Raised bed gardens

[tjndaltx]

Do raised bed gardens require more water than ground level gardens?

[garnetgirl]

In my experience, yes - mulch helps, but the drying effect was still too much for me to maintain (I have to hand carry buckets of water from our creek if I need to water the main garden.) I actually had to rework my garden to reduce the height of my beds. In ground, or slightly raised with lots of mulch works better if you don't have easy access to water.

I did make raised beds near the house for my salad gardens, but I can water them with a hose.

garnetgirl

[goatlady]

A lot depends on your soil and weather. I have 12 4 x 8 board beds with seepy irrigation hoses laid in them buried in the soil and I turn on the water once a week for 30-40 minutes which grows the garden very well. So for me they use LESS water that the hard clay soild of the ground here. PLUS I have NO weeds in my beds competing for water and nutrition and spend NO time weeding at all which is a great benefit for me.

[ovendoctor]

for us we have 12' of beach sand under the garden

water doesn't put tel at all

we have to water regularly

want to dig a crock well for the garden

we just built 2 raised boxes for herb and salad plants

have 3 window sashes on top

the outside air temp is about 40 degrees

inside running 75-80 degrees

[Limner]

I think there is extra watering needed, but thankfully, that is just in the hottest summer weather; we use a long hose and water in the morning. On the flip side, the draining can be a GOOD thing in the early spring; I can get into my raised beds NOW, and put in the early stuff (onions, peas, cabbage, etc) when the rest of the yard is a swamp. There's no way we can even mow right now, let alone run the tractor and rototiller.

This year we are mulching, mulching, mulching.

[Swamp Wallaby]

I've given up on them in the last year or so because of the drought over here. They were only 'raised' by virtue of the soil thrown up onto them from the paths between beds, enyway, so it's easy enough to adjust the height. If the weather ever gets back to 'normal' I might build them up for winter plantings / wet years and level them out for drier times.

[ovendoctor]

first bed has everything coming up all ready and its only been 5 days sense its been planted

[goatlady]

ovendoctor, Aren't they wonderful!!!The seeds just seem to leap out of the ground they are soooo happy with the soil and warmth.

[ovendoctor]

ovendoctor, Aren't they wonderful!!!The seeds just seem to leap out of the ground they are soooo happy with the soil and warmth.

yep

can see more of thies in the future

[Ms. American]

Whether or not your raised beds need more water than an inground garden is dependant upon a few factors.

1)The water retention ability of your soil. If you have a soil that is 1/4 clay, 1/4 sand, 1/4 loam, 1/4 humus,

AND

2) If your raised beds are closed beds...that is...like a big box with sides,

AND

3)you live in a humid climate

Then NO. The raised beds do not take any more water than an inground garden.

If your soil is light and sandy, lacking adequate loam, humas and clay, then yes. It takes a lot of water. That kind of soil takes more water even if it's flat ground.

If your beds have no sides, but are more like mounds, again it depends on your soil structure.

I lived in a semi arid climate with poor soil and used raised beds because I was better able to maintain them, and they took LESS water. I developed my soil myself and so I didn't have problems with water retention.

If a raised bed has the right soil mixture, you can plant it very intensively which helps maintain moisture because plants are close together ...dirt doesn't get sun baked.

If you have several raised intensive beds, with good soil mixtures, you save water because you only water the bed, not the isles in between the beds. In a ground garden, the water is wasted in the isles. Furthermore, because the beds are intensive, you grow more food in less space than you would in a ground garden. For example, if you have a 5 foot wide boxed bed, you can place 5 rows of carrots spaced 3 " apart, and have the equivalent of a 25' row of carrots, but the space it consumes is 15" wide (a little more than a foot). That's much easier to water than 25' even if you have to water it by hand.

I have been doing my gardens raised intensive beds for absolutely YEARS, and I will not do it any other way.

I can custom design my soil so no matter how poor the dirt around me is, my garden has all it needs. If poor soil is what is in the ground, I do try and utilize some of it in my customized soils. If it's a heavy clay soil, I mix (in a wheel barrow with a hoe) sand, loam, humus.

If it's sandy I add clay (uncented kitty litter), loam, humus, peat.

I've also found that 'lasagna gardening' is extremely effective. That's when you make a raised boxed bed and layer all kinds of organic matter, some dirt, more organics, some peat, more organics, some dirt...ending with a 6" seed bed of rich loamy soil.

You can make your own loam and humus, or you can buy it. It's up to you. But manure is important. If raw and fresh, put it at the very bottom of a 24 inch deep boxed bed. Then add a layer of dry hay or leaves, and a layer of peat or fresh grass cuttings. As you build the layers (3-6"), throw in a inch or two of dirt.

next year, all you do is stab a pitch fork into the soil and give a wiggle just to loosen. Add some nice loam to the top, and plant it. That works for all boxed raised beds.

When lasagna beds shrink, add more to the top. Don't turn them.

Do a little online research such as square foot gardening, raised intensive beds, and such. Rodale press used to have some excellent material to draw upon.

[Animal Lover]

I've given up on them in the last year or so because of the drought over here. They were only 'raised' by virtue of the soil thrown up onto them from the paths between beds, enyway, so it's easy enough to adjust the height. If the weather ever gets back to 'normal' I might build them up for winter plantings / wet years and level them out for drier times.
:mrgreen: I just noticed you are from Australia!!! Oh my, I have so many, many lovely friends all over Australia. So good to see you here. God Bless, AL
Sorry a bit off thread, but I was so excited.!!