I love the part about building a raised bed from scratch! Although tiring, it's really fun. It's fun because you get used to it. If you've never done it before, it can be incredibly tiring.
I have two square raised beds that I made from bricks left over from a residential development. Then, I decided to add four more.
Well, a garden supply store actually introduced me to these round raised beds.
They could also be called planter bags. However, because they're large, they're more commonly called round raised beds. So, I decided to try something new.
Honestly, using raised beds save more space because you can use several layers of organic material before adding loose soil on top.
I rely on banana stems and weeds as the bottom layer of the raised bed. Of course, I also use fermented goat manure, which no longer smells, and its texture has changed from its original form.
On the bottom layer of the round raised bed, I place weeds. So, absolutely nothing goes to waste. Even weeds are beneficial in the garden.
After creating the grass layer, I then added a layer of chopped banana stems. Banana stems have powerful properties that promote plant fertility.
Chop the banana stems into small pieces to facilitate the decomposition process.
Because banana stems are abundant in nature where I live, they're a precious blessing!
After that, I added a layer of dried grass. You can also use dried leaves for this area.
Then, I added a layer of goat manure. It's no longer round like its original shape. This is the result of natural fermentation. Well, I got this goat manure for free from a local farmer. He let the goat manure ferment naturally over several years. So it's very good.
I added just a little bit of goat manure, not a thick layer. This is because there's already a layer of banana stems. This way, there won't be an excess of nitrogen. Excess nitrogen can make plants fertile at first, but they're susceptible to disease. Like an obese person prone to disease.
Well, the final step is to add loose soil. I've mixed the loose soil with burnt rice husks.
I'll leave the raised bed until I have the seedlings ready for transplanting. Let nature process the growing medium into a fertile growing medium.
Covered them to avoid cat! Also they Will be good with cover for sure.
I'm currently growing shallots from bulbs, which I bought at the market. They're cheap. If they're expensive, it's best to just grow shallots from seed. Until next time!
Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari
Anggrek Lestari is an Indonesian fiction writer who has published two major books. Now She is a full-time content creator. She has a goal to share life, poem, and food content that makes others happy and can get inspiration.
Contact Person: authoranggreklestari@gmail.com
Discord: anggreklestari#3009