Raised Bed Gardening: The Backyard Gardening Guide to an Organic Vegetable Garden and the Best Way to Grow Herbs, Fruit Trees, and Flowers in Raised Beds

By Dion Rosser

If you would like to have a bountiful harvest while making the most of your space, do read on…

If you have some free space available in your backyard, in a nearby field, or on your rooftop, and want to be more self-sufficient while employing sustainable practices, raised bed gardening is your best friend.

Raised bed gardening allows you to maximize your harvests in tight spaces. You can even use biodegradable waste for compost and mulch, which allows for organic cultivation of your preferred plants.

Other than the intensive, high yield nature of raised bed gardening, you also support small scale natural ecosystems which increase overall biodiversity by providing habitat to small animals and insects.

In this rapidly urbanizing world of ours, sustainable mini farms are the best way to be self-sufficient. You get to cut down costs and reuse your organic waste, all while reducing the human impact on the environment.

So, if you're someone who is conscious about the environment, or are just interested in gardening, this book provides you with:
- A complete guide on raised bed gardening that is very well suited for first timers, beginners, and experts alike.
- A complete overview on its pros and cons of raised bed gardening.
- Where raised beds are most suited and how to maximize your yields.
- Ways to best utilize any little space you have.
- Guidelines on materials ideal for constructing raised beds, and how to make them yourself.
- Guidance for selecting seeds, choosing and cultivating vegetables for your climate, and managing fruit trees and flower beds.
- Strategies for pest and weed control.
- How to manage your plants with the environment and ensure optimal growth. How and when to prune or graft.
- Companion planting, its benefits, and how this symbiotic relationship among plants work.
- Ways to keep track of your progress.
- and so much more…

These are all from the table of contents provided in the book

With this beginner-friendly guidebook, you can become the gardener you want to be. This book can help you turn your extra space into a miniature homestead, putting you on the road to complete self-sufficiency.

Accompanied by the detailed explanations to every core concept of raised bed gardening, you can start to nurture your own garden. Get this all-encompassing guide now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dion Rosser
• Release date: Apr 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393874461

Book preview

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Introduction

Raised bed gardening isn't a new method of growing plants; people have been reaping the benefits for centuries. One of the earliest recorded references about this method of gardening was in Liber de Cultura Hortorum by Walahfrid Strabo, a German Benedictine who praised gardens with poems written in Latin hexameters, also called the little garden or hortulus.

Although it is an ancient horticultural concept, raised bed gardening has suddenly become popular again, especially in overpopulated urban regions with limited gardening space. It is the perfect solution if you want to cultivate your own food or simply own a decorative garden. They are flexible and can be constructed in and for tiny spaces, including paved and concrete areas. If the current garden has no soil, it can be supplemented with any soil of preference.

This book is a comprehensive guide with easy-to-follow chapters. It begins with the basics, which will take you through the concept of raised bed gardening, the advantages of engaging in the practice, and everything you need to know before getting started. Reading further, you will be educated on the materials and tools of the trade, especially the materials from which you can construct your raised beds.

It also advises on the preparation and construction of your garden, including positioning to maximize sunlight, which is especially important, as you will discover soon enough. If the garden will be constructed in frost pockets or shade, this book is your go-to guide for suitable plant suggestions. You will also be provided with tips to help you design your garden layout to create textural and thrilling color combos. As you read further, you will discover various ways to identify and handle common plant diseases and pests.

After internalizing the basics, we’ll look at the different raised bed gardens you can construct, including everything from purchasing already constructed products to making your own bed from scratch with the use of recycled materials.

You'll also learn about the less popular raised bed garden options such as the keyhole garden bed, which is an example of a sustainable raised bed that is mostly found in Africa. It features a universal compost heap and is built from any free materials that surround the area, like rocks excavated from poor soil. Another type of less popular raised bed is the hügelkultur, which originates from Northern Europe. It involves constructing beds over rotting tree stumps and timber, which slowly decompose to produce nutrients and improve the soil. One of the most attractive features of raised bed gardening is that everything from proper construction to actual planting can be done by yourself.

This book is rich in suggestions for what you can create or build from the comfort of your own home and in the privacy of your own space. You will discover a variety of planting schemes to choose from according to your personal circumstances and preferences. These varieties range from mini orchards to vegetable plots and even Japanese gardens. There are also options for people without an actual garden, like green roof space and window boxes.

