Making raised beds from rubbish

We grow lots of soft fruit on our Farside allotment but our strawberry patch is constantly being invaded by raspberries, brambles, comfrey, nettles and weeds. We have set ourselves the task of creating a series of raised beds to be planted up with the strawberries. And the other condition is that the raised beds must be built from waste and rubbish. We have just about achieved this.

The raised beds are made from paving stone boxes. These are very strong and sturdy as they are used to transport heavy paving stones. The boxes have been lined with plastic feed sacks which are stapled into place. These staples are the only items which are bought. The boxes have been filled with layers of waste – mainly from our goat and hen houses. Some but not all of this muck has been partially rotted down. Ther are also layers of garden waste and cardboard. This material will rot down slowly, gradually releasing nutrients on which the plants in the raised beds will feed. The final layer is fully rotted down garden compost.

We have so far created three raised beds. We have about another 17 to go.

Until 2009 I was working in London, UK, but I gave it up to pursue a life of self-sufficiency. My aim is to grow or forage for all my food, produce my own power and live a healthier and greener lifestyle. I left London to return to my home village of Sunniside, near Newcastle, in the North East of England. I have a couple of plots of land there as well as the garden of my house. Our village is a commuter area for Newcastle but we are surrounded by countryside which we use for picking wild foods. My mission in life is to show that it is possible to live well without destroying the planet in the process. I am also keen to ensure knowledge of historic recipes and cooking is kept alive. I regularly try out recipes from old cookbooks using the food we have grown. I make videos about our progress and about how to cook home-grown foods. These can be viewed on www.youtube.com/jonathanwallace.
www.self-sufficientinsuburbia.blogspot.com