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Raised Vegetable Bed

Video, Lawn and Garden, Fruits & Vegetables, Landscaping & Design Published 01/07/2007 by Danny Lipford

Raised vegetable beds are an excellent way to manage your produce patch, especially if your home is on a hilly lot. Here are a few tips if you’re considering building one.

• If you use wood timbers to construct your raised bed, interlock them at the corners by overlapping the timbers (log cabin style). This creates a sturdy structure to contain your soil. For a vegetable garden, don’t use timbers treated with creosote.
• Build the bed(s) long and narrow so that the middle can easily be reached from either side. This way you don’t have to actually climb into the bed for weeding or harvesting.
• If animals are a concern in your area, surround the bed with a wire or fabric fence to keep the critters from feasting on your produce. To stop burrowing animals lay chick wire in the bottom of the box before adding soil and amendments.
• The bed begins with rich soil so be sure to include plenty of organic matter in the mix you add to the bed once your box is constructed.