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Gardening in raised beds, a common practice before colonial times, is enjoying a resurgence of popularity among home growers.

Vegetables, fruits, flowers, trees and shrubs may be grown in raised beds.

The "raised" part means that the soil level in the bed is higher than the surrounding soil, and "bed" implies a size small enough to work without actually stepping onto the bed.

A bed should be no wider than 4 feet, but length can be whatever suits the site or gardener's needs.

The bed does not have to be enclosed or framed, but framing looks nice and makes it easier to garden. Avoid the use of creosote-treated or pentachlorophenol-treated lumber for your frames. These chemicals can leach out and injure plants.

Use pressure-treated lumber, redwood, cement block or brick, and get creative with your bed design.

Soil compaction, a common problem in most gardens, can reduce crop yields up to 50 percent.

Water, air and roots all have difficulty moving through soil compressed by tractors, tillers or human feet.

Gardeners can avoid this problem completely by creating beds narrow enough to work from the sides.

But one of the best reasons for raised-bed gardening is the ability to build your own healthy soil.

Healthy soil means healthy and thriving plants.

A suggested soil mix is one part compost, one part sand and one part humus.

An alternative soil construction is keeping at least one-third of the volume of the bed's root zone in existing soil even if it is heavy clay.

There are a lot of good minerals in clay and by loosening it up with one-third compost or peat and one-third coarse sand, it will make a good growing medium.

But you will have to add a little garden fertilizer and test the soil after the first crop year.

Better root growth from improved soils leads to higher yields for vegetables and lusher growth of ornamental plantings.

Also, you can grow more plants in a smaller area than with conventional row-cropping techniques, thus shading out weeds.

It is much easier to keep pesky critters out of raised-bed gardens. If burrowing rodents are damaging your plants, line the bottom of the bed with poultry wire or hardware cloth. Rabbits and marmots can be discouraged by placing their favorite foods in a framed bed with a low fence.

The narrow dimensions of beds make it easy to install bird netting over the frame.

The narrow dimensions of beds are advantageous for water conservation also.

There are several watering systems that ensure the water gets only where it is needed.

Canvas soaker hoses, perforated plastic sprinkle hoses and drip-type irrigation disperse water in a long, narrow pattern well suited to beds.

They also reduce disease by directing water to the soil instead of wetting leaf surfaces as with overhead irrigation.

Raised-bed possibilities are endless. Beds elevated 2 feet or more offer the promise of gardening without bending and can have benches built on the sides for even more convenience.

Because a bed warms up quicker than the ground, it can easily double as a cold frame by covering it with a lightweight clear plastic cover.

Imagine being able to start plants early in beds with covers and never having to transplant them.

Supports for poles, cages and trellises can be mounted to the frame for longer life and ease of installation and removal.

So try your hand at gardening in new heights this season.

Kathy Conlon is a Master Gardener through the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension office in Routt County. Questions? Call 879-0825 or e-mail gardeners@co.routt.co.us.