In her new book Raised Bed Revolution: Build it, Fill it, Plant it … Garden Anywhere! Tara Nolan explains the basics and benefits of gardening with raised beds. Tara suggests creative ways to use raised beds, and demonstrates how gardeners can:
- Expand the growing season: Soil in raised beds thaws much quicker than soil in ground gardens, allowing gardeners to get a head start on planting in the spring.
- Control unwanted guests: If your raised bed is high enough, smaller unwanted guests like rabbits and ground hogs won’t be able to climb in and eat your plants.
- Make crop rotation and companion planting easier: Using a journal and raised beds, you can track where you planted specific crops each year, and avoid planting them in the same location. This makes it easy to rotate crops and improve soil fertility.
- Provide accessibility: Raised beds offer solutions to individuals who love gardening, but may have trouble kneeling or bending down to ground level.
- Increase yield: According to recent studies, a raised bed has the ability to produce more than double the yield of a typical garden.
- Overcome bad soil: If you have soil in your garden that is hard packed or sandy, just place a raised bed garden on top of it. Raised bed gardens allow you to insert your own soil mix and compost.
- Allow for easy drainage: Unlike conventional gardens that can hold water for long periods of time, raised bed gardens can be created to improve drainage capabilities. Including non-compacted soil and drainage holes will keep your plants from getting too saturated.
- Reduce weeds: Implementing landscape fabric in your raised beds can prevent many weeds from creeping up into your raised gardens.
Raised bed gardening is becoming a popular gardening strategy for many reasons. Gardeners who have limited outdoor space can still enjoy gardening by using this method. A raised bed garden can be made in a small backyard, a balcony, or even a paved driveway.
As I get older the idea of raised garden beds becomes increasingly attractive. This book would be a handy one to have
Keeping my fingers crossed.
I have 7 raised beds but am always looking for new and innovative ideas. I think the book would be a great read. Also saw Tara give a presentation in person, think it was the first time and she did a great job. Would go see her again.
I have trouble with my knees am68 years old and love my garden, have some vegetables in raised boxed beds and it is greats
, weeds are nil, easier to water and can orate crops every year, love it, would love the book for new ideas
I have difficult knees also so this year I invested in a Tower for growing all kinds of flowers, lettuce and vegies. It comes from Quebec and is very good. Quick delivery. It turns for sun, we used vegetable soil. Centre takes compost and red wigglies. Bought it on line.
Could you please tell me the name of this and where it was purchased please? I would love to look this up and see what it is all about. Sounds interesting.
Thanks
The book can be ordered online from its publisher’s website: http://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781591866503/Raised-Bed-Revolution.html?direct=1. It also is available or can be obtained at many bookstores in Canada and the U.S.
Looks like a helpful book for gardeners. I have one small raised bed for vegetables
and some flowers.
The Community Garden in Innisfil loves raised beds. Our veggies think they are fantastic and mature more quickly because the plots are warmer and drain faster. They don’t like wet feet.
Pinned this, shared toGoogle + and Stumbled, I think that my days digging in the dirt, down on the ground are just about over. Raised beds are the way I will go and hubby is just starting to understand that this is my new alternative……
Looks like a fascinating book and would be a great addition to my library of garden books.
I have a large country garden and always thought that raised beds were better for smaller town gardens, but I am now a convert. We have built the first 2 of what I hope will be 6 raised beds for the vegetable garden for this summer.
Would love to have the book for more raised bed ideas.
Great ideas! Would love the book.
We have totally embraced raised beds here but I could use the help of your book…I think I’ve over planted a bit this year and need to thin things out a bit! Always looking for ways to improve and change. That’s the beauty of gardening isn’t it? Constant evolution and learning!
Love this book, would love to have my own copy.
Already have a few raised beds and always looking for new and different ideas. Would love ideas to make it look less utilitarian.
We have Clay dirt lots of amendments have been made over the years, We are now looking to have less garden more container or above gardens. this would be a great read so we don’t make mistakes.
Cool book! Would love to use it to help me with the containers I have and give me new ideas.