The newest trend of gardening is raised bed gardens. There are endless possibilities for this project. I read about using old file cabinets by taking out the drawers. Making the bed out of wood probably the most popular. Here at Minden Farm and Garden we are stocking the new Vego Garden Beds. These are metal and are made to be able to arrange 9 ways. Raised bed gardens can be made decorative or as simple as you want it. You can decorate with flags or even birdhouses placed around it. If you plant flowers, you can place hummingbird feeders around it. My son and daughter-in-law used concrete cinderblocks to shape their raised beds. It turned out well and they were able to make walkways between them. It turned out very well and they produced a lot of good vegetables and the kids loved working the garden. Miss Kay that works in our store has used raised beds for years. Kay has numerous beds some being empty tubs from cattle feed and old feed troughs. She plants everything from corn to potatoes.
You need to have a good soil base in your garden. I suggest using several things to fill the bed. Cotton burr compost, topsoil, peat moss and maybe some vermiculite and perlite are good fillers. You can purchase the vermiculite and perlite in small bags and very large bags. These products loosen the mix so that the soil won’t be so tight.
When it comes to planting the beds the sky is the limit. Tomatoes, peppers and just about any vegetable works great. I think squash is one of the most popular, one being that you don’t need too many squash because they are so prolific. I think it would be fun to plant a few peanuts in the bed also. The kids can learn for much from these small gardens. Don’t forget to use a few flowers, including sunflowers. It is fun to watch that the sunflower head turns and follows the sun. Of course, eating the fresh vegetables is the best part.
Don’t be afraid just dig in and plant that raised bed garden. You can’t do wrong.
Merry Christmas to all of our readers.
(Mitzi Thomas owns Minden Farm & Garden LLC. Watch for her column on Fridays in Webster Parish Journal.)