No digging is required if your raised beds are tall enough to allow plant roots to grow, or if the soil beneath the beds is healthy with adequate drainage. If the ground is compacted, it is recommended to loosen the soil with a turning fork or shovel, and add a drainage layer of loose gravel to the bottom of the planter. For raised beds on lawn, it is sometimes necessary to smother the grass before filling the beds with soil.
There are many techniques you can use for a more productive vegetable garden. Top dress your raised beds with compost and earthworm castings and cover with mulch to increase soil fertility and improve moisture retention. Foliar feed plants with compost tea, seaweed, and algae extracts to aid plant growth and improve crop yields.
Use trellises to make better use of vertical growing space. Stagger plantings one to three weeks apart for a longer harvest, and overlap plantings and ripening periods. Use season extenders like a cold frame or shade cloth structure to keep cold or heat sensitive plants growing longer.
Plant perennial fruits and flowers on the borders of your garden to create windbreaks, attract pollinators, and provide forage for backyard chickens. Raised beds planted with perennials require less maintenance over the years than annual crops and the harvests increase in size as the perennials mature.
Raised beds generally require less weeding than in-ground gardens. Soil conditions are more controlled with less foreign seeds, and the planter sides are barriers against invading plants. Fill the tops of raised beds with sterile bag soil and mulch around plants to prevent airborn seeds from taking root. Keep the grounds around your garden free of weeds and mow tall grasses before they can go to seed.
If noxious plants do appear, the best approach is to weed often and early. Young weeds are easier to pull out than mature plants. Use a hand tool to dig up long tap roots and banish the whole plant to the compost pile. If you leave the root system in ground you will likely see the weed growing back a few days later. An ounce of prevention and a bit of weeding each week will keep your garden from getting out of hand.
We offer planters in hundreds of shapes and sizes, from small flower boxes to large tree planters, to long deep raised beds. Square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, L- and U-shaped raised beds and planter boxes are available with trim pack and planter bottom options. Standing planters and garden trellises are also available in a variety of shapes and sizes.
In addition, we offer custom planter sizes. If you can’t find what you are looking for, please give us a call at 503-802-9292 for help building a garden.
Companion planting is the technique of growing crops next to other plants that provide natural benefits such as improved soil fertility, pest control, and productivity. Consult the table below for help choosing companion plants for your garden.
| Planting Crop | Companion Plants | Incompatible Plants | Effects and Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliums (garlic, leeks, onions and chives) | Tomatoes, carrots, fruit trees, strawberries, roses, beets, cucumbers, celery, lettuce, peppers, squash, cucumber and savory. | Beans and peas. | Deters carrot flies, aphids, weevils, fruit tree borers, moles, rust flies, nematodes, spider mites, black spot, and mildew. |
| Basil | Asparagus, tomatoes and peppers. | Deters tomato hornworms, thrips, asparagus beetles, aphids, flies, mosquitoes, and spider mites. | |
| Beans, bush | Beets, carrots, celery, cucumber, corn, eggplant, potato and strawberries. | Alliums and fennel. | Deters Colorado potato beetles. Nitrogen fixing. |
| Beans, pole | Carrots, corn cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, peas, radish, savory and tansy. | Cabbage and onions. | Nitrogen fixing. Will grow up trellises or corn stalks anchoring them against wind and holding pods up high away from ground pests. |
| Bee balm | Tomatoes, strawberries and fruit trees. | Attracts honeybees and pollinators. | |
| Beets | Bush beans, cabbage, onion and sage. | Can cross pollinate with Swiss chard. | |
| Borage | Tomatoes, cabbage, strawberries and fruit trees. | Deters tomato hornworms and cabbage worms. Attracts honeybees and butterflies. Adds minerals to the soil. | |
| Cabbage family (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, kohlrabi and kale) | Bush beans, beets, celery, mint, oregano, onions, savory, hyssop, tomatoes, marigold and nasturtium. | Pole beans | |
| Carrots | Bush beans, pole beans, lettuce, onion, chives, peas, radish, tomatoes and sage. | Dill | Improves growth and flavor of cauliflower and chives. Can cross with wild carrot (Queen Anne’s lace). Attracts predatory wasps. |
| Catnip | Eggplant and tomatoes. | Deters flea beetles, gnats, mosquitoes and squash bugs. Attracts honey bees and pollinators. | |
| Celery | Bush beans, cabbages, cauliflower, onions, spinach and tomatoes. | Deters white cabbage moths. | |
| Chamomile | Cabbage and onions. | Chamomile tea improves soil and compost. | |
| Chervil | Radishes and turnips. | Improves growth and flavor of radishes and turnips. | |
| Cilantro, coriander | Cabbage and kale. | Deters aphids. Attracts honey bees and pollinators. | |
| Corn | Pole beans, pumpkins and squash, peas, cucumbers, potatoes and cornflower. | Tomatoes | A heavy feeder, corn benefits from a nitrogen fixer planted nearby. |
| Cucumbers | Peas, beans, lettuce radishes, sunflowers, nasturtiums and marigolds. | Potatoes and aromatic herbs. | Will grow up trellises, sunflowers, or corn stalks anchoring them against wind and holding fruits up high away from ground pests. |
| Dill | Cabbage, lettuce, onions and fruit trees. | Carrots, tomatoes and fennel. | Improves growth of cabbage. Attracts honey bees and pollinators. |
