For gardeners it is no secret that the raised (high) kitchen garden favorably differ in a set of advantages in comparison with classical. However, many people mistakenly believe that their creation is not only time-consuming, but also expensive. In this article we will try to convince them otherwise.
In a few words, we describe the advantages of high kitchen garden:
- allow you to create a garden in places unsuitable for farming, for example, in rocky terrain;
- these beds need only double digging — at the time of planting and during harvest;
- facilitate cultivation of the earth, it is convenient to approach them;
- kitchen garden is easy to install and, accordingly, to dismantle;
- it is convenient to fight weeds (due to the limited space of the garden);
- faster ripening of crops: this is due to good drainage of such beds, plus in spring the soil in them warms up quickly;
- increased protection from freezing, because these beds are easy to cover with a covering material that will save the plants on them from spring and autumn frosts.
The creation of the high kitchen garden
The length of the described kitchen garden will be 3 m, width-1.8 m, height-40 cm. You can choose a different size, make it wider or higher — it all depends on your needs and the size of the site.
Tools and materials required:
- wooden boards 5×20 cm. Choose wood species that are less prone to decay;
- protective impregnation against rot;
- wood saw;
- a mitre box;
- hammer;
- nails;
- fine-mesh construction mesh.
Preparatory work
1. We decide on a place to create a high kitchen garden: well suited plot, which is about 5 hours a day in the sun. A big plus kitchen garden-its device in place, which previously seemed to you quite unsuitable for planting: unnecessary lawn area, overgrown with weeds wasteland and so on.
2. We clean the site from construction (and other) debris, remove the roots of perennial weeds. Annual weeds can be left. It is desirable to dig a site together with a grass once — for increase in moisture permeability.
3. Finally, we determine the size.
Construction of the box
- from the Board with a hacksaw cut into 4 pieces: the workpiece length of 3 m and the workpiece length of 1.8 m. Prepare the bars height of more than 40 cm;
- the ends of the boards with a miter box cut at an angle of 45°;
- connect the Board length of 3 m and 1.8 meters, nailing them to wooden bars;
- in this way we collect all the boxes;
- in the middle of the sides is 3 m, the fastening of both layers of boards with additional wedges;
- the top edge of the box is decorated, nailing boards of appropriate sizes ;
- at the bottom of the box nailed the grid — it will protect crops and landings from moles.
Filling the box with soil
Putting the box in a preselected location, you can put organic matter on a high kitchen garden .
- the first layer is about 10 cm of water-permeable material. This can be chopped branches, fallen leaves, bark, chips and so on;
- the second layer-organic fertilizer: manure, compost, bird droppings and more;
- the third layer is waterproof material;
- the fourth-again organic fertilizer. If desired, you can add any mineral fertilizer;
- the fifth layer is about 10 cm of good garden land.
The layers should not be mixed. Abundantly spill kitchen garden and leave for 2-3 days to settle the layers. If you do not need to plant the plants immediately, cover it with black plastic wrap. It should be noted that the raised kitchen garden is best to create in late summer. Prepared in the autumn the kitchen garden is covered with dark material until spring (it provides the best heating of the soil).
If in the future you want to use the kitchen garden as a greenhouse, you should attach plastic pipes to the box, as shown in the photo below.
For those who still doubt whether to change the usual kitchen garden on the high, it is worth noting that with the help of such kitchen garden you will be able to implement various design ideas. After all, they can be made of different shapes and heights, and the garden will always look neat.
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