If you are just starting out on this adventurous journey of gardening or you are just curious about knowing which is the best in raised beds vs. In-ground gardens, this guide provides you with vital information you'll need on raised beds and inground gardens. You must understand that the choice between raised beds and in-ground gardening is not always easy to make, and multiple factors should be considered before coming to a final decision.

For some properties with poor, rocky, or sandy soils, it is more beneficial to consider raised beds instead of spending the time, money, and effort to regenerate long-neglected soil. While in ground planting might be the easier method to be adopted for those with healthy, nutrient-rich soils with lots of microbial life, all you need to do is add small amounts of fertilizer and amend your soils between growing seasons. Below is a list of some advantages and disadvantages of each option to help you decide on which is most suitable for you.

Benefits of Raised Bed Garden

• Building a raised garden bed can be a simple and easy fix for land spaces with poor-quality soil as it allows you the opportunity to create a new, fertile healthy soil environment that is ready for immediate use. This is also a great solution to the problem of poor drainage and bad air circulation.
• Raised beds create an elevated habitat that heats up quicker in the spring, allowing you to get your plants into the ground faster and get a head start on the growing season.
• It is suitable for almost any type of plant; Vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, shrubs, and small trees all grow well in raised beds.
• It is a great way to protect your plants from certain weeds, pests, and rodents attack.
• Raised bed soil is less prone to compaction due to foot traffic. This is because the soil receives less stepping/marching from people, unlike the in-ground beds.
• It encourages less hunching, kneeling, leaning, and straining, which helps in reducing strain on your back and easier for people with mobility issues.

Setbacks of Raised Bed Gardens

• Starting a new garden requires purchasing compost, good soil, mulch, amendments, young plants, gardening tools, and more. This makes investing in raised beds to be a costly venture.
• Raised beds are not damage-proof. Eventually, the construction materials that were used to construct your beds will wear down and need to be replaced or repaired.
• They are not the best option if you are cultivating plants with large root systems, like fruit trees, or artichokes.
• Creating raised beds can reduce your overall garden space. If you plant in-ground, there is no limit, aside from property boundaries to the space you can use for gardening.

In-ground Gardening

In In-ground gardening, you plant straight in the native soil or by modifying existing soil through tilling, amending, and adding organic matter such as compost. In-ground beds are planting areas distinct from the rest of the yard.

Advantage of In-ground Gardens

• In-ground gardens are typically much cheaper than creating raised bed garden areas.
• In the ground, gardening offers you access to more gardening space.
• If you are producing on a large scale, inground gardens might be a better option as it allows you to use machine-operated plows and tractors.

Setbacks of In-Ground Gardens

• It takes a lot of bending over, kneeing, hunching, straining, and leaning, hence tough on the back and knees.
• Plants can be very prone to attacks from soil-borne diseases, pests, and grazing animals.
• In-ground gardening requires more water for irrigation as a larger amount of water is lost due to large spaces.
• Raised beds tend to be more attractive and well-organized than in-ground gardens.

Conclusion

Fortunately, you can decide to use a mixed-method approach as there are no rules or laws which require you use just one method. Some raised beds on the sides of the house and in the backyard will be great for organizing your fruits, herbs, and vegetable garden while you may want to consider an in-ground approach to give you more design freedom for your front yard landscape. Mixing these gardening methods will give you the freedom to put together a more versatile, functional, and aesthetically appealing garden and landscape in your space.

You can consider these assorted flower seeds for a vibrant and aesthetically appealing landscape.