Where I live in USDA Hardiness Zone 7a, March is the in-between time when the sun strengthens but the days are cool and nights are still frigid. Not much gardening and growing can be done on my part, but more than any other early-season task, there’s one investment that always tops my list in March: buying and installing raised beds.
In the gardening world, there’s no better way to harness the momentum of spring’s awakening than to prepare your garden beds. And because March ground is still firm, erecting and preparing raised beds not only gets me gardening, but it also helps me get an earlier start to the season.
In this article, I’ll share why I believe this month is the ideal time to make an investment in raised beds, how they benefit gardeners throughout the growing season, and give you a few of my raised bed garden ideas.
Why March Is Best for Investing In Raised Beds
In my own yard, the soil has begun to settle as the increasing solar intensity thaws the ground in March.
While it isn’t warm enough to plant seeds, the ground is firm without being too soft and muddy. This is when raised beds can be placed, leveled and filled so that when the calendar and conditions finally turn a little warmer, I’ll be ready to plant without delay.
Installing raised beds now also means I avoid the spring rush, when garden centers and online suppliers sell out of the best kits and materials. With plenty of supplies available, March allows you the time for considering where to place a raised bed and preparing the raised garden bed’s soil profile before the early spring planting rush.
Gardeners using online forums often ask whether they should erect raised beds in late winter or wait until friendlier spring weather arrives.
Many of the experienced gardeners agree with me: Build now if conditions allow because by the time the soil warms, all the compost, raised bed soil and amendments will have settled into their new home quite nicely.
In other words, you can get to planting those seeds and young transplants immediately when the temperatures permit.
Raised beds benefit the gardener in so many different ways. They’re not just practical for the modern gardener, but they’re also game changers for the entire gardening season.
This Quictent oval galvanized raised garden bed has no sharp corners, which makes it safe to use especially when gardening with children. It comes in a lovely calming, natural color, too.
The Progard Raised Garden Bed is a vibrant and durable planter, designed to enhance your gardening experience. Crafted from galvanized steel with a rust-resistant, eco-friendly coating, this multicolored planter is built to withstand various weather conditions, ensuring year-round use.
The Vego Garden Raised Garden Bed is a versatile and durable solution for gardeners. Standing at 17 inches tall, it provides an optimal depth for strong root development while minimizing the need for bending. Constructed from steel, this bed offers superior resistance to corrosion and extreme temperatures, ensuring a lifespan of over 20 years.
1. Take Control of Your Soil
One of the biggest advantages of raised beds is soil quality. In many gardens, native soil may be heavy clay, sandy, or riddled with stones. These conditions are not only frustrating but also can stunt plant growth.
With raised beds, you choose exactly what kind of soil mix goes in the frame. Combine a lush blend of compost, topsoil and organic matter. The key is you can tailor to your plants’ needs and adjust the raised bed’s soil based on your continuing experience.
If determining your own soil combination is not your cup of tea, the Back to the Roots Organic Raised Bed Mix found at Walmart has been specially formulated for use in raised beds.
Better soil means better aeration, healthier roots, and a garden that feels as nurturing as it looks.
And because no one walks on the bed’s soil, compaction is significantly reduced, and that is a huge plus for root development and moisture retention. This clean and almost fluffy soil is perfect for root vegetables, which benefit from a deep soil profile that is free from obstructions such as rocks and tree roots.
2. Easier For The Body And Accessibility
Truthfully, gardening at ground level can be tough on the back, knees, wrists…all over, actually. The constant kneeling, bending, squatting and reaching took a real toll on my joints, not to mention all the sore muscles.
A raised bed can eliminate much of that extended movement by bringing the gardening space up to you, rather than you lowering to it.
Raised beds elevate your growing space to a height that reduces strain on your body. Build it as high as you need to suit your own comfort.
A raised bed that is waist high can accommodate gardeners in wheelchairs or with limited mobility. Vego Garden offers a number of different styles of stationary and rolling elevated raised garden beds, even ones just the right height for children.
And speaking of accessibility, raised garden beds can bring gardening to practically any space, no yard needed.
Compact raised beds such as the EZCube Self-Watering Planters found at Vego Garden bring gardening space to courtyards, balconies and other small spaces, allowing pretty much anymore to access fresh food and the beauty of plants.
3. Extend Your Growing Season
Because raised beds are elevated, they warm up faster in early spring than the surrounding ground. This means seeds germinate sooner.
You’ve effectively extended your growing season without waiting on cold ground to thaw. If you winterize raised garden beds at the end of the growing season, those beds will be primed and ready to go as soon as that solar intensity starts to creep higher.
And here’s a raised bed pro tip: many raised beds can be retrofitted to be miniature greenhouses. This gets you gardening even earlier in spring and later into winter.
The Vego Garden Cover System is designed to fit Vego Garden raised garden beds and can protect the crops within it from frosty conditions, as well as from pests and inclement weather.
4. Improved Drainage
One of the nicest advantages I have noticed with raised beds is how beautifully they handle water.
Because the soil sits above ground level and isn’t compacted by foot traffic, excess moisture can drain freely through the soil profile rather than pooling around plant roots.
In in-ground gardens with heavy clay or poorly draining soil, waterlogged soils can lead roots that slowly suffocate. Raised beds give water somewhere to go, and roots the oxygen they need to grow strong.
Improved drainage also helps prevent many common plant problems before they start. When soil stays consistently waterlogged, it creates an environment where fungal diseases and root rot can take hold.
With raised beds, the looser, well-structured soil dries more evenly between rain or irrigation cycles, creating a healthier balance of moisture and air.
If you have no choice but to place the bed on pavement or heavy clay soils with poor drainage, there are many ways to improve drainage in raised beds, such as adding a layer of stones at the bottom of the bed or installing a drainage pipe.
5. Great Designs
I have primarily been discussing raised beds made of steel, wood or composite for vegetable production, but raised bed design ideas and uses are limitless.
They can be functional, but they can also be beautiful architectural elements in the garden. Raise the bed along a driveway to define the space or along a property line to create a border.
Or, take those perennials you love but look a mess and raise them up to calm and organize the garden. A well-placed raised bed enhances your outdoor space as well as gives you a platform for floral and veg productivity.
As I look at the two raised beds I have now, I see the value they’ve given me since installing them a few years ago. Assessing my gardening needs with that prior experience, I know investing in a few more raised garden beds is just what I need as I create new gardens in my landscape.
Installing them now means I’m ready when the season finally springs forth. Their soil will be warmed, the beds filled and they can get growing quickly from there. Preparation is everything in the garden.
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