Plant Pro Master Garedener's Raised Beds

Raised Beds

Raised beds are an easy and effective gardening technique used by the Master Gardeners (MG) of URI. Raised beds are garden areas that are higher than ground level and small enough to work in without stepping on the bed. In this segment we joined Rudi Hempe in the URI MG Demonstration Vegetable Garden. We focused on the construction of raised beds and the advantages of having them in your garden.

Why would you want a raised bed? Here are some of the advantages:

In the demonstration vegetable garden at URI there are three beds, all made of different materials. The type of raised bed you construct may vary depending on the landscape conditions and your preference. Here are a few options:

Recycled Plastic Lumber (RPL) offers high durability, low maintenance, and is water resistant and extremely resilient. Within the garden, rot and wood-eating insects do not affect it. This material is often used for playground equipment, pilings, and fencing products. The URI bed of plastic lumber was built by RI Plastic Lumber and cost about $240.

Trex is a combination of reclaimed plastics and waste wood fiber. This type of composite lumber improves resistance to ultraviolet rays, accepts paint, and has less expansion and contraction than plastic. Often this material is used for patios and decks. The URI bed of Trex cost about $200.

Cedar is naturally insect and weather resistant. With time and sunshine it takes on a natural silver-gray sheen. Cedar is a visually appealing material for a bed. Liberty Cedar of West Kingston donated materials for the bed in the URI veggie garden, which cost about $170.

When planning your raised garden bed, choose a sunny spot. The bed you design should be about 3-4 feet in width and as long as you feel is manageable. Leaving space on each side of the bed is important for walking around or if you want to bring a wheelbarrow through. The best time to build a raised bed is in the fall or winter, when your plants are on hold but allows you and the soil enough prep time before planting.

"Back to Basics"
Third Annual Open House
At the URI Master Gardener Demonstration Vegetable Garden
Saturday, August 9 2003
9am-12pm

9:15 a.m.....................Raised beds and Putting the Garden to Bed
9:30 a.m.....................Cooking demo: vegetable griddle cakes
10 a.m.........................All about Tomatoes
10:30 a.m...................Cooking demo: stuffed vegetables
11 a.m........................Making Compost
11:30 a.m...................Growing Vegetables in Containers
Noon...........................Cooking demo with Normand Leclair: chilled strawberry soup.
12:30 p.m. ..................Irrigation in the home garden
1 p.m. .........................Non-toxic pest control methods
1:30 p.m......................Harvesting and storing vegetables.

This open house is free and open to the public. The many workshops include drip irrigation techniques, free pH testing for those visitors that bring a garden sample with them, raising beds and cooking demonstrations.

The garden is located next to the URI Cooperative Extension Education Center which is on East Alumni Avenue, just off Upper College Road. The site is across the street from the Fine Arts Center.