Raised Beds Make Great Vegetable Growing Plots

Do you want to grow your own food but your soil is too difficult to work with or there are problems with gophers and rabbits?

You might try using raised beds. Many gardeners say planter boxes provide optimum growing conditions, such as good drainage and a chance to add plenty of soil amendment. Containers like this also allow gardeners to work at a more comfortable height if the beds are tall enough, and that's helpful to people with disabilities. Creating terraces of planter boxes can also be a good way to make a slope useful.

Ramona Patch gathered advice from gardening websites and two local lumber and gardening stores for pointers on raised beds.

Pest Reduction

"Everyone here has the same issues—rabbits, squirrels and gophers— and decomposed granite or clay," Denise Maize, gardening representative at in the San Diego Country Estates said. "The rabbits are running rampant this year, even eating plants they normally wouldn't eat, like geraniums and iceplant. They like the young plants, so it's hard for gardeners.

"With raised beds, it's easier to fence to keep bunnies and gophers out," she said. "And you just have a small amount of soil to work with, so you can mix it up and make it better than the average garden."

Gopher baskets are one option to deter the pests, but the design of the planter box can also help.

"On the bottom of containers, you can use wood, but it will eventually rot," said Maize. "Chicken wire is best. You can put a box on the concrete but it limits plant growth."

To keep snails and slugs out, you can attach a band of copper foil around the edges. The Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program offers instructions on how to apply the copper bands, which give snails and slugs an electric shock.

Ramona Patch found Corry's Slug and Snail Copper Tape Barrier on sale at Home Depot. The price was about $7 for a roll of 15 feet. It's easy to apply.

Materials and Cost

Both Ace Hardware and sell lumber and most other supplies needed to build a box.

Ace Co-owner Jeff Fabian estimated that the cost to build a 6-foot-square planter box is approximately $30 for the cedar boards and angle brackets. That's not including chicken wire and it's assuming the builder has screws and tools.

He said Ace will offer a raised garden kit nationwide next spring, which is expected to sell at $40 for a 4-foot-square cedar box, with pre-drilled holes for screws.

Ransom Brothers said a larger box with all associated materials could cost up to about $160.

Gardening experts caution to use wood without harmful added chemicals, which can leach into the soil. Both local stores said cedar and redwood are usually used. Shoppers can use wood that has been designed for other purposes, such as fencing or poles. Poles can be stacked on top of each other for a creative log appearance. Rock and bricks can also be used.

Sunset magazine offers these instructions on how to build a raised bed, including a cost estimate and information about necessary tools.

This video offered by the National Gardening Association also shows how to make raised beds.

One organization, Square Foot Gardening, suggests adding a grid to your raised bed. Grid systems help novice gardeners assess how many seeds to plant in the space available.

Place planter boxes in spots that get at least six hours of sunlight each day.

What to Plant this Winter

Maize said, "Plants are really confused right now because of the weather changes. I'm hearing people in Ramona are still doing ok with warmer weather vegetables and herbs. You might be able to still do parsley and basil for a while. The winter vegetables that do well up here include chard, lettuce and carrots."

She suggested that gardeners check the Farmers' Almanac for each season's predictions. The almanac currently predicts a "drier-than-normal" winter for the Southwest, while some parts of the country may have a wetter and chillier season than average.