>> Solara Goldwynn

Two raised beds were created for the Fernwood Community Centre Kitchen Garden. The beds will provide growing space for annual vegetable food production to be used by the chef at the Fernwood Community Centre.

Each bed is approximately 9 1/2 feet long by 3 1/2 feet wide x 18 inches tall. The beds, designed by Gord Baird from Eco-Sense—ecosenseliving.wordpress.com—were put together over 3 days by Gord Baird, as well as Tayler Krawczyk and Solara Goldwynn from Hatchet & Seed.

Cement was coated around diamond mesh lath to create a durable and permanent structure. They were painted with an iron oxide pigment, which is environmentally friendly and very long lasting. Finally, the beds were filled with a combination of straw, rotting logs, mulch, and compost to provide a prime growing environment.

This is a very cost effective, flexible and beautiful way to create strong raised beds that don’t take up too much space. The wall thickness is around 2 inches; that leaves more space for growing. The beds also hold heat from the sunshine in the day which helps little veggie starts grow. You can design and create many shapes too. The only limit is what your imagination can dream up.

If you’d like more information about the beds or would like to have one in your yard, contact Hatchet & Seed at hatchetnseed@gmail.com.