Raised Beds vs. In-Ground Gardens — Which Is Right for You?
Ah, March! Winter is nearing its end, and gardening season will soon be upon us.
This seems like a good time to discuss two popular ways of growing vegetables in residential settings, namely raised beds and in-ground beds. Raised beds are structures - made from a variety of materials such as lumber, stainless steel, even ferrocement - that are filled with garden-appropriate soil which is then planted into. In-ground beds means you're planting directly in the ground. They can be started by doing a soil test, tilling up the ground, then mixing in compost and other amendments. Growing directly in the ground is a perfectly viable option in many cases and also more eco-friendly. Large farms always grow in the ground. That said, raised beds do have advantages that can help pave the pathway to successful harvests.
Benefits of Raised Beds
Raised beds give you more control over the soil, because it's being brought in. Existing soil on-site could be inhospitable to vegetable starts for any number of reasons - it could be very rocky, replete with hard clay, or contaminated. In these cases, importing soil allows one to side-step the whole issue - bam, just like that, you've got loose, fertile, uncontaminated, and well-draining soil. There are ergonomic benefits as well - raised beds are elevated above the ground, so less squatting or bending over is required. 12" is a low height, 16-20" is medium, and at a whopping 32" you can practically garden standing up! And finally, aesthetics, and this is a big one. Raised beds provide a clearly defined visual edge between the gardening space and the surrounding lawn, and crisp edges are key to a professional-looking landscape. It can be helpful to think of raised beds are furniture for your yard. Many people like the look of wood, metal beds look sleek, while ferrocement beds can be custom built to enclose pretty much any shape imaginable.
Downsides of Raised Beds
Raised bed setups do, however, require more inputs in the form of bed materials and soil brought in from elsewhere. This increases their price and also their ecological footprint. A 2024 study of urban agriculture in Nature Cities found that the carbon footprint of urban agriculture is six times greater than that of conventional agriculture and that infrastructure such as raised beds, compost bins, and sheds are a significant contributor to this discrepancy. A corollary to this is that carbon footprint goes down as infrastructure lifetime increases - so it's better to build and use a raised bed lasting 20 years versus a bed that will only last five.
Benefits of Growing In-Ground
Since fewer materials need to be brought in, installation of in-ground gardens is a fraction of the price. For the same reason, in-ground gardens are also more eco-friendly. Furthermore, garden beds in the ground dry out slower relative to raised beds. Finally, being in contact with the ground, they tend to have more robust soil life out of the gate.
In Summary
Consider raised beds if:
the existing soil is inhospitable because it's very rocky, very hard, or contaminated
good ergonomics are critical
aesthetics and clean lines are of paramount concern
Consider in-ground beds if:
keeping costs low is important
being as eco-friendly as possible is key
the goal is to maximize food production
Contact Grow Our Food if you need any help this spring setting up a new vegetable garden or refreshing an existing one — learn more about our vegetable bed installation service. We're a full-service gardening firm doing design, installation, and maintenance.