Raised Beds, In-Ground Beds and Container Gardens: Pro’s and Con’s

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Have you decided to start a garden but not sure what gardening style you should go with? Or maybe you’re looking to revamp your existing garden? There are many different ways to garden from raised beds and container gardens to the traditional in the ground gardens. Whether you choose to grow your garden in raised beds, in-ground beds or containers, each garden style has it’s own benefits and drawbacks.

I have personally gardened using each method and still garden in both raised beds and containers as well as a large in-ground garden space depending on my needs and what I am growing!

In this post I will go over each type of gardening style and the pro’s and con’s of raised beds, in-ground beds and containers to help you decide which may be better for you!

Raised Beds Vs In-ground Beds

What are raised bed gardens?

Raised bed gardens are any garden beds where the soil has been elevated and contained in a space. This can be done by building wood or metal beds or by creating a wall from cinder blocks, bricks, logs or any other materials that you have available to use.

Raised beds can be created from many different types of materials and can be anywhere from 6 inches to 3 feet in height depending on your needs.

Raised bed gardening is one of my favorite ways to garden, not only are they aesthetically pleasing but they are ergonomically friendly and easier to maintain, though, that doesn’t mean that they do not come with disadvantages as well.

Listed below are the advantages and disadvantages of raised beds to help you better determine if they are right for you.

Advantages of Raised Beds

1. Better Soil Quality

   Not many gardeners are lucky enough to have native soil that is ideal for plant growth. The ideal soil for plant growth is loam, which contains the right amount of organic matter and minerals such as sand, silt and clay. Soil containing these materials hold the right amount of water while also preventing compaction and providing the right amount of air flow. My soil here in Central Florida (and most of Florida for that matter) is sugar sand meaning that it doesn’t hold much water or nutrients and needs to be amended often.

   Over time, poor soil can be turned into healthy, productive soil with the right methods and patience but some gardeners may have soil that is full of large rocks, hard clay or contaminates. This can make improving the soil for ideal plant growth difficult or impossible.

   Managing the soil in raised beds is easier and often quicker than improving your native soil. This is an advantage if you have poor native soil or simply no soil at all.

   When setting up your raised beds you get to control the soil that you put into them. Ideally, you want to fill them up with high-quality soil, making sure that your plants have the correct nutrients and soil structure that they require to thrive.

2. Aesthetically Pleasing

   If done right, raised beds are often more aesthetically pleasing than in-grounds beds, giving your garden some height and defined edges. Also, because of their defined edges and height, raised beds are easier to keep neat and tidy, giving your garden a cleaned up and orderly look.

   There are so many different materials that you can use to give your raised beds a unique look that fits the style of your home and landscape. I personally love the look of wood beds, though, I have switch over to metal garden beds for their longevity and easy assembly. I have also seen some stunning stone, concrete and brick beds. So depending on your budget and skill, you can get creative with the look and style of your raised beds.

3. Easier to Maintain

   Raised beds are easier to maintain for many reasons such as less pests, little to no weeds and easier to plant and harvest from.

   • Accessible & Easier on the Body

     Ergonomically speaking, because raised beds are higher off of the ground, it makes gardening more accessible for those with mobility issues. Those in wheel chairs can easily reach and maintain their garden beds by building their raised bed to their ideal height.

     Tending to gardens low to the ground can also be hard on the back and knees, so having raised beds can help you avoid bending over or kneeling down. I have both raised and in-ground garden beds and from personal experience, I find raised beds to be much easier on the body.

   • Less Pest Pressure

     Raised beds often have less pest pressure than in-ground beds because their height creates a barrier or obstacle that can deter pest like snails, slugs and rabbits from getting into your beds and eating your precious crops. It doesn’t always deter the most determined pests but it definitely helps keep them at bay.

     Raised beds are also effective at keeping out soil pests like gofers and moles that can burrow through your beds, damaging roots and eating crops. By simply making barrier at the bottom of your raised bed with hardware wire is often sufficient at keeping them out.

     Raised beds won’t deter the larvae of flying insects like Moths (caterpillars), Beetles (grubs) and aphids from getting to your plants but those pests can be managed by adding hoops and protective netting to your beds.

   • Less Weed Pressure

     Native soil is usually full of weed seeds that lie dormant until the growing conditions are right so you will often have a lot of weed pressure in ground beds.

