By Valerie F. Reinhardt, Horticulture Manager

Raised beds are great for people with less-than-favorable growing conditions including poor soil or off-putting locations. They can also provide better drainage, prime soil and flexibility to build or place them in locations where you can’t till the earth. Garden maintenance is also much easier. A raised garden bed can simply be mounded soil or a contained bed of soil above the surrounding grade. The goal is to create a deep, wide growing area that encourages root growth and drainage. Raised beds alleviate issues with heavy clay or sandy nutrient-poor soils and are perfect for homes surrounded by concrete.

Raised beds need a location that gets plenty of sunshine (at least six or more hours of full sun per day). But what happens when your growing space is limited and sometimes the only good sunny location is on a patio? That’s where creative thinking comes in.

Pots and decorative containers make attractive additions to the landscape. If you are interested in growing a plentiful supply of vegetables, small pots can limit gardening abilities. They dry out too quickly to support “water hogs” like tomatoes and some plants can become rootbound, which dwarfs their potential. One way to create the perfect size for your space is to build one. A major issue when building a free-standing raised bed is having the time and skill required. In recent years, waist-high garden planters that make patio gardening more accessible have come on the market. Some even come on wheels that make them easy to move and store away over the winter. These options can be expensive though.

An easy do-it-yourself way to create large planters/raised beds is to use galvanized stock tanks. These tanks come in various sizes from 70 to 300 gallons and can be mounted on wheels to make them more mobile. These tanks are deep and can use up a great deal of soil mixture that can add weight and expense but no added growing advantage. To combat this, try filling the bottom half of the tank with inert material like scrap Styrofoam blocks or inverted plastic pots to take up unnecessary volume leaving plenty of soil depth for healthy plant growth. Tanks come with a drain and plug, but you will need to drill a few extra holes for better drainage. It is also a good idea to raise tanks off the ground to allow the holes to drain—it’s easy to do using boards, bricks or wheels.

For added garden charm, you can also use galvanized tubs from bucket to bushel sized as coordinated planters to give your garden chic country appeal. For more information or ideas on raised beds and gardening, visit the Plant Science Center at Lake Metroparks Farmpark.