Which fruits to grow in a raised garden bed? Nothing compares to the joy of biting into a delicious, home-grown fruit that you just picked from your garden. However, you may not have the space or the means to grow fresh fruit in your yard. A raised bed garden could be your best option if this describes your current situation. Try growing some of these fruits on raised beds right now!
Raised beds are ideal for fruit plants because you can better manage the quality of the soil and other factors. Furthermore, if you’re willing to put in a little more work up front, raised beds are easy to manage throughout the growing season.
What fruit grows best in a raised bed?
The best fruits to grow in raised beds are as follows.
Apples
Apple tree cultivation doesn’t require acres of land. Raised beds can be used to cultivate dwarf apple trees. Spring is the ideal season for apple tree planting. Fall planting can also be productive if you live in a place where the fall and winter are exceptionally mild and moist.
Rather than trying to grow apple fruit trees from seeds, it is preferable to purchase a young tree from any neighborhood nursery. You won’t get the desired fruit when growing apples from seeds since they differ from their parent tree.
Regular watering is necessary for the young, freshly planted tree. Depending on the kind you cultivate, Apples vary in terms of maturity time. The months of August through October are often particularly good for apple harvesting.
Raspberries
Growing raspberries is a great place to start for anyone interested in growing their own fruit. These low-maintenance, easy-to-grow fruits are an excellent fit for raised garden beds, especially when paired with other berries. Their vibrant, captivating color makes them a striking sight.
Although raspberries grow well in most types of soil, growing them in raised beds allows you to conveniently cover the berries to keep wildlife, such as birds and garden pests like bugs and snails, from accessing them.
Raspberries are the most insect-prone berry plant. They can be attacked by a variety of insects; caterpillars and aphids are the most harmful. If you don’t use the right pesticides, your raspberries could perish in as little as a day.
Strawberries
Strawberries and raspberries are perfect raised bed companions for summertime fruit salads since they are equally easy to grow. Strawberries are a wonderful perennial plant to grow in raised garden beds.
Raised beds are useful for managing the growth of these berries, as they tend to spread during the growing season.
As opposed to a regular garden, a raised garden bed allows you to plant strawberries and raspberries closer together. Since strawberries are both indoor and outdoor plants and are cousins of blackberries, they are especially well-suited to this kind of gardening.
Before you plant your raspberries or strawberries in a raised garden bed, make sure the soil is prepared by incorporating organic matter (like compost) and thoroughly mixing it with your hands. Before you start planting, ensure that the bed is level; you can check this by using rocks or stakes. After planting, give the plants plenty of water and watch over them to ensure that they don’t become overly crowded.
Furthermore, raised beds are useful for keeping strawberry plants well away from weeds. Raised beds provide an excellent growing environment for strawberries, provided you line the bed with the proper material, as these plants frequently cannot withstand competition from weeds.
Strawberries are more disease-prone compared to other berries. Root rot, as well as other types of mold and fungus, are prevalent diseases that can damage them.
It is strongly encouraged that you grow your strawberries in the well-draining, sunny section of your fruit garden to help reduce the likelihood of these diseases.
Mulberries
Mulberries grow well in raised garden beds as well, provided the soil drains properly. Mulberries offer a simple way of growing delicious berries at home that draw an impressive array of bees and butterflies every summer.
Birds will also target these tasty fruits, so if you don’t want to share your delights, I suggest covering your plants with netting every year.
Peach
It generally takes around three to four years for a peach tree planted from seed to bear delicious fruit. Purchasing a young tree from any neighborhood nursery and planting it in your raised garden bed is the ideal solution to this problem.
Sandy and fertile soil should be introduced into your raised bed garden. The high-quality potting mix is suitable for use since it includes all the necessary nutrients that the peach tree needs.
First, dig a hole that is a few inches wider and deeper than the root ball of the peach tree that was purchased from the nursery. Water now becomes necessary for your recently planted peach tree to acclimate to its new surroundings. You’ll get the best results with fertilizers with a high phosphorus and low nitrogen content.
Melons
Some of the melons that grow well in raised garden beds are honeydew, watermelon, and cantaloupe. Yes, they require space to spread. If given the opportunity, their roots may spread and disrupt other plants.
Additionally, you may better shield them from pests and avoid rind bruising by raising them off the ground.
Melons are similar in two ways: they can flourish on raised garden beds and have incredibly juicy interiors. Raised beds provide ideal warm soil conditions for melons of all kinds, whether you’re growing cantaloupe or watermelon.
