November 5, 2024, 4:27 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
“Gardening is only for the warmer months.” “You don’t set up a bed in the fall.” These are some of the excuses used when someone doesn’t feel like working in the garden after the summer. But you can be productive in the garden in the fall.
A raised bed is a wonderful project for the fall. As with the perennial bed, the conditions are ideal at this time of year. myHOMEBOOK editor Franka Kruse-Gering explains why autumn is the perfect time to build a raised bed.
1. It’s not so warm in the fall
If it’s cold while gardening, you can comfortably layer up with long underwear, leggings, or thin pants underneath to stay warm. Additionally, the physical activity of gardening in the fresh air will naturally help you warm up. In summer, it is more difficult to adapt to the weather conditions. It is usually dry and hot. For this reason, it makes more sense to create a raised bed in the fall.
2. You can get a good bargain
Most people start the gardening season in spring. This means that raised beds tend to be built in spring and are correspondingly expensive. In the fall, when many people slow down their gardening, raised beds are less interesting. Manufacturers have to empty their warehouses for the new season’s products, which is why they sell most of their remaining stock at a lower price. Therefore, purchasing your raised bed in the fall can lead to significant savings.
3. Filling the raised bed in the garden in the fall
A raised bed is filled in different layers. You work your way up from the bottom. Bulky material, such as thick branches, is used at the bottom. Even a small tree stump can be conveniently incorporated into the lower layers of the bed.
As you progress to the upper layers, the filling becomes finer. This can be branches, leaves, the remains of pruned plants, or even a little grass clippings. As you can prune your hedges and trees generously again from October, the contents of the bed are literally at your feet and just need to be thrown into the raised bed.
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4. Start the coming year with a clear head start
In spring, tomatoes, cucumbers, and pumpkins are planted in the raised bed. If you already have one at this time, you can use the time to pre-grow particularly strong plants. Or you might simply relax and soak up the sun while your neighbors are busy assembling their costly raised beds.