How Deep Should a Raised Garden Bed Be?

Reader Contribution by Bryan Traficante
Updated on August 2, 2022
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Adobe Stock/Thomas
How deep should a raised garden bed be? Raised garden bed layers less than 8 inches tall will stunt plant growth. Choose 8 inches or taller. Here’s why.

The Best Raised Garden Depth

Raised garden beds are popular for reasons ranging from aesthetics to usability. For example, they are usually built with beautiful cuts of wood that add richness to both porches and yards, and their design provides natural drainage. Furthermore, raised beds can be placed on concrete or the ground depending on your preference, and they maintain soil moisture and temperature better than traditional gardens. They are perfect for seasoned gardeners and “green-thumbs” alike as long as they follow some basic raised bed guidelines. One in particular that can make or break a vegetable garden, is soil depth.

Soil depth is an important discussion, especially with regard to raised beds. Soil depth requirements depend on what you are growing – flowers may only need a few inches for their roots to spread, but vegetables will need more room to thrive. Before diving in and planting whatever vegetable comes to mind, a seasoned gardener assesses how much depth they will be able to work with. Depth is measured from the top of the soil down, which means gardeners can artificially create soil depth by increasing the garden bed’s height.

The following are some tips for providing the necessary soil depth for your plants and some vegetables that can be planted based on available soil depth.

Raised Beds Should Be 8 Inches or Taller

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