What to know about building raised garden beds

SALT LAKE CITY – Are you a gardener who has limited space in your backyard? Then building raised garden beds is the way to go.

JayDee Gunnell from the Utah State University Extension Horticulture Field Faculty joined Taun and Maria on the KSL Greenhouse Show to discuss why you should build raised garden beds and what materials you can choose from.

There are several reasons why JayDee recommends building raised garden beds. One of them has to do with the soil.

Not all of Utah has the best soil for gardening. In some areas, the soil is almost straight clay. JayDee says it’s probably a lot easier to throw a pot in your backyard than to grow plants directly from the soil.

“Really heavy, poorly drained soil is hard to grow in,” he said.

In other areas, the soil stays cold for an extended period of time in the spring. If you build raised garden beds there, the plants can stay warm since they’re above ground.

In terms of the materials for building them, JayDee recommends redwood and cedar.

“Cedar and redwood are two materials that are naturally rot-resistant wood, so you don’t have to treat them with anything,” he said.

The KSL Greenhouse is on every Saturday from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. You can follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and on our website.