A mini guide to my raised veg boxes - Gardeningchef
Hello Steemers!
In my previous gardening post I showed you all my new raised bed/veg box, with plans for a second... and here it is!
After chatting with you all I noticed quite a few of you were interested in them so I thought I would make this post with more in depth photos to give some insight into the process involved. It's really easy to do, easy enough for a new gardener like me. So without further ado, here is my little guide:
With the box assembled (using the exact measurements as the first one) and in place we lined it with thick garden waste bags, leaving the bottom completely uncovered for water drainage. The bags will act as a barrier between the wood and the damp soil to prevent the wood from rotting from the inside.
Once lined we filled it with all sorts of bulk items, literally anything and everything. No rules! It got rid of a bunch more rubbish around the garden. The ratio of bulk to soil is approximately half and half; this way there will no potting soil waste, it would never see the light of day at the bottom of the box anyway.
To finish off we paint the outer layer with wood varnish, protecting the wood and making it look nicer too.
All we have left to do now is fill box #2 with soil and varnish it! We are also looking into some supportive plates to place on the corners of the boxes to further strengthen and reinforce them.
I have more garden updates to come but I wanted to make this post solely about the boxes, as I would like to help anyone out there who might be thinking about making one. They are super useful for people without much gardening space as you can make smaller boxes and put them anywhere - even on your windowsill/balcony. We made our boxes to make use of garden space that was not being used previously due to poor soil quality.
I hope this inspires some new (or established!) gardeners out there to try it for themselves. Gardening has truly become a passion of mine and I believe everyone should have the opportunity to grow their own produce if they so desire.
Enjoy your weekend!
Gardeningchef
I love that you have made boxes very similar to mine, nice and tall. I need to do that with mine to keep the dogs from digging up my garden as fast as I plant it! LOL
Ahh you have some high raised boxes too?? Great aren't they! Good for keeping dogs out ;) in my case my dog isn't the worst, it's the rabbits on the hills! They will eat anything I plant outside!!
Fantastic that you got another box assembled, I wonder what you'll start growing in there?
Cute photo-bombing pooch you've got there! :D
Hey @magiccleatus!! I have many contenders to go in the second box which I will be posting about very soon. Just need to properly plan it out first ;)
Haha my doggo usually runs a mile when I have my camera out so I was lucky to even get a photo-bomb!
It is great you use larger wood pieces in the bottom of your raised beds as it will improve your soil mix or the several years it breaks down. Nice looking boxes. I imagine you just varnished the outside since the inside was lined and I really like the look of varnished wood but I found a great product years back when we were looking for something to protect the wood I built my rabbit cages out of. We found it at home depot and it is called lumber seal. It is a VOC free non toxic Lumber-Seal clear satin wood sealer. It really is not clear though it give the wood a nice lighter looking stain. I really like the look of it on my large driftwood blocks I use for my sharpening stones. Great article though it really makes me want to get to work on our new area of raised beds for next year. We cut down a large tree above the area we use to have our rabbit cages so now we have a large fertile are with full sun and partial sun, from shad cloths we are hanging, perfect for raised beds.
Hey there @liberyworms!
I didn't know the wood pieces would be beneficial to my soil mix so thank you for letting me know, I am glad I chose them! We get wood in for our living room stove but often times the pieces are too big to fit hence using them to bulk out the bottom. I will have to have a look around for some lumber seal like you have mentioned, it sounds good for lighter wood staining.
You have a brilliant spot for some new raised beds where you cut that tree down with all that great sun light. I hope you will make a post on it if you put some boxes there!! I'd love to see.
It is one of the best things you can do especially in the permaculture growing. Just big wood chips. Some people even dig a trench and fill with cardboard boxes and then plant the row in front but they break down way faster then large wood. Your essentially slow composting in the bed where you are growing.
I didn't know that, thank you for this useful information @liberyworms! I am going to have to do some more research into slow composting.
These are really brilliant @gardeningchef. I am going to need to make one for veggies myself but am just in the process of making my own compost at the moment. The ground here is solid roots from the jungle and too many things to eat tender plants at ground level but I have not found any garden shops that sell compost so I have to make it first. I am so out in the wilds the one garden shop I have seen only sells a few plants, nothing more. Love your dog - I see he is helping 😉 upvoted and resteemed. I think this will be very inspiring to other new gardeners.
Hello @sallybeth23!
Wow I presumed the jungle would be the perfect place for veggie planting as all the plants and vegetation seem to thrive there. I suppose the ground being solid roots is indication enough that things grow and live happily for a long time! Sorry you are not able to get to a well stocked garden shop though I think you've got yourself pretty much covered as you said you are making your own compost, I too have a compost bin! I hope yours will be ready soon so you can think about planting some bits and bobs. Would love to see what you plant so do make a post if you can :)
Ahhh yes my doggo helps in his own way.... in this shot he was chasing a little lizard! Cheeky boy.
Thank you for all of your support as always! Greatly appreciated :)
Great work I plan to do the same only don't have the wood currently. I need to source some first. Only thing is I am in a rent accommodation and worry about moving oh well could leave it make the next one better haha 💯🐒
Thank you @vibeof100monkeys - I hope you can source some cheap/free wood somewhere to make a box of your own. The less you spend on it the less painful it will be if you have to move and leave it behind ;)
Thanks I'm more bother about just wanting to recycle of much as I can, not so much the leaving it 💯🐒
Oh fair enough. I commend you for that!
I say that but at the crunch time. No i've had a lot of practice recently leaving items. Breaking up with my ex I don't have many very important things including picture of our baby we lost be hey I have the memories 💯🐒
Hi GC!
Great raised beds you have there - it will make gardening and weeding a breeze - much less bending and stretching needed to care for your plants, brilliant!
You are an inspiration to gardeners every where - even those city gardeners that only have space for a window box on their balcony can follow what you are doing and maybe do the same... but just a little smaller!
Upvoted and resteemed :D
Hey @icedrum!
I hear you on that - I am so glad I will have less bending to do to tend to my plants! Thank you for your kind words, I hope I can inspire anyone who wants to grow their own plants but can't find a way to, it's cheap to do when you make it yourself too so no huge expense!
Thank you for your upvote and resteem!! I hope you're having a great Saturday :)
You just planted 0.46 tree(s)!
Thanks to @sallybeth23
We have planted already 4488.01 trees
out of 1,000,000
Let's save and restore Abongphen Highland Forest
in Cameroonian village Kedjom-Keku!
Plant trees with @treeplanter and get paid for it!
My Steem Power = 24928.55
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@martin.mikes coordinator of @kedjom-keku
Looking great so far!! Wishing you a great growing season!
Thanks so much @samer714!! I am hoping to have a great harvest this year :D
great share
Thanks @thaha1!
Thank #gardeningchef, The box has been used in excellent way. Your thoughts are a lot better.
This box makes it possible to make gardens much easier and anywhere.