Grow Veggies in 3 Ways: No‑Dig, Raised Beds & Containers

I have a half acre garden. It's quite large, and I grow all different types of plants. Fruit trees, annual and perennial vegetables, skincare plants, even flowers. And amongst all of those different types of plants, I also use various types of beds to grow them in. But I don't think that I've ever spoken to you about my rationale for choosing each one, the pros and cons, and I think that this would really help you, especially if you are looking at different growing spaces around your garden and are not quite sure how to proceed. So I'm going to go through the three main types of beds that I use here in the garden, why I chose them, and how you can use them too. My garden is about three years old, more or less, and most of it out here is comprised of these no dig beds. They are about four feet wide, about eight feet long, most of them. And inside is the native soil, and it's covered by compost and aged manure. That's it. And then around them, I've got these wood chip paths. And growing in this way helps me to grow intensively. So lots of crops crammed into this small space, very little area around them that's left exposed. And it also reduces weeds, reduces water evaporation, and it also allows me to ignore crop rotation to a certain extent. And so these are my solution for my in-ground vegetable growing areas. I have two beds in the lower part of the garden, they don't have the wood edging, this is completely optional. But no dig beds are the way to go for me in being able to manage this large garden. They need a top up of compost, about half an inch every year, and other than that they're ready to grow. In-ground gardens are the cheapest way to grow a vegetable garden. You can use the native soil available to you without a supplement such as manure, compost, and fertilizer. My style of in-ground beds are a little pricier to build because I use wooden edging and often purchase the compost that I need to top them up. You can make your own though and the wood edges are not necessary. I think that they're helpful for when you're gardening on a slope since they keep the compost mulch from eroding downhill. Most no dig beds in more level gardens don't use them. If you have topsoil in your garden, it doesn't matter the type, it just matters if you have topsoil and it's a decent enough thickness, then you can have an in-ground vegetable garden. So like the no dig beds that I have out in the garden or a more traditional type which is basically just an area of soil that you cultivate and grow in. However, if you are in a new build property or you're like me and you have an area that is completely filled with rubble, no topsoil at all really to work with, then growing in that can be challenging because it's really poor nutrients, it has rocks and stones that will get in the way of your root crops, and it's just a poor growing experience. And I think that a lot of people who buy a brand new home in a new development will find that out because just underneath the layer of turf that they've put on is just pretty crappy soil. And so if you are in that situation, you might want to try raised beds. And I have a couple of different styles here in the garden. These are birdies raised beds, they are metal, they last for years. I've not seen any rust on mine and this is now their third growing season. You can use wood, you can use other types of materials to build them, and all they are is just an elevated growing space. This is about 18 inches tall and it's I think four by six feet in size. It's great. I've been growing calendula flowers, different types of herbs, different types of vegetables in them, and they've allowed me to grow on what is essentially extremely poor soil. They're filled in with a mixture of topsoil that we had here from the house, some compost, some vermiculite for drainage, and then I do top them up in a no-dig style with more mulch each year. And inside the polycrub I've got another type, they're wooden, and I've also gone through and filled all the cracks so that retains moisture really well. And again it's a very similar fill and that allows me to grow all of the crops that I have inside there with very little input, just a layer of compost each year, and they've got all of that depth, all of that space to grow. The other benefit to having the raised beds inside the polycrub is thermal mass and that comes in really handy in spring and also at the end of the year. What that means is that the moist fill inside, it retains heat so sun comes in, warms it up during the day, and at night it will dissipate around into the air inside and help to keep crops warm. Raised beds are open bottomed elevated growing spaces. You tend to place them in sunny areas of garden but on soil that isn't the best. Most people build their own using wood but you can also get purpose-built raised beds such as the birdies beds that I have. You can also use stone, brick, pallets, or corrugated steel to build them. Raised beds dry out much more quickly than in-ground beds so they need more watering. They also need topping up of compost each year, just like in-ground vegetable beds. To keep the plants in the polycrub beds watered, I use a drip oya irrigation system and I also water the beds manually at least once a week in the summer. Even though I have a lot of in-ground vegetable beds and raised beds, I also grow a lot of plants in pots and containers and I've got all different styles, all different sizes. I absolutely love them and these are all together because I've just gone through and trimmed and pruned them and changed out the potting mix, which I tend to do every few years just to keep the nutrient levels up and keep the plants inside happy. So why do I grow in these? Well I've got challenging plants like peppermint and other types of mint that if I put them into a bed or directly out into the ground somewhere in the garden, they'll just take over. I've also got plants that are a little bit particular about temperature. So in the winter time I can take all of my containers and put them in the polycrub or the greenhouse someplace undercover to protect them. And if you live in a really hot climate, so you get really hot summer temperatures, it's the same thing. You can take your plants that maybe like it a little bit more temperate and put them in a shadier place where you can keep a closer eye on them. And if you are renting, these are brilliant because you can grow a garden on your balcony, on a decking area, anywhere and then take them with you. Also if you're in a home that only has a deck or a paved patio, this is probably the only way that you can grow. I have lots of these types of pots, lots of ceramic pots, I've got fabric pots, I even have large veggie pods which are containers but they kind of create a mini raised bed on your deck. Highly recommend them, I love growing in my veggie pods. So there's a lot of sizes, a lot of different ways to grow in containers and I have got tons of information here on the channel on how to make certain types of containers and also how to take care of them. Containers are a practical and attractive way to grow plants pretty much anywhere. You can use small pots, recycled containers, vertical planters, mini raised bed containers and even make your own using pallet wood. Containers need even more watering than raised beds and you should not use topsoil or garden soil when you fill them due to its propensity to dry out. That means an added cost in filling them with potting mix which should really be changed out at least every three years. I love my containers and I have many of them but they're all near the house so that I can take care of them better. So those are my three main types of growing area. I've got my in-ground no-dig beds, I've got raised beds, got the ones that are here inside the polycrop, the birdies beds outside and various containers. And choosing the type of growing space for my plants comes down to the plant itself. Is it going to be invasive if I put it directly in the ground like mint and lemon balm? Or is the area that I want to grow, does it have enough topsoil? Does it have enough sun? Am I going to be able to manage the area easily? All of these things come into play and every garden I think is different because you do have to consider each of these in order to be successful in growing what you want to grow. And even if there are challenges like climate, you can use a different type of growing space like containers to enable you to grow what you want and then protect the plants when it gets a little bit too harsh for them. So lots and lots of different ideas here and I'm also curious to know how you grow your garden and if you have considered some things or if you have come across some other factors that have guided you to your own solution. So leave me a comment down below, let us all know about your growing space and what you find easiest and also some of your recommendations. I'd be really curious to hear what you have to say too. Thanks so much and I will see you in the next video. And if you want to learn how to make these raised beds in the poly crop, I've got a video that you can watch next. Enjoy!