My neighbor called my raised beds 'glorified planters' and I got mad but he had a point

I built these cedar raised beds last spring, about 4 feet by 8 feet each. They looked nice but after my neighbor saw them he said 'those are just big planters, not real garden beds because you didn't dig down into the soil underneath.' I ignored him at first but then my carrots kept hitting solid ground and not growing straight. So last weekend I pulled out the soil, dug down about 8 inches into the clay beneath, mixed in compost, and put it all back. The difference in root growth after just 2 weeks is wild. Anyone else have to redo beds because you skipped the ground prep?

2 comments

2 Comments

susanb341mo ago

Funny timing, I actually just read an article about how a lot of folks make that mistake with raised beds, lol. Glad you caught it early though, your carrots will thank you.

kelly3851mo ago

I see what you're saying about catching it early, but honestly is it REALLY that big of a deal? I mean carrots are pretty tough plants, they'll grow in all sorts of messed up soil. I've seen people grow them in straight up gravel and they still came out fine. I bet half of this "you have to do everything exactly right" stuff is just gardening blogs trying to get clicks.