If you're not using a raised planter, here are 7+ tips that should convince you to

It’s no surprise that raised planter gardening is becoming increasingly popular. Raised beds, placed in neat rows, can give any backyard a tidy, organized appearance. Aesthetics aside, they are relatively easy to build with wood, bricks, or retaining wall blocks. There are even ready-to-assemble kits, available online and in garden centers, to make construction even simpler.
If you've never given raised planters much thought, you probably should. There are many advantages to them, and once you start using them, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Here are seven good reasons to start now:
Advertisement
1. Better drainage
Raised beds provide efficient drainage, even during heavy rains. The loose soil texture allows water to seep into the bed, which prevents runoff that would otherwise wash away fertile topsoil. At the same time, it also allows excess water to drain away.
2. More crops in less space
Along with planting crops in succession and using vertical supports, plants along the edges of the raised planter will grow over the sides, leaving more space and light for other crops. These methods will ensure that every square inch of your bed is being utilized.
3. You can choose your soil
How well your vegetables grow depends largely on how good your soil is. With a raised bed, you get a fresh start with an ideal soil blend. Also, if you have several beds, you can use different types of soil in each one to accommodate a variety of plants.
4. Your growing season is extended
Since the soil in raised planters thaws faster in spring than the frozen earth, you can transplant your seedlings earlier, giving them a good head start and extending your growing season.
5. Less bending and stooping
You can make your raised planters any height and width you desire so that people who have difficulty bending, stretching, and stooping can have access to plant, tend, and harvest their vegetables.
6. Less soil compaction
There is less chance that people or large animals will walk on your beds and tamp down the soil. If you limit the width of your beds to 3 to 4 feet, you can do all your chores--fertilizing, weeding, harvesting, etc.--without setting foot in the bed.
Heavy rains can also leave your soil hard and compacted, but since water quickly drains from your bed, there is little chance of that happening.
Advertisement
7. Fewer weeds and pests
When you make your raised planter, you'll be filling it with soil and compost that's relatively free of weeds. Any weeds that do show up are easy to pull because there is loose soil and they are easily accessible.