Why? Because it’s March and spring is springing
Grow, grow, grow your own…
Did any of you get the veggie growing bug that hit the nation last lockdown summer? The joys of a home grown lettuce! No pesticides, nutritious, delicious, seasonal, satisfying, not to mention one of the most planet nurturing things we can do. What’s not to love? Well here we are again already, and it’s time for seeds, seedlings and spades.
Never one to miss out on the action, Aimee grew her first ever tomatoes and was hooked. So this year along with her brother-in-law Rob, and inspired by the book Veg in One Bed, they’ve decided to take it up a notch, learn about it properly and grow their own food for the summer.
First step? Building a raised bed. Aimee’s going to show us how. And if you don’t have the room, the patience or the time, don’t forget pots rock. Forget perfection and grow anything, anyhow, anywhere. Here’s a refresher from last year and a nifty growing plan that Aimee put together too.
So why a raised bed?
There’s lots of reasons why raised beds are brilliant for growing veg.
Size the small, defined space is easy to manage, feed, stay on top of weed and pests and plan plant spacing
Practicality - easy to work in without standing on the soil and compacting it
Microclimate - the soil warms up quicker in spring and drains faster after rain
Convenience - easy to build and take apart and can even be built on paving or anywhere where there’s not enough soil depth
[All these recommendations taken from the book]
How do I build one?
It can be a bit of a debacle to work it all out, especially types and volumes of soil, sizes etc. Sonia scratched her head about it last year and managed to build one, with one critical error - location! Aimee, fresh out of veggie university is going to walk you through it no-fail-step-by-step. Walk this way.
Will it cost me?
Yes - it’s not a cheap endeavour. Depends on how big your bed is, what it’s made from etc. It can cost around c£300 all told. Once you’re done, you’re done though, ready to plant year after year. In time, what you’ll save vs buying veg will even out, plus you’ll have a beautiful time.
We…
Aimee: Rob and I are so excited, we keep checking for progress...but nature can’t be rushed...so we’re learning to be patient and polishing our plates for our first crop.
Sonia: Yeah, woteva. Ok, I’ll admit I’m jealous Aim has a veg growing buddy! I used the alley at the back to build my raised bed last year as I didn’t want to mess up the aesthetics of my garden. But I paid the price for my shallowness. Turns out gardening in an alley, even a sunny one isn’t much fun. So this year, I might relocate it into the garden, or just go for pots. TBD. Aimee is going to have to deliver bags of fresh salad, or the carrot gets it…
Have a comment? Please post it in the box below. Have you got a veg growing story, failure or expertise to share? Email us, so we can feature you on our Shout Out. And don’t forget to use the help desk if you have a question or request.
“You raise me up”