Thirty Vegetables That Aren't Ideal for Sowing in Elevated Planting Boxes
Raised garden beds offer a multitude of benefits for growing vegetables, such as improved drainage, reduced weed pressure, and easier access. However, not all vegetables are equally suited to these growing conditions. Here's a guide to the best and challenging vegetables for raised garden beds.
The Best Vegetables for Raised Garden Beds
Leafy greens like lettuce, arugula, spinach, mizuna, kale, Swiss chard, and cabbage are ideal for raised beds, particularly those shallower than 18 inches. Root vegetables such as carrots, radishes, and beets also thrive in raised beds at least 12–18 inches deep. Fruiting vegetables like beans, peas, peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes perform well in raised beds as well. Herbs such as thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, lavender, dill, parsley, and cilantro are also great choices due to their shallow roots.
Vegetables That Struggle in Raised Beds
Some vegetables may struggle in raised beds due to space constraints or root depth requirements. Very deep-rooted or large plants needing extensive soil volume may not thrive unless the bed is sufficiently deep. Plants that prefer consistently moist or heavy soil conditions may not thrive if drainage in raised beds is too good or if watering is inconsistent. While the specific list of vegetables that struggle wasn't detailed, large root crops like full-sized pumpkins or corn might perform less well without very deep or large raised beds.
Tips for Growing Vegetables in Raised Beds
- Crop rotation and companion planting in raised beds help maintain soil health and reduce pests.
- Wicking raised beds can reduce water usage by 50% and allow for easier watering and gardening, further supporting vegetable growth.
Special Considerations for Specific Vegetables
- Brassicas (Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale) need rich, well-drained soil and airflow, larger containers, and spaced plants to prevent disease.
- Mustard Greens bolt fast and spread, dominating raised beds, requiring early growth in cool weather, harvesting young, and pinching off flower stalks.
- Turnips' roots and greens take up room and can bolt in shallow beds, requiring deeper soil, early harvesting, and saving space.
- Leeks have a long season and need plenty of soil and space, requiring deep, compost-rich containers and rotating crops.
- Horseradish has invasive roots that escape and take over beds, requiring tall containers or collars to keep roots contained.
- Collard Greens have large leaves and long growing cycles, making them take over small beds, requiring growing in containers or along the edge, harvesting outer leaves early.
- Spinach bolts quickly and large leaves can crowd nearby plants, requiring cool seasons and regular harvesting for airflow.
- Kale's wide leaves shade nearby crops, making it hard to plant other veggies close by, requiring planting at the edge of beds and harvesting outer leaves often.
In conclusion, most common garden vegetables grow well in raised beds when soil depth and quality are adequate. However, very large or deep-rooted vegetables might require extra depth or may struggle in standard raised beds. Leafy greens, root crops, herbs, and common fruiting vegetables are excellent choices for raised garden beds.
- Leafy greens like lettuce, arugula, spinach, mizuna, kale, Swiss chard, and cabbage, root vegetables such as carrots, radishes, and beets, and herbs like thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, lavender, dill, parsley, and cilantro are great choices for raised garden beds, especially those shallower than 18 inches.
- Fruiting vegetables like beans, peas, peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes perform well in raised beds as well.
- Some vegetables may struggle in raised beds due to space constraints or root depth requirements, with large root crops like full-sized pumpkins or corn potentially performing less well without very deep or large raised beds.
- Crop rotation and companion planting in raised beds help maintain soil health and reduce pests.
- Wicking raised beds can reduce water usage by 50% and allow for easier watering and gardening, further supporting vegetable growth.
- Special considerations for specific vegetables include the need for rich, well-drained soil and airflow for brassicas, small containers for mustard greens to prevent dominating raised beds, deeper soil for turnips, deep and compost-rich containers for leeks, tall containers or collars for horseradish, growing collard greens along the edge to avoid taking over small beds, and harvesting spinach and kale regularly for airflow.
