spring is here so get planting…

For all of you who love gardening, or for those of you who want to save some money and grow your own - I thought it timely to post tips on planting your own raised vegetable garden beds.

1. Get 4 pieces of untreated 8″ x 2″ wood to your desired length

- usually around 1.2metres x 1.2m. Either pine or macrocarpa is best.

Untreated wood is important as treated wood will only leach chemical nasties into your plants!

2. Bang the wood together - using a hammer & nails to create a box structure.

3. If you want to get creative you can add another level or seating on the top if you wish.

4. Place box in an area facing north with plenty of sun.

5. Fill the first few inches with something that will allow drainage

- wood chips, scoria or small stones that sort of thing.

6. Fill the remainder of the beds with soil - for best results use a mix of something like zoom grow and a compost mix full of either pig manure, chicken manure, sheep manure etc.

7. The soil tends to drop after a day or so - so it’s best to prepare the bed, water it and let it settle for a night then top it up when you are ready to plant.

8. Plant it with anything you like to eat from lettuces, rocket, tomatoes, herbs, carrots, beetroot, parnips, silverbeet, corn etc.

Making sure that the taller plants (eg corn) are planted along the back of the bed with the smaller plants to the front of the bed

- this allows the sun to reach all the plants.

9. Add a handful of potash, a sprinkle of lime, some extra sheep pellets and a few Nitrophoska blue fertiliser pellets - this just gives your plants an extra boost.

10. Water daily and watch your gorgeous little plants grow.

For maximum weed control - wood chip between your raised beds.

To bring the bees to pollinate the plants - plant lavender.

To control bugs plant marigolds somewhere in the garden as they attract the bugs and keep them off your plants. Throw some slug pellets down as well.

…and lastly if you live on a farm make sure your partner closes the gates!!! After a huge effort last weekend I woke up on

Saturday to find my entire vegetable garden annihilated by our 5 sheep! So here it is again lovingly replanted!

Jackie Clark

Timezoneone Blog