I hope you will be inspired by this book to delve into the world of cultivating plants in raised beds. Whether you own a little courtyard, a grand walled garden, or a community garden, this method of gardening will improve and enhance your outdoor space organically and aesthetically. Once you get started, the ease of gardening will ensure that you never look back.

Chapter One: What is Raised Bed Gardening?

Gardening can be difficult to do, especially if you're struggling with a physical disability, you have issues with mobility, or you simply choose to enjoy your later years in life without having aches and pains in your legs and back. Constantly bending forward can make gardening difficult for some people, and this is where raised beds come into the picture, with a host of other advantages.

Definition

Raised bed gardening is a method of farming that provides areas for cultivation on rocky ground and raises the garden to a level that is more comfortable for the gardener. This method of gardening can help to minimize insect or pest attacks and protects the plants from excessive flooding when it rains heavily. It also works to keep the soil warm in early spring.

Think of a raised bed as a large container sitting on the ground with no base. It is a simple structure that is elegant and can be constructed to suit your decorative preferences. It is a cute addition to any space despite being a functional area for growing veggies and all types of ornamental plants, with a shocking degree of effectiveness.

Raised beds are supplied with quality soil of preference while keeping in mind all the determining factors like your choice of plants. Here, you are in complete control of all the conditions required for individual varieties.

Designs for Raised Bed Gardening

Raised garden beds can be constructed in a variety of shapes, sizes, looks, and designs. You can choose the portable kind or the fixed kind that can be permanently constructed in your garden or preferred space. They can be constructed with plastic, galvanized iron sheets, wood, or recycled brick stone. It is also possible to build a DIY raised bed with scrap materials readily available at home and at your desired height to achieve both design novelty and convenience.

If you are usually too busy or don't have the required space to pursue your gardening interests, raised bed gardening is the best alternative for you. It can be constructed to fit into your available space and is productive enough to give you contentment and pride in your gardening abilities. A bountiful harvest is expected even at the first attempt. If you're a kitchen gardener, a raised bed will be your secret weapon.

Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening

1. Instantly improved soil: Do you battle with clay-ridden soil or other undesirable soil conditions? Instead of wasting many farming seasons trying to fix your soil, you can simply create an almost perfect cultivating environment instantly with this gardening method. Placing your raised bed on the ground and filling it with high-quality soil is the solution you've been looking for. With accessible and loose soil, maintaining good cultivation conditions will be a breeze.

2. More productivity: Many gardeners have attested to the ability of raised beds to produce twice as much yield as ground beds; plants thrive in rich, loose soil that allows their roots to penetrate with ease. There is also the benefit of good drainage and aeration. Raised beds prevent soil compression and ensure that the nutrient-rich soil amendments are in place and concentrated for crop nourishment. This promotes dense planting, which leads to more plants in less space than in-ground beds.

3. Longer cultivating season: Soil above ground stays better drained and warmer, thereby extending the growing season.

4. Efficient space: Most raised beds range from three to four feet wide in

Reviews for Raised Bed Gardening

[Ceb Ali · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is great. It tells you everything you need to know about raised bed gardening from what dirt to use to what to plant. This book is a must read for professional, causal, and stupid gardeners, like me. Love it.

[Julius Brigades · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's a well-written book with very helpful info if you're planning to grow vegetables. With lockdown it was the time to sort out the garden. A good reference book for small gardens! I like it.

[Harvey Woods · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book is well laid out and I refer to it constantly. It’s actually muddy from being in the garden. As a first time gardener. I love this book. I never knew that some plants do not grow well together. I also didn’t know how far to plant things apart or the importance of temperatures.

[Regina Rieza Benedicto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is perfect especially that we can't go outside because of the virus. This book will help you to kill your boredom inside your house. It's really helpful because it guides you how to plant a healthy fruits and vegetable. The instruction is easy to understand. Perfect book for this time.

[Mark Roel Esponilla · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This guidebook is perfect for those gardeners who wants to get started on raised bed gardening. All you need need to know on that method of growing plants is in here. It begins with the basics, the advantages, and the materials and tools. It also advises on how to prepare and construct, and tips on how to design your garden. You'll learn everything because it's rich in suggestions. It will help you to create from the comfort of your home and the privacy of your space.

