Raised beds offer many advantages to the vegetable grower. They provide deeper soil which retains moisture better and they allow you to fertilize easily in a controlled way. They can be mulched to keep adding annual fertility. They tidy your veg plot into mounds of growing space, keeping slugs and snails slightly further away. Leaving wide paths between beds is advantageous for gardeners with disability and mobility issues because they are higher off the ground, easier to seed and weed and great to sit on too. So in this article let’s make some (moveable) temporary raised beds you can try cheaply this year and if you like this method, you can try building more permanent ones next autumn.

After last week’s snow, I am determined to get started. I know that Richard already has his rows of tomato plants on his window sill, so I have some catching up to do. Wash out those pots from last year to make sure no snails are lurking in there and also to give your new seeds a disease-free environment. Check out which window in your house the sun hits for longest, and then get a tray ready with pots to house your new seedlings.

Out of the soil come the plants whose fruit and veg you want to eat and enjoy, so you can see that all the goodness comes from there too. Experts say the ideal soil for growing vegetables is loamy – see more on soil types below. Digging your soil at this time of the year will add oxygen, help to remove pests like slugs and snails, and add fertilizers targeted at the plants you have chosen. Adding mulch will help your soil to retain moisture. Read on to make a great start to your vegetable growing this year.

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling impatient right now. The sun feels warm enough to start digging and planting on my allotment in the daytime, but the overnight temperature is discouraging. So what spring cleaning gardening and garden preparation tasks can you do now?

Successful vegetable growing needs fertile soil, water, and lots of sunshine, so right now (End Feb / Early March) is the best time to start planning, not putting seeds in the ground if you live in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Whether you have just taken on an allotment, you are planning a school garden; you have a square foot garden in your backyard, a huge homestead plot, or a tiny urban garden, this time of year is great to buy seeds, and to prepare the soil in preparation for spring vegetable planting.