     If you used quality soil that has not been contaminated with weed seeds in your raised beds then you will find that you will have little to no weed pressure. The raised bed barrier also keeps weeds from creeping in.

4. Deep “quality” Soil

   Most crop’s roots grow to about 12 inches deep while some can grow as deep as 2 feet. If your native soil is poor or contaminated then raised beds can be a great option if you need to have deep, healthy soil for your plant’s roots to grow in. While raised beds often range anywhere from 6 inches to 3 feet in height, 12-24 inches is often ideal for most vegetable and flower crops.

   If your raised beds have a bottom, or very poor or contaminated soil below them, aim to make your raised beds no less than 18 inches for proper root growth.

5. Can Be Put Anywhere

   Another advantage of raised beds is that you can put them pretty much anywhere. If you have a small space to garden in or simply no “ground” space at all, you can place raised beds right on top of a hard surface. You just want to make sure that your raised beds have a bottom on them or your soil will leach out over time. Also, you will need sufficient drainage holes so that excess water can drain from the beds.

   Raised beds can be placed on most hard, flat surfaces such as concrete, patios, balconies and roof tops as long you have access to water and a sunny location. I have seen some stunning roof-top and balcony gardens created from raised beds and containers.

6. Better Drainage

   Plants need well draining soil in order to thrive so if your growing space doesn’t drain well or has standing water for a short period of time then raised beds can be a good option.

7. Less Soil Compaction

   If you have used the proper soil to fill your raised beds then you should have little to no soil compaction because they are never walked on. As soil gets driven over or walked on, over time this can lead to soil compaction which can impact air flow and water drainage, making it hard for roots to penetrate the soil and microbial life to thrive. If you’re not careful, the soil in ground beds can get compacted if they get walk on during planting or harvesting. Having raised beds will help to prevent this from happening.

Disadvantages of Raised Beds

1. Expensive Start Up

   One of the biggest disadvantages of raised beds is the start up cost and it can vastly range depending on the type of materials that you use. Building material is expensive and it takes a costly amount soil to fill the beds up, especially if you are using high quality soil. You can save money by buying soil in bulk by the yard vs buy it by the bag.

   Due to the cost of building and filling raised beds, it may not be feasible to have raised beds if you want a large garden.

2. Assembly Required

   Whether you are building the beds yourself or buying a pre-made kit, you are going to need some basic tools and skills to assemble your beds.

   Buying pre-made beds are the easiest option, I personally love Vego Garden and Epic Gardening for metal beds . Epic Gardening and Gardener Supply Co also has some well-build cedar bed kits.

3. Won’t Last Forever

   Unfortunately most raised garden beds won’t last forever. While metal beds will last 20+ years, wood beds have a much shorter lifespan so keep this in mind when deciding on raised bed options.

   My very first raised bed garden was created with untreated pine boards and after two years most of the beds needed to be replaced. Pressure-treated wood and Cedar wood will last much longer though there are some controversial opinions about the safety of pressure treated wood.

4. Dries out Quickly

   Due to the elevated position of a raised bed, the soil is exposed to more air and temperature fluctuations causing raised beds to dry out more quickly than in-ground beds. This results in more time watering and less water conservation.

   Raised beds can also heat or cool quicker which can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your climate.

In-Ground Beds

What is an In-Ground Garden Bed?

In ground garden beds are the traditional way of gardening where you removed the sod and any weeds, amend the soil and plant your garden right into the ground. This is the most simple way to garden though it too has it’s advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of In-Ground Beds

1. Easy Set-up

   In comparison to raised beds, in-ground beds are typically easier to set up. To set up an in-ground garden bed you need to removed the sod, amend with 2-4 inches of compost and add any needed amendments. I also highly recommend a soil test before making any adjustments to the soil.

2. Lower Start-Up Cost

   In-ground beds have a lower start-up cost than raised beds because you used less soil and do not have any building materials to buy.

3. Creative Layouts

   In-ground gardens allow for more curves and shapes so if you are not into the straight lines of raised beds then in-ground beds can allow you to really get creative with your layout.

4. Less Permanent

   In-ground gardens are less permanent which can be ideal if you live in a rental home or just want to try your hand at gardening. While raised beds are not permanent, they are harder to disassemble and remove. With in-ground beds simply remove spent crops and cover the bare soil with grass seed or sod.

