Raised-Bed Gardening for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know to Start and Sustain a Thriving Garden

Book Preface

I was introduced to gardening at a very young age. My favorite picture is of
me with a shovel and my Dad with a rake working in our garden. I was two
years old. And, I am happy to say, gardening has stuck with me throughout
my lifetime. I take such immense pleasure in planting a seed or a seedling,
nurturing it, and watching it grow. The best part is when you walk out into
the garden to decide what you will have for dinner that night. You have a
veritable fresh produce aisle right in your own backyard—not to mention
the fresh flowers for a centerpiece and the fresh herbs to add flavor to
your meal.

The way I garden has changed since my first attempts. The first house I
bought had plenty of land for a garden. I borrowed a front-tine rototiller
and dug up the garden on my own. Have you ever used a tiller? The fronttine models are the worst. They rock and roll—and you go right along
with them. Then came my introduction to the rear-tine tiller, which is a
little bit easier to handle. Whew!

And, finally, a neighbor introduced me to raised-bed gardening. He
used a free-form mound configuration, without any edging or border
around his beds. I was intrigued by the idea and started doing some
research into this new way of gardening.

The next year I put in four square raised-bed gardens with wood
frames. That change made all the difference for me. Raised beds are
absolutely the best way to garden. I have been growing with this method
for more than 30 years now. You do not need a tiller and can build the
beds in a convenient configuration. Compared with conventional
gardening, raised-bed gardening offers a higher yield in less space and
requires less weeding. You will learn all the benefits of raised-bed
gardening throughout this book.

You can reap the benefits of growing your own food—even if you live
on a small property, rent your home, or only have a balcony or patio. In
on a small property, rent your home, or only have a balcony or patio. In
this book, I will guide you through decisions about the location, size, and
construction of your raised bed and about which crops to plant, whether
to start with seeds or seedlings (sprouted seeds), and when and how to
harvest.
Get ready to dig in!