How To Fill A Tall Raised Garden Bed

When I discovered the ease of growing vegetables in raised garden beds some years ago, I knew there was no going back.

No weeds, no water, and minimal maintenance make growing plants through this method delightful and surprisingly cost-effective.

However, in a conversation with my son, who has taken to gardening recently, I discovered that most novices are apprehensive about raised row gardens because they think it's costly and labor-intensive. Now, this seemed unbelievable to me because it's exactly the opposite.

But I understand why many newbies might not be familiar with the utility of raised row gardens. After all, if someone told me I could get a brilliant production of vegetables with minimal effort when I started gardening, I wouldn't have believed them either.

So, I took it upon myself to educate him on the benefits of raised garden beds and how they're the easiest way to get a surplus of vegetables and fruits, right from lettuce to cantaloupes.

All you've got to do is learn how to fill these beds correctly, and you're good to go.

Hello! I'm Stacy Smith. And today, I will tell you all about how to fill a tall raised garden bed.

So, let's begin!

Filling A Tall Raised Garden Bed

Primarily, there are four different methods of filling a raised garden bed. Although they closely resemble each other, there are a few points of differences. However, what remains common throughout is the ease of management and affordability. Keep reading to know more...

1. Core Gardening

In this method, you have to create a sponge in the middle of the bed that holds water and supplies moisture to it. Since you fill the core with water right at the beginning, the watering needs of the plants for the rest of the season are reduced.

The first step in core gardening is to use wet organic matter to fill the inside of the bed. I often use old straw bales, but you can use plant clippings, food scraps, wood chips, and manure.

This acts as the ideal base for the raised gardens and provides adequate nourishment to the plants. Compact the organic material and make sure it remains 5 inches thick.

The next step is watering the garden bed, which is known as charging the core. Water the bed generously, creating a trench in the middle that'll be the storehouse of moisture for your plants throughout the season. After that, top it with some soil that you removed earlier.

If it's a new garden bed, add a mixture of topsoil and compost. You might notice a mound in the middle, but do not tamper with it. It'll settle on its own with time.

To ensure the healthy growth of your veggies, supply the raised bed with some extra nutrients. I use a fish fertilizer for adequate nitrogen supply and some organic fertilizer too.

I grow crunchy cucumbers and delicious cherry tomatoes with this method.

2. Hugelkultur Raised Bed

This method closely mirrors core gardening. In this process, you have to fill the inside of the bed with a greater quantity of organic matter that decomposes over a long period.

If you thought you couldn't put those rotting logs in the yard to any good use, well, here's a surprise. In this technique of raising garden beds, you can utilize rotting woods and debris since their water retention capabilities are higher.

Now, you have to create a trench and then place the rotting matter at least 12 inches deep into the bed, filling the gaps between them with twigs, plant clippings, and wood chips.

Moving on, water the trench thoroughly, just like you do for core gardening. This trench will be the source of water and nutrients for your plant throughout the season.

Lastly, fill the bed with the soil that was dug out and mix it with some compost. To nourish my bed even further, I add some mulch, and you can do the same. This is my favorite method for growing onions and gourds.

3. Ruth Stout Method

Imagine being so passionate about gardening that they name a method after you! Here's a quick lesson for the unversed: The Ruth Stout method of raising garden beds is named after the woman who discovered the benefits of mulching the garden using spoiled hay.

I use this method to grow potatoes every year. All you have to do is place a layer of compost on the ground, followed by placing the full-seeded potatoes in the middle of the manure.

After this, place a 12-inch thick layer of spoiled hay evenly on top of the potatoes and forget about it till it is time to pick up the harvest. Besides potatoes, pumpkins, cabbages, and kale grow very well through this process.

4. Eden Raised Garden Bed

As the name suggests, this is a magical method of raising garden beds. For this, you first cover the ground with a thick layer of cardboard to stifle any weed or grass that might be present on it.

Then, it's time to layer it with a 6-inch thick mixture of soil and compost. Go ahead and add at least 4 inches of wood chips to this soil for mulching. You can easily find them at your local city dump.

The next step is planting. Gently scrape back a thin layer of wood chips and then sow the seed into the soil.

Although this method is self-sustaining, consider adding organic fertilizers for the first few seasons till the wood chips rot.

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