The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
AND SO TO BED
Ellie House looks at the best planters and raised beds to keep your flowers, herbs and vegetables in peak condition
It would seem we’ve all become greenfingered due to lockdown, or at least we’re trying. With more time and attention to lavish on our gardens, you might be expecting a bumper crop of vegetables. If you’ve well and truly got the gardening bug, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of planning for next year’s crop. Raised beds or planters are a great option when it comes to growing your own. Some planters can be mounted on to walls, whereas others can be placed in a particularly sunny area of your garden.
There are lots of benefits when it comes to having a raised bed.
You stand less chance of your precious veg getting ravaged by slugs and snails, and raised beds offer excellent drainage.
You can easily paint your raised bed if you want to inject some more colour, and you can even make your own.
Pallet boxes are the cheaper option, but raised beds which are already made certainly bring more convenience.
Don’t be tempted to cram your veg in, particularly if you’re planting crops such as courgettes, which need plenty of root space.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is plant your veg into your raised bed, and leave it to do its own thing.
There’s no limit on the herbs you can plant, although many seedlings tend to germinate faster when started indoors or in a greenhouse.
Transplanting to a raised bed is a fairly simple process, but make sure you’ve hardened your plants off before making the move.
Talking to your veg is said to encourage it on its way, so get your best one liners and keep your fingers crossed.