Do you remember the article about building a raised bed with roof tiles with the title “Raised bed made of Roman roof tiles. An alternative and cheap way to build raised beds for your garden” that I wrote in August and the use of wood chips?
The finished raised bed with roof tiles and wood chips. How different is the color of the soil is after adding organic matter!
In early September, I planted lettuce, salad greens and onions in this raised bed.
The yield really exceeded all expectations! I talk about an overproduction!
Fast growth
In about a month, I had already started harvesting lettuce and salads.
My neighbors benefited the most, as were those that tasted the most!
Less watering
I watered the lettuces, salads and onions growing in this raised bed only 1 to 2 times a week. Without using a raised bed covered with wood chips, the water evaporated fast and I had to water at least 2 to 3 times a week.
Lettuce, salads and onions growing in the raised bed with wood chips. Some lettuce and salad plants are missing because we’ve already picked them up.
The weather in September and October 2017 in Attica, as in all of Greece, was very hot. It almost looked like summer.
The layer of wood chips prevented water evaporation and the soil in which the roots were growing remained moist and rich with microbial life.
No more weeds
The top layer of wood chips, prevented the growth of weeds around the plants.
There were almost no weeds in the entire raised bed. Even those weeds that managed to penetrate the wood chips layer and grow, were weak.
There are no weeds with wood chips. Wood chips (if the layer is thick enough), prevent the growth of weeds
To be honest, some weeds did appear, but they were dealt with immediately.
Conclusion
The raised bed and wood chips experiment is a complete success.
Using a raised bed to grow your vegetables, allows you to control and improve the quality of the soil used.
A top layer of wood chips, prevents weeds to grow, keeps the soil moist and improves the microbial life in your soil, keeping it healthy and rich in nutrients.
All these are key points for healthy, strong plants that over produce.
I recommend you try it!
Tags: RAISED BEDS • WOOD CHIPS
