A few herbs growing inside a makeshift brick bed doesn’t do justice to the joy and flavour they add to your home cooking.

Save your back, care for your knees and add elevation to your garden by putting your herb and vegetable garden in a raised bed.

Then plucking condiments fresh from your garden for lunch or dinner will be so much easier and more enjoyable.

WATCH: Graham shows Rose how to install a raised herb garden

Heavy duty leather gloves; shovel; bucket; metal rake; kitchen or garden scissors; pliers; trowel.

Before: a straggly make-shift brick bed

You don’t need to fill all of your raised garden bed with potting mix. This can be expensive. You only need about 30cm of a growing medium for successful vegetable gardening. Layer gravel on the bottom suppresses grass, and scoria or clay pebbles add height. Then top with growing medium. 

Remove bricks from border of existing bed. 

Dig out herbs and roots, and put those your wish to keep in a bucket of water. 

Remove turf, if needed, to increase area for the raised garden bed. Position ready-made bed on the ground. 

Fill base of raised bed with a shallow layer of free-draining gravel, then top with clay pebbles or scoria to 40-45cm from top.

Cover with geotextile fabric cut to fit to help prevent growing medium falling through.

Fill with quality vegetable-growing medium to 10-15cm from top.

Place wire mesh at the rear of the bed.

Join mesh pieces with mire mesh ties. 

Plant seedlings, leaving enough space for their mature size. Water in.

Spread mulch over garden beds to help prevent weeds and water evaporation. 

Garden soil isn't suitable for cultivating vegies. A raised bed lets you use a growing medium full of nutrients and has good drainage. 

The final look! Plant climbers at the base of the mesh to start training them

Raised garden beds are a terrific alternative to the in-ground variety, as they can help reduce back strain while you tend to your plot. Search the internet for quality corrugated, galvanised Bluescope steel and Colorbond garden beds. Choose from a range of Colorbond colours, and a variety of shapes and heights. Available, ready-made, there are also suppliers who can customise to your specifications.

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