Corrugated Iron Raised Garden Bed - Update - Strawberries!

by Carole

A couple of months ago I posted on Hometalk that we had built a raised garden bed out of scrap corrugate iron and some purchased timber. There was not much to see growing in the bed on that post, but since then we have planted strawberry runner and the plants have grown and are producing fruit. Thought you might like to see the results.

Strawberry plants

Sadly the wellingtons boots have neither grown in size nor have they produced any fruit. I wonder why? Bwah ha ha ha ha! I also changed the little plastic pots that were helping to hold the netting up (stuck atop bamboo sticks) to beer bottles as in high winds the plastic pots kept getting blown off.

Ripening Strawberries

The bottles are much better at staying put and another great recycling use for beer bottles too.

Just Built

I also have a rhubarb plant in this bed which is under some black shade cloth as it does not do well in full on fierce sunshine. Tends to wither up.

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4 comments

Douglas Hunt on Nov 22, 2014
Yum! It will be strawberry season here in a couple of months, one of the good things about Florida winters.

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- Carole on Jan 07, 2015
  @Douglas Hunt The raised bed now has a rhubarb plant in it too. I planted 3 crowns at the foot of the garden and they were not doing well at all. Had been there for more than 2 years and being eaten by something and never had any rhubarb to eat from them. I dug one up and put into the raised bed. It has gone gangbusters! We finally had rhubarb and custard last night. Yay! The strawberries have fruited and gone wild with runners, I cut some off and gave to a neighbour - spread the love! LOL! The wellies had to be removed from the bed as all has spread and needs more space.
  
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- Douglas Hunt on Jan 08, 2015
  @Carole Ah, rhubarb, that is one thing we cannot grow here.
  
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- Carole on Jan 08, 2015
  @Douglas Hunt Oh, what a shame. I have not had rhubarb since I was a child in the UK and our elderly neighbour used to grow it. Other than that, has been tinned rhubarb. I did not even know how to cook it and had to look it up! For anyone who can grow rhubarb Here is how: Three cups of rhubarb cut into inch long chunks 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup of white, or brown sugar or can use honey or artificial sweetener I added half a squeezed orange juice to mine (in which case you may need a little less water) Heat on medium heat on the stove top in a pan till the sugar dissolves, bring to the simmer and simmer for 5 - 8 minutes till rhubarb has softened and is tender or falling apart. So quick, so easy, so tasty! Lovely with custard or in a pie or crumble. Thinking of adding strawberries to the next batch I cook. NB: the leaves are highly toxic so don't feed to pets or wildlife or attempt to consume the leaves yourself.
  
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