by Roshan Richards

Created on: February 18, 2009

Raised bed gardens are an excellent choice for gardeners who find themselves with small spaces, poor soil, or complaining backs. They are also very pleasing to the eye and add to the overall appearance of the landscape they occupy. Raised beds firmly declare to all who pass by, "This is a special place."

"Special places" require some special accessories, however, in addition to the standard garden tool fare. Following are 10 raised bed gardening accessory must-haves that will make your raised bed gardening experience easier, more abundant , and more enjoyable:

PREPARATION

1. Soil Filled Peat Pots: These clever little seed-starter pots have been around for awhile but become quite valuable for use in a raised bed garden. If you like to start your seeds yourself, these pots allow you to get a jump start on the planting process. Once the plant is large enough for transplanting, and it has been hardened off, simply plant the container and plant into the ground. The container is completely biodegradable and the plant does not suffer from transplant shock. The value to you is that you can better gauge visually the spacing of your plants in order to utilize the space of your raised bed to the fullest.

2. An Attachment Tiller: There are several motor-type products available at your local home improvement stores that take on different functions when different attachments are used. For instance, with one attachment you have a leaf blower. Put on a different attachment you have a small tiller. Because of the way a raised bed garden is constructed and filled with soil, an attachment tiller is a cost effective tool to use each spring to break up last year's soil and to mix in new compost and fertilizer. Compared to a shovel it does the job much more efficiently and in a fraction of the time.

PLANTING

3. Tomato Ladders: This clever variation of the tomato cage is a perfect fit for the smaller spaces offered by raised beds. They stand like a v-shaped tower at a little over 3 feet tall and have legs that sink a good foot into the ground. They hold up to 100 lbs. of tomatoes per ladder, reduce disease and pests, and protect your tomatoes from wind and accidental breakage. They have a waterproof coating in green or in red. The red coating reflects red light that stimulates protein in the plants for more vigorous growth.

4. Soaker Hose: Soaker hoses allow for a slow drip watering option compared to a sprinkler, garden hose, or by-hand method. The benefit of the soaker hose is that it

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