Building Raised Beds: A Journey to Sustainable Homesteading and Organic Gardening
From the creator of Grow Your Own Food:I’ve been growing a traditional tilled garden for years. It’s always worked well for us, but last year, I noticed my back was beginning to hurt more than usual. My body just won’t take the pounding like it used to. That’s when I started considering raised bed gardening as an alternative. It seemed like a practical way to keep growing our food without putting so much strain on my body.
Charlie and I put together a plan for how we wanted the raised beds to look, how big they should be, and what we’d plant in each one. Last year, we tested the waters with two raised beds made from wood and aluminum roofing. To our surprise, they performed magnificently! We harvested squash that grew to monstrous sizes and yielded more lettuce and spinach than we could keep up with. It was a huge success!
.JPEG)
With proof that this method worked for us, we decided to expand this year. For the first time, we’re growing our entire season of food in our raised beds, and I’m optimistic that we’ll see the same incredible results.
In fact, I’m already impressed. The cabbage and broccoli are off to an amazing start with dark green leaves and nearly an inch of growth since I planted them in April. This tells me they’re rooting well in the compost and soil, getting all the nutrients and water they need.
These were plants I started indoors and transplanted into the garden when the weather warmed up. I used my own homemade compost to start the seedlings this year instead of buying from the store. It was an experiment that worked out wonderfully—the plants were much stronger from the start.
This year, we built new raised beds entirely out of non-treated wood. To help preserve the wood, we used an ancient technique called "Shou Sugi Ban" or yakisugi. This method involves applying an open flame to the wood, charring the surface to create a layer of black ash that protects the wood from the elements.
If you’re interested in seeing how we did it, check out this short video from my YouTube channel where Charlie flames the wood. Don’t forget to subscribe to follow along on our homestead journey!
While we like the look of the beds with metal sides, we found that the sun reflecting off them could be blinding to our neighbors. Plus, building with all wood was more cost-effective. We can replace boards over time as they rot, but we’ve done our best to preserve what we’ve started.
There are plenty of books on Amazon about building raised beds, and this project can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. You can build your own in any style with any material you like. My first raised bed was made from small tree logs left over from clearing our land. It was a free and effective option—perfect for those looking to start without spending much money. You have options, so have fun with it!
What We Filled Our Beds With
Our raised beds are substantial—40 to 50 feet long, 4 feet wide on one side, and about 2 ½ feet wide on the other. They’re approximately 26 inches deep, which means they take a lot of material to fill. We found a local nursery that sells compost by the scoop, and to date, we’ve invested about $600 to fill our raised beds. This might sound like a lot, but remember, it’s an initial investment that will serve us for many years with only minimal annual maintenance.
To keep costs down, we layered materials from the ground up using natural resources. On the bottom, we packed in old fallen tree logs and branches, which help with moisture retention and composting. Next, we added leaves, grass clippings, hay, or straw—really anything we had on hand that would decompose over time. Finally, we topped it off with high-quality soil and compost purchased in bulk from the nursery.
Let me tell you, the plants love it! I’ve planted seeds directly into the beds with fantastic results. We use mushroom compost, but if you’re working with compost that’s still “hot” and not fully cured, it’s best to mix in additional soil.
This method is relatively low maintenance and much easier on the back and knees. I joke with my husband that I’ll still be gardening at 80 years old with this method—because I plan to!
I wish you the best in your gardening venture. Please follow along with my blog and YouTube channel—I love making friends and learning together! So now, go! Grow Your Own Food!
Ready to dive into raised bed gardening? If you’re looking for more, check out my books, "Grow Your Own Food: Container Gardening For Beginners" and "Harvesting Sustainability: Proven Techniques for Homestead Success." The more you know, the more success you’ll see!
Comments
Post a Comment