Yesterday BF & I got out into the garden to get some work done, there were two shrubs that had seeded themselves exactly where they shouldn't do good old BF got out the axe and went to town, it was a bit of a palaver but he got there in the end!

Good Ole Aldi - Raised Bed Kits are Cool!

I didn't know if I was going to use the two Aldi raised beds or just the one, but after building it up and putting the cardboard on the bottom it was pretty obvious that it needed to be taller, especially as I want to grow parsnips in it! The bed on its own with the cardboard added, probably only had about 3" of root space. I'm pretty chuffed that I bought a spare kit. If I had got a kit from anywhere else or if they had cost more than £6.99 then I would've only got one.

If you haven't already seen the beginning post, then check it out.

I just hope that when the soil mix is placed in then they will still hold together... Only time will tell. Although my plan for if they start to shift - lots of bricks!

My back is trashed so my plan for shopping and schlepping compost mixes is out of the window at the moment, though, I might go down a bit later. Still, I need to get last year's compost into the wheelbarrow and get that in the bed first.

A Trial Method

I have read many 'how-to's' and blogs about square foot gardening but I like to mix things up a little differently.

First things First

As you can see from the top picture, I have put a layer of bark mulch over the cardboard. I reckon this will help draw the roots down as they look for moisture, making stronger plants that can withstand the wind and rain far better than the shallower rooted ones. (Also, by making the water lower, I hope to get longer Parsnips and Carrots!)

Dirt Mix Baby

I'm going to try and stay pretty much on the line with the dirt mix. Mel Bartholomew the founder of square foot gardening has his own recipe for the soil:

1/3 Peat Moss

1/3 Compost (from mixed sources)

1/3 Vermiculite

This is an expensive mix to me. Vermiculite is pretty expensive - about £10 per bag. Decent compost with a variety of ingredient, also about £10 per bag, and Peat Moss, well, that's not as expensive but the production and harvesting of peat moss is so bloody damaging to the local wildlife and eco system it is harvested from, I don't think I can use it. The more sustainable option is coconut coir, so I might try to grab a bag of that instead.

What ever will I do?

To be honest, I think a few grow bags, a bag of coconut coir and vermiculite off the internet will do for now. The overarching message for the soil mix is that it has to be fertile - I have my compost, made from scraps which is bloody rich in minerals and whatnot, so If I mix that into the soil, it will be greatly beneficial.

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Real Compost (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

Mel also recommends that when you remove a plant, you add back a handful of new compost. To be honest, being frugal only works so far, I will most likely end up buying a decent bag of compost for that.