Garden Boxes

Garden boxes provide an attractive way to grow veggies, flowers and herbs in small spaces. They also add structure and structure to a landscape, making them attractive even when empty. They make it easier to keep pathways clear of weeds and soil compaction, and they prevent valuable topsoil from washing away in heavy rains. In addition, raised garden beds make it easier to control the amount of water and fertilizer a plant receives.

Whether they are made from wood, stone or another material, raised garden beds are easy to build, and they’re often a lot cheaper than traditional in-ground beds. They can be designed to look like traditional beds, but they often feature distinctive borders that define the planting area.

In addition, a well-designed garden box can incorporate seating and other features that add to the beauty of your gardening space. Many cottage gardens, for example, include bench seating in select scenic spots. Not only is this a nice touch, but seating makes it much easier to tend to the crops in the bed. It also makes irrigating the plants and harvesting much simpler. Drip tape and soaker hoses can be mounted to the sides of the beds for easy access.

If you’re not comfortable constructing your own garden box, there are plenty of commercial kits to choose from. These come in a wide variety of sizes, and they’re usually crafted from cedar, which doesn’t degrade or warp over time. Some also include casters, which make it easy to move the plants and gardening supplies around the yard. Milk crates lined with landscape fabric can also be configured into raised beds; these are easy to find at grocery stores and often get donated by customers. Alternatively, large plastic storage totes and animal watering tubs (with holes drilled in the bottom) make excellent low-cost gardeners’ planters.