7 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Building a Raised Garden Bed

Raised beds make gardening easier, but only if you build them right.

Most vegetables need 12 to 18 inches of soil depth to grow strong roots and avoid stunting. epiximages/Shutterstock

If your ground soil isn’t ideal, you can significantly improve soil conditions and provide better drainage by installing raised garden beds. They also allow for more intensive planting and can extend the growing season, not to mention make it harder for pests to access your plants. And for gardeners with physical limitations, raised garden beds can be the difference between having a garden or not.

If you want to install a raised garden bed, it’s important you do it correctly the first time. Mistakes will hamper your harvest and possibly waste your time, energy, and resources. You want to create a raised garden bed that will flourish. Here are seven common mistakes to avoid.

Poor Placement

The first consideration is location. If you start from scratch, you need to plan where you’re going to build it.