For those of us who love truly gardening, we tend to be eager to learn the many different techniques that are available out there to use. Do you remember the hugelkultur raised garden beds and then the keyhole raised garden bed plans? Well, today I would like to share this ‘upgraded version’ the diy cinder block key hole garden.

What are keyhole gardens? According to the Gardening Channel they are circular raised bed gardens. The larger outer circles are where crops are planted. The center portion of these gardens are active composting baskets. Small aisles are built to access the compost baskets. Keyhole gardens get their name from the bird’s eye view of these features.

Over the years, it has been established that keyhole gardens are idea for maximum crop production especially in areas where the climate is hot and dry. The advantages of this type of garden include lower costs, as well as lower maintenance and being very versatile. This is the reason why this type of garden has been adopted in many developing countries worldwide.

How To Build A Cinder Block Keyhole Garden — Photo credit: gardeningchannel.com

---------------------- Advertisement ----------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Here’s What You’ll Need:

cinder blocks
kitchen scraps
grey water
sticks & twigs
twine
chicken wire
rocks
compost
top soil
protective shade
broken plant pots
tin cans
cardboard
straw
manure

Identify a flat are in your garden about 6 feet in diameter. In the center you want to construct the heart of your garden which is the composting basket. This is done by pushing sticks into the ground in a circle and then using chicken wire or twine as the outer material of the basket. Rocks are placed at the bottom for drainage, followed by top soil and then the kitchen as well as garden scraps.

Your center basket will need a protective shade. The outer wall of the garden is built using your cinder blocks, the height of the garden wall is up to you. For drainage lay down broken plant pots, tin cans, and twigs. The next layer consists of cardboard, straw, topsoil, ashes, compost, and aged manure. The top soil is the top layer, and should slope outwards away from the basket.

Allow your garden to settle for at least 7 days, before planting at least 4 different plants in it. You can plant everything from onions, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, spinach, lettuce and herbs. Initially, you should water the plants until they become established, then you can just water the center basket to maintain your garden over time. I really love this type of garden! 🙂

You can get more information on the Gardening Channel blog, here…