I’m a big fan of raised bed gardening, successfully using raised beds to grow vegetables, soft fruits and cut flowers in my vegetable garden and at my allotment for many years now. So when asked if I’d like to review a copy of Jeanne Grunert’s book Plan and Build a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden, I was happy to take a look.
Plan and Build a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden is an easy to follow guide, packed full of practical information on how to plan and build a simple raised bed vegetable garden. The authors knowledge and passion for the subject really shines through as she guides us through the following sections:
- Why Build Raised Bed Gardens?
- Planning a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden
- Design and Build a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden
- Pathways for Raised Bed Gardens
- Importance of Great Soil
Important factors to consider for a successful and easy to manage vegetable garden are covered, such as how much light and shade the area receives and proximity of a water supply. Other considerations are mentioned too, pathway sizes and choice of path coverings (with helpful pros and cons of each), also the many materials that can be used to make a raised bed, helping the reader to make an informed choice. The author touches upon the many advantages raised bed gardening has to offer, not only for the gardener but for crops too. There’s also a section on converting raised beds to cold frame and mini greenhouses, which is simple enough to do with a raised bed structure already in place.
A great bonus of the book is the easy-to-follow instructions to make your very own 8 x 4 foot raised bed. I’m amazed at the cost of some of the raised bed kits I’ve come across, raised bed gardening doesn’t have to be expensive – I made my own by recycling an old and untreated summer-house!
Clearly written by a gardener with a passion for growing seasonal fresh food as simply as possible, I find Plan and Build a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden to be an informative guide for gardeners of all abilities.
Author Jeanne Grunert is an award-winning writer, prolific blogger, and expert marketing consultant. She left a successful 20 year career as a marketing manager in the New York City area to move onto a 17-acre farm in rural Virginia where she lives, works and writes. Today, she grows a life instead of merely making a living.
Plan and Build a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden is available to purchase here.
Thank you Jeanne for contacting me.
Filed under: Book Reviews Tagged: book review, Jeanne Grunert, plan and build a raised bed vegetable garden
