The Value of Raised Garden Beds for Seniors
Raised Garden Beds For Seniors
As Spring approaches, it’s that time of year when our thoughts turn to gardening. Though, let’s face it, a "typical" garden is a lot of work with a lot of kneeling. It's hard on knees, backs, and shoulders. Something I became interested in years ago were raised garden beds. Raised garden beds allow easier access and reduces fatigue on your knees, back and shoulders that is associated with weeding, pruning, harvesting vegetables and, well, anything garden related.
With all of us facing the challenges of the Coronavirus, gardening in your own backyard, away from others and out of crowds is a good way to get exercise and activity while doing your best to maintain social distancing and abiding by COVID-19 safety practices. Keep in mind, if you want to build a raised garden bed, consider having materials delivered and the bed constructed by others. This will help keep you home and away from crowds and other risks. Also, have others do your shopping for seeds and plants, delivering them to you. That will help you avoid some risks.
One of the best ideas I saw while researching garden styles for this article was called the "keyhole garden." The keyhole garden allows you easier access to any and all of your plants for easy maintenance. This is typically a U-shaped, raised bed that is built on the ground. It is at least 12 inches tall but can be built as high as you’d like it. The other great idea is a garden built elevated and on legs. These gardens all but eliminate the need for kneeling. Planting, pruning and checking your plants for those pesky insects is all right there within easy reach, and with beds on legs, at waist level.
One of the big questions people ask is what type of material should I use to build a raised garden structure. Is the use of pressure-treated materials safe? Pressure treated materials of today do not use the same chemicals as they did years ago. A lot of people still use pressure treated wood, while others look at using Redwood or some type of composite material. You can also use bricks or block as well. It is a good practice to draw up your plan on a piece of paper and keep in mind the length of dimensional lumber so as not to have much waste.
When you start construction, remember to put hardware cloth or some similar material in the bottom to prevent moles, gophers or any other unwanted pest to access your garden bed from the bottom. Also make sure to line your bed with some type of heavy plastic or landscape material. This will aid in the reduction of weeds.
Location, location, location! How many times have you heard that before? Making sure your raised garden bed is in an area where it can receive lots of sunlight is vital. Another great thing about raised garden beds is the soil tends to get warmer much faster than just the typical ground. If you are planting seeds, this means you get a head start on your plants!
You have several options as far as your fill dirt that you’re going to be putting in for your garden. You can visit your local stores to get the proper items to make that perfect mix that your plants will flourish. You can also have that material delivered to you by several different companies that make their own mix. You can usually drive there with your truck or trailer and have them load it for you. The downside of that is having to load your wheelbarrow and get it from point A to point B, another thing to consider when building your bed.
Once you have built your planter and filled it with dirt, it’s just a matter of what you want to grow in your garden. Once you’ve made up your mind on what plants you want, pay close attention to your spacing as some plants require much more area than others. For instance, squash needs a very big area to grow in. Leaving the proper distance inbetween plants makes them easier to take care of and easier to weed. A great benefit of proper spacing is that it allows bees and butterflies easier access to your garden for pollination.
Speaking of pollination, something I’ve noticed is there are less bees than there were when I was a kid. Some thing you can do to help mother nature is to plant flowers that work as attractants for bees and butterflies, helping the bee and butterfly population and with the pollination process.
I’ve heard people say, "Wow my plants look great but I’m just not getting any fruit from them." This could simply be that they’re not being pollinated. Not to worry! If mother nature doesn't get the job done, you can pollinate the plants yourself. Honestly, this is very simple to do and can help you produce a lote of healthy options for your dinner table.
There are many great videos on YouTube and articles on raised gardens on the Internet. Go ahead, draw your plans, pick your location, and get everything ready so when spring arrives it’s time to plant! There’s nothing better than fresh veggies on the table AND you know exactly where that food came from . . . you!
