Gardening in raised beds can simplify and improve the growing experience, offering greater control over soil quality while reducing the need to bend for planting, weeding and watering. In this week’s encore, Master Gardener Scott Wilson explains the advantages and shares practical guidance from his book, “Gardener Scott’s Guide to Raised Bed Gardening.”
Scott lives in Colorado and has been gardening full time for more than 25 years after retiring from the U.S. Air Force. He began his popular YouTube channel, Gardener Scott, 15 years ago and has amassed more than 432,000 subscribers. “The intent was to get out research-based quality information in a way that gardeners of all levels could understand and appreciate, but most importantly, learn from and then be motivated to do it,” he says.
Scott Wilson, aka Gardener Scott, is a Master Gardener and a successful YouTuber. Photo:
Courtesy of Scott Wilson
For the full recap of my conversation with Scott, you can read the show notes from the original airing last year. Or read on for abridged show notes that hit on all the key points.
A Worthwhile Investment with Great Returns
Raised bed gardening may cost more upfront than planting in the ground, but its advantages pay off over time.
“Once the bed is made, you get to use it for years and years and years,” Scott says. “So if you essentially amortize the cost of that bed over time — you know, I get 40 pounds of squash in one of my raised beds, or a couple dozen pounds of potatoes.”
Scott gardens organically, and as anyone who’s compared grocery store prices knows, organically grown vegetables cost more than conventionally raised produce. That makes the financial benefits of growing your own food even greater when you use organic practices.
“If you went to the store to buy what you’re growing yourself, you make up the cost of a raised bed potentially within the first year, definitely within the second or third year,” Scott says.
I make my Ultimate Tomato Cage from livestock panels, which run $30 or more each. Some people balk at that cost, but I remind them that these cages are built to last a lifetime.
The financial and time investment in building raised garden beds is returned quickly in the form of fresh produce.
Photo: Courtesy of Scott Wilson
Benefits of Gardening in Raised Beds
Like Scott, I want people who are new to gardening to find success and not be turned off if things don’t have a positive outcome in their first year. The soil is an important factor in whether a garden thrives or struggles.
Scott’s native soil in Colorado is terrible, with organic matter making up less than 1% of the soil while also being low in essential micronutrient and macronutrient content.
“To build a good soil and grow in a garden bed that’s in-ground, it takes years to develop that good soil,” Scott points out.
But when starting in a raised bed, a gardener can purchase or make a blend of good garden soil and fill the bed.
“You don’t need to spend years making your bad soil better,” Scott says. “You can start right away with the good soil. and your plants, of course, will benefit immediately because the soil really is the key to gardening success.”
A tall, shallow raised bed herb garden.
Photo: Courtesy of Scott Wilson
Raised Garden Bed Building Materials
Scott began his current garden with two basic wooden raised beds. He added six beds the following year, and then a year later a big, 25-foot-square, fully enclosed area. He followed those with some metal beds and stone beds.
“When you add it all up, I have almost a thousand square feet of growing space just in my raised beds,” he says. “And there’s wood, there’s concrete block. There’s galvanized steel, there’s the painted steel kits. There’s stacked stone. I have hybrid beds where part of it is concrete and part of it is wood. And then most recently I’ve been experimenting with the cement board to create a much lighter-weight raised bed.”
Scott’s preferred bed style in his vegetable garden is wooden boxes made with 2×10 or 2×12 lumber. He likes that he can sit or lean on the edge of these beds while he sows seeds, pulls weeds and thins plants. And because raised beds give the garden some height, it’s easier to see those weeds.
He uses the painted metal beds to separate one area of his yard from another, creating garden rooms.
“The stone beds that I built over the last year are just breathtaking, and so those will become perennial and annual flower beds to really just become a primary focal part of my garden,” Scott says.
Cement block raised beds. Hoops and floating row cover are used to exclude pest insects and deer.
Photo: Courtesy of Scott Wilson
What to Think About Before Installing a Raised Garden Bed
Scott advises starting with a specific goal in mind. Decide if you intend to grow a vegetable garden, a perennial garden, etc.
Take the time to observe the movements of the sun and shadows, and think about whether you’ll be planting sun-loving plants or shade-loving plants. Determine the distance from your water source. Note whether animals walk through the area you have in mind.
Another consideration is the distance between beds. Scott leaves 2 feet between beds so he can get from one to another easily, and just over 3 feet between beds down the lengths where he needs to push a wheelbarrow.
Hungry animals are a big consideration, especially burrowing rodents like gophers and moles. Scott has hardware cloth at the bottom of all of his beds to keep them from getting to his crops from underneath. Scott’s beds are high enough to keep rabbits out, but Scott also has deer pressure on his garden. He places hoops over his beds to deter the deer.
