This is part 2 of a series of educational posts on why we choose to grow our produce using ecological methods.
The pros and cons of Raised Beds.
Pros:
– Better drainage, especially in the Spring when the snow melts and there is significant rainfall.
– Beds warm up quicker in Spring – 8 to 13 degrees F higher than ground temperatures – which means crops can go in sooner and be ready for harvesting sooner.
– Less waste, saves money in the long-term. Irrigation is more efficient, compost + amendments are only put where crops will be, less seeds are needed, and less space is required for the same yield. As Jean-Martin Fortier says, “Grow better, not bigger.” For example, the typical 100-foot row takes up at least 300 sq ft of space (because of paths to accommodate tractors) and will yield 100 pounds of carrots. In contrast, a raised bed of 32 sq ft will also yield 100 pounds of carrots. Using row gardening the farmer has to fertilize, mulch, add compost to, weed, and water 300 sq ft to get that 100 pounds. – Brett L. Markham “Mini-Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre”
– Doesn’t damage or interfere with the biological creatures – microbes, worms – needed to decompose and provide nitrogen to crops. I expand on this in the previous article on The Importance of Soil.
– Permanent beds have many benefits as explained in The Importance of Soil. In addition, framing the beds in means not having to re-make them with equipment every 3-4 years.
– Reduces or eliminates the need for tractors, roto-tillers, other large equipment, and the fossil fuels needed to run them. This is inline with our desire to grow food in a truly sustainable way, relying on humans and hand tools rather than machines.
– Being able to improve soil that isn’t already “perfect”. With farmland at a premium new farmers have to get creative with their ability to access land. One way to handle less than perfect soil is to create raised beds to have the soil texture and nutrition necessary. The family farm in Tilbury is highly nutritious but a difficult to work with heavy clay. While some crops thrive in this soil many more struggle. Raised beds allow us to improve the soil while keeping our farm in the family. We can make each bed differently to accommodate the different needs of various crops.
– Less weeds. This is a big one. By not tilling or using soil that has dormant weed seeds we greatly reduce the number of weeds in our raised beds. It’s important to get high quality professional compost, amendments, and mulch, so that you don’t import weeds.
– Adding posts for trellising, making cold frames to extend the season, and using row cover or insect netting are much easier because the beds provide the stability and materials needed for these items.
– Discourages certain pests – slugs, carrot fly – because they stay near the ground; adding mesh will keep out moles, voles, and gophers.
– Greater accessibility for the elderly and those with mobility or chronic illness; they can also be raised even higher to allow people in wheelchairs to garden.
Cons:
– The time involved to get boxes done involves a lot of initial preparation.
– The set-up costs are larger initially.
– It can be difficult to find untreated wood or other reclaimed products that don’t leach undesirable chemicals. We were able to get a large amount of untreated wood at a discounted end-of-the-season sale.
– If large amounts of mulch aren’t used there is a tendency to dry out quickly especially in semi-arid or desert areas or areas prone to drought.
– Not moveable so it’s important to pick the right location and to consider all the variables (shade/sun, etc) before putting in raised beds.
– Not good for potatoes or crops that need a lot of room to grow like melons and squash.
What we will be doing at our Lakeshore location:
– Putting companion planting into permanent practice; being able to have beneficial plants as hosts and habitat that will stay year-round.
– Letting crops that easily-self seed have their own beds means less work, less money spent.
– Because of the large time investment to create these boxes we will be favouring certain crops for the raised beds. Squash and melons will be grown under a mulch of straw and allowed to ramble. Tomatoes and Peppers will continue to be grown under black plastic mulch. We will be creating several Hugelkultur beds as well.
Our partner farm, Faerie Willow Farm, will also be using raised beds on their beautiful soil.
We’d like to experiment using materials other than wood for our beds. We are looking for cinder blocks, cement blocks, bricks, rocks, tree trunks + large limbs, and even large Lego blocks! Let us know if you have or see any of these materials available!
Part 3 will focus on the importance of companion planting and of creating habitat for beneficial creatures with perennial plants.
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