How to Landscape With Raised Beds

Landscaping is often an ongoing project. Actually, that is the beauty of it--you can always find something worthwhile to do in your yard. Using raised beds to accomplish the beauty and aesthetic value you are trying to achieve is a great way to bring about success. This type of landscaping works particularly well with smaller, more compact areas but can also enhance a larger backyard. The project can be done one bed at a time so you will not have to tear up a large area all at once. Read on to learn how to landscape with raised beds.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Landscaping Materials
• Compost
• Mulch
• Peat Moss
• Garden Tools

Preparation

1. Decide what types of vegetation you want in each landscaping area where you plan to put a raised bed. Food plants such as strawberries, melons, tomatoes and peppers lend themselves well to raised bed systems as do flowering plants. All have the reward of beauty, and the edible plants give you foods to use in your kitchen.

2. Choose the type of materials you want to use to outline the raised beds. Some good choices are wood boards, landscaping timbers, railroad ties and concrete cylinders stood on end.

3. Lay out the first bed. A good size begins with the length of the timber if you are using any of the wood varieties for the framework of the raised bed. They are generally between six and 10 feet. Then, you can make the width about three feet for a rectangular bed--or make each of the timbers define one of the four sides of the square.

4. Line the beds with landscaping fabric (to retard weed growth) then fill the interior of the bed with soil. Use a mixture of dirt, peat moss and compost. It is a good idea to use equal measurements of each. Take into consideration the specific needs of the plants you will be placing in the bed.

5. Position your plants in the prepared bed according to directions that match your landscaping plan. For a three-foot-wide bed, perhaps a row down the middle of your chosen vegetation would be pretty. As they grow, they will fill out the bed.

Final Touches

6. Continue on to the next area you want to place a raised bed. Your landscaping is a blank slate until you decide what you want to create. Use ideas from the Raised Garden Beds website to help you see what type of bed you want to build next. You have countless ways to position the raised beds and the same goes for the plants you want to use.

7. Anticipate how much the plant fills out the bed and determine if that is appropriate. If plants are sparse in the raised bed, you might want to plant some creeping phlox or another crawling plant for looks to hang over the sides of the bed slightly. The blooms will add color, and the running plant will add grace to your landscaping.

8. Finalize the setting by adding special touches as desired. The Raised Garden Beds website shows many different styles of landscaping ideas including walkways and entrances.

Tips & Warnings

• Raised beds are better for drainage of plants, thus allowing them to grow well.
• If the soil you begin with is normally unsuitable for growing (extremely rocky or sandy), this system will allow you to have beautiful landscaping.
• Shady areas will adapt well to a raised bed with a little work. You can plant shade-loving plants here and continue the beauty even where many plants do not grow well.
• Concrete cylinders are available at construction materials testing labs for minimal cost.
• You can buy raised bed garden kits online, but they are quite expensive and you still have to put them together.

Resources

• Raised Garden Beds for Plans on Making Raised Bed Systems
• Sustland for Ideas for Raised Bed Systems and Arbors
• Landscaping Forum