The First-Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening

Okay, here is the story why I requested this book:
I am a proud mama of 3 doggos. They know no boundaries, do not care about my flowers whatsoever. I knew any veggies would end up being pooped and peed over so last year I made a raised-bed garden. Based on no books, zero research and... well. I guess you could say it worked for last season but it was not ideal and this year I know I am gonna have to seriously improve it.
I have looked over the book and I already know I will be a happy owner of a perfect raised bed this summer, I am planning everything as we speak with the book in my hand ;)

Raised Bed Gardening is one of a series of gardening guides aimed at the new gardener written by CaliKim. Due out 12th April from Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

Like the other, similarly formatted, books in this series, this installment provides a good solid introduction to raised bed gardening, why it makes sense, what the benefits are to this approach, and how to design and implement raised beds into a homeowner-type (suburban) garden. Although the guide covers all the salient points, it doesn't overwhelm by info-dumping too much instruction in too little space with difficult or confusing terminology or extreme costs from unnecessary or overly complicated tools and supplies.

The introduction provides answers to anticipated questions from readers on how, what, where, and why grow food crops and flowers in raised beds. The author covers siting, materials, sourcing materials, and more. All of the tips and possibilities are accompanied by photographs which are clear and easy to understand.

The following chapters are arranged thematically: building beds, filling the raised beds (really good soil tutorials and info here), planting and growing in raised beds, and a selection of customizable plans to work around what the individual reader's needs might be. Graphically the whole book is high contrast, full of photographs and step-by-step instructions. Salient points are set into highlighted text-boxes in small easy-to-digest bits in simple language.

Plant recommendations are listed by common name (no botanical (Latin) names). There are a few places in the text where the author recommends her own seed blends and sources, but it's not at all obtrusive or "infomercial"-ish. The author has also included handy appendices: charts for succession planting, resources and links for sourcing seeds and materials, as well as a cross referenced index.

I found the book useful and logically arranged. Information is easy to find and understand. It's complete, but not too overwhelming. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, gardening group, allotment and group/community garden, etc. It's aimed mostly at suburban type gardens, but there's a lot of info here which is perfectly suited to urban settings (in fact, soil in urban areas can be so damaged and polluted that raised gardens with fresh soil are necessary for health reasons).

Five stars. This book, along with the companion volumes in the series will provide a solid basis for learning to garden.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is a great gardening book for novice and more experienced gardeners alike. The author includes many colorful pictures throughout the entire book, including the section with step by step instructions on building raised beds, trellises, and other garden enclosures. Brief info on various plants are included, as well as details on the soil the reader uses to fill the beds, maintenance, fertilizing, etc. The chapter on layout garden plans and succession planting was interesting and would be especially helpful for the beginner gardener, who may not know which plants grow best together. As some plants need more room, certain nutrients, and varying levels of sun, companion planting can be especially helpful in utilizing space more efficiently in a manner to help plants thrive better. Quite a few alternatives are included with themes such as herb garden and salad station, depending on what the plants would commonly be used for. Overall, I found this book to both very visually appealing and informative. It is a beautiful book that would make a nice edition in any gardener's home library!

I started this book having two years of working and starting my own raised bed garden - my own symptom of working from home and needing a break from all the zoom meetings!

I was intrigued to read this book via netgalley and now that I have finished it, I absolutely want to buy my own copy for reference. This book had all the right basics for a gardener who has any amount of space and knowledge. I believe that each year a gardener learns something new and this book made me think about soil and mulch which are two things I know I want to improve upon where I may have "mastered" some of the other lessons in this book.

Not only will I be buying this book for myself, but I have a few friends who are also dabbling in personal gardening and I will be buying them copies as well!

I follow CaliKim on Instagram and adore her. She is a teacher and a gem! She strives for people to be successful in their home gardeners and she has given such confidence to grow your own food which is becoming more and more beneficial in these trying times.

Kim is no-nonsense, truly budget-conscious friendly projects throughout this fantastic book. She even teaches how to build a raised bed on a slope! You don't see that every day. There are charts, graphs, step-by-steps everything to give a backyard, home gardeners the confidence to grow their own food and flowers.

I would have included more information on putting hardware cloth which is a grid wire available now even in stainless steel option to last a long time for those folks who have gopher issues. This is critical. Kim does touch on it but only says "wire mesh". Great Resouce and index at the end. Kim also has some great YouTube videos.

A useful, needed book to feel confident on the path to the joy of raised bed gardening.

I really enjoyed this book! Raised bed gardening is a fun passion of mine and many others. This is a first time or beginner book with a wealth of information. Even some ideas about what might go wrong. Easy step by step raised bed making and some very cute but simple ideas. I liked the detailed information about how much room you may need per plant. I can see I still have a lot to learn. Five stars!

