With todays smaller gardens it can be hard finding space to grow your own herbs and vegetables without having to dig up your lawn and move plants or pavers, but even then the soil may not be suitable due to competing roots and compaction. But now there is a solution raised garden beds.
Raised garden beds have been used by gardeners for centuries to encourage warmer soils, improve drainage and provide a perfect growing medium or soil, all of which will enhance the growth of their crops. Raised garden beds can also be expensive and time-consuming to build. Common building materials include sleepers that can rot, encourage termites or are possibly be treated with nasty chemicals, corrugated steel that may rust if scraped by tools or heavy limestone blocks.
Holman has now solved this problem with their new Modular Raised Garden Beds, which are quick and easy to assemble. Made from composite wood for durability and long life they are rust and termite resistant. And they come with their own irrigation system. The system is so easy to put together as there are no tools, bolts or screws required it just slots together in around fifteen minutes.
The modules can be easily connected together to create your own designer garden bed. Remember to position the bed in an area where it will receive adequate light depending on the plants to be grown. Slot the side panels into the pillars with the tongue of the panels pointing up so that it can slot into the groove of the next panel. Colin is extending this garden to double height so that it even more practical for bending over and will provide a deeper root zone for larger crops like tomatoes.
Place the supplied weedmat on the bottom of the bed to keep the weeds out and then fill the bed with a quality soil or potting mix. For our three garden beds we are using a mixture of potting mix, garden soil, manures and composts to provide optimum conditions for the herbs and vegies.
The bed comes complete with an easy to install watering kit. A quick tip is to dip the ends of the pipe in warm water to make them easier to slide on. Then just punch a hole in the pipe at the required spacing for the 8mm weeping hose and joiner.
Our two tiered raised beds are going to be planted with some tomatoes, capsicum, basil, oregano, thyme and parsley to make the perfect pasta sauce and some lettuce, spinach and cucumber for a crunchy summer salad. A tip for planting is to add a pinch of slow release fertiliser in the bottom of the hole, and the gently firm them in. The tomatoes, basil and marigolds make great planting companions, as do the capsicum and oregano.
Your vegies will need regular watering and an easy way to do this is by connecting it to a tap fitted with a Holman digital tap timer. This timer can water seven days a week with up to four start times ensuring your plants get just the right amount of water they require even when you are away.
Now no matter what size your garden is, you can easily create your own pasta sauce or summer salad all you need is a Holman Modular Raised Garden Bed. The Holman Modular Raised Garden Beds and Digital Tap Timer are available from Bunnings and leading garden centres.
Go to holmanindustries.com.au for more information or you can watch it again at homeinwa.com.au.