[Trishajan Marzan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you want to have your own vegetable and fruit yard that you can pick whenever you want, this book is perfect for you! Dion Rosser discusses here in his book that constantly bending forward can make gardening difficult for some people, and so this is where raised beds come into picture, with a whole lot of advantages.

He shows here how to create a layout plan for your space and how to construct your garden beds. With this beginner-friendly guidebook, you can become the gardener you want to be. Rosser said that this book can help you turn your extra space into a miniature homestead, putting you on the road to complete self-sufficiency, which is true. So get this all-encompassing guide now!

[Rosendo Villarmea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I like this book! I really can relate, since I grew up in a mountain province, it is essential to know how to utilize the things and tools that we have for gardening. It is also important to know how we can get rid of the pest that is eating our plants. It is also important to know what season is best to plant a particular seed. This book has it all! It is a complete guide for those who want to start gardening.

[John Kenneth Vertido · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love how this book was written, it teaches how to be creative in some materials. I will recommend this for my mom loves gardening,,This book is perfect timing for a new beginning gardener to learn how to do the right things to have a fruitful garden. An easy and quick read, Every page is full of important information about plants, soil, types of gardens, and other useful information. The entire book is organized in a way that makes it easy to find what you are looking for.

[Daisy Regala-Ando · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to do gardening but I don't know how to start good thing someone suggested this book. It contents overall information in bed gardening from basic to major details. The techniques and guidelines is very useful and applicable. Grateful for the author in writing the books well-detailed that are easy to follow. Great book, highly recommended.

[Marnie Bentulan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love how this book teaches us to be creative in utilizing our scrap materials by using it as a tool in gardening and at the same time be productive in planting healthy vegetable even in the smallest space available. Highly recommend this book.

[Chasty Faith Delos Reyes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A craft that would tie your heart to ponder about nature and productivity further.

Hustling places and our lives’ busy momentums may have tied us with the complexity of living in a place where sleeping seems to be the only thing that is left to be considered rest. However, Dion Rosser, enhanced his full expertise regarding homesteading and backyard cultivating in taking an action to help a person look for a source somewhere in their home. The key features of this book is that it actually focuses on gardening but has not neglected the fact about livestock and craftsmaking either. Rosser is known for providing books and guides that helps a person in a practical way that would them ponder how it’s like to live in a rural-like type of home. Hence, in respect to that, the author elevated his work by providing new ways and strategies to cultivate a garden of your home and make food sources and livelihood from it. This handy book is paired with detailed explanation that could save a person from laziness, procrastination, hunger and hopelessness.

[Camille Manalese Gonzal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great way to start a productive day! Gardening is a hobby now a days and I can't get enough of reading this book cause it tackles a lot about its title.

Its a great day to change your backyard into something more productive and completely wonderful with the guidelines and picking seeds you can raise your own plants and flowers right where there when you needed it.

It's a handy book for all the people who wanted to try raised bed gardening.

[Jhoannha Mhaye Tan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love how Mr. Dion gives ideas on how we can be practical with our own lands by planting crops to them. I have learned a lot from his previous books that I already read and would love to learn more in this book. He teaches us how we can utilize our land to be productive especially at this time we're on a lockdown. Growing youe own food will guarantee you freshness of your veggies. I had a great tume reading this book, I would love to recommend this fantastic book to those who want to start their mini farm in their backyard. This is very informative and wouldn't waste your time!

[Kvn King · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is great, cause it will occupied your mindset if how you can handle garden into a business type. With this beginner-friendly guidebook, you can become the gardener you want to be. This book can help you turn your extra space into a miniature homestead, putting you on the road to complete self-sufficient.

[Herlyn Martin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book was a big help. It contains practicality and survival. The informative book brought a lot of idea for me. A good thing it is written in simplest way to understand the way of making soil into more benefitable for us. It's a good book to read.

[Ross Mari Galleto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a perfect guide to start raised bed gardening. The benefits are well-elaborated that it will surely encourage you to start gardening. Although I grow up in a place where my dad's life revolves in planting, this is something he hasn't tried yet in years and this will be very helpful now on his old age.

