Raised beds are brilliant. Less bending, fewer weeds, and much better control over the soil. But if you’ve ever felt like your raised bed isn’t quite thriving—or worse, you’re constantly battling dry soil or sad little seedlings—it’s likely due to a few beginner missteps.
I made most of these myself early on, so don’t worry if you have too. The good news? They’re all fixable.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through five common raised bed mistakes (and how to avoid them), so you can enjoy healthier plants, happier harvests, and fewer headaches.
There’s also a free downloadable planner to help map out your own raised bed layout—don’t miss that bit.
1. Choosing the Wrong Location
The success of your raised bed garden starts with where you place it.
A poorly chosen location can lead to slow-growing plants, poor yields, and unnecessary frustration.
Before building or filling your raised beds, take the time to select the right spot for long-term success.
Why Location Matters
Plants need consistent sunlight, good drainage, and easy access to water. A raised bed placed in the wrong spot may suffer from:
- Too much shade – Most vegetables need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Placing a raised bed under trees, next to tall buildings, or in a shady yard can reduce plant growth and yields.
- Poor drainage – If the area collects water after rain, your raised bed may become waterlogged, leading to root rot and disease.
- Inconvenient access – If your garden is too far from a water source, regular watering becomes a chore, making it more likely that plants will dry out.
How to Pick the Best Spot for Your Raised Bed
- Choose a sunny location – Observe your yard throughout the day and find a spot that gets full sun for at least 6-8 hours.
- Ensure good drainage – Avoid low-lying areas where water pools after rain. If needed, level the ground slightly or add gravel under the beds to improve drainage.
- Consider accessibility – Position your beds near a water source to make watering easier, and leave enough space between beds for comfortable access when planting, weeding, or harvesting.
Gardeners’ Tip: Watch for Seasonal Changes
In early spring or fall, the sun sits lower in the sky, which means shadows shift throughout the season. Before building your beds, observe the area at different times of the year to ensure it gets enough sun across all growing seasons.
Want a hand planning your raised bed garden?
Download my free Raised Bed Planner & Organizer to sketch out your layout, stay on top of planting times, and avoid spacing slip-ups. It’s the same one I use when starting a new bed.
2 Making Beds Too Wide
One of the most common mistakes beginners make when building raised beds is making them too wide.
While it might seem like a good idea to maximize planting space, a bed that’s too wide makes it difficult to reach the center, leading to compacted soil, awkward planting, and neglected areas.
Why Bed Width Matters
A well-designed raised bed should allow you to reach every part of it comfortably without stepping into the soil. When beds are too wide:
- You can’t easily reach the middle – This makes planting, weeding, and harvesting frustrating and inefficient.
- You may be tempted to step into the bed – Walking on the soil compacts it, reducing airflow and making it harder for roots to grow.
- Weeds and pests can thrive in the middle – If you can’t reach certain areas, maintenance becomes a challenge.
How Wide Should a Raised Bed Be?
- Keep beds 3 to 4 feet wide – This allows easy access from either side without stepping into the soil.
- If placing against a wall or fence, go no wider than 2 feet – Otherwise, reaching the back of the bed becomes difficult.
- Consider mobility and reach – If you have limited mobility or want to garden with children, you may prefer a narrower bed for easier access.
Gardeners Tip: Use Pathways Wisely
When setting up multiple raised beds, leave at least 18-24 inches of space between them for comfortable movement, wheelbarrows, or kneeling.
3 Building Beds Too Shallow
The height of your raised bed plays a crucial role in plant health and ease of maintenance.
While a 6-inch-deep bed might work in some cases, it’s often not deep enough, especially if you’re gardening on a hard surface like concrete or compacted soil.
Shallow beds can limit root growth, dry out quickly, and make gardening harder on your body.
Why Bed Height Matters
- Root growth needs space – Most vegetables need at least 12 inches of loose soil to grow strong, healthy roots. Deep-rooted plants like tomatoes and carrots need even more.
- Hard surfaces restrict drainage – If you’re placing a raised bed on concrete, a shallow bed won’t provide enough space for proper root development and water drainage.
- Soil dries out faster – The less soil volume, the quicker it loses moisture, leading to more frequent watering.
