Gardening in North Otago July 19th 2016

Second week of the School holidays as I write this and not much has been done in the garden here in the last two weeks with constantly  hungry Grandies needing the attention. (Scruff is in his element with balls being thrown at him from all directions.)

Only three really hard frosts so far and I notice the days are drawing out a little since the shortest day, yes, true not wishful thinking and only three really hard frosts so far which is unusual for the end of July.

After that last night of strong wind it's back to raking up, will autumn ever be a distant memory? it is important to get leaves out of every nook and cranny during winter because bugs are looking for places like this to winter over. While raking I find a lot of self sown plants in the saw dust paths which I delight in potting up.

Because there is not a lot happening in the garden right now. I thought I would write about the benefits of raised gardens, perfect for gardeners with limited time. The basic idea of a raised garden being installed is to create a contained planting space above ground instead of battling with poor soil at ground level.

Advantages of a Raised Garden bed.

1. Raised beds warm quickly in spring, allowing you to work the soil and plant earlier.

3. Drainage is better.

4. Not difficult to construct using wood or (here in North Otago) Oamaru stone seconds as a surround. If you need time to think about a permanent position for a raised beds you could make some using straw bales as surrounds for a year. 

5. It's easy to tailor the soil to plants.

6. compaction is limited.

A sunny location is a must for growing vegetables and herbs, and access around all sides with a wheel barrow is recommended for ease of maintenance. Limit gardens to around four feet wide, this way you can reach to the middle. Access to water is essential, raised gardens need good soakings.

A raised bed of six inches is enough to grow leaf vegetables and herbs and at least ten inches for root veg but I don't see the sense in not raising to a height that will limit the amount of bending needed. Once in place to the size required fill with soil and compost and plant out.

keep an eye on what is on offer for planting now, this is the very best time for choice when buying deciduous tree's and shrubs.

Cheers, Linda.