As more and more people are confronted with the health risks of processed foods and the energy drain of trucking foods into our areas, they are turning to gardening and growing their own food. Others are content to eat as much local food as they can find and just fill in the gaps with shipped in foods.
If you have a lot of land to put in a garden or a greenhouse, you know that growing your own food is possible. On the other hand, if you are limited on space or live in the inner city, you have to come up with a solution to the space problem before ever thinking about growing your own. One of those solutions is the used of a raised bed.
There is a unique bond between the older generations that went through the depression and the younger generations of today as they are both very aware of what is happening to the world around them. It seems lack brings on this consciousness as well as innovation and good use of resources.
People have been growing their own food for generations so little is really that new though the technology and tools make it easier. Integrating cedar raised beds into an organic growing plan is great but it will never replace the gardener. It needs you to succeed.
If you decide to use a raised bed on a balcony, deck or suspended patio you will need to be aware of the weight restrictions before you decide on the size of bed you would like to use. Though you can plant more with a tiered bed it will weigh considerably more since all the dirt is amassed in a small space. You can also use "light" soil that can be purchased at your local plant nursery.
Since your plants will not grow well without the sun, make sure you place your raised garden bed where there is as much sun as possible. There are some options for covering the plants that range from using plastic of some kind to cold frames and small portable greenhouses. You will need to make the best choice for your situation. Just know that you will need to cover plants once the temperature dips below 45 degrees.
Unless you live in the coldest of climates, most days will be warm enough without any additional heat source. However, there will be need from time to time to provide your plants with some extra heat to keep the temperature above 40 degrees. I would suggest you do a little research to find the best method that is both cost affective and practical for your situation.
Though you may think this is way harder than you want to tackle, the fact is, it takes real effort to grow your own food on a year round basis and not everyone will succeed. However, when you serve a meal fresh from your deck garden you will feel fantastic and know you grew it and it is healthy. So have fun and experiment to find the best way to year round garden for you.
If you have a lot of land to put in a garden or a greenhouse, you know that growing your own food is possible. On the other hand, if you are limited on space or live in the inner city, you have to come up with a solution to the space problem before ever thinking about growing your own. One of those solutions is the used of a raised bed.
There is a unique bond between the older generations that went through the depression and the younger generations of today as they are both very aware of what is happening to the world around them. It seems lack brings on this consciousness as well as innovation and good use of resources.
People have been growing their own food for generations so little is really that new though the technology and tools make it easier. Integrating cedar raised beds into an organic growing plan is great but it will never replace the gardener. It needs you to succeed.
If you decide to use a raised bed on a balcony, deck or suspended patio you will need to be aware of the weight restrictions before you decide on the size of bed you would like to use. Though you can plant more with a tiered bed it will weigh considerably more since all the dirt is amassed in a small space. You can also use "light" soil that can be purchased at your local plant nursery.
Since your plants will not grow well without the sun, make sure you place your raised garden bed where there is as much sun as possible. There are some options for covering the plants that range from using plastic of some kind to cold frames and small portable greenhouses. You will need to make the best choice for your situation. Just know that you will need to cover plants once the temperature dips below 45 degrees.
Unless you live in the coldest of climates, most days will be warm enough without any additional heat source. However, there will be need from time to time to provide your plants with some extra heat to keep the temperature above 40 degrees. I would suggest you do a little research to find the best method that is both cost affective and practical for your situation.
Though you may think this is way harder than you want to tackle, the fact is, it takes real effort to grow your own food on a year round basis and not everyone will succeed. However, when you serve a meal fresh from your deck garden you will feel fantastic and know you grew it and it is healthy. So have fun and experiment to find the best way to year round garden for you.
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There are some great raised garden bed kits on the market today. You can also use a cedar raised bed to grow organically.