- Higher beds reduce strain – A taller bed (18 inches or more) is easier on your back and knees, making gardening more accessible, especially for those with mobility issues.
How to Choose the Right Bed Height
- For in-ground beds: A 12-inch minimum is ideal for most vegetables, but 18-24 inches is even better for deep-rooted crops.
- For beds on concrete or patios: Build at least 18 inches high, or ideally 24 inches, to give roots enough room.
- For accessibility: If bending down is a challenge, consider waist-high beds (30 inches or more) for a more comfortable gardening experience.
Gardeners Tip: Layer the Bottom for Better Drainage
When building a deep raised bed on concrete, add a layer of gravel or coarse organic material at the bottom to improve drainage before filling with soil.
By choosing the right height, you’ll improve plant growth, reduce watering needs, and make gardening more enjoyable—especially if you’re working on a hard surface or want a more ergonomic setup. If your current beds are too shallow, the fix is simple: build higher!
4 Using Poor-Quality Soil
The soil you choose for your raised bed is just as important as the plants you put in it.
Many beginners make the mistake of filling their beds with regular garden soil, which can be too dense, compacted, and lacking in nutrients.
This can lead to stunted plant growth, poor drainage, and disappointing harvests.
Why Regular Garden Soil Won’t Work
- Too heavy – Garden soil compacts easily, restricting root growth and making it harder for water and air to circulate.
- Lacks nutrients – Plants in raised beds rely on the nutrients in the soil, and regular garden soil often doesn’t have enough organic matter to sustain healthy growth.
- Poor drainage – Dense soil can hold too much water, leading to soggy conditions and root rot.
How to Create the Best Soil Mix for Raised Beds
- Use a high-quality raised bed mix – A blend of topsoil, compost, and aeration materials (like perlite) works best.
- Follow the 60-30-10 rule – A good mix is 60% topsoil, 30% compost, and 10% aeration materials for healthy, well-draining soil.
- Replenish nutrients each season – Adding fresh compost or organic fertilizers ensures continued fertility for future crops.
Gardeners Tip: Start with a Good Base Layer
If filling deep beds, use a base layer of logs, sticks, or coarse organic material at the bottom before adding soil. This helps with drainage, saves on soil costs, and improves long-term nutrient release.
By using a nutrient-rich, well-aerated soil mix, you’ll set your plants up for strong root development, better drainage, and higher yields all season long.
5 Neglecting to Enrich and Top Up Beds Before Winter
One of the biggest mistakes beginner gardeners make is not preparing their raised beds for winter.
Over time, soil in raised beds settles, loses nutrients, and becomes compacted, making it less productive for the next growing season.
If you don’t replenish and protect your soil before winter, you’ll start the next season with depleted, compacted soil that struggles to support healthy plant growth.
Why Raised Beds Need Winter Prep
- Soil settles and shrinks – Organic matter breaks down over time, causing the soil level to drop. Without adding more, roots may not have enough space to grow.
- Nutrient depletion – Plants use up nutrients throughout the season, leaving the soil weak and less fertile.
- Winter exposure leads to erosion – Without protection, rain, snow, and wind can wash away topsoil, making spring planting more difficult.
How to Enrich and Protect Your Beds Before Winter
- Top up soil levels – Add a mix of compost, aged manure, or fresh organic matter to replenish nutrients and restore volume.
- Mulch heavily – Cover beds with straw, shredded leaves, or wood chips to insulate the soil and prevent erosion.
- Plant a cover crop – Crops like clover, winter rye, or hairy vetch add organic matter and protect the soil from nutrient loss.
- Avoid leaving beds bare – Empty, uncovered soil is more vulnerable to drying out and nutrient loss over winter.
Gardeners Tip: Boost Microbial Life with Organic Matter
Mixing in compost, worm castings, or aged manure before winter feeds the soil’s beneficial microbes, creating healthier, more fertile soil for spring planting.
By feeding your soil before winter, your veg will get a stronger start to the growing season.
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See you in the garden,
—Tara 🌿
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Tara Cunningham is the green-thumbed half of Lawnmowerfixed.com, where she shares simple, no-fuss gardening tips for time-poor homeowners.
She’s a lifelong plant lover with a soft spot for cherry tomatoes, shady corners, and low-maintenance herbs.