I have always wondered why people would take the time to plant their veggies in mounds? In past years I have simply planted a flat garden which was very easy, to set up anyway. This year I took the time to make mounds in rows to plant my veggies.
There are several benefits I have already noticed with using the mounds. It is still early in the season, but I see things going even better this year than last. Some things are just easier to do when you mound the rows.
Irrigation is one thing that has become much easier. I made the mounds with a bit of a raised edge on the outsides. This keeps the water near the base of the plant rather than running off to another area. I will use about the same about of water daily as I did last year even though my garden has nearly doubled in size.
Planting was easier as I like to dig a trench and layer compost on the bottom where the roots of the plants will be. I dug the trench along the center of the mound, laid compost, and planted on top of the compost.
Weeding is way easier as I only have to hand weed on the mounds. In between the mounds I can use a rake to yank the weeds out without worrying about damaging the plants. In the flat garden I had to hand weed everywhere or I would wind up hitting the plants with the rake.
My opinion is to use mounds if you want to make things easier in the long run. It takes a bit longer to get the garden set up, but the times saved in the future makes the effort seem minimal. I will be using mounds from here on out.
Remember, Mother Earth smiles when you garden!
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