Monday, March 21, 2011

MARCH 26, 2011 BUILDING A RAISED GARDEN BED











Raised beds are an ideal choice for a medium sized backyard. The bed will create a picturesque display for the fruits of your labor. First you must decide the length, width and height of the bed you want to make. Mark the perimeter with four stakes and strong twine. A good size for the bed is 12 inches high by 6 feet long by 3 feet wide. Cut a piece of wire netting the exact length and width of the planned bed and place it on the ground. This keeps the animals from sneaking underneath into your plants.


You can also grow your herbs in window boxes if you do not have room on the ground. Window boxes do not always have drainage plates so you will have to experiment with that, but they usually receive great sunlight.


Add your compost soil to the prepared bed or window boxes, read the directions on the packet and space seeds accordingly. To get an idea what herbs to plant, check out: http://www.backyardgardener.com/ Be mindful of the herbs and flowers you plant. I want you to help the environment and the declining population of bees. The most important element of a bee garden is the types of flowers it contains. Not all flowers are attractive to bees, and some flowers are much more attractive than others.

Bees are particular about which gardens they visit. Gardens with 10 or more species of attractive plants attracted the largest number of bees. The composition of the garden flowers is also important. Pesticides should never be used on bee gardens. Bees prefer large patches of like flowers planted in close proximity to one another. For your purposes, it is necessary that each patch of flowers (each species) is at least 1.5m x 1.5m. Contrary to how it may seem, bees are actually very shy.

Be like Liberace or Peter Allen and plant colorfully!

Since I will have completed Botanical Latin by the time I start planting, I will be naming the plants with their appropriate Latin names. Labeling each species with their Latin scientific name is extremely important. Important for you and the individuals who will admire your garden. I will be sure the labels can endure rain. I do not want my labeled plant names to be running or dripping with ink.


Until tomorrow...

No comments:

Post a Comment