My Account
by Simon Godfrey, owner of We Do Landscaping
A local garden centre has reported that vegetable sales are currently at springtime levels – Spring is normally the busiest time of year for sales – with people keen to grow their own food at home in these times of uncertainty.
Growing your own herbs, vegetables and fruit is a way to ensure our food is safe and nutritious. It is also an extremely rewarding activity with the added benefit of knowing exactly what inputs (such as fertilisers and sprays) have gone into producing the food and who has handled it.
Whether you are on a small or large section, trying to give your family food security, wanting to make sure the vegetables you eat are spray and contaminant free, or simply wanting an easy way to grow your own food, then I recommend you think about
raised garden beds.
Ideally, vegetables need to be grown in a sunny position. If a raised garden bed is in a north facing spot and painted black, the soil temperature will be higher than in regular garden beds – plants respond directly to soil temperature and moisture, thriving when temperatures are higher and the right amount of water is supplied.
Putting an irrigation system into your raised bed on a light sensor timer will mean that water can be applied at sun-up and sundown for your desired length of time –anywhere between 2-60 minutes is fine, depending on sun, rain and wind exposure.
The advantages of growing vegetables and herbs in raised garden beds are numerous:
• It is better for your back, as having your garden bed at knee height or above saves having to bend or crouch down to do any work.
• Higher yields can be produced, due to better quality soil, less soil compaction as you are not walking on the garden and faster root growth from more friable soil. Also, not having to dig the soil means better soil biology and healthier, faster growing plants.
• There is less work to do, as you do not need to till the soil, just add more sheep pellets and nutrients on top of the existing soil. There is generally less weeding, as the sides of raised bed are a barrier to grass and weed invasion.
• Having a raised garden bed gives you full control over soil quality. Filling it with good quality soil and compost avoids the possibility of having contaminated soil where the root growth is happening.
• Raised garden beds, especially ones that are painted, look good for walking through and enjoying.
