised garden beds plans. You’ll need one or two good garden plans to get started, and then you can modify them as you go along. For example, you can adjust the soil and bed design as your children grow, or as your interest in gardening increases. You can always add soil or plants later on if you’re handy with tools and soil-lending supplies.
Small raised garden beds are not hard to create. You can create beautiful gardens with small containers, raised beds, and vegetable plots. Just find a plan or download one online. There are also some great resources at your local home improvement store, such as books and tools. If you have an old barn or storage building that you’d like to convert into a vegetable garden, why not take advantage of the low cost and space saving possibilities? You may be surprised at just how easy it can be to grow healthy vegetables in your limited outdoor space.