Sunday, June 3, 2007

Build A Box! Grow Patio Veggies!

So you want to grow veggies? Good idea! You don't have a yard? Who cares, we don't!(have a yard)

You can grow veggies outside on your patio. By building a raised bed, you can grow plants on your fire escape, on your air conditioner box, or even attatch brackets to hang from your bathroom window.

The Raised Bed


These boxes are referred to as "raised beds" because they are garden beds above the ground.

The good thing about growing in a raised bed is that it does have some degree of mobility in the event that you need to move.

So lets begin. This is what you will need:













Now you are ready to hammer it all together. Make sure you hammer enough nails to reinforce the sides. Don't forget, the contents of this box will be moist. This could lead to wood warping.


You will need two shorter panels and three longer panels.



And there you have it. This sort of raised bed is ideal for growing any number of vegetables, and even some fruits. Strawberries, cucumbers, or zuchini would all do well in a raised bed. Just make sure not to overcrowd your plants. We are budgeting space here, but at least give them enough room to flourish in moderation. You can plant multiple varieties of vegetables in a single bed if you like, but it would be a good idea to do some research as to which plants are complimentary and which aren't. If two plants in the same bed require the same kinds of nutrients from the soil, then neither will do well.

If you're feeling less industrious, there are plenty of other preconstructed containers in which you can grow vegetables, like football helmets or the bed of some dude's totally sweet lifted monster truck, but making your own is just more fun. If you do use some pre-existing container, make sure that it's not water tight. That means you'll have to drill a hole in your helmet, but the tomato plant to whom you've just given a new home will repay you in kind.

1 comment:

Eli Horwatt said...

I love you guys--this blog is just what we needed. The films I was showing were the Criterion Collection "By Brakhage" (Stan Brakhage) and I think the more eye catching was the Jiri Barta collection of Czek stop motion and animation.

Enjoy. We miss you two!