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As with many of my gardening ventures, I struck upon the raised bed quite inadvertently. How did I do this? Very easily. It seemed that my compost pile made a really good raised bed. It was warm, loose soil, rich in nutrients and the seeds from discarded vegetables decided to germinate all on their own. Several tomato plants, a few pumpkins and cucumbers were growing there with no help from me. What could be better than that?
I transplanted these obliging little darlings into my veggie garden and boy, did they produce for me! Several pumpkins, many cukes and I made enough tomato sauce to last for two years and all from volunteers in my first accidental raised bed. Perhaps all those proponents of the raised bed were right. It was the perfect way to garden.
Another easy way to make a raised bed was given to me when my husband asked if I could store some old tires in my green house for him. At first I wasn’t keen on the idea until I remembered my mother turning one into a planter. I didn’t have the rim on it so I just left it on the ground, filled it with lovely compost and soil and planted a potato in it. It was perfect. After they were grown all I had to do was lift the tire up and the harvest was a cinch. I ended up doing it all the time which pleased Tommy. He didn’t have to get rid of the tires anymore.
A raised bed is merely a slight heaping of good, rich, loose soil that stands a few inches or a few feet above the surrounding path. One does not step on a raised bed to keep it from compacting. A less compacted planting area means plant roots have more freedom to search for water and nutrients, there’s better drainage and produce is kept cleaner and safe from getting trodden on. I recommend planting beds six feet long and three feet wide. This enables you to reach from either side to tend your plants without stepping into it.
Some people choose to line their raised beds either with railroad ties, pressure-treated lumber (in my opinion, not a good choice as it gives off chemicals that your plants will absorb), rocks or blocks but they needn’t be lined at all. Mine aren’t. It’s entirely up to you and how high you want your raised bed. The higher you want it the more you’ll need something to hold up the soil. I like my sloping sides for some low growing flowers but that’s just me.
The raised bed is wonderful for the very young and the every old. For toddlers it brings the soil to their level and helps keep those knees free of soil and grass stains (Ah, Mom, where’s the fun in that?) For the older folks they may like the ease of the raised bed on their aching back and knees and for those in wheelchairs it’s a Godsend. If done properly with cinder blocks or sturdy wood boards to hold in the soil these “planting boxes” could help the elderly garden more comfortably and help them feel useful and connected to the world. Don’t we all want that? I have seen raised beds where there is built-in seating for just this purpose. It brings plants close especially those you want your nose right up to. If you don’t have to get your belly to the ground you’re more likely to stop and swell the flowers and then in turn you’ll want to spend more time gardening. What could be better than that?
Do I recommend the raised bed? Did you really have to ask? I think once you try it you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them. Worth a try, don’t you think?.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 visit http://www.helium.com/users/32782 for more gardening encourgement, funny short stories and amusing novel excerpts.
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