Raised beds

The other day someone asked me why I had raised beds with solid sides. I hadn't thought about it too much, but after I did I came up with a few reasons.

 

The first most obvious reason is that it is a way to assert a bit of order to what is usually a chaotic gardening space.

Then there is the fact that in the spring the beds warm up and dry out much earlier than they would otherwise.

In New Zealand in my garden where there is no snow but lots of winter rain, the raised beds keep the plants and their roots drier and the paths channel the rainwater away.

The permanent paths mean that I never stand on the planting bed, so there is no compaction of the soil. The beds are 4' wide so that means I can reach all parts of the bed without stepping on them.

Water and fertiliser can be confined to the growing beds where they will do some good, and not on the paths where they could encourage weed growth.

Also it means that if the soil deeper down isn't great for gardening whether it is clay or sand, the raised beds allow another 6" of great top soil for good root development. In my case here in Canada I have pure sand about 6" below the natural surface of the soil. Great for drainage, but not great for growing veges in.

 

I think the garden is ready for winter.

The garlic has been planted, and the perennials that I wanted moved have been moved around to their new homes. The summer growth on the perennials has been cut back and the annuals composted.

The green manure that I sowed a month ago is growing, and hopefully will grow a little more before getting frozen back. This year I used peas as my green manure. I had a lot of dried peas from several years ago, so it was a good way to use them.

I'm not ready for winter, so I am out of here until I hear that the snow has gone next spring. Nice to know that once again the garden here will be waiting for me when I return.