Using Banana Stems For Growing Media In Raised Beds

Another garden space I'm utilizing for gardening. This time, I'm focusing on creating a new raised bed using white bricks.

White brick raised beds are quite practical. I often create organic growing media using white bricks, which I arrange into square raised beds.

Once the growing media has solidified, the white bricks can be moved to another location and then filled with a raised bed.

Previously, I had a raised bed planted with chili peppers. The chili pepper plants are starting to age, so I'm going to remove the raised bed and move the white bricks to another area to fill the raised bed.

I'm utilizing banana stems that grow wild in another area of ​​the housing complex.

I cut down some of the unfruitful banana stems.

I'm also utilizing weeds. I'll also be using a compost mixture from kitchen waste that I've been making in used gallon jugs over the past three months.

After forming six white bricks into a square raised bed, I began filling it.

First, I filled the base of the raised bed with green weeds. Even though it's weeds, none of it is wasted. The weeds are also good for the composting process and will make the entire organic growing medium loose and fertile.

Then, I began chopping the banana stems using a machete.

I used a machete that wasn't too large so my hands wouldn't get tired quickly.

Chopped banana stems will quickly collapse, so it's not a problem to fill the raised bed with a lot of chopped banana stems

After I finished filling the brick raised bed with chopped banana stems, I began filling the raised bed with kitchen compost that I made in used gallon jugs.

The kitchen waste contained vegetable scraps, rice, and fruit peels. I've been collecting them inside a used gallon jug lined with cardboard. They're also made of soil, so they form good compost. And as you can see here, the compost in the used gallon jug is already black, which is a good indication.

I can't believe the two raised beds I made are already full. Later, when I plant more, I'll add ready-to-use planting medium. This ready-to-use planting medium consists of a mixture of loose soil, burnt rice husks, and fermented, fine goat manure.

After finishing, I covered the raised bed with bamboo so that it wouldn't be disturbed by wild animals, especially cats.

Well, that's it for today. I'll share what I planted in this area later. It's true that the weather is currently raining continuously and there's very little sunlight. So, I'd rather prepare the planting medium first and not rush into planting. See you!

Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari