Raised Vegetable Beds on Facebook

I take them for two walks a day, have them in the best seats in the house and feed them (what I think) is good food. So why do the dogs repay me in the garden by chewing anything that is within range of their mouth?  Maybe it’s the same principal as a cat bringing home a dead mouse and plonking it on the worktops as a gift. I doubt it though as I’m sure cats don’t look guilty when you ask them “who did this” which is what I have to say to both my dogs every day. They both always look guilty though but I do know that it’s Chips (the spaniel) that does most of the damage.

This week she’s eaten the plastic pots from my chamomile plants and worked her way through the Christmas rose plants that I put outside to harden off. Most of the time it’s just the post she eats leaving the roots of the plants open to the elements. I suppose she has to do something as most of the ground is too wet to dig holes in at the moment, which is something else I can look forward to in the spring.

Raised vegetable beds

I have had an interest in raised vegetable beds for a few years now and built them in the last three gardens I have had. I even wrote an ebook about them. I think it’s still for sale on Amazon, but not sure. When I put it on a while ago there were only two other raised vegetable beds information books on there. Now you have to set aside half an hour to scroll down them all. I’m sure mine is there somewhere but I haven’t sold a copy for over a year, so the time has come to give it away for free I think. As soon as I find it on my computer I’ll let you know.

I did set up a Facebook page called “Raised Vegetable Beds” and for ages it sat there with only one or two contributors, I only looked at the page once or twice a month to make sure it was still there. Over that last few weeks though there has been a renewed interest on the page and everyday there are at least 20 people joining. I know that isn’t nearly the same amount that looks at Ruairi McSorleys “Frostbit” video but it’s good for a start.  For some reason the good folk in America have taken over the site as word seems to spread. Most of the information coming on the page is relating to the US but raised beds as we are finding out are not governed by location. It’s fun to read and I only very occasionally get someone trying to sell counterfeit Ray Ban sunglasses or clickbaiting onto their own sites. Up to writing this there are over 2000 people signed up. Here is just one topic raised this week.

Can I?

“Can I put tea bags in my compost bin?”

“Yup and coffee grounds, egg shells, banana peels”

“Yes!! I have composted for years and I do not have a rodent or pest problem. I just create "black gold!" Your entire kitchen scraps such as potato peels, strawberry hulls, banana peels, coffee grounds AND filter, complete tea bag with string, egg shells, squash skin and seeds, citrus peels and much, much more are compostable. And then, when you start gardening all of your garden scraps should be added. (I exclude evasive weeds and any diseases plants that I have removed from my garden. I have these into a separate pile which I burn.) I have 3 separate compost piles going at all times which are all at different stages ….you can never have too much compost. It is your most valuable contribution to your garden.”

“I don't put potato peels or onion peels in my compost, they spread disease and it irritates the worms.”

“Yes you can. Just make sure they don't have the string and tag if it's herbal tea.”

“Tea bags will go great in the compost bin..... But before that there is another use for them. They can help to reduce sweaty palms. If your hands start to drip when you are nervous then hold the wet tea bag in your hands for 10-15 minutes. The tannin in the tea (regular, not herbal) is an astringent, which has the ability to shrink the pores. If you are shaking hands with someone important, do it a few times over a week or so before the event. There could be a side effect though; your hands might get a bit stained. (Old tea bags have been used to create fake tans!)”

Top tips indeed!