Vegetable Planting

Material

There are many ways to construct the edges of a vegetable bed and many materials that can be utilised. These include lumber, brick, stone, metal and plastic My preference is to use lumber in the form of railway sleepers (or ties).

Construction

The big advantage of my chosen material is that the job is simple and easy to complete quickly, although you may need a friend to assist as the sleepers are heavy. It is the weight that keeps the sleepers basically in place.

Steps to take

Firstly see what sizes of sleeper, or similar lumber, are available from your local supplier. It is much easier to adjust the size of your vegetable bed than to cut the sleepers to length, although some cutting may be required. A standard size is 8ft x 8in x 2in but there are many variations. Some of my beds are two sleepers long and one sleeper wide while others are one sleeper by one half sleeper. It all depends upon fitting the bed to your available space.

Layout

Lay out string lines to mark the outside edges of your vegetable bed remember that the thickness of the sleeper will add to one of the edges.

Now simply lay the sleepers on edge to match the string lines. While the weight of the sleepers will generally keep them in place they can topple if grandchildren climb on them.

Securing the sleepers

Again there a different ways to secure the sleepers, using pegs hammered into the ground, nailing or screwing the corners or using metal brackets.

Completed bed

My preferred method utilizes galvanised metal brackets place around the corners and across any lengthwise joins. The sleepers are drilled with clearance holes to suit the brackets and galvanised bolts fitted and tightened.

Corner joint

This gives a secure construction while still allowing some movement for final position adjustment if required.

Sleeper to sleeper join

Vegetable garden design does not need to be difficult. Follow these tips and your garden can be productive, practical and beautiful.

Size

Consider what space you have available for planting the types of vegetables you wish to grow. Read the rest of this entry »

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If you have ever wondered how to grow pumpkins, read on and you will discover that it is not as difficult as you might think.

Frost sensitivity

Pumpkins are very sensitive to frost, so when planting the seedlings take care not to transplant them out into the garden until you are confident that the last frost has passed. To be on the safe side, consult other gardeners in your neighborhood about the frost patterns of the previous year.  Read the rest of this entry »

How to grow broccoli

Growing broccoli is more straightforward than you might think. The version of the vegetable that is most widely commercially available in stores is actually called calabrese, but you can also try purple or white sprouting broccoli for an exotic look.

Prepare your beds

The secret of all successful vegetable gardening is good quality soil. Your plants ideally need a sticky textured soil that will drain well, but also one that is rich in nutrients.

If you have not been blessed with the best quality soil around, you can Read the rest of this entry »

Organic herb gardens are a joy to the senses. They look beautiful, smell intoxicating and their produce lends a flavorsome note to home cooking. The main constituents of any herb garden are perfect for a novice to try as they are virtually indestructible and do not require much watering. These are rosemary, thyme, parsley, mint and chives. Once these core herbs are established, they will spread slowly.

It can sometimes be tempting to protect and improve your garden with artificial products. After all, you work so hard on it, why not take a shortcut? But you can overcome some of the problems that gardeners encounter in organic herb gardens without resorting to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Read the rest of this entry »