Advanced Living Environments Farm Research Corporation San Antonio, TX
Raised Bed Backyard Gardening
Growing a backyard raised bed garden is the first and most basic step you can take in becoming self sufficient. It is also the first step in automating these tasks as well. You should spend the first two or three seasons manually growing in your raised beds before adding the automation. This is an important step as it will help you develop the experience you will need to understand any arising issues.
In the section below, there is an image gallery of backyard raised bed gardens in various stages of growth.
Materials & Consideration for your build
Considerations
There are many types of raised bed garden. Let's go over them and then we can discuss what we have found as the best option. The best option for you will be determined by your budget & availability to materials. You need to think about some other issues, such as access to water and electricity. Luckily, if there isn't access to these basic necessities, iGrow can help! There are iGrow options for using a water tank for recycling water as well as solar power option module.
Listed below you will find 6 different raised bed garden types. By far out favorite is the Waist Level Wooden raised bed garden. This style has a lot of advantages. Some include price, customization, water savings, less ground pests, and the fact that you don't have to bend or kneel down.
If you have affordable access to wood and you have the skill & tools needed, this style is truly the best. It is also great for small balconies that need custom sized planters. They also give you the option for a deep bed. You have a choice of grow medium (although we found we prefer to use black gold compost/dirt/perlite & peat moss.
Raised Bed Garden Types
Waist Level Wooden
Waist Level Wooden
Waist Level Wooden
By far our favorite type of raised bed garden. No more bending over, no hurt knees from kneeling. Less pests and most importantly, it used the least amount of water
Hay Bale
Waist Level Wooden
Waist Level Wooden
Hay Bale raised gardens are a quick, easy and cheap way to get started in backyard gardening. There are some downsides, but a lot of pluses, especially for beginners.
Railroad Ties
Waist Level Wooden
Aircrete Planter
Railroad Ties make for great raised bed liners. It's a more permanent than hay bale but also more expensive. They share some of the same downsides as hay bale. We recommend this only for experienced gardeners and in specific cases.
Aircrete Planter
Commercial Plastic Container
Aircrete Planter
Aircrete & Concrete are also an option used for raised bed gardens
Tiered Hillside
Commercial Plastic Container
Commercial Plastic Container
Tiered Hillsides have been used for thousands of years and have many advantages. It does require a hillside!
Commercial Plastic Container
Commercial Plastic Container
Commercial Plastic Container
There are many commercial plastic containers for growing. They tend to be more expensive and some tend to emphasize aesthetics. It's important to research them throughly.