Currants
Currants are perfect for improving and broadening your growing and cooking capabilities. They’re a delicious fruit that work well in savory recipes as well as for decorating cakes and making jam. Also, currants could help strengthen the immune system.
Raised beds are an easy place to grow small, healthful, and decorative berries. You can plant currant bushes in your raised garden bed after the last spring frost. They are incredibly easy to grow and have a lovely appearance.
You need to dig a hole in the raised garden bed that is a few inches deeper than the pot that the transplanted currant bushes were placed in.
Within two to three years of being transplanted, this plant will bear fruit. When the fruit reaches a mature color and becomes moderately soft, it’s time to harvest.
Kiwi
Surprisingly, if you set up a strong trellis for support, you can grow kiwis in a raised bed garden. Kiwi vines yield incredibly tasty, highly vitamin-rich fruits that are guaranteed to impress.
Honeyberries
When it comes to growing fruit in a raised garden bed, honeyberries are a little different from the other fruits we are used to. It tastes like blueberries and looks like them too.
It could be combined with raspberries and strawberries to make jams. These berries are a good source of vitamins A and C.
You may grow these berries in a variety of soil types as long as you make sure it is properly drained and receive plenty of sunlight.
Blackberries
Raised garden beds could help manage the growth of blackberries if you’d prefer not to go berry-foraging every year and instead plant your own.
Since blackberries spread very quickly every year, you should grow them in a large container, such as a raised bed, to keep them from completely taking over your yard during the growing season.
Plums
Moist soil is preferable when growing plums in a raised bed. If the plums receive all the necessary nutrients from the soil, you will have a larger harvest. Rich and well-drained soil is a must.
Sunlight is essential for fruit production, so choose a sunny spot for your raised bed. April and March are the best times to grow plum trees.
Fertilizer applications are best made in the spring when plum trees are most in need of nourishment. You should never feed your plant in the fall or winter, as this is the time to discourage new growth.
Mulching works best for maintaining the soil’s moisture level. When the fruit reaches maturity, you should pick it up as quickly as possible.
Pruning is the most important piece of advice for growing plum trees successfully. Pruning your plum tree encourages tree growth and higher plum production. However, it will take 5–6 years for your tree to bear fruit.
Gooseberries
Gooseberries are delicious fruits that can be eaten raw or cooked up in many different ways. They are perfect for individuals who don’t have a lot of time to devote to raised bed gardening because they don’t require much maintenance.
Gooseberries provide great heart health benefits. Distribute organic materials across the growing area of the raised bed. It is essential to provide the gooseberries with sufficient space away from your other plants, regular irrigation, and as much natural light as possible.
These berries must be protected, perhaps with bird netting, because birds love them.
Elderberries
Are you aware that elderberries are one of the best berries for your immune system? Though they are not recommended for raw consumption, they can be processed into syrup, and they are regarded as one of the best sources of vitamin C.
Elderberries are highly heat-tolerant. However, they dislike an excessive amount of water. Elderberries may experience damage, rot, and perhaps die if given too much water.
Birds are quite fond of elderberries. You may anticipate more birds if there are plenty of elderberry fruits and flowers. They can devour and ruin your plants in one quick feeding.
Figs
A raised pot around eighteen inches in diameter is needed for figs. Though they can withstand drought, they require full light.
Furthermore, during the hottest summer months, you have to water your plants daily because raised bed gardening allows water to evaporate more quickly.
Blueberries
Since blueberries need highly acidic soil to thrive, growing them can be a challenging endeavor. Your plant won’t bear any fruit at all if the pH of your ground soil is lower than four to five and a half.
Nevertheless, raised garden beds can be a simple solution to this, with the greatest harvests coming from a specifically designed blueberry bed. For optimal harvests, space blueberry plants five feet apart. Avoid planting them any closer than three feet apart.
Diseases are common among blueberry plants. In the winter and spring, your blueberry plants can be attacked, harmed, and occasionally destroyed by diseases such as mold.
Ground cherries
Raised beds are a great way to cultivate ground cherries; just be sure the soil is properly drained. You need to enrich your soil with compost before you grow ground cherries.
It is preferable to put young plants deeply since ground cherries have sprout roots. A single ground cherry plant is capable of bearing 300 fruits. Every week, this plant requires two inches of water.
Perfect support is required for lightweight ground cherries; small cages can be used to achieve this. Use landscape fabric to keep weeds away from your plants. Using pins, spread the landscape fabric across the bed.
