What Is a Raised Garden Bed?

Your image of a gardener is someone hunched over with back problems. And you always thought gardening was supposed to be relaxing, therapeutic, soothing, make you one with nature...not one with the aspirin bottle. Raised gardens may make pain reliever manufacturers reach for their own products. Building raised beds allows you to sit on a bench while you construct wooden geometric boxes.

Simply put, raised gardens are square, round, rectangular, octagonal, or trapezoidal planting containers. No matter what size backyard you have, you can build a beautiful garden without digging up the entire lawn and worrying about neighborhood kids tearing through the tomato plants you've sacrificed your posture to grow.

Building raised garden beds is pain-free and simple. They're ideal if your soil is rocky, alkaline (salty), or clay-based. All you need are:

• Instructions on how to build a raised garden
• Cedar wood containers
• Plans describing how to build a raised bed garden in the shape or pattern you want
• Soil and mulch
• Desired plants
• Plenty of aeration and irrigation
• Your imagination!

Now that you know why you should build raised bed gardens, you can reach for tips on how to build raised bed gardens. Leave the aspirin in the medicine cabinet!