How to prep your raised garden bed

Raised garden beds have lots of benefits, but there are a few things you need to do to prep your garden bed before you plant.

Jump to:

• Prepping your First Raised Garden Bed
• Year after Year Raised garden bed prep for Spring
• How to keep wildlife out of your raised garden beds

Prepping your First Raised Garden Bed

1. Level your ground. This can be done with rocks, gravel or sand. If your spot is already level, you can skip this.
2. Lay out a weed barrier fabric. No body likes weeding, which is why starting on a fresh canvas so to speak is the best thing!
3. Fill the raised garden bed with soil. I like to use topsoil mixed with a compost. Or you can grab some bags of raised bed soil which is specifically made for this.
4. Then, start planting! Make sure you put garden markers in to keep track of what's planted where.
5. Water those babies. Make sure to water after planting.

Year after Year Raised garden bed prep for Spring

Every year before spring there are a few things you should do to make sure your raised beds are ready for planting.

1. Check your raised garden bed for signs of damage. Wooden raised garden beds will eventually rot. Metal or galvanized beds will eventually rush.
2. Remove any weeds.
3. Once everything looks good, you should add a compost or raised garden bed food to your soil. Work it in with a hand tool or with your hands, but make sure to wear gloves.
4. Then you are ready to plant again!

How to keep wildlife out of your raised garden beds

Another equally important step to preparing your raised garden beds is to set up something that will keep animals from eating your crop.

Here are a few ideas to keep deer, rabbits, and birds from devouring your produce:

• place a fence around your raised garden bed
• have a scarecrow set up
• place rocks painted to look like strawberries around your strawberry plants

Related: the best raised garden beds (that won't rot)