Raised bed gardens make it easy for anyone to garden. They take up less space and provide higher yields than planting in the ground. They can be any size, shape or height and made from many different materials.

Be it that you are making your own or buying one pre-made, there are a few tips and guidelines to follow.

• Make sure you can reach the middle without standing in it. Most raised beds are no greater than 4 feet wide.
• Choose a spot in your garden that receives full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of sun per day.
• Make your own growing medium or use a potting mix, such as our Wilson’s Potting Mix.
• A north-south orientation is best for low-growing crops, allowing direct sunlight to reach both sides of the bed.
• For taller crops such as pole beans, peas and tomatoes an east west orientation works best.
• Leave enough space in between beds to easily maneuver around.
• Pay attention to how you space your plants in the bed. Plants should ideally just touch, forming a canopy over the soil when they are mature.
• Use trellises for vine crops. Such as tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, melons, etc…
• Keep good gardening practices such as watering, fertilizing, crop rotation, composting and sanitation.

Use your imagination and have fun!

Formula 1:

• 1 - 4 cf Vermiculite
• 1 - 40lb Bag Compost
• 1 - 2.2 cf Peat Moss
• 1 - 3.8 cf Peat Moss

This will be enough soil for two 4 feet x 4 feet gardens, 6 inches deep

Formula 2:

• 21 - 3 Cf  Bag Wilson’s Potting Soil
• 3 - 2 Cf Bag Bumper Crop
• 1 - Bumper Crop Starter Fertilizer

This will be enough for 12 Feet x 4 Feet, 16 Inches deep

Formula 3:

• 50% Topsoil
• 50% Compost

1 Plant per 2 square feet
Watermelon, Zucchini, Winter Squash, Summer Squash, Melon, Pumpkin

1 Plant per square foot
Broccoli, Peppers, Cauliflower, Cilantro, Eggplant, Tomato, Cabbage, Cucumber, Okra

4 Plants per square foot
Swiss Chard, Lettuce, Parsley, Potato, Strawberry, Turnip, Basil, Corn

9 Plants per square foot
Bush Beans, Spinach, Beet

16 plants per square foot
Carrots, Onions, Radish, Small Beets