Ground cherries start bearing fruit in about 70 days. In most places, July and August are the best months to harvest the fruit.
Citrus
Raised beds are a perfect fit for them because they like well-drained soil. All water-related problems are averted because of the elevation, which guarantees that excess water can escape effectively.
Furthermore, citrus trees prefer slightly acidic soil over neutral soil. Achieving the ideal pH level for your citrus trees is considerably easier with raised beds since you have precise control over the soil composition.
Sunshine is very beneficial to citrus trees. Make sure they receive about 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily.
Take your climate into account when selecting citrus varieties. Meyer lemons, or kumquats, are better suited for colder climates. Oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines are among the more abundant options for warmer climates.
Construct a raised bed that is at least 18 to 24 inches deep so that the root systems can be accommodated.
Make use of a micronutrient-balanced citrus fertilizer and adhere to the indicated application rates.
Benefits of growing fruits in raised beds
Below are the benefits of planting raised beds.
- Perfect for beginners. By removing several obstacles, raised garden beds make it easier for novices to begin planting. Although they require a slightly higher initial investment, they generally ensure success in the first year. As long as you have a raised garden bed, nutrient-rich soil, manure, water, seeds, and direct sunlight, anything will thrive.
- Beautiful and appealing appearance. Your garden would look more lovely and appealing with raised beds. They draw a distinct boundary between the raised beds and the garden. Walkways make it easier for you to manage your plants.Various raised bed designs and types can be built or purchased to showcase your creative and aesthetic sense. You’ll find your growing area to be a very charming spot.
- Minimizes weed growth. The raised beds make it easier to control the amount of weeds because they are elevated above the ground and surrounding weeds.
- High soil quality. Fruit plants should be grown in raised beds if the soil in the garden is poor. Your plants may absorb all of the vital nutrients from the soil thanks to raised beds.Your plants have easy access to organic matter through their roots because of the rich soil.On the other hand, you can immediately apply fertilizer, compost, and organic manure to the top of the loose soil in a raised garden bed. Raised bed gardens are meant to facilitate your job.
- Good physical and mental well-being. It’s surprising how frequently cleaning a garden, especially a big one, may lead to back and knee strain. Having a raised garden bed can help alleviate debilitating back and joint discomfort, especially if the bed is at least fourteen inches tall.Young individuals who are enthusiastic about gardening as a career should consider the potential risk of back injury associated with hand cleaning in organic farming. Consider investing in a raised bed garden as a health-related measure.
- Better drainage. Your plants’ ability to drain properly is crucial to their healthy growth. Raised garden beds are essential for healthy fruit production and protection against numerous fungal diseases. Raised garden beds are a great alternative for warmer soil if you live in a flood-prone location or have muddy yards.
FAQ
What not to plant in raised beds?
The following should not be planted in raised garden beds:
– Potatoes;
– Asparagus;
– Artichokes;
– Corn;
– Wheat;
– Rice.
Additionally, since planting trees or big plants in a raised garden bed may place too much strain on the structure, you should avoid doing so. Furthermore, invasive plants like mint should not be planted since they spread rapidly and engulf smaller plants.
Can you grow fruits and vegetables in the same garden bed?
YES, you can grow fruits and vegetables in the same garden bed. It’s a great way to maximize space and increase the variety of produce you can grow.
Some fruits and vegetables even make great companion plants, which means they benefit each other when grown together. Just make sure the plants you select have comparable requirements for sunlight and watering, and that they have adequate room to flourish without competing for resources.
Furthermore, rotate your crops annually to avoid the accumulation of soil-borne diseases.
Conclusion
Now you know what fruits to grow in a raised garden bed. Raised beds offer several benefits, such as quicker maintenance, less weed competition, and improved control over soil conditions. You may enjoy an abundant harvest of fresh, homegrown fruit just outside your door simply by choosing the right fruits for your raised beds and providing them with the care and attention they require.
It would be beneficial if you also paid attention to the weather forecast so that your plants withstand extreme weather, such as chilly winters or scorching summers. Cultivating fruits in a raised garden bed requires time and effort, but the rewards are quite evident.
This is the perfect time to start using raised garden beds if you haven’t already. Starting small and working your way up is a worthwhile approach for inexperienced gardeners. Now get your hands dirty, choose your favorites from this list, and prepare to enjoy the results of your hard work in your very own raised bed garden. I hope this guide is of immense help to you.
