Have you considered adding raised bed gardens to your yard? Raised bed gardens come with many benefits, including weed control, good soil options, and higher production. While raised bed garden kits can be  purchased online or at your local hardware store or nursery, you can also build them yourself as a weekend project. Click  here for instructions on building your own raised bed garden.

Whether you are buying or building, consider the following suggestions before you begin raised bed gardening:

1. Choose a great location  - It is important for the location of your raised bed to be flat and receive enough sun. Think in advance about the plants you want to grow in your garden to determine the amount of sun that they will need.
2. Choose the right soil  - It is recommended that soil mixtures in raised bed gardens contain 60% topsoil, 30% compost, and 10% potting soil. Talk with someone at your local garden center about recommendations for creating this mixture.
3. Plan irrigation  - Soaker hose and drip irrigation are the two recommended systems for raised bed gardening. By planning your irrigation system ahead of time and installing before planting, you can save the effort of frequent watering with a hose later.
4. Apply mulch after planting  - Adding mulch of some sort after planting your garden will help to keep the garden soil moist and weed-free.

For more tips on raised bed gardening, click  here  or watch the video below.