Hello everyone! Recently we were asked if raised beds need a bottom. The simple answer to that
is no, they don't need a bottom. So you could stop watching right now, you have the answer.
But, if you want to know when it's good to have a bottom and when it's good not to,
then keep watching. Also, go ahead and hit that subscribe button and that notification bell
if you want to see how we built these raised beds here, because we're going to have a video
coming out next week about how we built these steel and redwood raised beds that are also on
wheels. These are my favorite raised beds so I can't wait for you to see how we did this.
So, now let's talk about, do raised beds need a bottom? These obviously have a bottom, but I'm
going to show you some that don't and we'll talk about the benefits and some of the drawbacks when
you don't have a bottom. So, come on let's go look at those first. Okay so, we're in my back
area where I have two raised beds without bottoms. So what are the benefits to not having a bottom
on a raised bed? Well, the first and the biggest benefit is cost, right? If I have to enclose a bed
it's going to cost me more in material and time to build it, and I could use some of that money,
instead of enclosing it, I can make bigger beds. Wider, longer, bigger beds, and so, I get to grow
more. The second benefit is in what you can grow. Now, if you're enclosing a bed, depending on how
big that bed is, it's going to limit you on what you can grow because of root depth, right? So,
if you have a plant that has that has a tap root that likes to go really deep, or the roots spread,
or it is a deep root system like some of your tomatoes can have pretty deep root systems,
then having an open bottom means that you can grow in to your native soil, like with your
root vegetables and things like that also. So, having an open bottom gives you not just your
raised bed area but the soil below. So, that's a huge benefit, plus spread of the plant, right? So,
I can spread out and if I'm going into the native soil next to the bed, it's not a big deal
when you have a raised bed that's completely enclosed, you might not have that room,
you might or you might not, so that's another benefit to having an open bottom.
Now, of course raised beds are great because you can control the soil
in the raised beds, and it gives you so many benefits with making sure that you have
nutrient-rich soil, great moisture retention and drainage. But, when you have an open bottom,
as you're building this big beautiful soil, you are affecting your native soil too, so having
raised beds, the third benefit would be that you are improving your native soil, or working in your
native soil as well as your raised bed soil. So that, I think, is a huge benefit. So what
are a couple negatives? You can see, I have these beds, so the negatives don't affect me much. But,
a negative to having an open bottom is if you have some of those tunnelers or ground diggers,
like your groundhogs, moles, voles. You're more susceptible to them. Now, of course you can
mitigate that by putting in some wire, right? Put your wire down first, wire mesh, chicken wire, and
then put your beds over it, and that'll help you mitigate a little bit. The other negative might be
what I'm doing right now, and that is I'm really low, and I'm sitting down, you know, towards the
ground. These beds aren't that tall, I could build them up but then I'd have to fill them with soil
and that's just, you know, that's more cost. So, these are pretty low, and I had to weed them
last weekend, because I left the soil open, I did not cover it for a while.
And I will tell you, that was probably the most intensive squat class I've ever had.
30 minutes of weeding on two different beds, that's an hour of squatting and leaning,
and yeah I felt that the next day. So, that could be a negative. By enclosing your beds
you can pull them up off the ground. So now, let's go look at the benefits of having a bottom.
Okay so, Titan and I are back at my big, beautiful, enclosed raised beds, to talk about
the benefits and some of the drawbacks to having a bottom on your raised bed. Now, one of the biggest
benefits to raised bed gardening, whether you have a bottom or not, is soil control, and I think when
you have a bottom, not only can you cultivate really, really great soil for whatever you want
to grow, and that's moisture retention, drainage, nutrients, minerals, but also temperature control.
I think in a raised bed, at least for me, what I've noticed is that I can keep it a little bit
warmer, I can start my fruits and vegetables a little bit sooner, or let them extend a little bit
longer. So, that is a benefit. Another benefit, is that I can raise them up off the ground,
like this, bring them up nice and high so I don't have to bend over
as much to take care of the plants. It's great for your back and that little squatting thing.
So, that's a benefit. And, I'll spend more time in the beds, right, if it's not as much
work to care for them. So, the third benefit is definitely in line with raising it up, it's
the ability to add wheels. I love the fact that these have wheels, I add wheels to everything,
I have my containers, my larger containers, on wheels also so I can move things around. But,
being able to move your plants to the best spot for them to grow, right? So, out here,
this is full sun, that sun is about to peak out from behind that cloud, so during season this area
right here can get 12 hours of sun no problem. In the back, you get less sun back there, so
if I want to bring one of the beds out to grow something that needs more sun like tomatoes, or if
I want to take it in back to grow something that doesn't need as much sun, then can, and I love the
versatility of that. So, that's a benefit. And, I would say another benefit are pests, so when you
have an open bottom and you're on the ground, we talked about those ground critters that dig
and come up through the bottom, it's also easier for squirrels and rabbits to get into those ground
ones. Up here, I don't have to worry about the diggers at all, and I don't have to worry as much
about the squirrels and the rabbits. And, I say as much because they are crafty and rabbits can
jump pretty well, so it's not that I've never had problems with them but I have a lot less on these
raised beds. Now, my other pest issues like aphids, or any caterpillars, or grasshoppers,
I have the same issues here that I would in the ground level raised beds. So, those are all
benefits that I think make having a bottom worth it. Now, some of the drawbacks, and the biggest
is just, for me it's cost, that's that could be a drawback because you have to fully enclose it,
and not just fully enclose it but make sure that that bottom is really secure. Also, because the
bottom is going to be getting so much water, and that water can be sitting on the bottom,
it's going to deteriorate faster than the rest of the bed, so that can be a drawback. Do you
need drainage in a raised bed? For me, the answer is no. I don't have drainage holes in this bed,
and I haven't had any problems with that. So, when you're thinking about drainage,
it really has a lot to do with size and then how much moisture is going to be retained in the soil.
And then, the only other drawback might be in what I can grow in these beds.
I can grow a lot more in the ground level raised beds, those fruits and vegetables
that have deep root systems, deep tap roots, or need a lot more spread, the root vegetables.
So, in this environment I'm not only limited this way, I'm limited this way.
So, that could be a drawback. But again, I think that you can, you know plan for that,
I'll plant some back there that need the open bottom, and to get into that soil below,
and then I'll plant the ones that don't hear. So, you can you can mitigate just about anything.
So, I think overall, having a bottom or not having a bottom, just depends on you and your garden,
what you want to grow, how much you want to spend, and how many beds you want, right? I think that's
the only difference, so you don't have to have a bottom but if you want one, there's some benefits
to doing it. So, I want to thank you guys for joining me again today. Again, hit that subscribe
button or that notification bell. If you want to see how we built these; Evan built me these beds,
and he's built me quite a bit but these, I love these beds more than anything. I get more use out
of these beds, they look beautiful and again I have these wheels, I can move them anywhere
and I do move them, I will tell you that. So, you don't want to miss seeing Evan put these
beds together. Thank you again for joining me and I will see you guys soon! Happy gardening.