Sandbox Raised Bed
I am constantly looking for ways to add more food production to my garden. I am not sure if this is a common problem, but our sandbox never quite worked out. It was often used by the local cats as a litter box and worms made a comfy home of it. I am not sure if we were using the wrong type of sand or what the case was, but my kids didn’t really enjoy playing in the sand.
After gutting the sand out of the box, I decided to place the new raised bed at the top of my driveway where there is full sun exposure. It is also in close proximity to the kitchen, so it will be well suited for fresh herbs and greens. My children got excited about the box and wanted to make it their own. I am always thrilled whenever my kids are interested in gardening and growing food.
The landscape fabric was added first to stop the soil from washing away through the bottom of the box. A layer of gravel followed by straw, then soil, then shredded newspaper. The soil was organic soil that used to constitute my vegetable garden before the bioshelter and ponds. The soil already contained lots of worms, so the shredded newspaper provided some bedding and food for the worms.
The box was then topped with straw and finally the last layer of mulch. The straw alone is generally enough to help keep the moisture in the soil, but I always put a layer of mulch in my front garden just to keep my neighbors appeased. Voila, done. Brand new raised bed for the kids which took about 2 hours to complete. Happy days gardening.
