Recycled containers are ideal for the veg plot
This month we’ve built some large containers for the veg plots to add to our collection of recycled containers.
These containers aren’t the sort you move around the garden but more like a tall raised bed. It's essentially just a wooden box with no bottom. Resting on the gravel between other beds, it has no contact with the soil below and so would work on anywhere that's been concreted over to make a large planting area. It only cost around £40 for the materials for a square metre of planting area, and could be even less if scrap wood or old scaffolding planks were used.
I lined the containers with leftover crane bags to help extend the life of the wood and retain moisture in the soil. Jo helped to fill the containers with a mixture of soil and Hyde Hall compost; hopefully their large size will allow them to hold onto moisture well.
This year I've decided to ban bamboo canes from the plot in favour of coppiced hazel. While the straightness of bamboo is easy to work with, hazel is available in our own woodland and adds a rustic quality that’s well suited to a vegetable plot or cottage garden.
We'll be growing runner beans in one of the containers, and normally I wouldn’t recommend having the support for the beans higher than you can reach to harvest, but, as I’m not one to be wholly practical, I decided to use my 4m (13ft) long hazel poles. I may regret it at harvest time, but talk about adding a bit of height!