Joseph
Have you ever searched through Pinterest and found a project you know you want to do? Of course you have it! Last fall, I was looking for ways to expand my lawn, and I found an article on pallet gardens. I just learned that I can add one or two to my garden area and grow winter vegetables in it.
Pallet garden is an easy and economical way to grow compact vegetables and herbs such as green salad, kale, dwarf peas, beans, and cabbage, and herbs like parsley, thyme, basil, and rosemary. Another consideration is growing edible flowers like vanilla and calendula. Focus your efforts on finding crops and plant species that have shallow rooting systems and grow in compact, shrub, dwarf, or miniature form.
But before you start your pallet garden, here are some important facts that I discovered.
Related: A quick guide to small homes
Pallet gardening in 5 easy steps
- Locate a pallet – pallets are very easy to get. I was at our local home appliance store buying some vegetables, and I noticed when we got there, they had a pile of pallets next to the building. When I was registering, I asked the owner if I could buy one. She offered to give me what I want. calendar! Later that week, I learned that a lot of companies that ship items to have pallets available; However, it is important to know if the pallets have been treated with chemicals as this will contaminate your organic vegetable garden.
- Pallet Cleaning – Since it’s impossible to know the date of your newly purchased pallet, it’s a good idea to wash it – even if the person you got it from says it’s clean. Pallets are typically used in warehouses or retail operation sites and many people may have contacted or placed your pallet near chemicals you wouldn’t want in organic lettuce. The pallets are easy to clean. First, inspect the pallet for open splinters or nails protruding through the wood. You don’t want to go to the emergency room to get a tetanus shot because you lost a battle with a rusty nail. Once the pallet is safe, wash it with soap and water. I washed it several times and rinsed between each cleansing.
- Cover Your Pallet – When I got my board, I was so excited that I didn’t even consider purchasing landscaping fabrics, but my husband had a lot of spare fabrics due to his addiction to Harbor Freight; However, when you are building your pallet, purchase landscaping fabric. Cover the bottom, back, and sides of your pallet, and staple it every few inches. Finally, move the covered pallet to where you want it in your garden.
- Add your soil – I used three bags of an organic soil / compost mixture and half a bag of vermiculite that I bought at your local hardware store. Once the dirt got in, I grabbed a broom and swept away any loose soil that has accumulated on the pallet boards in the dirt mixture.
- Grow your garden – Once the dirt is in place, grab the plants you want to place between the slats of the pallet. In my case, it was planted Open pollinated seeds Like cabbage seeds and lettuce, but herbs are grown well on pallets, too. I followed the directions on the seed package, watered the plants, and let nature do its job. I am happy how successful our pallet project has been.
What do you plant in your pallet garden?
Related articles:
7 vegetables can grow in 60 days or less
How to grow vegetables throughout the year in container gardens
The 10 best vegetables for urban growers
This article was originally published on: Ready feeding™ on May 10, 2021
picture: Pixabay