| Flax | Carrots and potatoes. | Deters Colorado potato beetle. | |
| Lettuce | Alliums, radishes, carrots, cucumbers and strawberries. | Can cross with wild lettuce weeds. | |
| Mint | Cabbages and strawberries. | Mint is aggressive and will overtake most other plants so give it room and harvest or cut back often. | Deters cabbage moths, aphids, flea beetles and ants. Attracts honey bees and pollinators. |
| Nasturtiums | Cabbages, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and fruit trees. | Deters nematodes. Attracts honey bees pollinators. | |
| Parsley | Asparagus, carrots, alliums, tomatoes and roses. | Deters asparagus beetles, attracts hoverflies. | |
| Peppers | Alliums, basil, nasturtiums and purslane. | Eggplant, potatoes, tobacco and tomatoes (or where tomatoes were planted last year). | Seed pulp of hot peppers, applied directly or diluted as spray, deters rodents, gophers and deer, but will not deter birds. |
| Petunias | Asparagus, cabbages, tomatoes, potatoes and beans. | Deters asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, aphids, Tomato hornworms, and Mexican bean beetles; source of natural insecticide sprays. | |
| Radishes | Beets, carrots, spinach, parsnip, cucumbers, melons, squash, lettuce, beans and chervil. | Hyssop | |
| Spinach | Celery, eggplant and cauliflower. | ||
| Tomatoes | Basil, borage, carrots, nasturtiums, zinnias, petunias and parsley. | Fennel, peppers, potatoes and eggplants. | |
| Tobacco | Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplants. | Trap plant for many insects and a source of natural insecticide sprays. Attracts night feeding moths and butterflies. |
Raised garden beds help you get a head start on the growing season because soil temperatures in planters generally stay 8 to 15 degrees warmer than in-ground gardens. You can further extend the season by planting seedlings indoors, under lights or in front of a sunny window, and by setting up simple cold frame structures over raised beds to help protect plants from frost in early spring and late fall.
Yes. In addition to our standard sizes, we offer custom planter boxes and raised beds. Most custom orders can be fulfilled using standard size parts at no extra charge. Additonal fees may apply to orders requiring unusual or custom length parts. Please call 503-802-9292 for more information and pricing on custom size planters.
An infestation of slugs and snails can decimate a vegetable garden when humid and damp weather rolls in. To thwart these pests it takes a variety of techniques. Barriers and deterrents are your first line of defense.
Hard-leafed plants with strong scents such as rosemary, lavender and basil can be used as an aromatic wall that discourages slugs and snails from exploring further into your garden. Many varieties of flowers also deter slugs and snails, including geraniums, poppies, nasturtiums and fuchsia.
During the day slugs and snails will hide in cracks and under stones, boards, or anywhere that is dark, moist and humid. Remove such hiding places from your garden when possible. Wet boards can also be used as traps. In the morning, collect the slugs that are hiding beneath and drown them in a container of soapy water and toss them into the compost heap. Do not use salt on slugs and snails as it damages soil by increasing salinization.
Copper barriers around sensitive crops is effective, but can be expensive. Copper causes a small electric shock that deters slugs and snails. Copper tape 2-3 inches wide can be attached to the outside of the bed.
Sprinklers increase humidity across your garden and tend to help slug and snail populations blossom. Using drip irrigation or more targeted watering methods is advised, and will save water too.
In extreme cases, going into your garden at night with a flashlight and a pair of gloves to remove the pests by hand can be the best method, if done regularly until populations are under control.
Healthy soil is alive with beneficial microorganisms, fungi, and earthworms that promote nutrient exchange and guard against pathogens, increase moisture capacity and reduce plant stress. Ideal soil has a loamy texture, complex structure, good fertility, and adequate drainage. You can buy quality soil in bags or in bulk, or save money by preparing your own soil mixture.
A fertile soil mixture is equal parts soil and compost, with added amendments, and a loose drainage layer. Most bulk soil providers offer pre-mixed soil and compost blends, specifically designed for vegetable gardening.
If a pre-mixed blend is unavailable, you can make your own by mixing and amending bulk materials. If the native ground soil in your garden is poor quality, i.e. high clay content, compacted or rocky, it takes a bit of work to transform unfertile dirt into healthy soil that your plants will thrive in. Mixing your own soil, however, usually saves money and can be very rewarding, teaching many important principles of organic gardening.
Regardless of how you come by healthy soil, it is important to maintain soil fertility by covering exposed beds with mulch and cover crops in the off-season, practicing companion planting and crop rotation, and periodically top dressing and amending soil to replenish spent nutrients between plantings.
Shipping is free to the contiguous United States for all garden planters and trellises. Most orders are processed within 72 hours and ship by FedEx Ground with a delivery time of 3-5 business days. No signature is required. Tracking information is sent by email. Large orders may take additional production time and are shipped by pallet freight. Delivery by freight typically takes 5-7 business days.
Orders to Alaska and Hawaii are possible with additional charges. Please contact us for more information.