Spring is here. ‘Tis the season to be…….gardening!!
A neighbor friend told me about a method of gardening using pallets. The premise is placing a pallet on the ground, filling it with soil, and then planting vegetables and herbs between the planks of the pallet.
This is not something that I have tried myself – but looks interesting. Anything that gets more people growing their own food is good by me. Many of the examples that I have seen people doing have some material laid under the pallet to minimize grass and weed growth through the pellet. Potting soil is often used – which is generally weed free.
Other than laying the pallet flat – a vertical garden is established by leaning the pallet up against a structure – building, wall, tree…..whatever. Soil is kept within the pallet by placing landscaping fabric along the back.
Pallet gardening looks to be a great idea – especially for those with minimal space.
This looks like a great idea, especially for those with a limited amount of room for a garden. Really like this idea.
I tried this. It works well for small root veggies – lettuces and spinach. Plants with large roots – tomatoes, cuc’s, peppers, etc get root bound very quick. It’s not good for root crops like onions, garlic or potatoes. It’s one of those ideas that SHOULD be cool, but the practicality doesn’t pan out. You can grow lettuce in much a smaller space than the pallet.
If you dismantle the pallet and recycle the wood, you can make about anything. Think strawberry tower! It’s good stong wood.
If you are looking for growing “up” – growing more food in less space, search for ideas on “vertical gerdening.” No bending, no weeding, easy-peasy. If you like Pinterest, start here: http://pinterest.com/mskyprepper/vertical-garden/
I haven’t tried this intentionally. We stack hay on pallets and if they aren’t picked up as the hay is used, the old hay decomposes and seeds germinate. Totally by accident (or laziness) I have grown hay in pallets.
I use them as fenceing around my garden. But you really need to know where they come from. The pallets at my work have some really nasty chemicals spilled on them.