Raised beds!

To be honest I had never heard of raised beds. The most I knew is that they were used for growing sweet potatoes back in the village!

Well the raised bed is the basic unit of our garden. We have almost 100 beds on 1/4 of an acre which is approximately two 50x100ft plots.

Each bed has different crops from maize, beans, tomatoes, etc. to melon and g/nuts.

Each bed is about 3ft wide by 10 to 20ft long. Each is mulched with dry grass to lock in the moisture an keep away the weeds.

The bed serves as the primary growing area. In between the beds we have walkways. No one is allowed to step on the beds.

The raised have well dug soil mixed with organic manure which is mainly chicken droppings. The beds are well aerate and drain well which promotes root growth which is the foundation of plant growth and bumper harvests.

This way of tilling is very rare in Uganda and is only being promoted by a few farmers and organisations.

But for small plots of land this is what makes the most economic and practical sense!

They are also easier to manage and will not overwhelm you. You can choose to work on one garden a day!