FIVE TIPS ON HOW TO BUILD RAISED GARDEN BEDS
four feet by four feet (4 feet x 4 feet) and eight feet by 4 feet (8 feet x 4 feet)
“You need a space of two feet or four feet in between the beds to walk through the raised beds. In our case, it is a mix of one foot and one and a half feet because we wanted to fit four raised beds,” she said.
Estimate the cost of constructing the beds.
Constructing raised garden beds can be a do-it-yourself product for handy individuals. Choosing to hire a carpenter to get the work done is also an option.
Put soil in the constructed beds.
“We bought garden soil and mixed it with dried chicken manure, homemade compost, and dried leaves from trees and other plants from our garden. The first time we did this, after mixing thoroughly, we let it stand for about a week before planting,” Fortaleza said.
Plan what to plant
Weeks before setting-up the new raised beds, Fortaleza started germinating or growing seeds to prepare for planting.
“In planning what to grow, it’s important to learn about companion planting, crop rotation, as well as the proper amount of sunlight and water that each plant needs among other things,” she said. BENEFITS OF RAISED BED GARDENING
With raised garden beds, digging is not necessary when gardening. Compost and other soil elements used to fertilize the soil can be applied on the surface, thus saving time and effort.
Fortaleza said that using this method of gardening promotes good drainage in the soil while avoiding any contaminants found underground, and it is easier to manage because it can be easily covered to keep pests and diseases away.
Weeds can easily be dealt with as well since raised garden beds are densely planted, thus only giving little to no space for unwanted growth. If weeds do grow, they can be easily pulled out from loose soil used in the beds.
“A personal advantage is I have something to sit on when working in my garden. Finally, it does look more pleasing to the eyes,” she added.
Presently, her garden grows sweet potatoes, kangkong, gabi, tomatoes, lemongrass, papaya, ampalaya, mustard greens, alugbati, radish, pechay, pepper, lemon, and basil. FORTALEZA’S GARDENING JOURNEY Fortaleza’s gardening journey began in 2001 when she and her husband, Wilson, moved into a house with a 35 square meter ornamental garden that had a tall pine tree and avocado tree growing in its surroundings. Overgrown plants were spilling all over and there was a carabao grass lawn that needed trimming.
In order to tidy up the area, Fortaleza started pruning and replanting with one of their housekeepers who was very enthusiastic to help out with the job.
To her excitement, the plants grew in their garden and Fortaleza decided to venture into urban gardening. She started by experimenting with herbs and growing them from seedlings.
“I started with mint and basil. I was successful the first time. I was so amazed that I was able to grow mint from seeds because mint seeds are very, very tiny and it was not as easy to start with seeds compared to cuttings,” she said.
With some background from her late parents who were urban gardeners and through consulting her husband who grew up on a farm, Fortaleza was able to grow mint and basil from seeds.
Hungry for more, she then bought pots, potting mix and seeds which were purely composed of herbs such as parsley, lavender, sage, marjoram, tarragon, cilantro, and many more.
“Honestly, I felt I was a child again; full of curiosity and enthusiasm, anticipating the time I would be spending in the garden and thinking about what I would do and plant next,” she shared.
As a beginner, Fortaleza learned a lot about gardening from reading materials online.
“It is important that one gain knowledge from actual experience. What you read or watch or share with you does not always happen as exactly as they say in the book, document or video. Rather, use these as guides to your progress,” she advised.
From herbs, Fortaleza’s garden flourished and now grows a variety of crops, trees, and even ornamental plants, showing that starting out small can eventually lead to beautiful results. (Photos courtesy of Ethel Robis-Fortaleza)
IT’S NO SECRET among gardeners that the key to successfully growing plants lies in the quality of soil. Hence, they make sure that the soil they plant on is prepared well or receives the proper amount of nutrition.
One way to nourish the soil is through composting, where organic matter is broken down by microorganisms present in oxygen until it reaches a state where it’s safe to handle and then applied to soil as a fertilizer.
Adolfo Babiano, a retired labor arbiter from Novaliches, Quezon City who enjoys gardening as a hobby, has a different approach when it comes to composting.
He prefers hot composting using microbes over worm composting (vermicomposting) because he finds it “faster, cheaper, more convenient, less technical, and suitable for small spaces” since he gardens on his rooftop, which measures about 70 square meters.
“I developed the technique after reading articles about composting. It is unlike other techniques in that I use powder-dry soil instead of moist or wet soil,” Babiano said.
The retired labor arbiter added that hot composting combines green manuring, tea composting, and cold composting into one and does away with the tedious process of turning over the compost pile by simply turning over the bagged compost mix.
His daughter Dessa Babiano shared the process of soil-hot composting that they practice in their rooftop garden via social media. The steps are as follows:
Air-dry the soil completely. For this step, any kind of soil—used, old, or new, can be applicable. Avoid from drying under direct sunlight since it could make the soil crusty rather than moist.
Babiano recycles his used garden soil by repeating this process of leaving it to dry out thoroughly before using it in the next compost mix. This way, he manages to save money from buying new soil.
Put in a large mixing pot, preferably plastic. Add in food scraps or brown cartons that’s cut into one-inch pieces.
Mix the scraps into the airdried soil using a trowel.
. Keep adding compostable materials. Once the mixture becomes sponge-wet, transfer it into small bags--preferably those that have ventilation to air out any excess moisture. Turn over the bags once every week for four weeks to complete the microbial activity for hot composting.
Once the middle part of the mixture is warm due to bacterial action, this signifies that the hot composting process works.
.Transfer in a large tub and mix again before applying to the plants’ soil. If the compost pile is odor-free and black, that means that the compost that came out is of good quality.
Using this method of composting, Babiano managed to grow vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, beans, chaism, pechay, lemon grass, turmeric, pandan, kinchay, ampalaya, ginger, camote for its leaves, squash and zucchini, among others in his given space.
“I also have calamansi, dragon fruit and ornamentals for color. I’ve experimented and successfully fruited strawberry, lemon, watermelon and grapes but only for show. I also have a mini forest and a newly-installed orchidarium,” Babiano said.
The retired labor arbiter was first exposed to gardening when he was an elementary student at the Leyte Normal Laboratory School in Tacloban City.
“I consider growing plants and trees as taking part in God’s re-creation of life. It is also a productive hobby that I benefit from and be proud of,” he said. (Photos from Dessa Babiano)