Drainage for Raised Garden Beds – Ideas to Get You Started

Raised garden beds are becoming more and more popular these days as a way of controlling some of the most important variables in a garden.

Raised beds are constructed above the ground and filled with soil and other media that best suits the plants being grown.

Drainage is very essential for raised bed gardens. It is essential in order to prevent root rot problems. Poor drainage makes the soil to become waterlogged. This eventually becomes a breeding ground for root fungi.

A raised bed placed directly over the natural soil typically doesn’t need a whole lot of consideration for drainage. If you are building your raised bed over a solid surface, like concrete, or any other substrate that doesn’t drain well, you’ll want to take some extra steps to make sure excess water can flow out.

Raised Garden Beds Versus Planter Box Drainage

Both raised garden beds and planter boxes require good drainage for their plants. Technically these are just two different varieties of raised beds.

For planter boxes, the containers should to have holes drilled at the bottom. You will need to check to ensure that they drain water well.

Drainage Tips for Raised Garden Beds

In order to achieve good drainage, add one part of perlite and one part of peat moss to two parts of soil from your garden. Mix them thoroughly until they become even. The resulting mixture will be loose and light in weight with good drainage and aeration.

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