Building a Raised Vegetable Garden Box

Building a raised garden box to grow food can be a fun project and a healthy method of providing produce. A do-it-yourself raised garden box can save you money and time. It also entails lesser effort compared with digging an in-ground garden plot. In addition, making garden boxes for your own vegetables can be an enriching experience for your children as you show them how they can grow food starting with seeds.

Raised garden boxes, also known as garden beds, are good for cultivating small plots of flowers and vegetables. They can help remove pathway weeds in your garden soil, avoid soil compaction, and provide you good drainage, in addition to serving as an effective barrier to various pests such as snails and slugs.

The sides of your boxes can keep the garden soil from being washed away or eroded in cases of heavy rains. In some regions, gardeners prefer planting earlier because the soil is better drained and warmer when the soil is above ground level.

Because raised garden boxes raise the soil level, they can also reduce back strain when you tend the beds. For older gardeners or those who have bad backs, raised garden boxes are especially helpful. If the garden boxes are built well, you can sit on the box’s edge while weeding. For some gardeners, this can be the best benefit of it all.

Raised garden beds can be made up of different materials. In fact, raised garden boxes can be created with relative ease. There are three do-it-yourself ways to make raised garden boxes for vegetables. Consider the following:

• Standard Wood Boxes
• Recycled Metal Boxes
• Brick Boxes

Here are some tips for creating a raised garden box.

Boxes should face south horizontally.  It’s always best if the garden boxes faces south. This can assure you will have equal light exposure to the plants.

Double-dig your box area. If the ground you’ll be using has never been cultivated for gardening, the soil should be turned over. Pull out the rocks and check the soil’s composition.

Check for roots.  You should also monitor the roots that are growing beneath your beds. If left unchecked, these roots can take away the organic amendments you or your children are adding to your soil.

Level the garden box. While it may seem meticulous, it will be important for you to settle the soil level. Add planned soil amendments, including peat, lime, or compost, to spread your soil across the bed.

Spread soil out evenly. Add your planned soil amendments.

Do not step on the bed. Stepping on the box can compact the soil and minimize aeration. Ultimately, stepping on the bed would mean affecting the root growth of the vegetables. If you have pets, they should also be trained to avoid the raised boxes.

Whether you’re growing herbs or vegetables, building a raised garden box in your yard can be a fun family project and a low-cost method of providing healthy produce.

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