Growing your own vegetables is not only healthier; it is also cheaper and more convenient than racing to the grocery every so often to get your vegetable supplies.
Raised vegetable beds are very easy to make and they are more prepared by most people because they do away with the back-breaking chores of bending too low or going down on your knees to tend to the vegetable patch.
Do-It-Yourself Raised Vegetable Beds
With the following steps, you can have your raised vegetable beds constructed in no time at all. You might even be amazed at how easy it is that you needn’t put it off any longer.
1. Plot location. First, choose the location where you will be placing your vegetable plots. It is best to select a location where your vegetables can enjoy sunlight for at least eight hours per day.
It is also not recommended that you place your raised vegetable patch on wooden surfaces as the water from your raised bed can damage the wood over time.
2. Determine the size of your raised vegetable plots. A good size would be about four feet by six feet. This will make it easier for you to reach across the bed without straining yourself.
3. Create your box. Take the appropriate size of wooden boards and then nail them together to make a box. You will also need four wood posts to support your box.
4. Preparing the soil. Loosen and turn the soil where your plot will be located. This will reduce the risk of grass growing from underneath your vegetable bed. To protect your vegetables even further, you may want to consider placing a wire mesh at the bottom of your bed. This will discourage gophers from burrowing from under your bed up to your vegetables.
5. Install your box. Dig about an inch on all four corners of your plot for the posts. Once you have the posts installed, attach your box to the posts.
6. Place your soil for growing the plants. Mix your top soil with your choice of fertilizer and compost and then pour everything inside your box. Make sure that you have a depth of at least twelve inches to allow for proper irrigation.
7. Plant your vegetables. Now it is time to plant your vegetables. Make sure that you give enough space in between your plants to allow room for growth. Dig holes that will be deep enough for each plant’s rootball and then backfill with your soil.
Water your plants and then if you need to, place wooden stakes around the plants that require them.
This process takes only a couple of hours to do which means that you will have your vegetable bed before the end of the day.
