Troubleshooting a Raised Bed Garden
Raised bed gardening brings an innovative solutions when it comes to gardening and solving a number of problems that we commonly encounter with our gardens. Though raised bed gardens may be a blessing in their own right, there are still flaws that they have and problems that you can encounter when you use them. Raised bed gardens are not almighty in that regard.
Though raised bed gardens provide solutions to several gardening problems like overgrowth of weeds, working with low quality soil, pest control and more, there are still a myriad of problems that raised bed gardens can experience. In this part of the eBook, we’ll discuss about the several problems that raised bed gardens can encounter along with the ways on how to deal with them.
The Water Keeps Draining Too Fast, What Should I Do?
Raised bed gardens promote better drainage of water. Though it’s also a good thing to have better drainage, especially during rainy seasons, it can also cause problems on its own. This would mean that water would drain faster, especially during dry seasons, because of gravity. The greater the height of your raised bed garden, the faster it will drain the water by pulling it downwards.
That said, water management is an important thing to remember when using raised bed gardens. If you notice that water is draining faster in your raised bed garden, getting an efficient sprinkler or watering system should be a priority. Another thing that you can do is lower the height of your raised bed gardens. This allows a lesser amount of drainage compared to higher raised bed gardens.
My Fertilizers Don’t Seem to be Working, What’s Wrong?
If you notice that your fertilizers don’t seem to be working on the plants of your raised bed gardens, this is probably because of the faster water drainage. The water pushes out the nitrogen and other nutrients that you apply in the raised bed gardens which render a lesser effect of your fertilizers. More water means the nutrients that come from fertilizers settle in water. But this extra water also keeps the soil moist and healthy so you can’t just deny water for your raised bed gardens.
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Though this may be an alarming concern for you, there’s no need to worry about this. A quick solution to this problem is by changing the schedule of applying fertilizers. If you usually apply fertilizers monthly, you can change that schedule into a weekly fertilization. This allows optimum nutrition for your plants, especially vegetables. Changing the type of fertilizer also helps, preferably those that are readily available in form like fish emulsion, compost and other similar fertilizing compounds.
The Soil Suddenly Shrunk, What Do I Do?
When you use raised bed gardens, you prevent compaction because the soil is no longer pressed down or stepped on at a constant basis compared to the traditional bed gardens. However, compaction of soil is still possible in raised bed gardens. This is because raised bed gardens really act as containers which push down the soil slowly due to gravity. When the soil becomes compacted, the roots of your plants can grow well and they can’t absorb all the moisture and nutrients in the soil. Noticing how the soil shrunk may lead you to add more soil in your raised bed gardens but this will do more harm than good. How do you get around this problem?
If the soil becomes compacted in your raised bed garden, loosening it up by digging around the soil is a great solution. At first, you may be scared of using a spade or a shovel to dig around in your raised bed gardens because of the fear of damaging the roots or the plants themselves. But there are spades and shovels that come in smaller sizes which allow them to fit snuggly in one hand. This allows you to dig around the soil while working around the roots in an effort not to damage them. Tools made out of plastic instead of metal are also recommended since metal is heavier and can easily damage the plant roots. Drip irrigation is another way to go about this by consistently providing moisture to the soil and increasing ventilation, preventing the compaction of soil.
There are Pests on My Raised Bed Gardens, How Do I Take Care of Them?
Using a raised bed garden prevents pests like snails and slugs from feeding on your plants. It also prevents pets from digging around your plants and causing damage. However, pests become unavoidable whenever you’re raising a garden, may it be by traditional gardening or by using raised bed gardens. These annoying pests can damage your plants and if left alone, they can render your plants weak and left for dead. How can you take care of these pests in your raised bed gardens?
It should become a habit that you check on your plants for pests each morning. Looking on the leaves and inspecting closely, especially under the leaves, is a good way of spotting pests that might be gnawing on your plants. You may consider this as a chore but this is one habit of any good gardener. You should be meticulous in all of your plants, regardless if they’re in your raised bed gardens or not, paying closer attention for vegetables as well.
I Want to Move My Bed Gardens to a Different Location, What Should I Do?
When you make your raised bed garden, you’re free to choose the material that the frame is to be made from. It can be made from materials like concrete or steel. However, building raised bed gardens with heavy materials aren’t advisable if you want to move them. You don’t want to dig out your plants and make another raised bed garden since it will cost you more money.
Choosing wood as a primary material in building your raised bed garden provides a lightweight frame that you can easily adjust. By applying wheels in its base, you can efficiently move your raised bed garden without much trouble. What’s even greater is that you can use your raised bed garden as a design for your living room or outdoor lounge.