Any garden or backyard flowerbed needs good soil to give the gardens and floral display a lush and hardy look.

photo credit: doug_wertman

And if you are using raised bed techniques you often create most of your soil. So knowing how to identify your soil and make it healthier will benefit your overall garden and gardening experience.

The following you tube will show you more about good soil.

I tend to use lasagna gardening methods for soil. That is building the soil up on top of the soil. I don’t have to dig this way and I know my soil is health and will drain well.

I started using this method because I did not have a way to dig my garden and I had a lot of excess materials that could be composted.

Even if your backyard does not have a garden or flowerbed you often have shrubs, trees and areas that just may need additional soil.  Knowing good soil will help these areas. And if you have a small compost bin you can make your own soil or fill your own flower baskets and planters.

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Boxed gardens are neat, clean and easy to handle.  Depending on where you placer them and how wide they are will depend if you can easily walk around them or reach across them.
photo credit: MoToMo

You can have one or two box gardens and place them side-by-side or scatter them around the backyard or even place them on the patio or a balcony. Wherever you place them, just remember to have an easy access to water and adequate sunshine.

A boxed garden is really a frame. To make one, all you have to do is look around your yard, chose a location with six to eight hours of sunlight, prepare the soil, and then frame the space with standard 2-by-4 sections of wood board. I like to make my boxes gardens two to three foot wide.  Any wider and I have trouble reaching the center for garden maintenance.  The length depends on my gardening needs. Nail the corners together for support.

Many gardeners using the boxed gardens use a four foot by four foot size. It’s the size that most square foot gardens use and this method is perfect for square foot gardening

The advantages of these boxed gardens are that they are fast and easy to set up and can be sued in areas that have poor soil. Just add compost and soil or use a lasagna gardening method for building soil.

You can also build a section of the garden one at a time when you need it instead of rushing to put a garden in a few days.

The boxed garden method of gardening is great for small backyard designs, patios and balcony gardens. It is so versatile that it can fit any garden space or family style

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