Raised bed gardening is a great way to grow vegetables — especially if the native soil is poor or compacted or has poor drainage. And there's no bending over to pull weeds or harvest vegetables.

How to Plant a Raised Bed Garden

Fill the bed with good-quality garden soil and compost, and rake the surface smooth and level. Remove any rocks or debris.

Plants in raised beds may be spaced a little closer together because there's no need to allow for walking space as in a row garden.

Plant lettuce by poking holes in the soil with your finger at 6-inch intervals, and sprinkle a few seeds into each hole. Once the seeds germinate, thin to one seedling per hole.

You can also broadcast seeds over the surface of the raised bed. If you plant carrots, apply fine-textured potting soil over the top of the seeds. Carrots will attract some species of butterflies to your raised beds.

Cucumbers may be planted along the edge of the raised bed, where they can trail over the side.

Water the garden well immediately after planting and apply mulch around plants to limit evaporation and control weeds.