On Nov 4, 11:01?am, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message

. ..

Just wondering what you all think of raised beds for vegetable gardens as
opposed to ground level gardens.

It's a good time of year to get all that planned out and in place so
looking for input.

My thought is that the raised beds will be easier to maintain and to work
in. My thought on that is more for the wifes sake since she has back
trouble that acts up from time to time.

I'm not so sure it's going to help your wife. She'll end up sitting on the
edge and having to twist to reach things. Or, kneel on the edge, with her
legs hanging off behind her. If this makes no sense, go get a piece of 2x6
or 2x8 lumber and put it on the ground alongside one of your existing beds.
Tell her to kneel on it, but there's a rule: Her toes can't touch the ground
behind her. That's what it'll be like to kneel on a raised garden bed edge.

Her other option would be to kneel right IN the raised bed, which will
compress the soil, and her ankles or shins will be on the wooden edge.

I agree that raised beds can be visually pleasing, but think about
maintenance and pain first.

A proper raised bed garden should be high enough that one needn't
stoop (about 24" - 30" is ideal for most folks) and no wider that one
can comfortably reach to the center from each side (about 4' - 5')...
there is really no point to building a raised bed that doesn't meet
the aformentioned criteria, then it's just a waste of materials and
effort. If planning on building a raised bed less than two feet high
one will be better off not at all. If one is of a short stature for
harvesting crops it's far more advantageos to use a small step stool
than to have a raised bed so low thet one still needs to stoop. To
save on materials plan on "U" and "H" and "T" configurations. If
one's land slopes severely a terraced raised bed garden works well,
where one can stand on each level to reach the next higher level. If
one is serious about raised bed gardening they may want to consider
using concrete landscaping blocks rather than lumber.