Why I Use Raised Beds in my Garden

This is my fourth year growing and I have learned so many amazing things about growing. It's crazy to think back to the time my husband wanted to just grow potatoes in the ground and then a full blown garden appeared. Gardening wasn't even on my radar and now it's a passion I will never go without.

We started with straw bales and this is a great method and cost effective. I stopped using straw bales for a couple of reasons. One: they were super time consuming in the spring time to get them up and ready for the growing season. If you know anything about growing in straw bales you know you have to use a very specific daily method of fertilizer and water. With little ones at home this was challenging. Two: It limited the amount of vegetables and flowers I could grow. Last but not least it wasn't my vision for what I wanted the garden to feel like or look like.

Which brings me to my reasonings that I love raised garden beds!

#1 Easier to Manage

Growing and tending to a garden isn't as easy as simply watering every once in awhile. It takes time and dedication to grow beautiful vegetables and flowers. I love using raised beds because they are so much easier to mange vs growing in the ground. The raised bed allows me to grow only so much and allows structure in the garden which I definitely need.

#2 Less Weeds

This is a HUGE benefit! Are there weeds still, absolutely but the amount is far less than growing in the ground. I am a big fan of over planting, turns out when weeds don't have the space to grow they don't. Sounds like a win, win to me.

#3: Higher Temperatures & Easier Drainage

Soil temperature directly affects your plant growth. Higher temperatures in your soil can help with germination when direct seeding and can also support your seedlings to support healthy growth. Having a raised garden bed the soil can store all that heat during the day, giving your plants the needed heat to grow a healthy plant. Along with heat, drainage is super important too. Most plants cannot thrive in an overly saturated environment. Having a raised bed allows proper water drainage with little effort on your part. You can also manage how much water your plants are receiving much easier.

#4: Helps Keep Out Pests & Small Animals

I thankfully don't deal with a wide range of pests and small critters eating my garden and I do think it would be a different story if I didn't have raised beds and a fence surrounding my garden. Does the fence help, yes of course but I have experienced little bunnies sneaking through the fence.

#5: Aesthetically Pleasing

Last but certainly not least, aesthetically pleasing and boy is my garden pleasing! I love having the structure of my garden and within my beds I can be creative and grow an abundance of vegetables and flowers that don't have to have structure. It allows both organization and creativity which my ADHD brain thrives on.

I currently have eight Vego Garden Raised Beds - four 9 in 1 and four 10 in 1. I also have two round Vego Garden dupes from amazon and two 6 in 1 Vego Garden dupes from amazon as well. The amazon beds have really held up and as of now there isn't much of a difference as far as I can tell.

Check out all my garden must haves here!

Thank you so much for being here, I hope you enjoyed this quick read. I would love to see your gardens, please send me comments and photos of your gardens!