5 Reasons Why You Need to Add Raised Beds

If you are looking for a great way to grow fresh veggies, fruits or herbs at home, and want to make it a little easier on yourself (and in many cases your back), raised beds are a great way to go. Not only are raised beds beneficial for many “growing” reasons, but if you have an eye for design, you can construct raised beds in such a way, that will have your neighbors awestruck.

Here is our list as to what makes raised bed gardening a huge plus for your yard. Comment below to tell us why you have raised beds in your garden.

1. You can make them as high as you want. If you have problems with your back and/or bending over you can elevate your raised beds without any ill effects on your plants.


2. If you decide to build your raised beds out of wood, it makes for a great way to attach other items to your raised beds, such as your bean or pea trellis, maybe a few PVC hoop houses and so on.


3. Because your raised beds are elevated, it will create a perfect scenario to allow for excess water runoff. This helps in preventing overwatering.


4. You can create raised beds that are large enough for many plants, yet small enough where you can work your raised beds without actually having to step into the garden. When you do not step on the soil you are not compacting it, therefore the roots of your vegetable plants can breathe.


5. They are easier to weed. While I have no “scientific” data to back this claim up, to me, I have found keeping my raised beds weed free, is much easier then my larger garden bed that is not raised.

There are plenty of step by step instructions online for building great raised beds. Find one that suits your yard, size, gardening style and so on. You won’t be disappointed.

Blood Meal in your Vegetable Garden

Last week a question was posted on the Vegetable Gardening Facebook page. The question was very simple. Do you use blood meal in your Vegetable Garden? The responses to whether or not blood meal is used your vegetable garden were great. The answers on blood meal ranged from `What the heck is blood meal?`, up through and including `You would have to be absolutely crazy to use blood meal at all!`. So let’s tackle these blood meal concerns. What is blood meal? Why would you use blood meal in your vegetable garden? Is blood meal safe? Where do you get blood meal? And finally, how much does blood meal cost? These are all great questions on blood meal that need to be answered. First, what is blood meal? Blood meal is a dry non-reactive powder derived from blood. Blood meal is one of the highest sources of nitrogen not derived from chemicals. So where does the blood come from for blood meal? If you are an animal lover or vegetarian you may not like this next part, and that is, most blood meal comes from cattle as a slaughterhouse by product. Yeah I know, it does not make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but it is a reality. Why would you use blood meal in your vegetable garden? As mentioned previously, it is a great source of nitrogen … Nitrogen is an extremely important element for growing most veggies. Have the leaves on your vegetable plants turned yellow? Chances are that is because your soil lacks nitrogen. Nitrogen is an important part of photosynthesis. It is a component of chlorophyll, the compound by which plants use the sun to produce sugars. Blood meal gives you the opportunity to add nitrogen back into your soil. Because blood meal is such a high source of nitrogen, you won’t need to use a lot of it. Blood meal has also been shown to help deter animals from your garden that may otherwise do damage to your plants such as rabbits or deer. According to the USDA`s National Organic program, blood meal is permitted to be used as a certified organic soil amendment, it cannot however be fed to organic livestock. Is Blood Meal safe? Yes blood meal is safe, but just like anything else you buy; know who is making the blood meal you plan on purchasing. In other words, read the label of the packaging the blood meal comes in. You can purchase blood meal, both organic and non-organic, from any home or garden center, or online at such websites like Amazon. Blood meal is packaged in a wide variety of sizes so be sure to take a look at the weight on the packaging so you get the most for your money. Most blood meal packages should will tell you the concentration of Nitrogen to the other elements potassium and phosphorous in a reading such as 13 – 0 – 0. If it does not, you may want to consider a different brand. So how much does it cost? That really depends on how much you buy. Prices can range anywhere from $1.50 to $3.00 per pound. Those same prices will also depend on the manufacturer. You have plenty of blood meal choices out there. One final note, and you will read this on most blood meal packages, you do not need a lot. Most recommendations are about 1 cup of blood meal for 20 square feet. Just be sure to read the packaging on the brand that you go with. Too much, and you could fry your plants.

About the Author Mike Podlesny is the author of Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person: A Guide to Vegetable Gardening for the Rest of Us, the moderator for the largest vegetable gardening page on Facebook and creator of the Seeds of the month Club.