We are building our raised beds 6 feet wide with 3 foot paths in between. Most recommendations are for beds that are about 4 feet wide. I would suggest you measure out a mock bed that is the finished width you think you want and see if it will work for you. I have long arms and have used wider beds so am comfortable with a larger bed. I wanted to be able to cram more into my beds so I chose a wider width.
I tried to level the site before he put the box in. You can see I was a bit off. He leveled the box and I will have to bring the ground level up to make it even.
My hubby and 10 year old son mixed compost and sandy soil(from our yard) to fill the box. We left a little room on top so I can add mulch later.
It's a pretty simple and easy process. On the left is the compost and the pile on the right is our sandy soil. We will be bringing in a garden mix for the rest of the boxes.
And now it's full and ready to go. I soaked the soil well in preparation for planting the next evening.
I planted tomatoes, marigold, basil and peppers. I will add mulch to the top of the bed after the basil seeds sprout. See my neat gardening seat over there on the left? My parents brought two of those back from Arkansas for me.
Building a raised bed is a simple process and will get your garden up and running quickly. The main advantage for me is that I can just grow right on top of the deep gravel layer instead of digging it out and building up the soil underneath. You can also build a raised bed on top of a patio or deck to make it possible to garden anywhere.
And now here's a sneak peak at what the rest of the raised bed garden will look like.
Are you using raised beds to garden?
Briana, Garden Columnist for The Christian Home Magazine.
