Raised Bed Gardening: A Complete Beginner's Guide: New Shoe Press

Contents
Introduction
RAISED BED BASICS
Benefits of Raised Beds
Choosing a Size
Choosing Raised Bed Materials
Soil for Raised Beds
Location and Site Maintenance
Consider Drip Irrigation
RAISED BEDS FOR BIG SPACES
The Essential Raised Bed
Accessorize Your Raised Bed
Raised Bed with Upcycled Wood
Raised Bed with Benches
Utility Raised Bed
Other Ways to Build Raised Beds
RAISED BEDS FOR SMALL SPACES
Vertical Herb (or Lettuce) Planter
Elevated Planter Box
Galvanized Steel and Wood Container
Upcycled Suitcase Planter
with Gas Pipe Legs
A Quick Vertical Gardening
Pallet Project
Tips for Adding Raised Beds
to a Balcony or Rooftop Patio
RAISED BEDS WITH PURPOSE
Potato-Growing Box
Cold Frame Using an Old Window
Greenhouse Cover for Raised Bed
Versailles-Inspired Planter
Protected Strawberry Planter
NOT HANDY? NO PROBLEM
Make a Raised Bed Using Corners
Turn a Stock Tank into a Garden
Why Garden in Fabric Pots?
Burlap-Wrapped Plastic Pails
More Easy Raised Bed Ideas
SUPPORT YOUR PLANTS
A Classic Garden Obelisk
A Simple Lashing Technique
Sandwich Board Trellis
Resources and Contributors
Meet Tara Nolan
Index

Are you eager to step into vegetable gardening but don’t know where to start? With this guide to the nearly foolproof raised-bed technique, you’ll be growing your own organic food in no time.

Growing your own food is a satisfying experience as well as an investment that will pay you and the community back in a myriad of ways, including benefits for the earth, greater food security, and better health. But where do you start and what is the best way to approach creating a garden and growing food?

The raised bed gardening technique, used by successful food gardeners for centuries, is simple and can be done pretty much anywhere. Building beds allows you to bring in the right materials, which might not exist in your own environment, and grow your own food year-round, if you so choose—no matter where you live. So whether your outdoor space is big or small, raised beds are the best choice for your first vegetable garden. Some water and a little love and attention is all you need be successful. 

In Raised Bed Gardening: A Complete Beginner’s Guide, you will learn everything you need to know to prepare and execute your garden plan and grow and harvest your produce. The book includes: 
 

• Plans for building quick-and-simple beds that you can make yourself with a few common tools
• Details on how to build the right soil mix to fill your beds 
• List of the easiest plants to grow as a beginner
• Plant information, along with which plants work best with other plants
• Planting advice, including spacing instructions
• Advice on mulch, watering, and fertilizing
• Organic pest control 
• How to harvest and store your produce
• How to get the most out of your raised bed space

So get started on your path to becoming a gardener. No matter what your level of confidence, this book will give you the information and tools you need to succeed.