Introduction - Raised Bed Gardening - page 5

Less Work and Easier Access for the Gardener
Reduces Maintenance - The physical border of the raised bed prevents weed and grass
rootsfromcreepingintothebed.Thedeep,loosesoilmakespullingweedssimpleanddoes
not usually require digging tools. If the beds are narrow, planting, weeding and harvesting
can be done within reach of the path.
Pulling weeds from light, aerated soil is not comparable to pulling weeds from compacted
soil. In hard soil, chances are you will have to dig the weed up or you risk breaking the
plant off, leaving the root behind to grow again. In light soil, the entire weed can simply
be pulled out of the ground. Since it is not a chore, you will find that you are pulling a few
small weeds when you find them instead of making plans to pull weeds or hoe the rows for
several hours on your next day off. In fact, I don't even own a hoe.
Can Work in Garden without Getting Dirty - With most traditional row gardens, when
you go out to plant, weed or harvest, you change clothes, especially your shoes, because
youknowyouaregoingtogetdirty.Nowdon'tgetmewrong,youcangetdirtywhenturn-
ing over the soil in a raised bed. But for the most part, you can stand outside the raised bed
to perform most gardening tasks without stepping onto the soil.
Remember,partofthepurposeoftheraisedbedistokeepyoufromsteppingonthesoil.If
you must step into the bed, place a board or stepping stone, so you step in the same place
every time. This will keep the soil from compacting longer.
Access for Physically Impaired raised beds can reduce stooping and bending and can be
built to match the comfortable height for someone in a wheel chair or someone that uses a
walker.
Bunnies Can't Jump - I had to add this one. I read an online discussion about raised bed
gardening. One person, new to gardening, did not have much success the previous season
because rabbits kept eating her plants. Someone suggested they build a raised bed high
enoughtoputitoutofreachoftherabbits.Theybuiltabedthatappearedtobeabout2feet
above ground level ( Figure 12 ) and claimed the raised bed solved all the problems caused
by rabbits, because "bunnies can't actually jump".
Rabbits can jump. I have seen them do it, so I call that pure nonsense, but perhaps rabbits
don't like to jump up into a raised bed where they can't see the landing spot.
It seems to me that fencing or small cages would be a cheaper solution to stopping rabbits
in a small garden bed, but I don't have rabbits where I live now, so I can't test either meth-
od. I would like to hear from anyone else that has successfully eliminated rabbit problems
with raised beds instead of fencing.
Ability to Garden on Unsuitable Sites