The Garden Path 
The Garden Path Elevate Your Garden Designing with Raised Garden Beds 

By:  Miles Campbell
Campbell & Ferrara Outdoor Living

Do you love local fresh produce over store-bought in the summertime?

You can’t get more local than growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs in your garden. You’ll also be satisfied when you pick your first juicy tomato of the season or chop peppers to add to your favorite gazpacho recipe.

If your backyard is limited in space, don't fret. Raised beds are the perfect solution. They fit snugly into smaller backyards, offering a convenient and manageable gardening experience. No more kneeling on the ground to pull weeds or cut herbs—gardening made easy.

There are four materials you can use for a raised garden bed design:

  • Timber
  • Cedar
  • Metal
  • Wall stone.

Constructing Your Garden Beds with Timber

Many homeowners use timber to build their raised garden beds—it’s affordable and efficient. Here are five timber choices we can use to build your raised garden beds:

  • Cedar
  • Cypress
  • Hemlock
  • Juniper

These wood types are durable and long-lasting. Cedar and hemlock are more resistant to rot and decay. However, pine isn’t as resistant to pests as cedar because it has fewer bug-resistant tannins.

Designing Raised Garden Beds Using Cedar

Cedar’s scent makes it an attractive building material for raised garden beds and a natural insect repellant. Cedar is also a popular wood choice for decks and siding. It is a soft, dense wood that is naturally rot resistant.

The knots in the cedar also provide a natural, sustainable look that works well in raised garden beds. Imagine growing heirloom tomatoes, basil, and oregano in a pizza-themed raised garden.

Building Raised Garden Beds Using Metal

If you love modern rustic, you’ll love the look of metal raised garden beds. With its rusty exterior and patina that will develop over the years, weathered steel, such as Corten steel, will give your garden a classic feel.

Corten steel and other distressed metals used for raised garden bed construction are warmer along the edges, while the inner part of the garden remains at a consistent temperature.

Plant heat-tolerant okra, oregano, thyme, and rosemary along the edges of the metal garden bed. Add cucumbers, zucchini, hot and sweet peppers, and eggplant in the middle of the raised bed.

Building You Raised Garden Bed Using Wall Stone

You'll have a naturalistic and charming bed if you opt for wall stone for your raised garden bed construction. Stacked stone or cobblestone provides an old-world look that’s attractive and enchanting. Raised beds with larger wall stones need a larger space since stone will take up a more prominent spot in the yard.

Training edibles like zucchini and cucumbers to spill over the raised bed edges will have a dramatic effect. Granted, you’ll probably use trellises to train the plants, but those parts growing closest to the ledge can spill over.

Deeper-colored edibles, such as Thai and purple basils or mint, contrast nicely against wall stone. Add rosemary, and you’ll be reminded of an old European garden.

Contact Campbell & Ferrara for All of Your Raised Garden Beds and Designs

Any raised bed still on the ground needs good drainage before there can be any construction of your beds. At Campbell & Ferrara, our drainage contractors will ensure that any in-ground raised beds have properly installed drainage.

Also, consider having a raised bed or two near one of your patios to make it convenient for the grill master to pick fresh vegetables and herbs for your al fresco menu.

If you choose to build your raised garden beds as part of your retaining wall, remember to add a fire pit so you can enjoy making s’mores while sitting near your garden.

Of course, you want to add patio paving to create walkways connecting your patios, fire pit, and raised gardens. This will create easy access to your outdoor destinations.

Don't worry if you're not a seasoned gardener or a DIY enthusiast. Campbell & Ferrara’s landscape designers will work with you to construct your raised garden beds. With their expertise in horticulture and design, you can confidently create beautiful, raised garden beds using timber, cedar, wall stone, or metal.

Call us today at (703) 354-6724 to request your landscaping consultation.

Sources:

DIY.DunnLumber.com, Cedar, Juniper, or Pressure-Treated Wood: What to Use When Building a Raised Bed.

Gardenary.com, The Best Type of Wood to Use for a Raised Garden Bed.

Ibid, Do Metal Raised Beds Get Too Hot to Grow In?

Ibid, The Pros and Cons of Stone Raised Garden Beds.

 

Campbell & Ferrara
8351 Richmond Highway,
Alexandria, VA 22309
(703) 354-6724 

Campbell and Ferrara provides landscape design/build services and a retail garden center for homeowners living in Northern Virginia.

The ENDEAVOR News Magazine

Reproduction of this story and photographs, in part or in whole, requires the written permission of the ENDEAVOR NEWS MAGAZINE.  Copyright © 2011 Annandale Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.

(Photographs, on this page, and on this website, are the sole property of the Annandale Chamber of Commerce, and are not available for use by other publications, blogs, individuals, web or social media sites.

 Garden Beds with Timber

Garden Beds with Cedar

Reproduction of this story and photographs, in part or in whole, requires the written permission of the The ENDEAVOR News Magazine.  Copyright © 2011 Annandale Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.

(Photographs, on this page, and on this website, are  not available for use by other publications, blogs, individuals, web or social media sites.)

 

 

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