5. More Gardening Space

   In-ground beds allow for more gardening space and because you can get more creative with your design and the lower start up costs, you can use up every possible square inch of your soil, only leaving room for pathways.

   With raised beds you are restricted to growing in the raised bed and some crops such as pumpkins, watermelon and corn need large growing spaces. These crops will have more room to sprawl out in an in ground garden.

6. Retains Water Longer

   As I mentioned previously, raised beds can dry out faster and require more watering. In-ground beds, especially ones where the soil is always covered, either by mulch or intensive planting, tend to retain water much better, requiring less watering from you.

Disadvantages of In-Ground Beds

In-ground beds have a few disadvantages such as higher weed and pest pressures as well as poor soil quality.

1. Poor Soil Quality

   If you are one of the many unlucky gardeners that do not have ideal native soil then amending beds can be a large undertaking. Soils with poor water retention, poor drainage, or soil filled with invasive weeds, rocks, hard clay or contaminates may not be suitable for plants to thrive in. While you can improve native soil in most cases, it can take a lot of time and work to build up a healthy soil from very poor soil.

2. Higher Weed and Pest Pressure

   Likewise, native soil is often full of dormant weed seeds waiting for the perfect growing conditions to germinate. In-ground garden beds also lack a barrier, allowing creeping weeds and pests like rabbits, slugs and snails to easily make their way into your garden.

   If you have a burrowing pest issue, such as voles, moles or gofers, it will be difficult to protect your plants in the ground.

Container Gardens

What are Container Gardens?

Container gardens are plants grown in containers like terracotta pots, plastic containers, wine barrels, grow bags and pretty much anything that is of large enough size for the plant that you are growing, holds soil and drains water.

Container Gardens have much of the same benefits as raised beds such as controlled soil quality and less pest and weed pressure. Listed below are some added benefits of container gardens when compared to raised beds as well as some of the disadvantages.

Advantages

1. Inexpensive

   Container gardens are a simple, creative and inexpensive way to ease your way into gardening. You can garden in any large enough container that holds soil and drains water efficiently. I personally love to use terracotta and ceramic pots for their durability and aesthetic qualities but they tend to be on the more expensive side of containers.

   Plastic planters and grow bags on the other hand are are very cost effective and come in many sizes. So get creative and use what you can with in your budget, just don’t skimp on high quality soil!

2. Good For Small Spaces

   Container gardens are perfect for those with limited space. Whether you have a small apartment balcony, patio or even a windowsill, you can have a container garden as long as your space receives full sun.

3. Easy

   Container gardens are easy! There are little to no weeds or pests and it’s easy to maintain healthy soil by replacing or amending after each growing season.

4. Portable

   One of the greatest advantages of a container garden is that containers are portable! You can easily move your containers around to fit you or your plants needs. Freezing temperatures? Bring your plants inside. Not enough sun? Move them to a sunnier location!

5. Can Grow Most Crops

   While you may not be able to grow some large crops like corn, melons, or pumpkins, you can most certainly grow most crops. Just remember, the larger the crop, the larger the container and when in doubt size up. You can even grow small fruit trees and shrubs in containers.

Disadvantages

1. Limited Growing Space

   Container gardens have limited space for the amount or types of crops you can grow. You likely won’t be able to plant large sprawling crops like pumpkins and you will not be able to put many crops or plants in one container.

2. Frequent Watering

   Container gardens dry out much faster and need to be watered several times a week. If you forget to water, planters can dry out leading to plant stress and poor growth.

3. More Fertilizing

   Due to the small growing space of container gardens and lack of microbial life in the soil, you will need to fertilize frequently, usually once a month. Nutrients can quickly leach out with each watering so you will need to fertilize your containers more often than in the ground or raised bed gardens.

4. Temperature Fluctuations

   Containers tend to heat and cool quickly with outdoor temperatures. This can often stress plants if you live in a climate with extreme temperature fluctuations so keep this in mind when choosing which plants to grow in containers.

Happy Planting!

That about sums it up! I hope that by listing the advantages and disadvantages of raised beds, in-ground beds and container gardens, you found this post helpful in determining which gardening style is better for you!

If you found this information helpful please share the love by sharing or pinning this post! Also, feel free to leave any questions in the comments below and be sure to check out the related blog posts to help you on your gardening journey!

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