Would it be better to make a garden in the ground or in planters?

Rita Sheppard
by Rita Sheppard

We have just retired to a house in Tennessee and want to start a garden with the herbs and vegetables that we love to save money and for better nutrition. The soil looks okay -- no red clay here. Is the ground or a plant/above ground garden better for us? We have a little over an acre or land but only a small area to plant in as the lot slopes down.

  6 answers
  • Dysko7710 Dysko7710 on Jul 18, 2018

    Hi Rita, If you are unsure about the soil you could build raised garden beds for your garden:

    https://bonnieplants.com/library/super-easy-4-x-8-raised-bed/

  • Hi Rita! I would initially start in pots or raised beds to get things going. In my experience, (due to my climate), plants do better in ground. Start preparing the area you want to plant by amending the existing soil. If you have ready in time, plant a fall cover crop and see how it does. Then next spring amend again and try some veggies in ground, some in a raised bed and some in pots. See which perform better and which is easier for you to maintain. You can always let the veg space go natural again or turn it into a flower garden or cutting garden.

  • Annette Mata Annette Mata on Jul 19, 2018

    Raised bed, it's what I have on my patio. Manure , potting soil n vermiculite are the key mixtures to a garden n flowers. I had so many vegetables in a 8x8 raised garden that I was trading the small town country stores my produce for meat. Best deal ever.

  • 1401470 1401470 on Jul 19, 2018

    Just go straight to raised beds. Reason being is life gets busy and raised beds are so much easier to maintain than a ground garden and small containers are difficult to keep moist during hot temperatures.


    I love growing herbs and your decision is a great one! Check out my article below on my love for growing herbs. It may give you some ideas. I added a few others you may find helpful.


    https://www.gardenupgreen.com/2018/04/the-love-of-growing-herbs.html


    https://www.gardenupgreen.com/2018/06/grow-culinary-lemon-and-silver-thyme.html


    https://www.gardenupgreen.com/2018/03/four-raised-bed-garden-ideas.html

  • Robyn Garner Robyn Garner on Jul 19, 2018

    I agree with Naomi Moore. Initially putting in planting beds can be some heavy work but in the long run, my plants (and I!) do much better than in pots. I dislike having to go water the potted plants almost daily in this heat. It also seems the potted plants' soil gets depleted pretty fast while the plants in the garden continue on just fine.


    I do however, have some plants in pots this year as I am growing them larger while I also start prepping new beds. There's a place for using both!

  • Zest it Up Zest it Up on Jul 19, 2018

    Hey Rita! Great question. We've found that having raised garden beds are easier for the long run. There is a lot of work you have to put in up front with building the raised garden beds. The good thing about raised garden beds are there's hardly any bending down when you need to pull weeds or gather your crop. Raised beds also allow good drainage for your plants. The beds also provide a barrier against slugs and other pests. We've found that we like raised garden beds but it's definitely up to you!