Another Benefit of Raised Beds

We officially broke into the top 10 wettest years on record with the recent heavy rainfall here in Hampton Roads located in Southeastern Virginia, as of Dec. 10. The wettest year on record was in 1889 with 70.72 inches. We have had over 61 inches as off Dec 10 and I won't be surprised if we top 71 inches once all the tallying is in. It has rained like cats and dogs all December!

All this brings me to why a raised bed is worth it's weight in gold when these years come long. There is nothing to be done when rain comes, and comes, and keeps coming and your plants are literally drowning. This is often referred to in the business as a wet feet situations. Most plants can not survive with thier roots submerged in water endlessly and this is exactly what happens when you have lots of rain. The roots are the most important part of the plant and if they can't breathe, well they can't live.

When plants are planted in flat ground beds, it is most likely that plants sufficate when given a very wet season. However when planted in beds that are even just raised a few inches, it can mean the difference between life and breath for your plants.  Raised beds have many benefits including warming sooner in the spring, better drainage for plants and deeper loose soil for roaming roots. Now you can add also a life-saver in a rainy season for all the above reason which mean the difference between life and death. 

From a soggy Hampton Roads,

Lisa Z