Bring Your Family Together With a Raised Garden Bed Project
Bring your family together this spring and summer with an exciting gardening project! Building a raised garden bed is a fantastic way to grow veggies, herbs, fruits, and flowers right at your doorstep, regardless of the size of your outdoor space. It’s a wonderful opportunity to involve everyone in the family. From planning the landscaping to constructing the bed and tending to the plants, there’s a role for each family member, including the little ones.
We’ve crafted a raised bed gardening guide that covers everything from construction to planting and maintaining your garden, with an added focus on hand protection. Our guide is designed to help your family start building a raised bed garden today!
What is a Raised Garden Bed?
A raised garden bed is simply a boxed container for gardening that sits on top or above ground level, typically crafted from wood or other materials, filled with nutrient-rich soil, and the plants you want to grow.
Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening:
- A versatile solution to gardening
- More control over soil health
- Can grow more plants in a small space
- Better drainage
- More weed and pest control
- Can extend growing season
- Easy to build! A simple box frame
- Keeps your space tidy and pretty
- More physically accessible
Step by Step Raised Bed Gardening Guide
STEP 1 - Planning Your Raised Garden Bed
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, raised bed gardening can be a breeze with the right approach. Before diving in, take a moment to plan your strategy. Choose a relatively level spot to minimize leveling required, that receives the correct amount of sun exposure for your plants, and has easy access to water—this will help ensure optimal growing conditions for your plants.
Tips to Consider:
- Edible plants need a specific amount of sun – make sure to do your research!
- Avoid placing your bed in a water pooling area
- Shovel out turf and weeds if necessary
- Level out your surface area if necessary
- Consider the proximity of your water source
STEP 2 - Designing Your Raised Garden Bed
Next, it’s time to customize the design of your raised garden bed to fit your space and preferences, all while keeping plants needs in mind. Make sure the size of your garden bed allows for easy access to all your plants. Additionally, consider opting for a taller bed to accommodate plants with deeper root systems.
Tips to Consider:
- Minimum height will be based on the plants you’re planting
- Consider a width size that gives you easy access to all your plants
- Raised beds vary from 5 to 12 feet long
- Open or closed bottom beds depend on your surface area
Gloves for Landscaping
As you prepare your raised garden bed area, you may need to tackle various landscaping tasks. Whether it’s clearing prickly bushes, lifting heavy materials, digging, or leveling the ground, a durable pair of gloves is essential. Our hard-wearing leather combo gloves are perfect for the job and come in sizes for the whole family. Crafted from durable leather with added protection, they feature a cotton drill back, hooded fingertips, and a reinforced knuckle bar—perfect for setting up your raised bed garden.
STEP 3 - Building a Raised Garden Bed
Now that you have your design and your garden bed space is prepped, it’s time to start building. Roll up your sleeves, slip on your gloves, and let’s get started! When selecting materials, consider your priorities for durability, sustainability, affordability, and style.
Repurposed wood or recycled pallets are popular choices for those seeking sustainable and budget-friendly options. You can often find these materials at local gardening or recycling centers, but be sure to inspect them for any damage or harmful substances before you begin. Additionally it’s important to consider how the wood was treated and its previous use, especially since you’ll be growing food near it. *Do your research with reclaimed wood before using it to ensure the safety and well-being of your plants and family.
There are many raised bed patterns and guides available for assembling the actual frame. We recommend finding a step-by-step process tailored to your specific needs, as the location, your plants’ requirements, and the materials you choose will directly influence the type of frame you build.
Photo Credit: Breanne @burchacres
Gloves for Construction
Our high performance Work Armour work gloves are a popular choice for construction tasks. The classic Flextime glove and its counterpart, Iron Lady glove for women, are crafted from hard wearing Dryhide™ goatskin leather, providing water resistance and excellent dexterity. They feature a comfortable and breathable WasteNot™ spandex back made from 96% post-consumer recycled PET bottles, aligning with your sustainability goals. And while Mom and Dad tackle the tough work, your “Little Helpers” can lend a hand with our “Little Helper” gloves.
012 'Iron Lady' for Mom
005 'Flextime' for Dad
STEP 4 - Filling Your Raised Garden Bed
It’s time to start filling in your raised garden bed with soil! Choose a well-balanced soil mix, incorporating layers of topsoil, compost, and organic matter to support healthy plant growth. *Be sure to do your own research on what you’re planting to ensure the soil mix is right for your plants.
Layer the soil gradually for even distribution, level the soil, and gently water it to encourage natural settling. While a top layer of mulch and worm castings is optional, we highly recommend wearing gardening gloves for these tasks!
Photo Credit: Breanne @burchacres
Gardening Gloves for the Whole Family
Women's Homegrown™ Sustainable Gloves
Our Homegrown™ line of sustainable gardening gloves offer a variety of glove designs with unique protective qualities and striking styles. Designed by an all-female team in Vancouver, Canada, these gloves are crafted to fit a woman’s hand.
Stealth Seamless Knit Gloves
Stealth work gloves offer a second skin fit and maximum dexterity for tackling projects in the garden and yard. Available in a variety of glove designs with unique protective qualities, including sustainable styles.
Kids Seamless Knit Gloves
Kids seamless knit gloves are stretchy, easy to put on, and very comfortable! Featuring a sandy latex coating and made from sustainable WasteNot™ polyester knit, they’re perfect for outdoor play in the garden and yard.
STEP 5 - Planting in Your Raised Garden Bed
Now that your raised bed garden is ready, it’s time to breathe life into your garden! Think about how you want your plants arranged, considering things like taller plants shading others, giving each plant enough space, and the depth needed for proper growth. Once you’ve got that figured out, you can start putting your seeds or seedlings into the soil. Keep your plants watered regularly and enjoy watching your family project grow and flourish.
STEP 6 - Maintaining Your Raised Garden Bed
Congratulations on completing your raised garden bed project! Although you might not see any green stems yet, the checklist below will help you maintain your raised bed garden and cultivate healthy plants! Get the whole family involved in keeping an eye on these tasks, and you’ll be sure to enjoy a thriving garden together.
Checklist to Maintaining a Healthy Garden:
✔ Keep on top of watering your garden
✔ Remove weeds and prune as needed
✔ Monitor for disease and pest control
✔ Use stakes and vertical support if necessary
✔ Harvest your ready plants
✔ Replant empty spots in your bed (optional)
✔ Protect your plants from unwanted critters
✔ Feed and fertilize your soil based on its needs
As you can see working on a raised garden bed project is more than just about gardening —it’s about bringing your family closer together. From the initial stages of planning to the hands-on tasks of building, planting, and nurturing, each step offers a unique opportunity for family bonding. With the help of this “Step by Step Raised Bed Gardening Guide” you’re ready to embark on this journey with your family. So, slip on your gardening gloves and let the fun begin!
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