simms50: Unless you till the soil in your ground, it will be compacted and will not have much drainage. Tillage should be done once a year. Raised beds depending on the soil used will always require more water than in-ground beds; this is why you should use some sort of mulch to keep the raised bed from drying out. Source: http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1027-3