Raised beds vs. in-ground rows for tomatoes in my Chicago backyard

I tried in-ground rows for 2 years and got maybe 5 pounds of tomatoes each season. Switched to a 4x8 raised bed with bagged soil last spring and pulled over 40 pounds from the same number of plants. Has anyone else seen that big of a jump just from switching the planting setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowanharris4d ago

My 2019 season was the exact opposite. I built a bunch of raised beds and got maybe 15 pounds of tomatoes. The soil dried out way too fast and they just sat there. In-ground rows in my heavy clay with compost mixed in gave me over 60 pounds the next year. The roots can go deep when they want, and clay holds moisture better. Raised beds are just a container with extra steps and less room for roots to spread out. You probably had bad soil in your ground rows, not a problem with the method itself.

the_robert4d ago

Yeah raised beds are just big containers at the end of the day. My heavy clay holds water like crazy once you get the organic matter in it, never had to water as much as people with those fancy beds. Plus all those earthworms move in and do the tilling for you.