Now Is The Best Time To Make Your Raised Garden Beds

 

In 2023 I tore out my old dilapidated raised garden beds and replaced them with corrugated metal raised garden bed kits I ordered from Amazon.  They have been really good for me.  Sturdy, easy to assemble and they seem to be holding up rather well.  They also look nice which is important to me.  This year I am planning to add another raised bed to my backyard and extend my garden space for next year’s planting season.  Now is the best time to do this for a number of reasons.

 

Adding organic matter

For one, garden bed kits are priced much lower now than they are in the spring.  Soils are discounted to clear out at the garden centers too.  I also have the added advantage that I am able to add cardboard, chicken and bunny manure as well as other organic matter such as the fall leaves from the trees I’ll be cleaning up.  I can allow all of this to work its magic over the winter and by spring I will have some really good nutrient dense planting material that will be full of earthworms.  Perfect for garden soil

 

Additionally, I will be adding manure and organic matter to my existing raised beds to boost the nutrients in that soil as well.  Each year I try to add back as much natural matter to recharge the spent garden soil and get it ready for a new planting season.  I also add to my compost bin so that once I’m done planting I have organic compost to top dress the raised beds with.  This will add more nutrients and help keep the weeds at bay.

 

If any of you know of a good way to keep grasshoppers under control I’d be very much interested to know what you do.  Those buggers are super destructive and they were a real menace this year.