CaliKim - The First-Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening: All the know-how you need to build and grow a raised bed garden

Hi everyone! Im CaliKim, an organic gardener from Southern California. I love to grow my own vegetables and teach people all over the world to grow their own food using the quick, simple, and inexpensive methods that I have learned. I share my experiences though the YouTube channel, CaliKim Garden & Home DIY, in my first book, Organic Gardening for Everyone: Homegrown Vegetables Made Easy, and by offering garden tips and lots of support on social media.

But I want you to know that I havent always grown my own foodthere was a time in my life when I thought it was too hard. I didnt think I could do it and I didnt know how to get started. My thumb was brown (or so I thought) and I was afraid of making some horrible mistake that would kill my plants. I only had a small cement patio on which to grow plants and I didnt think I had space for a garden. And, as a busy stay-at-home mom of two young kids on a tight budget, I didnt think I had the time or the money to set up a garden. However, I was fed up with eating cardboard-tasting tomatoes and flavorless produce from the supermarket. In spite of my misgivings, I desperately wanted to find a way to grow my own bountiful organic garden and provide my family with food that was healthy and packed with flavor. I wanted to know exactly where my food came from, what environment it had been grown in, and that it had the unmatched flavor of garden-fresh vegetables.

I dreamed of garden beds filled with colorful vegetables and showstopping flowerswith bees buzzing around and birds singing away. I envisioned meandering down long, vibrant pathways in between garden beds that I had planted from seed. I pictured myself wandering out to the garden after a busy day, soaking in the beauty around me, and feeling the stress of the day melting away as I filled a basket with fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs for a delicious garden-to-table meal.

Can you relate? Do you have a dream and the desire to garden but no idea where to start? Do you sometimes hear, as I did when I first started, your own whispers of brown thumb, you dont know how, or its too hard? Are you one of the millions who is now digging into vegetable gardening not only to reduce trips to the grocery store but also for the peace of mind gained from knowing that your family is eating heathy food and knowing exactly where it came from and whats in it? Or maybe you want to garden with your kiddos and at the same time create precious family memories, have a healthy outdoor activity, and teach your children valuable life skills.

What Are Raised Beds?

Raised beds are essentially large boxes or containers that can sit on top of just about any surfacecement, stone, gravel, grass, hard-packed soil, or weeds. Did I mention they dont have to be square? They can be any shape you likeround, octagonal, Y-shaped, or triangularthe skys the limit! (Well have fun with this one in .) No backyard? No problem. Raised beds can be large or small and even customized to fit your space.

Why Are Raised Beds Taking the World by Storm?

In the past few years, interest in growing organic vegetables at home has reached an all-time high, and with this raised beds are taking the world by storm. Why? Raised beds are a quick, simple, inexpensive way to get started. They have several big-time benefits to ensure that you, as a first-time gardener, will have plenty of fresh from the garden goodness on your dinner plate, even in your first growing season. Here are some of my favorite reasons to garden using raised beds.

Benefit #1

RAISED BEDS FIT ANY SPACE

Whether you have a huge backyard or are growing in a small space, raised beds are the perfect solution. Raised beds allow you to grow a vegetable garden anywhere you have a bit of space and sunshine. Have you got a deck, patio, balcony, side yard, or driveway? Perfectyou can pop up a raised bed in your sunniest spot, sow some seeds, and grow a garden of the most amazing veggies youve ever eaten. Just steps from your back door, fresh vegetables can be available to supplement what you purchase at the supermarket. Do you have a big backyard? Awesome! You can go crazy with the number of raised beds you install and will be able to grow a significant portion of your fruit and veggie requirements.

Benefit #2

CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT

When growing in raised beds, its easy to create a controlled environment where fruit and vegetable plants will thrive. If you have clay soil, rocky soil, or no soil at all in your backyardno worries, raised beds will come to your rescue! When you build your raised beds, youll fill them with organic soil that is chock full of nutrients that will feed your plants just what they need to produce delicious vegetables to delight your taste buds. You might be concerned about the cost of all the soil that is needed to fill up your new raised beds. Dont worry, Ill teach you how easy it is to make your own soil and how to fill your raised beds on the cheap. (There are several soil recipes in .)