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Container & Raised Bed Gardening
Container & Raised Bed
Gardening
When arthritis limits
your movement, gardening can be very tough. At times, it is nearly
impossible to get down on the ground to do routine gardening chores in a
regular garden. So give up planting altogether? I think not!
Container or raised bed
gardening may be a workable solution. By raising the planting area there is
much less bending and stooping. If you build it at the right level you can
even garden from a chair.
If you desire lots of
plants in a large area, then a raised bed is in order. Chances are you?ll
need some help building it, but once that is done, you can handle the
planting and maintenance.
Perhaps the easiest way
to build a raised bed is out of landscaping timbers, but bricks, rocks or
other solid materials can be used. Choose your area, remembering to take
into consideration the amount of sunlight that particular area receives.
Keep in mind that your bed should be accessible from both sides, the entire
planting area should be reachable. Simply build a large rectangle by
stacking the timbers. When it reaches a comfortable height for you, the
filling begins.
If the bed is less than
12 inches deep you can simply fill with the planting medium of choice,
topsoil would be my pick. Or you may want to mix peat moss, and/or compost
with the soil. If the bed is deeper than 12 inches, you might want to
consider putting a layer of pea gravel on the bottom to aid the drainage
process.
If you just want to plant
a few plants, container gardening is your best bet. The choice of containers
is limited only by your imagination. Picture a front porch or patio filled
with many different types of containers. Each container is home to a
plant-vegetables, flowers, whatever you desire. The possibilities are
endless.
Choosing the right
container size can be tricky. Her are some recommended diameter sizes for
container grown veggies:
Beans: 6in
Tomatoes: 12in
Peppers: 10
Spinach: 4in
Container and raised beds
do require a little extra care, but the convince more than makes up for the
extra work. Containers & raised beds will require more frequent watering
than plants in the ground. A small container may need watered twice a day
during the hottest times.
With a little careful
planning, you can enjoy all the perks and tension relieving benefits of
gardening, without the hassle!
References:
Container & Raised Bed Gardening by B. Rosie Lerner
Building a Raised Bed Garden by Margie Talt
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