Gardening above ground opens up possibilities of fresh veggies and beautiful flowers to so many new and veteran gardeners. They are turning to a range of alternatives to in-ground garden beds, such as a window box three stories up or a raised bed on the back patio, to solve a variety of gardening issues.
What sorts of issues, you ask? We have rounded up a five issues that find their answers in the form of the Urban Raised Bed from Smart Pots and other above-ground gardening alternatives.
Garden Where You Have No In-Ground Space
Living in a condo complex, a densely populated neighborhood or a spot that offers no private sun-filled yard? Raised beds give you the ability to hold soil anywhere where there’s a surface to place it. Turn a sunny paved spot in the driveway or condo balcony into a veggie-producing garden or a flower-filled place for pollinators.
Grow Where the Soil is Suspect
Many soils surrounding homes—urban and otherwise—have unhealthy levels of contaminants from construction debris, previous industrial use and other reasons. Raised beds allow you to easily and safely grow in the space by holding soils of known origin.
Protect Plants from Underground Pests
Keep grubs, nematodes, slugs and other soil-living, plant-destroying pests at bay by cutting off underground and soil-surface access to your garden.
Raise Your Garden to a More Convenient Height
In-ground gardens require lots of bending and kneeling to care for the plants. The Urban Raised Bed brings the garden’s soil up 18 inches so plants are far easier to access.
Garden Above Ground With the Seasons
The sun moves across your space with the seasons. Where the light is strong and perfect for cool-season crops may be too intensely sunny for summer growing. Move a raised bed to the perfect spot depending on the conditions—and that might even be in garage or basement for winter growing.
How the Urban Raised Bed Can Help
The Urban Raised Bed addresses each of these gardening situations. Unlike the other fabric products from Smart Pots, the Urban Raised Bed is designed for a semi-rigid structure with the insertion of 1-in. PVC lengths (not included). This framework allows the Bed to hold far more soil and plants than if it was unframed. The Urban Raised Bed comes in two sizes:
24-in. by 48-in. by 18-in. tall, holding approximately 13.5 cubic feet of soil
48-in. by 48-in. by 18-in. tall, holding approximately 27 cubic feet of soil
The fabric comes with sleeves into which the piping can slide for easy assembly and is ready for planting within minutes. And with its durable fabric, it’ll last for years.
Growing a garden is indeed a possibility for you this season! And now that you know you grow above-ground, you can start planning and planting. Head over to your favorite garden center or online store to obtain your Urban Raised Bed and look forward to blooms and harvesting edibles in just a few weeks.
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