This book has easy-to-follow chapters, started with the basics, before it will take you through the concept
of raised bed gardening. It elaborated well everything you need to know before getting started. Reading this will surely teach you how to do it and the materials you need to accomplish it.

[Eduard Salvador · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As time advances, more and more places tend to be cemented and be concrete. This means lesser space for gardening because of little to no place for soil to exist. This book solves that problem. Although I'm not a green thumbed person this book gave me insights on how to have a garden in an urban area where there are no soil or land. I like how this book helps the reader to build the perfect raised bed garden that is perfect for them and their location. Also listed inside are the benefits of having one. The pro's and con's also helps to avoid wrong impressions and expectations for people trying out this kind of gardening. All in all, a great read for people who are living in an area that is rocky, sandy or concrete but also want to have a sustainable type of living by having a garden. Well researched and highly recommended!

[Fränjelä Iënäh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The contents are relevant and it’s well-researched. If you are preferring your food to come organic which is proving to be a healthier, this book will teach you how to become an organic farmer right in your back yard, roof space of window boxes. Get this book and try it soon.

[Fiye Imri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is a gardener bible! It is well laid out and I constantly. If you need a guide, you can reread and refer to this book. Good luck, green thumb!

[Isko Simbulan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s wonderful book about the essentials of organic gardening and by just following this beginner-friendly. book, you can grow your own vegetables soon! This is an amazing book for aspiring gardeners and seasoned ones.

[Lancy Lass · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I wish I had it when I first started! This is a detailed resource for those considering or preparing a raised bed garden. Every description imaginable is included, along with several choices for each phase of the process. I'll be able to use this as a guide for years to come.

[Revi James · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm a newbie gardener, but I'm a determined one. I read and watch as much as I can about the stuff I'm learning about. This is an excellent tutorial that covers about everything you need to know about raised bed planting. I'm currently planning on working a new garden in my backyard with raised beds, and this guide is very helpful in getting me ready for a start!

[Lyra Jhoana Marapao · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you want to have a not just an ordinary garden, this book suits you. This will introduce to you the vegetable organic garden. You will learn how to make your plants grow healthy and how to make them grow in bed. Bed gardening is very timely since it is very pretty to see. Gardening is enjoyable and fun specially when you can benefit from your plants.

[Ryan Intes Patigdas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Healthy and nutritious food is what we need right at the moment staying healthy is a must that's why we must eat healthy food and this book helps a lot in order to have that kind of food through gardening. This book can guide you how, even if you don't have enough space in your area or no idea on how to start then this book os for you. Highly recommended book.

[Hiel Bibliophile · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you want to learn any garden related or if you want to live with a strong connection to nature, Dionn Roserr books is the right one for you. I became interested in gardening recently because of the pandemic and I am lucky enough to have read a book that is purely written for a beginner like me. This guide book for gardening is one of the best that I’ve read so far. Although this focus on Raised Beds, I still find the other inputs as necessary. The steps on how to raised bed is so simple and easy to understand. It will help you in building your own raised beds with right or ideal size for it. I’m more into growing of flowers but having to learn about herbs and organic plants seem interesting and I would love to give it a try.

[Castañeda Del Rey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love how this books explains the advantages of growing your own crops and how you can utilize your small space and be creative with it. This is really helpful since most of us are in a lockdown, we're not only saving money by growing our own vegetables but also we can be assured that our crops are fresh from the garden. I would recommend this book to those who want to start planting their own vegetables.

[Shey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I like to plant more even though we don't have a large yard, I only plant vegetables in the pot, it's also a big help for pastime. this book is perfect for people who are always at home especially now that there is a pandemic.

[Kimmie Camerino · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It gives a valuable read to both experienced and new gardeners in town. It will help you with the planning, purchasing, constructing, etc. I love how the author gives suggestions on how to ideally create my own garden though it has a limited space.

[Michael Jay G. Lasaga · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great tips in here. I just nod my head whenever I agree with the author or I am learning new ideas. Haha! It’s really encouraging. It has so many gardening ideas.

[Vanessa Elnar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found the right book to be a great start for me as I expand my mini garden. This book is well-written with very helpful info if you're planning to start gardening in your yard. This is a good guide for beginners and long-term gardeners, as well.