i ticked corrugated iron as my preferred option because - for me - it was free and fully recycled. i am using the cut down bases of defunct water tanks. They are 3m long by 1 m wide by 1m high. A perfect size. They were light enough to fully manouvre until i started filling them, so I was able to try out different configurations before using them. The filling of them wasn't free but was made cheaper by me providing all the labour. The older I get, the more I appreciate what I went through to achieve them. Spinach and Tulips, anyone?
Living near the coast in SE Western Australia, I find raised beds are easier as the soil is very poor and although I use compost and goodies in the soil, it is a slower process for growing vegetables.
And finding more suitable items for constructing beds is not easy. So steel beds are easier. I like that I can plonk them anywhere and use different heights. Fortunately our summer are not constantly baking and therefore I have success with my plantings. Enjoy the emails immensely and this current series is fabulous
As a renter I’ve had great success with straw bale beds
They allow me to produce several seasons of crops, work out which area was the best for light and access, and gave ample premium compost at the end of their planting life
Another benefit is startup cost, and not having to abandon investment, or disassemble when moving
We've recently established a Kids Garden at our Community Garden using a couple of different raised bed options. We received a grant to purchase four Biofilta Food cube wicking beds to help with Summer watering. We then added a 4m x 4m plot, 4 No-dig Beds beds three at 500mm high and one at 700mm high to our garden space before putting borders of Cypress, a locally sourced product and cost effective for our needs at this time. Budget certainly played a role in establishing parts of our garden as with most volunteer groups we often rely on grants to built good long term infrastructure.
We have recycled tomato/potato/ grape crates bought from a local winery. We have made them into wicking beds and have greatly reduced our watering and worry. A win also on the rabbit count - too high to get in.
Oh please, carbon emissions?? Just grow your garden and do what you are good at, don't bring fake science into it and wreck the whole thing.
i ticked corrugated iron as my preferred option because - for me - it was free and fully recycled. i am using the cut down bases of defunct water tanks. They are 3m long by 1 m wide by 1m high. A perfect size. They were light enough to fully manouvre until i started filling them, so I was able to try out different configurations before using them. The filling of them wasn't free but was made cheaper by me providing all the labour. The older I get, the more I appreciate what I went through to achieve them. Spinach and Tulips, anyone?
Living near the coast in SE Western Australia, I find raised beds are easier as the soil is very poor and although I use compost and goodies in the soil, it is a slower process for growing vegetables.
And finding more suitable items for constructing beds is not easy. So steel beds are easier. I like that I can plonk them anywhere and use different heights. Fortunately our summer are not constantly baking and therefore I have success with my plantings. Enjoy the emails immensely and this current series is fabulous
As a renter I’ve had great success with straw bale beds
They allow me to produce several seasons of crops, work out which area was the best for light and access, and gave ample premium compost at the end of their planting life
Another benefit is startup cost, and not having to abandon investment, or disassemble when moving
Great information, I am thinking of getting a raised garden bed, corrugated iron.
Made in Geelong. Hopefully the iron is made in Oz. too.
Thanks.
We've recently established a Kids Garden at our Community Garden using a couple of different raised bed options. We received a grant to purchase four Biofilta Food cube wicking beds to help with Summer watering. We then added a 4m x 4m plot, 4 No-dig Beds beds three at 500mm high and one at 700mm high to our garden space before putting borders of Cypress, a locally sourced product and cost effective for our needs at this time. Budget certainly played a role in establishing parts of our garden as with most volunteer groups we often rely on grants to built good long term infrastructure.
We have recycled tomato/potato/ grape crates bought from a local winery. We have made them into wicking beds and have greatly reduced our watering and worry. A win also on the rabbit count - too high to get in.