Gardening in the Northwoods is not easy, even during the best of times. With the Northwoods' sand- and clay-based soils, short growing season, and wind transported seeds constantly blowing into the garden, I have found that raised bed gardening is far superior to traditional gardening. Raised bed gardening offers gardeners a vast array of benefits. Raised beds makes gardening much more accessible, soils can easily be amended and weeded, they extend the growing season, and produce a higher yield.
(Photo right) TFT educator and author Todd Starling's raised vegetable garden in the City of Eagle River
Perhaps the greatest benefit to raised bed gardening is the ease of access. Raised beds allow gardeners with physical limitations to access gardening. Not Bending down as often puts less strain on the body resulting in much less backaches and pains than traditional gardening. When beds are constructed, they can be built to optimal height and width so the middle of the bed can be easily accessed from both sides, no matter who is gardening.
The advantages to soil structure in raised beds are numerous.
Constructing raised beds allows you to bring in soil high in organic matter and appropriate for your gardening needs. This improved soil structure means roots have room to grow, there is plenty of nutrients in the soil to feed plants, and water drains through the soil quickly. After the soil is in place, raised beds keep soil compaction to a minimum as a gardener does not walk in or near the soil in the bed. Additionally, a raised bed does not require a tiller to turn the soil. When adding nutrients to the soil, a raised bed can simply be turned with a garden fork keeping the dormant seeds well below the surface, reducing weed growth and allowing maximum potential for added nutrients.
One of the biggest issues with gardening in the Northwoods is the short growing season. On average, the growing season in Eagle River is early-June to Mid-September, allowing approximately 110 frost free days for the season. With this shortened season, raised beds allow the soil to thaw quicker. Since the soil is elevated from ground level, raised beds warm up quicker, allowing for earlier planting. Living in the Northwoods we all know frost is possible in June and early in September; using raised beds allow gardeners to easily build hoop houses on the tops of the raised bed to create a mini-greenhouse thus extending the growing season even further.
Compared to traditional gardening, raised beds experience less weed and pest problems. This is in part due to using new soil to build the beds and no-till gardening keeping dormant seeds below the surface. In addition, raised beds make it easier to spot and treat weeds in a smaller area, reducing the chances of a much larger problem in the future. With raised beds being elevated from ground level, it makes it difficult for most pests to crawl in the beds and up to the plants.
(Photo right) Having your plants raised up several feet above ground make it much more difficult for pests to crawl inside and damage them.
The many advantages of raised beds come together to increase plant yields.
The improved soil quality, access to nutrients, improved aeration, and lowered competition with weeds and pest your garden will produce healthier plants, resulting in much higher yields than traditional gardening.
Author and Environmental Educator Todd Starling
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