Growing plants and flowers in a raised bed is a great way to maximize space, improve soil quality, and reduce weeds.
For optimal plant growth, a raised garden box should generally be at least 12 inches deep, though 18–24 inches is ideal for most vegetables and root crops.
Here's a quick breakdown of what we recommend
Make sure the box has good drainage and is filled with a rich, well-draining soil mix (often a blend of compost, topsoil, and organic matter). This depth gives roots room to spread and supports strong, healthy plants.
Start by choosing a sunny location that gets at least 6–8 hours of sunlight daily. Fill the bed with your rich, well-draining soil mix.
Plan your layout by grouping vegetables with similar water and sunlight needs, and follow proper spacing guidelines to allow good air circulation.
Water consistently, especially in hot weather (keep the roots consistently moist), and mulch around plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
With proper management, raised beds can yield a vibrant, healthy vegetable harvest throughout the growing season.
Tips for Creating DIY Raised Beds
Deciding how deep raised beds should be is just one part of building a raised bed garden. To ensure your raised beds are perfect for your plants, here are a few more tips to keep in mind:
*Tips provided by Better Homes & Gardens
Here's a quick breakdown of what we recommend
- 6–12 inches: Suitable for herbs, leafy greens (like lettuce, spinach), and strawberries.
- 12–18 inches: Great for tomatoes, peppers, bush beans, and shallow root vegetables like onions and beets.
- 18–24 inches or more: Best for deep-rooted plants like carrots, potatoes, and parsnips.
Make sure the box has good drainage and is filled with a rich, well-draining soil mix (often a blend of compost, topsoil, and organic matter). This depth gives roots room to spread and supports strong, healthy plants.
Start by choosing a sunny location that gets at least 6–8 hours of sunlight daily. Fill the bed with your rich, well-draining soil mix.
Plan your layout by grouping vegetables with similar water and sunlight needs, and follow proper spacing guidelines to allow good air circulation.
Water consistently, especially in hot weather (keep the roots consistently moist), and mulch around plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
With proper management, raised beds can yield a vibrant, healthy vegetable harvest throughout the growing season.
Tips for Creating DIY Raised Beds
Deciding how deep raised beds should be is just one part of building a raised bed garden. To ensure your raised beds are perfect for your plants, here are a few more tips to keep in mind:
- Low-cost soil alternatives. Instead of using only soil to fill your raised beds, save money by filling the base of raised beds with organic matter, such as leaves, that will eventually decompose into the soil. This will reduce the amount of soil you’ll have to purchase.
- Budget-friendly DIY raised beds. Commercially made raised bed frames are typically made from wood or galvanized steel. A more budget-friendly option is building your own raised bed from scratch, for example with untreated, pine ledger board.
- Maximum raised bed length. In theory, raised beds can be as long as you like them to be, but keeping them under 4 feet wide will make them easier to access for planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting.
- Keeping pests out. If your garden is plagued by burrowing rodents such as voles, install hardware cloth on the base of each raised bed before filling the beds with soil.
- Stabilizing the raised beds. Raised beds that are more than 6 feet long or 1 foot deep are more likely to bow out at the sides when filled with soil. Prevent this by adding braces for support across the middle of each bed or installing several short, sturdy stakes along the bed’s length.
- Maximize sun exposure. To take advantage of the sun, orient raised beds in a north-to-south direction. Plant taller crops on the north side of the bed so they won’t overshadow shorter plants.
*Tips provided by Better Homes & Gardens