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left this review!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The First-Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening by CaliKim s an amazing and beautiful guide to keeping the perfect raised-bed garden. The book contains gorgeous full-color photos of gardens, and the author gives us step-by-step instructions for building our own raised-bed gardens and keeping them like the ones in the photos. According to the description, readers will "soon be growing your own fresh, organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers like a pro.."

Overall, The First-Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening is a gorgeous book that would make an excellent coffee-table book as well as a guide to gardening. One highlight of this book are the amazing photos. I was blown away by how beautiful some of the gardens looked. Another highlight are the wonderful tips that the CaliKim gives us from her experience growing raised-bed gardens. I was especially impressed by the step-by-step directions with accompanying photos. If you're intrigued by the description, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in April!

Very informative and helpful for first time gardeners and even people who have been gardening a few years. Great tips and images to help newbies find their starting points.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC for an honest review.

The First-Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening is perfect for anyone who wants to start. Spring is here and it's time to start with your garden again or even if it's your first time. This shows you exactly how to set up and maintain your raised garden beds. It even has spectacular pictures to follow along with. Such a helpful resource!!

I really loved this book. I have always had a garden but the soil isn't great so I will definitely be using this guide to build my own raised beds to help my back not ache so bad but also for better plants!

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
YouTube gardening sensation, Calikim, has bestowed all of her wisdom and insights within these pages, on the topic of raised bed gardening. Excellent resource for both beginner and those of us familiar with the concept of growing food in shallow above ground beds. Filled with step by step photos this book is an excellent resource for gardeners. Highly recommend for anyone with small spaces to grow your own vegetables.

Early spring always seems to have me eager to diving into a gardening book while I (im)patiently waiting for the last frost and a chance to get outside working in the soil. I’m avid, but nowhere near pro-status so I perked right up when I saw this First-Time Gardener series book by YouTuber, KaliKim. Raised bed gardening is something to which I’m a relative newcomer and I want to expand so I eagerly dove into this quick-read book with the colorful photos and graphics sprinkled throughout.



Raised Bed Gardening covers several elements from an overview on what it is, the differences and advantages to doing a raised bed, and types of raised bed before diving into starting a raised bed garden from the soil on up.

First, there were discussions about plotting out where to put them (even for patios if a yard is not available) or even on slopes. Planning what to grow and what sort of light it will need should play a part in where to locate the beds.

There was a section on building easy raised beds of various types or purchasing one. Personally, I’ve got a square wooden one about a foot high and about 6x6 ft. I was intrigued by the makeshift circle of cement blocks filled in with soil including the hollowed areas of the blocks themselves since my husband has extras of those leftover from a different DIY project and I could put these to good use now.

Next, was the discussion about the soil composition needed to fill the raised bed. I appreciated the inclusion of the recipes for making natural and compost filler for the bottom layer saving the cost of all soil. She also put in soil recipes and a method of checking to make sure any soil being used is viable (moist and clumps, but also arable enough to break up, too). My own garden bed is small enough that the cost of buying bags of special raised bed soil to get started was not too much and I simply add some brown compost enrichers and a new bag of soil on top for the new season.

After the soil discussion, she talks of what to grow in the beds with charts for theme gardens (salad, butterfly, salsa, etc) and where and when to place the plantings to best advantage.

Then a nice reminder about how to keep the soil enriched with fertilizer at periodic moments during the growing season. This is where I fall off the wagon and have the least knowledge so I was glad to get her suggestions for what type of fertilizer was needed with planting time, and then the various intervals of growth even to that last point in the fall before the garden is done (at least mine is here in the north).



All in all, I thought I got an excellent overview of raised bed gardening and some good practical points and tips to make it a success. Definitely a book I would recommend for those interested in the topic.

This book teaches you how to build and grow a raised garden bed as well as the benefits of a raised bed. It also teaches you how to choose the best bed for your space, how to choose which soil to use, planting layouts (pizza garden, salsa garden, salad garden), and how to water, fertilize and mulch your veggies. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

The First-Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening by CaliKim is basically a gardening book.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Quarto Publishing Group – Cool Springs Press, Cool Springs Press and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis and Opinions:
This is a self-help book, with instructions for raised garden beds.

The author takes you right through the process.  It starts with planning -- how many beds do you want, where will you place them, deciding on a shape, and height.  She then gets into building the beds -- with actual designs included.   Then there is a section on soil, before finally getting into plants, and mulch, and trellises.  Note that there are a number of pictures and lay-outs which I thought were useful.  

It is a great introduction to raised bed gardening, and very straight-forward.  Plant recommendations were common species ... and not in Latin.

Overall, I found the book to be very informative, without being overwhelming.  I may have to talk to my hubby, and see if we can find a spot (or two).