April 2, 2021 - By Bob Labozetta (UC Master Gardener, Mariposa) - Raised garden beds generally yield more produce that traditional gardens. What’s more, the tools needed to build and maintain raised beds can be limited to a garden fork, a rake, a shovel, and a hand trowel.
The goal is to create a bed of loose, fertile soil that you never step on. The size of the bed matters—you want to reach the whole bed without stepping on the soil.
Like much in life there is more than one way to skin a cat (or form a raised bed)...
The Quick Fix: One approach is to mark out 3-4 foot beds and, using a sturdy garden fork or iron bar, loosen the soil as deep as you can to aerate and loosen the soil so it can hold oxygen and water at root level.
The soil will be a few inches higher than the surrounding compressed earth. To prevent erosion, line the perimeter of the beds with planks or logs. Mix in a 3-inch layer of compost into the top six-to-ten inches of soil.
The Trench n’ Mound: This approach works well after freshly rototilling an area. It doubles the depth of useable topsoil for planting. Simply dig a trench around the intended garden plot and pile the dirt onto the bed. As above, mix finished compost into the extra soil.
Double-Digging Raised Bed Gardening is initially labor-intensive but results in deep, friable soil and need only be done once. Dig a 1-foot-deep trench across one short end of your marked area, putting the soil at the opposite end of the planned bed for later use. Loosen the soil in the bottom of the trench as deeply as possible.
Fill the pit with grass clippings, kitchen scraps, leaves, manure, moldy straw (not hay), or compostable material. Then dig an adjacent trench to the same depth, tossing the removed topsoil on the first trench’s organic material. Repeat that process for each adjacent trench. Place the soil from the first trench on the last dug trench. Line the bed with boards, logs, rocks, or leave it mounded.
The Traditional Raised Bed: Build 3-to-4 feet wide boxes with 2” x 12” redwood or cedar planks. Fill the box halfway with local topsoil and finish filling the box with good garden soil and compost. Growing a cover crop the first fall or winter will add nutrients and organic material.
It’s time to plant and mulch around the plants to hold in moisture during the hot summer days.
For assistance, contact our Helpline at (209) 966-7078 or at mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu. We are currently unable to take samples or meet with you in person but welcome pictures.
The U.C. Master Gardener Helpline is staffed; Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Serving Mariposa County, including Greeley Hill, Coulterville and Lake Don Pedro
Please contact the helpline, or leave a message by phone at: (209) 966-7078
By email (send photos and questions for researched answers) to: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu
For further gardening information and event announcements, please visit: UCMG website: http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener
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Master Gardener Office Location:
UC Cooperative Extension Office,
5009 Fairgrounds Road
Mariposa, CA 95338
Phone: (209) 966-2417
Email: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu
Website: http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener
Visit the YouTube channel at UCCE Mariposa.