When considering soil contaminant impacts on urban farming endeavors, raised beds present an alternative solution. This fact sheet details the benefits and process of implementing and constructing raised beds in urban spaces.
Benefits of Raised Beds
A raised bed is a bed that has been raised above the surface of the ground and that allows for in-soil, above-ground planting. Raised beds can be boxed or unboxed, and edged with a variety of found materials, such as bricks, stone, wood, or cinder blocks. However, it is important to evaluate the source and safety of any found materials, as debris such as bricks and wood can contain toxic substances and contaminate soils.
Raised beds allow urban farmers to grow food despite soil contamination, and to plant atop blacktop or concrete, without undergoing costly excavation projects. Raised beds, and portable beds or containers in particular, also help urban farmers deal with temporary land tenure, and require less investment than in-ground planting.
Though more time consuming and expensive, boxed raised beds are generally more aesthetic and are more easily protected against rodents, such as by lining their bottoms with hardware cloth or chicken wire.
For information about other above ground planting techniques, see also Factsheet #12, Container Gardening.
Finding Affordable Supplies
Supplies for building raised beds can be expensive, and urban farmers might save money by considering alternative suppliers of tools and materials. Again, all found or salvaged materials should be evaluated for their safety.
USDA-NRCS offers incentive grants to help farmers build high tunnels.
Tools
Tool libraries exist across New York State and often allow urban farmers to borrow tools for no cost (for more information about tool libraries, see Factsheet #29, Affordable Supplies). Urban farmers might also use services such as Craigslist or Freecycle (both online) to source free or inexpensive tools, or rummage at salvage yards and stores.
Materials
Craigslist and Freecycle, as well as salvage yards, can also be good sources of affordable materials for constructing raised beds. Organizations offering deconstruction services often have affiliated salvage stores, which might sell reclaimed wood or other usable architectural pieces.
Salvage stores in New York State include:
- Built it Green! NYC
Astoria Warehouse: 3-17 26th Avenue, Queens, NY, astoria@bignyc.org, (718) 777-0132
Gowanus Center: 69 9th Street, Brooklyn, NY, gowanus@bignyc.org, (718) 725-8925 - ReHouse Architectural Salvage
469 W Ridge Road, Rochester, NY, rehouseinfo@rehouseny.com, (585) 288-3080 - Buffalo ReUse
980 Northampton St, Buffalo, NY 14211, info@buffaloreuse.org, (716) 218-9401 - Fingerlakes ReUse
2255 North Triphammer Road, Ithaca, NY, (607) 257-9699
Green Eco Services, a privately maintained blog, provides a list of stores selling reclaimed wood and salvaged building materials in New York. This listing, however, is not maintained and all businesses should be contacted before visiting. When sourcing materials for raised beds, avoid any painted or treated wood, which may contain toxic substances.
How to Build Raised Beds
There are several online resources for farmers interested in building their own raised beds, as well as commercial do-it-yourself kits for easy assembly.
The Essential Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter and Willow Rosenthal (Penguin Books, 2011) includes an entire chapter devoted to constructing raised beds, detailing how to build both boxed and unboxed raised beds appropriate for urban environments.
YouTube also features several videos about using raised beds in urban farming, such as those offered on the Garden Girl TV: Urban Sustainable Living Channel.
Cornell Cooperative Extension offers many DIY Garden bed tutorials across the New York counties:
Funding For information on grants and financial opportunities for your farming operation, visit the ‘Grant and financial Opportunities’ fact sheet.
