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Raised bed gardens

Quick facts

  • Raised beds have better soil structure and drainage compared to ground-level gardens.
  • They give you a head start on gardening in the spring by warming up the soil earlier in the season.
  • Types include raised ground beds, supported raised beds and containerized raised beds.
Containerized wooden raised garden beds in between brick columns along a pathway

Raised bed gardening is a simple technique that can improve the health and productivity of your garden. Raised beds have better soil structure and drainage, allowing the soil to warm up earlier in the season, and giving you a head start on spring.

Stubborn perennial weeds can be less of a problem in raised beds than in other gardens.

You may also want to construct a raised bed to bring the soil up to a more comfortable working level.

Whether for aesthetics or accessibility, modern gardeners are rediscovering the centuries-old technique of raised bed gardening for their vegetables, flowers and shrubs.

Types of raised beds

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Vincent Fritz, Extension horticulturist and Carl Rosen, Extension soil scientist

Reviewed in 2018

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