Making a raised bed

Rob the veggie gardener’s staple, says Peter Dowdall and you can have an easily managed mix in your garden

Over the last few years there has been a huge increase in people growing their own food. People who before now, may well have thought that potatoes did actually grow on the shelves in the supermarket and are amazed to discover how easy it is to grow one’s own.

Some good seeds or young plants mixed with the right soil, correct amounts of water and levels of sunlight and off you go. This huge growth in popularity is due to several factors: More awareness of the health benefits of growing your own food; gardening programmes on television and radio; and economic circumstances.