Raised bed – freshly picked for the BBQ!
A stackable system for self-sufficiency. Home gardens offer a lot of potential - every grill and barbecue enthusiast knows that. Whether as a "playground" for culinary adventures, a place to relax or a food supplier. Gardens are also at the forefront when it comes to the current issue of sustainability. They can provide a home for rare crops or endangered animal species as well as insects, and score unbeatably well when it comes to growing fruit, vegetables and herbs with regionality. Sophisticated solutions are required to ensure there is enough space not only in the smallest hut, but also in the garden, on the terrace or balcony. Every home-grown crop not only enriches your own menu, it is also an important piece of the puzzle for biodiversity in general.
Whether in the suburbs or the big city, very few people have a garden these days that offers enough space for self-sufficiency. The time required to till large vegetable beds and harvest several fruit trees is also simply not affordable for many. If your own garden is rather small or terraces and balconies have little additional space for planting in addition to the grill and comfortable seating, then clever systems are needed for growing herbs, fruit and vegetables that make the best possible use of the available space. If you also choose crops with special leaf shapes, colorful flowers and fruits, you will be rewarded not only with a treat for the palate but also with attractive eye-catchers that can make planting ornamental plants unnecessary. Raised bed systems are trendy and offer many advantages: They make optimal use of the available space, are easy to maintain, are easy on the back when gardening and ensure the best possible growing conditions and thus a noticeably higher yield compared to conventional vegetable beds. Raised beds are anything but a modern invention. The Incas already knew how to use the advantages for themselves. They mostly lived in mountainous regions and developed this cultivation system to optimize the supply of nutrients and irrigation options.
Ergo Quadro raised bed system in three sizes
The modular Ergo raised bed system is now complemented by three square sizes: Ergo Quadro S (60 x 60 cm), Ergo Quadro M (60 x 80 cm) and Ergo Quadro L (80 x 80 cm). The robust plastic elements have a visible and tangible wooden structure. The basic set consists of four or six panels. The height of the bed can be varied by stacking several sets in 25 cm increments. Price: Ergo Quadro S raised bed set (4 panels including connectors) 29.95 euros (RRP) www.graf.info
Step by step to the raised bed
Raised beds are usually constructed as simple boxes without a bottom. You can easily build them yourself or use kits or complete raised bed systems. Untreated wood, plastic and metal are suitable materials. If you choose wood, you should line it on the inside with a sturdy pond liner, for example, to protect the wood from the wet soil. To allow rain and irrigation water to drain better, the bottom of the raised bed is left open and any existing sod is first removed. Mouse wire should then cover the entire area and be firmly attached to the lower edges of the raised bed so that no unwanted rodents can find a new home in it. Then the filling of the bed begins layer by layer. First, roughly chopped shrub and tree cuttings from the previous gardening year are placed in the raised bed; this ensures that no waterlogging occurs later. Then other garden waste is given a new purpose - grass clippings, shrub cuttings and the leaves collected in autumn are now well stored in the raised bed, as are shrub cuttings. This is followed by the excavated turf, which is filled in with the grass side facing downwards. Its job is to prevent the precious soil that will be filled in later from trickling down into the lowest layers. Instead of the turf, a layer of straw or hay can take on this task. If you have fresh compost available, fill the raised bed with it now and then cover it with a layer of potting soil; if you don't have compost, it is completely filled with potting soil. Slabs or a layer of gravel are ideal for a path around the raised bed. Then you can start sowing and planting. As the filling material continues to rot over time, it sinks a little every year. A mixture of rotted compost and garden soil is then best for filling, as this always provides new nutrients.
The first planting
In the first two years, the excessive nitrogen supply of a raised bed causes some leafy vegetables to store increased nitrate, which can be formed in the human digestive tract to form so-called N-nitroso compounds such as nitrosamines. Most of these compounds are considered carcinogenic. Therefore, you should choose heavy feeders such as cabbage, cucumbers and zucchini for the first planting. Peppers, tomatoes and onions store little nitrate and are therefore also suitable. Even if the plants in the raised bed are supplied with all the important nutrients, regular watering should not be forgotten.
Abundant harvest on balcony and terrace
A raised bed can also produce a good harvest on the terrace or balcony. However, you have to pay attention to the statics and keep an eye on the total weight when filling it. In addition, waterlogging should not be allowed to form in the planter. If you don't have a garden and therefore neither cuttings nor compost, you can use special soil for raised beds, which, like various raised bed systems, are available from various manufacturers in garden shops:
1. U-greeny: stackable balcony raised bed for small spaces
The U-greeny plant box does not need to be assembled and can be stacked flexibly, as required. In addition, each box has its own water drainage system and can be supplemented with a cold protection cover. If the plant boxes are not in use, they can be stored inside each other to save space. Size: 397 mm high, 393 mm wide, 546 mm long. Filling volume 19.3 l, weight without filling: 2 kg. Price: depending on size/type between 29.90 euros and 39.90 euros (RRP); starter set at a special price in stationary retail
www.ugreeny.at
2. Manufactum planter pallet frame
The Swiss Federal Railways have been using pallet frames like these for years to transport goods. Meanwhile, the country's urban gardeners have also discovered the practical wooden frames for themselves as plant boxes. Since the original versions are less suitable for long-term use outdoors and contact with damp soil, the Contact Foundation in Bern is producing a frame made of Douglas fir in its workshops that is inspired by the SBB pallets but is durable over the long term. This is made of weather-resistant Douglas fir and is reinforced with dovetailed, powder-coated steel corner brackets.
Price: 338 euros
www.manufactum.de
3. Nature Up – the vertical garden system from Gardena
If you only have a few square meters of space on a small city balcony, you can garden vertically with Nature Up. Whether it's summer flowers, herbs or strawberries from your own garden, Nature Up has a place for everything. The system of various plant containers is made of weather-resistant plastic. The containers can be placed on top of each other using a simple plug-in system and round plastic clips, and can be supplemented in width and height with additional plant containers.
Price: Basic Set Vertical, 49.99 Euro (RRP)
www.gardena.com
4. Gusta Garden Paul Potato
With the "Paul Potato" potato tower, you can grow potatoes on your balcony or terrace, but other vegetables and herbs also feel at home in this plant tower. The individual planters are tilted when stacked so that they remain stable even after being filled. The bottom of each planting tub is provided with drainage slots to prevent waterlogging. The Paul Potato planters have a triangular basic shape with a flattened tip, the long side is approx. 30 cm long, the short side approx. 14 cm. The height is approx. 17.5 cm. Price: from 39.90 euros
www.gustagarden.com
Author: Stephanie Prenzler
