5 Advantages of Raised Vegetable Garden Beds

Raised vegetable garden beds are an excellent choice for many people with a small backyard or garden. In this article we will look at the advantages of setting up raised vegetable beds as well as some of the materials that you can use to establish this style of gardening in your yard.

1. The biggest advantage of raised bed gardening for most people is that it is so much easier to maintain. Your beds are closer to eye level so you can see and eliminate weeds and pests so much more easily.  Because of this, you are likely to spot them and deal with them before they become a serious threat to your vegetables.

Raised vegetable beds for disabled access from wheelchairs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. The greater accessibility of the beds means less bending, so you can escape a lot of the physical discomfort of gardening. This is especially important for people with back problems or other physical difficulties but it makes gardening easier for everybody. You can even take a chair or stool to sit on while you garden. If the height of the beds and the pathways between them are designed correctly, it can also make the garden wheelchair-accessible both for visiting and for carrying out gardening tasks from a wheelchair.

3. Some pests are less likely to invade your beds if they are raised up from the ground, simply because it is harder for them to crawl up. This is especially true of slugs if you have brick-built beds, but you can also restrict access by putting deterrents for particular pests such as ants around the base of your beds. Vinegar can be a great deterrent for ants, but it could burn the leaves and roots of your plants if you didn't have raised beds.

4. When your garden is raised off the ground it is more visible from windows. The beds themselves can be attractive features and the plants are closer to eye level, so your garden can be even more pleasing to the eye.

5. Raised vegetable beds provide a more substantial and permanent alternative to container gardening for those who do not have bare earth in their yard. You can establish raised beds and fill them with earth to a greater depth than some containers will allow.

Raised bed garden with wood frames. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You may even be able to establish a raised bed garden on a roof or large balcony, but be very careful not to overload it. Raised beds can be much heavier than containers and you would not want your roof or balcony to collapse under the weight!

Materials for raised beds include brick, wood or plastic. Plastic doesn't decompose as quickly as wood, but it can warp and crack over time, or bow outwards. Wood can look very attractive at first but it is not so long lasting. If you use treated wood that lasts longer, a small amount of chemicals may seep into your soil and possibly eventually into your vegetable crops, so it's really not a good idea for growing vegetables.  Even if you have a lining, which is recommended if you must use treated wood, this can tear or be damaged by pests over the years. If you use wood for edging your beds, be prepared to replace them every few years.

Brick is heavy, but is often a good solution because of its strength and relative permanence. Brick raised vegetable beds look very good and keep their attractive appearance for a long time.

Raised Bed Gardening Kits: