raised garden vs in the ground garden

[pheasantpro10]

I'm going to try a garden this year and just need some advice on whether I should put in raised beds or till up a spot. Just not sure what the best route would be. Thanks

[jentz]

I use both methods,The raised bed is built up 12 inches,Only because its lower ground.I first did it on the natural level.Some years it was to wet,and I saw bad results.So i raised it.Its consistant now even in wet periods.Are you asking because of low ground? Or just been reading of raised plots?

[pheasantpro10]

My ground would be fairly dry most springs but just wanted to hear the pros and cons of both before I purchased some lumber for raised, and also would have to borrow a tiller to till in the spring. Would there be less weeds in a raised garden? I know I would lean more towards the raised if that's the case. Thanks again

[Bobby Bass]

I have some raised beds and will be adding some more this season. I find that the raised beds get more attention perhaps because they are smaller and more easy to manage. I have been filling my raised beds with packaged dirt which has far less weed seeds then buying black dirt in bulk. The raised beds also lets me control the type of soil I add to the bed. I am looking at a wet spring I think with all the snow I have on the ground and the new raised beds will give me better control on drainage. If you are just starting out beds are not a bad idea as you can increase the number of them as you go. Still a lot of garden that will be planted the old fashion way though too.

[pushbutton]

I do a little bit of both and suppose it is kind of a coin flip. They are a ton of upfront work, but is kind of nice to mow the grass/weeds around them. How much weeding in the beds itself will depend upon how good the dirt you get is. I had two different loads and one was great, and the other not so much...probably a long time vacant lot scrape. Think they would be best if you have either extreme soil type....heavy clay or sandy sand....as you will be able to maintain a better quality growing medium.

[Tom7227]

A benefit of a raised bed is that you won't have to reach as far down, and another is that you are more likely to make it more accessible so you can get at the plants more easily. It's a pain to have a garden up against a fence or something and have to work through the jungle to get the produce.

Probably the key thing to do no matter which way you go is to have a good soil. I have had a lot of luck in beds where I mixed in a lot of leaf mulch and ground it into the soil to get things mixed up.

Think about whether you want to use treated wood. Some of it has some nasty stuff in it. RR Ties are a no go for sure.

[low277]

How wide do you guys make your raised beds? My wife wants one and I have some left over composite decking. I was thinking of 4' wide x 12' long and using 2 planks for the side height. maybe 11".

[pushbutton]

Have some 3 ish's and some 4's. The smaller ones are MUCH easier to work across. My arms are not that long though