Raised Garden Beds That Last
Untreated fir beds eventually break down — lasting about 10 years in dry climates but often just three to five in wet ones. Cedar and redwood last longer but cost more upfront.
Pressure-treated wood can last a considerably long time at a lower cost than mahogany, cedar or redwood. Pressure-treated wood worries some gardeners, though Scott’s soil tests with Oregon State University found minimal leaching with no plant impact. He’s also experimenting with inexpensive cement backer board beds, which have held up well so far.
Scott Wilson’s Colorado garden.
Photo: Courtesy of Scott Wilson
Making Soil for Raised Bed Gardens
What’s the key to making raised garden bed soil as productive as possible? “Organic matter, organic matter, organic matter,” Scott says. Leaf mold, leaf mulch, worm castings, dried grass clippings, manures, etc.
“Try to increase the amount of organic in your soil, because most soils don’t have enough, or they don’t have enough variety of organic matter to really supply ample nutrients for the plants,” Scott says.
He doesn’t feed his plants. He feeds his soil, and his soil feeds his plants. (That’s my mantra too.)
If you don’t make your own soil, you can buy it. A delivery of compost from a landscape supply company is more economical than bagged soil. And Scott points out that when shopping for loose soil, you can put your hand in it and see what you’re buying first.
Bagged soil and compost can vary significantly by region, even under the same product name. Since brands source materials locally, a product on the West Coast may differ noticeably from the same label on the East Coast. In some cases, bags are also shipped before the contents have fully matured or broken down.
Raised beds made out of stone are costly but beautiful and will last forever.
Photo: Courtesy of Scott Wilson
If you haven’t listened to my conversation with Scott Wilson on gardening in raised beds, you can do so now by scrolling to the top of the page and clicking the Play icon in the green bar under the page title.
Why do you like gardening in raised beds? Let us know in the comments below.
Links & Resources
Some product links in this guide are affiliate links. See full disclosure below.
Episode 042: Raised Bed Gardening, Pt. 1: Getting Started
Episode 043: Raised Bed Gardening, Pt. 2: Perfect Soil Recipe
Episode 044: Raised Bed Gardening, Pt. 3: Animal Control & More
Episode 416: Raised Bed Gardening, with Gardener Scott
joegardener blog: How to Create a Productive Raised Bed Garden
joegardener blog: Top 5 Reasons to Garden in a Raised Bed
joegardenerTV YouTube: Choosing Materials for Building a Raised Bed Garden – Pros & Cons
joegardenerTV YouTube: How to Make the Ultimate Tomato Cage
joegardenerTV YouTube: Building Soil for Raised Bed Gardens – The Perfect Soil Recipe
joegardener Online Gardening Academy™: Popular courses on gardening fundamentals; managing pests, diseases & weeds; seed starting and more.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Organic Vegetable Gardening: My new premium online course. The course is designed to be a comprehensive guide to starting, growing, nurturing and harvesting your favorite vegetables, no matter what you love to eat, no matter where you live, no matter your level of gardening experience.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Seed Starting: Everything you need to know to start your own plants from seed — indoors and out.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Beginning Gardener Fundamentals: Essential principles to know to create a thriving garden.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Growing Epic Tomatoes: Learn how to grow epic tomatoes with Joe Lamp’l and Craig LeHoullier.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Pests, Diseases & Weeds: Learn the proactive steps to take to manage pests, diseases and weeds for a more successful garden with a lot less frustration. Just $47 for lifetime access!
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Perfect Soil Recipe Master Class: Learn how to create the perfect soil environment for thriving plants.
“Gardener Scott’s Guide to Raised Bed Gardening” by Scott A. Wilson
Scott Wilson on Instagram | @GardenerScott
Scott Wilson on X | @GardenerScott
Territorial Seed Company – Our podcast episode sponsor and Brand Partner of joegardener.com
Milorganite® – Our podcast episode sponsor and Brand Partner of joegardener.com
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I receive a commission every time you purchase a product through an Amazon affiliate link. Some product links in this guide are affiliate links. However, none of the prices of these resources have been increased to compensate us, and compensation is not an influencing factor on their inclusion here. The selection of all items featured in this post and podcast was based solely on merit and in no way influenced by any affiliate or financial incentive, or contractual relationship. At the time of this writing, Joe Lamp’l has professional relationships with the following companies who may have products included in this post and podcast: Milorganite, Soil3, Territorial Seed Company, Cool Springs Press / Quarto Group and Dramm. These companies are either Brand Partners of joegardener.com and/or advertise on our website. However, we receive no additional compensation from the sales or promotion of their product through this guide. The inclusion of any products mentioned within this post is entirely independent and exclusive of any relationship.
