How to Choose an In-Ground Garden vs. Raised Beds
Here’s a question I get asked weekly from clients: should I purchase raised beds, or commit to an in-ground garden?
Both in-ground gardens and raised beds have their own list of pros and cons. Choosing the right garden for you really depends on your personal preference and what would fit with your lifestyle.
If you’ve got space and are envisioning a plot filled with fruits and veggies, and want an easy, low-cost start up, in-ground gardening could be right for you.
If you have limited space or time, and want an easily accessible, low-maintenance option, raised beds might be your best bet.
In-Ground Garden Pros
Low Cost
Because you don’t need anything but the ground, this is typically the cheapest garden plot option. If you have rich, healthy, well-draining soil, there’s no need to go through all the work of building raised beds, as planting directly in the ground is a much easier undertaking. All you need to do is add compost between growing seasons. By using existing soil and not importing soil, money can be saved and used for organic amendments that would be needed to improve even the imported soil.
More Growing Space
In-ground growing offers more gardening space, which is especially helpful when using odd-shaped areas on your property. If you plant in-ground, aside from property boundaries there is no limit to the space you can use for gardening.
Easy Start-Up
Most soils are perfectly fine for gardening, if it has been properly tilled and watered. Pick a flat, well-drained area for your garden, and then prepare the soil with a tractor or large rototiller.
Growing Flexibility
With the extra space of an in-ground garden, it’s easier to grow more to scale and more economically. Growing larger quantities of large plants (think squash, melons, potatoes, cauliflower) is much easier to do in-ground. Large-scale gardeners, commercial growers, and homesteaders usually enjoy in-ground gardening due to the large harvests. Also, with in-ground garden layouts, it's easier to use machine-operated plows and tractors.
In-Ground Garden Cons
Can Be Hard on the Body
In-ground gardening can be tough on the back and knees, as it takes a lot of bending over, kneeling, hunching, straining, and leaning. Growing operations can also be quite dirty, so you will need to dedicate some old, unwanted clothes to the task.
Increased Chance for Pests and Plant Diseases
Garden pests, soil-borne diseases, rodents, and grazing animals can be a much bigger issue with an in-ground garden than with raised beds. Keeping pests, diseases, and other foragers out of your in-ground garden can present a tough challenge. This potentially means increased costs, if you have to take measures to keep unwelcome visitors out of your garden.
Higher Water Bill
In-ground gardening requires much more water to properly irrigate your crops, as moisture tends to drain away more quickly in larger spaces.
Potential Soil Issues of In-Ground Gardens
Amending the soil on your property can take ages, and can be tough to accomplish without professional help. Soil issues include:
Your soil lacks nutritional value, requiring regeneration in order to support healthy plant life.
Your soil is too compact, requiring a ton of work up front in order to get the soil ready for plants, and there's always the chance still won't root successfully.
Your soil lacks drainage, drowning your plants and leading to root rot.
Personally, soil issues the number one reason we included raised beds at Oglesby Gardens. Over the years, we've brought in over 100 yards of soil materials to amend our soil and it still isn’t perfect.
