Gardening will be expensive if you must buy every single ingredient that goes into the mix, but it does not have to be that way. There are environmentally friendly ways to reduce the cost of filing your raised garden beds.
Base:
Cardboards are a good choice for the base. We recommend using the cardboard boxes that were used to package the raised garden beds you have bought from Savana Gardens. You could recycle the cardboards while putting them to good use, killing two birds with one stone.
Logs and branches are another great option for the base. Collect the broken branches, twigs, pine needles and logs found in your compound and put them into your raised beds. Make sure these branches are disease-free, as you don’t want them to infect your garden beds.
Middle Layer:
Dried leaves and grass clipping can be used to fill this layer. These should be available in your compound if you have some plants around. If you don’t have any of these plant debris around, you could get them for free at Chip Drop.
Next, top your beds with food compost from your home. Egg shells are a good choice since they are basic, they can moderate the soil acidity. Other food compost such as coffee grounds, banana peels or other fruit peels also provide a lot of nutrients for your crops.
Top:
For the top layer, cover your food compost with a soil quality of your choice. Mix your soil with compost or organic matter to help with drainage. You could also top it with wood chips to reduce moisture.
