If your current planting goals involve plants that require
good water drainage, I am sure you know how frustrating it is to have a yard
that just won’t cooperate. Some plants can handle the excess water that comes
about from being in an area that doesn’t drain properly. In fact, it might just
cause them to bloom more lushly. However, other plants don’t cope as well, and
it will cause them to die a gruesome, bloated death. You should always find out
about the drainage required for every plant you buy, and make sure that it
won’t conflict with any of the areas you are considering planting it in.
In order to test how much water your designated patch of
soil will retain, dig a hole approximately ten inches deep. Fill it with water,
and come back in a day when all the water had disappeared. Fill it back up
again. If the 2nd hole full of water isn’t gone in 10 hours, your soil has a
low saturation point. This means that when water soaks into it, it will stick
around for a long time before dissipating. This is unacceptable for almost any
plant, and you are going to have to do something to remedy it if you want your
plants to survive.
The usual method for improving drainage in your garden is to
create a raised bed. This involves creating a border for a small bed, and
adding enough soil and compost to it to raise it above the rest of the yard by
at least 5 inches.
You’ll be amazed at how much your water drainage will be improved by this small modification. If you’re planning to build a raised bed, your prospective area is either on grass or on dirt. For each of these situations, you should build it slightly differently.
You’ll be amazed at how much your water drainage will be improved by this small modification. If you’re planning to build a raised bed, your prospective area is either on grass or on dirt. For each of these situations, you should build it slightly differently.
If you want to start a raised garden in a non-grassy area,
you won’t have much trouble. Just find some sort of border to retain the dirt
you will be adding. I’ve found that there is nothing that works quite as well
as a few two by fours. After you’ve created the wall, you must put in the
proper amount soil and steer manure. Depending on how long you plan to wait
before planting, you will want to adjust the ratio to allow for any
deteriorating that may occur.
If you’re trying to install a raised bed where sod already
exists, you will have a slightly more difficult time. You will need to cut the
sod around the perimeter of the garden, and flip it over. This may sound
simple, but you will need something with a very sharp edge to slice the edges of
the sod and get under it. Once you have turned it all upside down, it is best
to add a layer of straw to discourage the grass from growing back up. After the
layer of straw, simply add all the soil and steer manure that a normal garden
would need.
Planting your plants in your new area shouldn’t pose much
difficulty. It is essentially the same process as your usual planting session.
Just be sure that the roots don’t extent too far into the original ground
level. The whole point of creating the raised bed is to keep the roots out of
the soil which saturates easily. Having long roots that extend that far
completely destroys the point.
Once you have plants in your new bed, you’ll notice an
almost immediate improvement. The added soil facilitates better root development.
At the same time, evaporation is prevented and decomposition is discouraged.
All of these things added together makes for an ideal environment for almost
any plant to grow in. So don’t be intimidated by the thought of adjusting the
very topography of your yard. It is a simple process as I’m sure you’ve
realized, and the long term results are worth every bit of work.
For the do it yourself reader :
Check out this video from Lowe's. You can get most of these supplies at your local Lowe's or Home Improvement Store.
Here are some good resources to check out for supplies
For the do it yourself reader :
Check out this video from Lowe's. You can get most of these supplies at your local Lowe's or Home Improvement Store.
More raised garden bed pictures
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| DK - Garden Design © 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited |
Remember when building your bed it will be easier to pre-drill holes.Filling the bottom of your bed with rocks or broken terracotta pieces can help with extra drainage.
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| DK - Garden Design © 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited |
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| DK - Garden Design © 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited |
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| DK - Garden Design © 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited |
