- 1). Clear the area for the raised bed of plant materials and debris before constructing your raised bed. Either treat the native soil with glyphosate to kill weed seeds or lay down landscape fabric or several layers of newspaper to keep weed seeds from growing in your beds.
- 2). Add potting soil to fill the raised bed. You can purchase potting soil by the yard or make your own by combining equal portions of compost, peat moss and native soil. If you make your own soil, be sure to mix the components thoroughly.
- 3). Decide on the plants for your raised bed and create a plan for the placement of each plant. Use the mature size of the plant as a guide for space required including leaving some breathing space between plants to allow air-drying of the leaves.
- 4). Use a yardstick and string to construct a grid to help place plants in the correct positions in your raised bed. For example, a tomato plant needs at least 2 square feet of space. Use the yardstick to place nails on each side of the frame 2 feet apart. Wrap a length of string around the nail and stretch it from one side to the opposite side creating a grid. Place the tomato plant in the center of each square formed by the grid. If growing vertical crops, such as cucumbers, gourds, peas or pole beans, install a vertical support device, such as a trellis or pea fence, and anchor it into the ground with sticks or rebar.
- 5). Set up soaker hoses to water the plants at ground level. Place soaker hoses 1 foot apart running the length of the raised bed. Soaker hoses save water and keep moisture off plant leaves, reducing fungal infections. Water when the soil is dry at 1-inch deep.
- 6). Add plants to the raised garden based on your design. Place mulch around, but not touching, the plants by using a hand rake to move the mulch at least 2 inches away from plant stems. If you had a soil analysis done prior to planting by a professional testing lab, follow recommendations for adding macronutrients, such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous and calcium. Trace elements such as magnesium, sulfur and iron become available from the compost. If you did not have a soil analysis, add a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer when planting and halfway through the growing season.
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