Raised Beds vs In-Ground Gardens: When to Use Each (and Why It Matters)
- Abylene Chalmers
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
One of the most common questions I get when people are starting (or reworking) their gardens is “Should I do raised beds, or plant straight into the ground?”
And my answer is almost always… both.
There’s no single “right” way to garden. There is a right way for the space you’re working with, the stage of life you’re in, and how you actually want to use your garden day to day. And when it comes to this question, over the years, and across very different properties, I’ve learned that raised gardens and in-ground gardens each shine in different roles. When you let them do what they’re good at, everything flows more easily - the work, the harvest, and your enjoyment of it all. Let's break it down..
Raised Beds: Ideal for Kitchen Gardens Close to the House, Hard to Garden Areas & Anywhere You Don't Want To Bend
Raised beds have gotten a bad wrap lately, and a lot of the criticism I hear comes back to cost, soil depletion, and the need for constant watering. And while it’s true they can be expensive to put in, once this infrastructure is in place, you will have an easy to manage garden that you will be able to grow in for many, many years.
When it comes to the other issues, what I’ve seen time and time again is that the problems aren’t because the beds are raised, as such, but because the gardens are set up, planted in, and and cared for wrong, which often leads depleted and baked soil, and poor plant health. However, when the soil is built with intention, and fed with each planting, and the space is used as practically and efficiently as possible with many plants all complementing each other and adding to the overall ecosystem, raised gardens can be some of the most productive, resilient, and enjoyable spaces to grow food.
I grow what I like to call woven kitchen gardens in my raised beds, and this form of gardening - which uses companion planting - helps to alleviate any of the forementioned problems too. These mixed, abundant potager style gardens are in a position where you can pop out daily to grab herbs, greens, tomatoes, or whatever’s in season at the time. Consequently they will be the ones you interact with the most, so ease of use and accessibility to the house really matter, so think about the height you want them carefully, and if possible, choose a sunny sheltered site close to the kitchen to position them in.
Raised gardens are also great if you have a space that is hard to garden in or on, such as terraces, wet areas, hard ground, or places where bending would be difficult, and lots of small space gardens feature raised beds too.
The benefits of raised gardens are...
Raised beds warm up faster than in-ground beds, which means your crops will grow fast and you can plant many different varieties of plants together.
You have more control over the soil, which makes establishing healthy, productive beds much easier, especially if you are adding thing like herbs that prefer sandy soil, or summer crops that thrive on compost and worm castings.
Weeds are far easier to manage, and much less likely to creep in from surrounding areas.
Raised gardens are kinder on the body with less bending required. This make them a joy weed, rather than something you dread, and will put less strain on your body.
Drainage is easier to manage. This is something which makes a big difference in wetter climates, as you can fill the bottom with river sand or pebbles and be assured that your garden won't turn into a boggy mess that rots your plants.
Finally, they’re beautiful. The potager style method of planting many things in one raised garden is super attractive, and a garden that's pretty to look at will ultimately be a garden you spend more time in.
The trade-offs to be aware of
As much as I love them, raised gardens aren’t perfect for everything, so here are a few cons...
They’re not ideal for large-scale or rotating maincrop gardens.
They can dry out faster over summer, especially if they’re not designed with water in mind.
Tall crops can be awkward to manage.
And they do require some upfront planning, particularly around materials and soil.
What really makes a raised garden work
In-Ground Gardens: Where Main Crops Really Thrive
When it comes to larger gardens, crop rotation, and hungry, sprawling plants, in-ground gardens really come into their own.
This is where I grow things like maincrop pumpkins, potatoes, corn, and other edibles that need space, moisture, and room to grow. These are often the crops that work in rotation with each other, so having in ground beds that are all similar sizes allows for this.
These in-ground gardens are best for large flat areas of ground, and you can also build them around existing fruit trees for a food forest style garden (keep the fruit trees to the back of the bed or on the edges..)
Benefits of in-ground beds include:
Why in-ground gardens shine
They hold onto moisture far better than raised beds, so require far less watering.
They’re cheaper to establish, especially when you’re working at scale.
Larger and taller crops grow more comfortably.
They allow for layering with fruit trees and shrubs, creating more diversity over time.
They tend to feel more connected to the land, rather than sitting on top of it.
However, some things to be mindful of with inground gardens are that
The challenges (especially early on)
They can be slow to warm up, particularly in heavier soils.
There’s often more work at the beginning to get the soil functioning well.
Weeds can be persistent if the system isn’t thought through.
Drainage needs to be considered carefully to avoid problems later on.
Choosing the right in-ground approach for your land
There isn’t one single way to create an in-ground garden - what works beautifully on one property can be frustrating on another. Soil type, rainfall, slope, existing vegetation, time, tools, and even how much energy you have in this season of life all play a role.
You might want to dig straight into the ground and establish your garden there, with minimal edging or you may like to build it up slightly using a layered no-dig method, so you lift the growing from the ground and away from pests and too much moisture. The method you choose and way you create your bed will be dependent on what is most appropriate for your land and your goals. When that choice is made with clarity, the garden tends to settle into itself much more easily.
Raised Beds or In-Ground Gardens: Which Should You Choose?
If you’re still not sure, here’s a simple way I think about it:
Raised beds are great to have close to the house for everyday harvesting, herbs, greens, and summer crops. They are also a good choice for very wet or hard to garden areas, or places where you don't want to bend.
In-ground gardens further away from the house for bulk food rotating crops and tall plants or plants that want to sprawl and stretch their roots wide and deep. In-ground gardens are also good under and around fruit trees as a way to bring in diversity and create a layered food system.
Need guidance and support applying this to your own land?
If you’d like support applying this way of thinking to your own land that’s exactly what we work through inside The Nourishing Garden Mentorship.
Inside the mentorship I help you to design and grow your own productive, resilient garden food system so that you can avoid the mistakes and second guessing, and use your space in the right way to become as self-sufficient as possible.
And the best part is that you do this alongside others in a supportive community that will cheer you on and keep you accountable.
Make 2026 the year your land works for you - not the other way around.
Book an obligation-free chat below: https://zcal.co/abychalmers/gardenchat
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