In my last post I touched on composting and the methods we implemented in preparation of our garden and reduction in green waste. With the composting now well underway and producing healthy nutrient rich soil, comes time to building the bed.

The backyard already featured two old leveled areas running down each side of the yard, however the one we opted to build upon was the prime situated north facing plot. This would guarantee us maximum sunlight throughout the day and protection from the wind, paramount to a successful veggie patch.

To raise the beds construction began using ACQ Eco Timber sleepers purchased from the local hardware store, completely safe and recommended for edible garden builds like this. Note it is important when sourcing the wood for your raised beds you avoid any treated pines which contain arsnic, the last thing you want seeping into your garden and fresh produce.

After the completion of the beds and removal of the dense weed coverage came time to enrich the existing soil. I calculated I would need a further trailer load of organic composted soil to level out filling my framework, more than I had handy in my compost bays. A trip down the road to the local landscaping supplies store and 30 bucks later I was all sorted. My friendly neighbour got wind of what I was up to, he also keeps chickens and kindly offered me as much manure as needed, which I happily took him up on and turned throughout the bed. As a finishing touch I added some organic slow realease fertiliser to really get the party started when the time came to planting.

So that wraps up the completed build of our raised garden bed. Join me tomorrow when I return to run you through our planning and planting processes as we dig in and prepare our first seedlings.

Along the way somewhere during the weeding and soil turning I came across a tomato tree tangled in the chaotic mess which I was lucky enough to save and stake into place. Everybody loves a fresh homegrown tomato, I know I do!