Benefits of Growing Vegetables in a Raised Garden Bed
If you grow a veggie patch in your backyard, you know what's going into the vegetables. You have the satisfaction of growing them yourself. And it's better for the environment, as greenhouse gases won't be released while the vegetables are trucked to a store. Instead, they'll go straight from the garden to your kitchen. Rather than planting the veggie patch at ground level, you could create raised garden beds. Here are some benefits of this approach.
Control Over the Soil Quality
If you use a raised bed, you choose what to fill it with, so you have control over the soil quality. On the other hand, if you use backyard soil, it may not be optimal for vegetables, forcing you to work on correcting its problems.
Vegetables need soil rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients like magnesium and calcium. If the soil in the yard is depleted, the vegetables will remove what they need as they grow, which will drain the ground further. The vegetables could eventually stop thriving unless you correct the deficiencies with compost and fertiliser. This is not a problem you have to worry about if you create a raised bed.
Another possible problem with existing backyard soil is that it has a pH level that plants don't flourish in. The soil may be too acidic or too alkaline, and you will then have to treat it and wait until the pH level is correct.
Create a Healthy Environment
When you set up a raised garden bed, you can create optimum conditions. One possibility is to layer different materials. For example, you can put straw on the bottom and then form levels of compost and soil from a landscape supplier. They may suggest a fertiliser that will help the vegetables. Plus, you can get soil supplies that are specifically mixed for veggie gardens. You can also add organic things such as coffee and eggshells.
The straw and organic matter will decompose and produce a nutrient-rich environment. You can add compost and mulch as needed to top up the veggie patch. The mulch will retain moisture in the soil.
It's easier to focus on a limited area like a raised bed than a larger area of a backyard, especially if the yard has unsuitable compacted soil with a lot of clay content. You can avoid the effort of going over it with a garden fork to aerate the soil. For more information on soil supplies, contact a company near you.