New gardener discovers way to grow food without much yard space: 'Intensive approach'

Raised garden beds are a unique landscaping tactic to beautify your yard and plant tons of food and plants. But where do you even start in making them? 

In a Reddit post in the subreddit r/gardening, one Redditor asked for advice in making raised beds for their garden. 

"I've just started gardening and have discovered that I love it," OP wrote. "I'm now drowning in plants (80 tomatoes isn't too many, right?). So, my plan is to put in a couple of raised beds."

After some research, OP made a plan for an accessible raised garden with many different plants. They aimed to build it with cinder blocks, a wood panel serving as a bench, and recycled cardboard as a weed-prevention measure.

"Anyone have any tips or pitfalls I should avoid?" OP asked.

Luckily, one user detailed their "intensive approach" to their raised garden beds.

One commenter, who works on a 200-square-foot garden with 12-inch raised beds, outlines their tips. These tips include using rebar for shaping corners and wiring mesh underneath to prevent burrowing pests. 

"Landscaping fabric is garbage, and is useless," they insisted. "Please don't install it." They also suggested using a mix of soil, peat moss, compost, and sand for the soil.

Lastly, they suggested using an Excel sheet to prep the garden. "Each square in excel reflects 1 sq ft in the garden. This allows for easy calculation for how many plants/seeds you will need," the commenter wrote.

"Thank you so much!" OP wrote back. "I really appreciate the help."

How much time do you spend taking care of the plants inside or outside your home? Several hours a week 🧑‍🌾 One hour a week ⌛ Less than one hour ⏳ I don't have any plants 😢 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Raised garden beds are a popular form of gardening that can reduce the need for harmful pesticides and increase water infiltration and drainage. This is helpful to ensure you don't waste water on your plants and can save money on your water bill. Plus, you can promote biodiversity with a wide variety of plants, fruits, and vegetables.

Having a raised garden can bring more beauty to your home with native plants instead of traditional lawns, which consume trillions of gallons of water across the country each year and need constant maintenance with gas-powered lawn mowers. 

Homeowners have found great success in building raised garden beds in their yards. Other gardeners have shared their tips for saving soil and not needing to fill a garden bed with only soil but using a combination of layers, including cardboard, sticks, and logs. Like the commenter, experts urge homeowners not to use landscape fabric, as it can stunt plant growth and waste money.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.