Whether you want to grow a vegetable garden for the cost savings or the health benefits, gardening can be very rewarding. The easiest type of garden bed to start with is a raised bed. It can be made of many different things. My personal favorite are railroad beams. They are a nice height, very workable, and look nice too, but you can make your raised bed out of other things as well as long as they can hold the dirt.
After you've chosen your desired building material, you must decide how large your bed will be. Things to keep in mind include how much time will you have to take care of it, are you going to can it or share with friends, and how many varieties you want in your garden. If you are low on gardening time or new to vegetable gardening, start with a small bed.
After you've decided the size of your vegetable garden, you have to decide where to place it. Plants need up to eight or nine hours of sunlight everyday, so a Northern or Southern exposure is best. Another key element in plant growth is water. Since it doesn't rain everyday, you will have to find a way to get your vegetable garden water. Unless you love carrying buckets of water around, it is best to build your garden within reach of a water hose.
Once you have your materials, size, and location down, all that's left is soil and plants. Soil is extremely important. You must make sure that the soil you use to fill your raised bed is good top soil. Getting plant food and mixing it in will go a long way towards having a productive garden too. As far as plants go, do a plot plan before you plant. Decide what plants will go where based on the directions on the back of the packaging. Doing a plot plan with this information will make sure that you maximize your vegetable garden's potential and minimize headaches during the process.
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