Saw raised beds at the fairgrounds demo garden, are they really worth the setup cost?

Went to the county fairgrounds in Hillsboro last weekend and their demo garden has these raised beds that must have cost a fortune in lumber and soil, easily $200 plus per bed. Meanwhile my in-ground rows are doing fine but I keep fighting weeds and soil compaction every spring. Is the upfront work and money actually paying off for you all, or is it just a prettier way to grow the same carrots? I'm half tempted to build one after seeing theirs, but my back says no.

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grace_wright19d ago

That "$200 plus per bed" number made me pause... cause I built mine for way less by scrounging free pallet wood and filling the bottom with branches and leaves from my own yard. But the real reason I kept mine after three years is the soil stays loose without me ever tilling, I just add compost on top each fall. My neighbor's in-ground plot takes him a whole weekend to work up every spring and mine I just rake flat. Plus my carrots come out straight and long, not forked like the ones from my old clay rows... honestly that alone justified the setup for me.