What is an elevated garden bed? Elevated, elevated or raised, etc. means that the soil level inside is higher than the surrounding soil. A garden bed is a small planting area that you don't have to step on to operate. Here is a brief list of the significant benefits of using raised garden beds.
1) Soil quality control
In raised garden beds, you have more control over the condition and quality of the soil. You don't have to worry about whether the local soil is polluted or poorly drained, and you don't need to spend a lot of manpower, material resources and money to improve the soil. Simply fill the raised garden bed with new soil suitable for planting.
2) More drainage and ventilation
Since it is higher than the ground level after planting, excess water will infiltrate, which is more conducive to drainage and ventilation, and avoids problems such as stuffy roots and rotten roots caused by soaking plant roots in water to the greatest extent. Especially in rainy days, especially in severe weather such as heavy rain and floods, the advantages are more obvious than ground planting.
3) More ergonomic
Working in the raised implant bed without excessive bending, squatting or kneeling is more friendly to our waist and knees.
4) Easier to protect crops
The raised height of the garden bed is a hindrance and a potential deterrent to pests such as slugs and snails. Using PVC pipes and protective nets to install insect-proof nets, bird-proof nets and other protective measures can effectively prevent the vast majority of pests and birds, as well as small animals such as chickens, ducks, cats and dogs from damaging crops. If you are worried that digging animals such as hamsters and voles will damage them from below, you can install barbed wire, wire mesh, etc. on the bottom of the garden bed.
5) Reduce weeds
Similar to deterring pests, raised planting has the advantage of preventing weeds compared to ground planting. First and foremost, fill the garden beds with new grass-free soil. In contrast, native soil and ground may contain weeds and weed seeds. Second, raised garden beds prevent weeds from growing around them. Finally, before filling with soil, you can also place a layer of gardening geotextile or cardboard underneath to prevent invasive weeds from sneaking in from below.
6) Easy to shape and more beautiful
It's not that ground planting isn't good-looking. However, the raised garden bed has a stronger visual impact and can easily create a pastoral style.
7) Can be placed anywhere
Raised garden beds can be placed almost anywhere. You can create rooftop gardens on patios, balconies, rooftops, and more. Basically, any well-structured and sunny place will do. There are a few things to consider when installing raised garden beds on hard surfaces such as patios or balconies. First, it is important that the garden bed has good drainage. The second is to prevent the loss of soil, which can be covered with permeable and soil-retaining materials such as gardening geotextiles.
These are the benefits of using raised garden beds. Do you have garden beds in your garden?