MAKING A RAISED BED

            THINGS YOU WILL NEED:

            EDGING- YOUR CHOICE OF

            • landscape timbers
            • railroad ties
            • concrete edging
            • flexible edging
            • etc.

            DIGGING TOOLS

            • spade and shovel are preferable

            SOIL AMENDMENTS (IN ANY COMBINATION)

            • potting soil
            • peat moss
            • sand

            MULCH

            • shredded bark
            • bark chips or nuggets
            • pine straw
            • dry grass clippings

            Choose a site for your raised bed that will be close enough to a water source that you can water the bed during dry spells.

            If the ground has been cultivated in the past for a garden, it will be easier for you to prepare the bed for flowers and shrubs. If it has not been cultivated before, dig up the soil to a depth of 4-6 inches. Remove any grass, weeds, and roots. Break up any large clumps of soil.

            To amend the soil, you will probably have to add either potting soil, peat moss, or sand or a combination of the three. If you have heavy clay soil, this is particularly the case. You will also need to add at least potting soil to bring the level of the bed above ground level.

            Turn the amendments into the dug up soil, continuing to break up any clumps that you come across. Mound the soil up in the middle of the bed so that you can install the edging more easily.

            If you use a flexible edging, anchor the edging to the ground as you move it around the bed. The edging usually comes with anchors to accomplish this. If you use landscape timbers, or some other type of wooden boards, you can connect their ends with nails. Flexible edging is made to be installed with part of the bottom edge buried in the ground to help secure it in place. Pull the soil up around the edging and tamp it down firmly. Concrete edging can also be installed slightly below ground level for stability. Railroad ties are fairly heavy and probably do not need any anchoring.

            If there are gaps between the lengths of edging, cut lengths of plastic garbage bags as wide as the edging is tall plus about 2 inches and place it against the inside of the edging with a little bit of the bottom laying on the inside of the bed. Hold it in place by pushing soil up on it. The plastic will keep soil from washing through the edging and out of the bed.

            Now, level the soil using your spade to pull the soil from the center of the bed to the outside against the edging. Do not tamp down the soil. The level of the soil should be above ground level by at least 4 inches. If it is not, add more potting soil or peat moss.

            You can now plant your flowers and shrubs. Be sure not to plant them too close. They will soon fill in the empty spaces. Do not bury the crown of the plants. Keep in mind that they will sink slightly when the bed is watered. Water the plants thoroughly.

            The last step is very important: mulching. When you mulch the flower bed, you can keep the roots of the plants cool and prevent the bed from drying out as fast as it would without mulch. Also, clay soil that dries out becomes brick hard from the sun. You do not want your plants growing with their roots embedded in pottery, so please remember to mulch your beds with at least 2 inches of mulch, more if possible, to help keep weeds down.

            Now, sit back and watch your garden grow.




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