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          Plant Production and Gardening
          Raised Beds & Container GardeningRaised Beds &  Container Gardening

  Raised beds and container gardens refer to improved areas of soil elevated above ground level where plants can grow.  Container gardens should include access to sunlight and growing media such as water, potting soil and/or fertilizer.  On this page, find information on both from USDA and extension services.


  Learn the Basics from Extension
    
    Getting Started
        

          
            To get started planting in a container garden [ncsu.edu], begin with a careful touch.  Identify a space with access to sunlight, select planting containers, and choose a growing media.  Then, plant, maintain and enjoy your garden.Creating a Container Garden
        

          
            There are a plethora of choices for planting unique container gardens. Gardeners can be creative with combinations of large and small plants including vertical gardens, planters, or containers for any space.
Learn everything you’ll need to create Successful Container Gardens [illinois.edu] and harvest your bounty before you know it!Building Raised Beds for Vegetable Gardening
        

          
            Raised beds are improved areas of soil elevated above ground level and often contained with boards or other rigid materials. They are often used in areas where poor soil exists. Learn how to build various types of raised bed vegetable gardens [umd.edu] including information about the safety of materials used [umd.edu].Raised Bed Gardening [cdc.gov; PDF, 1 p.] lists step-by-step building instructions and describes some benefits of this gardening technique.


  Raised Beds and Sparce Planting
        

          
            Title: Reproduction of print showing Raised Beds and Sparce Planting
Notes:
Photograph of a woodcut in John Hill, The Gardeners Labyrinth, 1577.
Possibly photographed by Frances Benjamin Johnston.
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540
Date Created/Published: [between 1915 and 1925]
Medium: 1 photograph : glass lantern slide, b&w ; 3.25 x 4 in.

  Helpful Resources
    

      
Gardening in Window Sills [usda.gov]
              In 1941, USDA Plant Scientists provided information on creating "window -box gardens" for the "Homemakers' chat" radio broadcast.


      Kitchen Garden [usbg.gov]
              Grow your own fruits and vegetables in a Kitchen Garden.


      Container Gardening Offers Something for Everyone [usda.gov] [pdf, 10 pages]
              Managing Plants to the Environment. Yearbook of Agriculture, 1972


      Container Gardening [usda.gov] [pdf, 6 pages]
              Outdoors U.S.A., Yearbook of Agriculture, 1967. Container gardening, an ancient practice, is coming more and more into favor these days.
      
              Access to Research Articles
  

      Raised Beds for Vegetable Production in Urban Agriculture
      Suppressing soil-borne diseases of container-grown plants using composts
      Effect of mulching and irrigation on container-grown plant production
      Effect of raised beds on yield and quality of carrots grown in an organic soil
      Fusarium root and crown rot: a disease of container-grown hostas
      An automatic watering system for pot cultures
      Carrot Yield and Shape Altered by Seeding Rate and Raised Beds in Clay-loam SoilSee all 1,925 results


  Important Links
    
    Vegetable GardeningPage Content Curated By
    

      Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)
    Special Collections
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