Raised Bed Gardening – Soil Compaction and Soaker Hoses
Raised bed gardening has become quite popular recently, thanks to many ideas for beginners on the market. You can start small if you so choose and grow to be a gardener much bigger than you ever dreamed possible. You can use raised bed gardening for just one plant, for a whole garden of hundreds, or everything in between.
Basics
Raised bed gardening is also a system of gardening which raises the soil to an elevated height. This is anywhere from 4 inches to a foot high with a raised bed frame made of bricks, wood, concrete, or any other recycled material. The raised bed frame is designed to hold the soil, gravel, and other organic matter. Sometimes referred to as raised garden boxes, raised bed gardening can include a frame made of iron, bricks, or other recycled material.
When you begin to plant with raised garden beds, you will have to be sure to remove all weeds and grass within reach. Weeds can take over your whole yard if you do not remove them. Use herbicides before you spread the organic matter on the raised bed. This will keep the weeds and grass under control so you do not end up spreading all the unwanted weeds and grass within your yard. If you must, you can pull the weeds out by hand and plant new ones.
Planting in raised bed gardening systems will require you to use soil suited to the plants you are planting. When you use this type of gardening system, you will want to select plants that are durable, disease-resistant, and hardy. These plants will survive the rigours of raised garden beds without deteriorating over time. Choose annuals that grow quickly and have a deep root system. Many perennial flowers and plants are also drought tolerant and will survive even when you do not water them very often.
Raised Bed Gardening Tips
When you start with raised bed gardening, you will want to have some variety among your plants so you do not become bored. You can create a beautiful vegetable garden with different size beds and heights. You may choose a sunny location for your vegetables where you can sit and enjoy the fruits of your labour. If you have a raised bed gardening system at your home, you can put your vegetables in the raised bed gardening system and then transfer them to the bottom of your garden when the weather conditions are not good for your vegetables.
It takes more work to maintain a raised bed gardening system than it does to have a traditional vegetable garden. You will need to ensure that the vegetables stay healthy by checking them often for rot or insects. It is also important to fertilize and water the plants regularly. However, you should give them a few days break between waterings so that the soil does not get too dry.
Your plants will need certain amounts of fertilizer. If you are using hardy plants, you should follow the manufacturer’s direction in the amounts you need to add. For example, if you are growing tomatoes, you should add about a teaspoon of compost to every gallon of water. Then you should add three to four drops of liquid fertilizer to the top of the soaker hoses. Be sure to always use a high-pressure sprayer when applying fertilizer. High-pressure sprayers ensure that the fertilizer goes into the soil deeply.
Proper soil drainage is important for raised bed gardening. Soils that are well-drained will dry faster and maintain a healthy root system for your plants. This allows the roots to absorb the nutrients from the soil. When the roots are well established you will notice a big difference in your garden soil. Your soil compaction will be reduced, your weeds will be killed and your flowers and vegetables will grow better.…