What are some common mistakes that beginners may encounter in vegetable gardening?
It is very common to make mistakes when you are just getting started with vegetable gardening. When it comes to vegetable gardening in raised metal garden beds, there are some mistakes that are not easy to correct. Most beginners in this type of gardening will need to correct these mistakes from their own experience. Below I will tell you a few of the most common mistakes that beginners make and you should make some corrections to your next vegetable garden gardening based on these experiences.
1. Choosing a garden bed that is too wide
One of the biggest advantages of planting vegetables in a raised metal garden bed is that it prevents the soil from being overly compacted. You can work around the garden beds without stepping on them. Most beginners don't realize that their garden beds need healthy soil, air and water. Stepping on the soil or using a machine on the soil will push the air out. What you want to make sure is to not step on the garden bed to promote better soil structure as well as healthier fresh produce. If the raised garden bed is too wide, this will prevent you from working on all aspects. In the long run, you will eventually find yourself stepping on the soil in the bed and losing out on the main benefits of raised garden beds. The width of your raised vegetable garden bed should not exceed 4 feet. Most gardeners can comfortably reach the center of a garden bed of this width. You can also experiment with the width of the bed; 3 x 4 feet wide is also a comfortable option. When deciding on the width of a raised garden bed, you should also consider trying not to place the metal raised garden bed near a fence when placing it in place, as it will promote weed growth between the fence and the garden bed. You will also not be able to reach the area near the fence for planting, weeding or harvesting.
2. Do not plan water distance
While you may consider watering your metal raised garden beds manually, you may eventually get bored with it. Therefore, you need to plan how you will irrigate your raised metal garden beds. Place your garden bed as close to a water source as possible. Whether you choose to water manually or use a drip hose or soaker hose, placing them near your garden beds will save you a lot of time. For garden beds, it is recommended that you use a drip or soaker hose. If you plan to place several garden beds, soaker hoses will work just fine.
3. Beds are too close to each other
What you want to make sure is that you can create a comfortable working area around your metal raised garden beds. Only leave enough space between the beds so that you can work comfortably around them. Leave at least two to three feet between the beds so that there is enough room for you to weed, plant and harvest your metal raised garden beds. Also, keep in mind that some plants will not stay in their lines. Some plants may spill over the edges of your garden bed, such as pumpkins, beans and squash. When placing your garden beds, make sure you can place a wheelbarrow or garden cart between the beds. There is enough space for you to work around each garden bed.
4. Weeds grow in the path around the garden beds
If your space is large enough, you may have problems controlling weeds when you have several garden beds at the same time. You should not allow weeds to grow around your metal raised garden beds. Overgrown weed beds can breed snakes or other pests. One thing you can do is to put up barriers to isolate weeds before they start growing.