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Using a raised bed for your garden can benefit you, your vegetables, and the environment

It’s gardening season and many Americans are spending their weekends in their backyards, knee deep in soil. Gardening can be therapeutic as much as it is satisfying. It can also be challenging, maintaining healthy soil, watering, weeding, and keeping out the bugs and animals. ARS entomologist Gary Miller and his wife Melissa own a garden with 12 4’x 8’ raised-bed plots in Laurel, MD. Their raised-bed plots produce a healthy harvest while keeping their crops organized and accessible.

Why use a raised-bed in your garden? Below are some benefits:

A gardener surrounded by crops in raised-beds, holds harvested lettuce in front of a container of sweet basil.

1. Raised bed gardens are easy to manage.


With raised beds, gardeners can concentrate their energy in a small area. They can water, till, and fertilize more conveniently than planting long rows at ground level. Here, Gary Miller holds lettuce harvested from his raised bed garden with potted sweet basil in front. (Photo by Peggy Greb, D4540-1) 
Red potatoes being harvested in a garden.

2. Raised bed gardens require less weeding.


Weeds are a pain, and with a raised bed garden, there are typically fewer weeds to deal with. They are also usually easier to reach and can quickly be uprooted. Here, the Millers use nutrient-rich organic compost in their soil for growing red potatoes. (Photo by Peggy Greb, D4538-1) 
Watering strawberry plants.

3. Raised beds help prevent water runoff.


Nutrient runoff can be problematic for our local waterways, even from our backyard gardens. With raised beds, the water is contained within the boxed-in bed, somewhat like a potted plant contains water. This also reduces the amount of watering needed to grow plants like these strawberries. (Photo by Peggy Greb, D4956-1)

Sweet basil in a container.

4. Raised bed gardens keep things organized and tidy.


Crops are easily accessed without disturbing the soil or crushing other crops. The Millers have added potted herbs like this basil plant and pollinator-attracting flowers, as these functional plants can be moved around the garden to provide an attractive smelling bouquet and an extra splash of color. (Photo by Peggy Greb, D4539-1)


A gardener examines harvested lettuce in front of a trellis with snow peas.

5. Raised gardens are easier to protect from animals.


Raised beds can be a deterrent for very small critters, and they make it easier to fence off the garden from rabbits, deer, and other animals. The Millers protect their garden with a 4’-high wire fence, where they trellis thorn-less blackberries and snow peas and border it with flowers. It’s beautiful and it helps keep out rabbits as well as Sadie, their enthusiastic dog. (Photo by Peggy Greb, D4536-1)

– By Peggy Greb, ARS Office of Communications.

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