Build a raised bed for the balcony

What you need:

• small barrel with lid
• Mortar bucket, 90 l
• Tree pruning / bark mulch
• Kitchen waste
• Newsprint
• Quick composter
• cardboard
• (Potting soil)
• Rollborder, 30 cm high

Principle of raised beds

• The most important thing about a raised bed is not that it is laid above ground, but the structure of the substrate in the bed. This ensures that enough nutrients are available even in a small space. In addition, fermentation heat is generated, which accelerates growth.
• The bed consists of several layers. These are tree pruning, garden waste, semi-finished and finished compost. Unless you have a garden to fall back on, getting it is difficult. But there are a few tricks you can use to get replacements.
• 90-liter mortar buckets are not only suitable as raised beds for balconies. These are approximately 81 x 41 x 31 cm. It's neither too big nor too small. If you have more space, put several buckets next to each other.
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• So that the bed looks nice, it makes sense to surround it with a roll border (lawn edge in the shape of a palisade). In this way, the raised bed becomes an ornament on the balcony.

Construction of the bed for the balcony

1. Drill holes about 1 cm in size in a small plastic barrel that is as dark as possible. You can produce compost yourself in this barrel. Throw in kitchen rubbish that was left behind when cleaning fruit and vegetables, coffee filters and damp newspaper. Please do not throw cooked food, used cat litter or the like in it. To a small extent, you can use used litter from rabbits or guinea pigs. Put rapid composter on top after each filling. After approx. 3 months you will have half-finished compost.


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2. Drill about 10 holes 1 cm in diameter in the walls of the mortar tub, which should be 2 cm above the floor. Get a woodcut that is made from branches about the size of a finger. Perhaps a fruit farmer in the area will give you some of the pruning. Cut the branches into finger-length pieces. In a pinch, you can also use bark mulch. Put a layer of 8 cm in the prepared mortar tub.
3. Cover the wood with a layer of cardboard. If you have, you can also add leaves or clippings to it. Now fill it up to approx. 10 cm from the half-finished compost. The last layer is now feathery, sifted compost or potting soil in the bucket. This layer ends just below the edge.
4. Now all you need to do is cover the bucket with the roll border and you have a raised bed for the balcony. You should put a few more earthworms in the bed. Do not dig up the soil in the buckets. After about 3 years everything in the beds will have rotted so far that you can use the substrate as potting soil for the balcony box or for potted plants. Now it is time to create a new bed.