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Raise bed garden: Has become a popular gardening practice.
Advantages: over conventional gardening plots. Soil raised above ground level warms up more quickly, allowing for earlier planting dates. These beds are usually filled with High-quality soil which improves drainage and increases yield. Smaller raised beds are easier for most people to maintain.
Disadvantage: Elevated beds tend to dry out more quickly in the summer months, increasing the need for watering.
Construction: The beds are usually raised off the ground 15 – 18 cm / 6 to 8 inches. Most gardeners use some sort of framing materials such as railroad ties, landscape timbers, planking, rock, manufactured blocks or bricks.
Size: A suggested size is either 120 x 180 cm / 4 × 8 foot or 120 x 300 cm / 4 × 10 foot. A smaller width allows for an easy reach into the bed from either side to tend the plants. This does not allow soil compaction because the garden soil is not walked on. A deeper bed allows the added drainage and improves soil tilth needed to produce healthy plants. The depth is also needed for most of the main feeder roots of the vegetable crops for nutrients and water uptake.
Location: the bed should be exposed to sun and protected from wind for best production, close to a water source, as raised beds require more water than conventional plantings.
Soil mix: Greatest advantage of a raised bed gardening is the ability to amend the soil.
For Efficient space use: Group vegetables together based on the maturity time (plant all short-season crops in one area), so once harvested another crops can replace them.
Watering: it is best to water when the soil dries, apply 2.5 cm or 1 inch or more of water per week. Many raised bed gardeners use drip irrigation using less water and more efficient application.
Fertilization: Start with a soil test before planting in the spring, a general application of about 0.5kg / 1 pound of 10-10-10 of nitrogen, phosphors, and potassium can be spread over 10 m2 / 100 square foot of bed.
Mulches: i.e. straw helps to conserve moisture, cool the soil, and control weeds. Apply a 5-10 cm / 2 to 4 inch layer over the soil after it has warmed; A black plastic laid over the soil will allow the soil to warm earlier and to plant as much as 2 weeks ahead.
Source: https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/mf2134.pdf
