Having a raised bed makes it simpler to tend your plants. There's less bending over with beds that are elevated above ground. Build them with wide borders and you might even be able to sit while you work.

Raised beds help the soil drain better. Loamy soil (or loose, crumbly soil) means better-drained soil. And because the soil in a raised bed is never stepped on, it's uncompacted so it generally drains better than flat beds.

Because the garden bed is higher, the soil tends to get warmer more quickly in the spring. Plant your seeds earlier in the spring so you'll be able to enjoy your garden for a longer season.

It's harder for turf to spread into raised beds. Before building your raised bed, mow the site to get the grass as short as possible.

Building a raised bed eliminates foot traffic in your garden. Access from both sides makes it so you never have to step foot in your garden to weed, plant, or water. They also give a small measure of protection against critters like moles and voles.

No space between rows equals more space you can fill with plants. Raised beds work well for small vegetable crops and flowers.

Raised beds provide an optimal growing medium from scratch for those who have no soil or the soil is compacted, rocky, or degrated. Because you're building up a garden bed, you can also escape too-wet or too-dry soil by filling yours with rich loam.