by Allen Teal

Created on: July 21, 2009

Before beginning to build a raised garden, it is important to determine why a raised garden is needed or desired. Included in this assessment should be a consideration of the type of plants to be grown in the garden. Raised gardens are used to make a garden more convenient, to offer better soil content, for ornamental purposes, and a few other good reasons.

A raised vegetable garden may not be best for a landscape feature.

If the garden is being raised as a landscape feature, it may not be the best idea to make it a vegetable or herb garden because most of these plants are not perennials. This will mean that the garden is vacant and a possible eyesore for half of the year. Raised landscape gardens are best filled with small evergreen shrubs that can be surrounded by other perennials or annuals when the time is right.

Convenience and soil improvement are two excellent reasons for a raised garden.

Elevating the soil bed a foot or two can make weeding and pest control much easier. Having a raised garden filled with high quality soil for the plants will also mean less plant feeding and better sustained growth and crop production. It also affords more ability to see what the plants are doing regarding growth and health.

Regardless of the purpose, you can make the raised garden attractive if it is visible to the neighborhood.

While almost any material can be used to make the framework for a raised garden, some choices will make a more pleasing look. All types of landscaping material choices should be attractive and durable if installed correctly. For raised gardens that are intended for function only, using old railroad ties or recycling treated lumber will work fine. Some people have even used old truck tires although you might want to investigate the environmental impact as these degrade.

Pick a spot that will not need a lot of reshaping to make construction easier.

Unless you are in the middle of a major landscaping operation at your house, the best place for a raised garden should not need major excavation before construction begins. It is a good idea to remove any grass and plants that are already present in the site. However, if you intend to put a barrier under your raised garden, this may be unnecessary.

Determine the volume of your garden ahead of time.

Stake out the spot and compute the number of cubic feet of soil that you will need to fill your garden. This will help you decide whether to buy bags of soil or have it brought

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