No Food Miles with Dominique Rizzo’s DIY Strawberry Planter Stand

Throw away the Food Miles Calculator, throw away food packaging and plastic bags, this is garden-to-plate sustainable gardening, the low environmental impact way.

Chef Dominique Rizzo shares her tips on how to make a DIY Strawberry Planter Stand, the soil to use and her planting technique.

Each morning in Putia garden, chefs are picking edible flowers and herbs, using them in the kitchen to add a dash of colour and flavour to Putia house juices and dishes.  From the easy pickings of the raised garden beds, there is a move to the new addition to the garden:  the DIY Strawberry Planter Stand.

What you need to build the DIY Strawberry Planter Stand in a few easy steps are recycled crate pallets and a length of geotextile material.

Knock together the frame and then line the sloping side of the stand with recycled timber palettes, add a layer of padding using a geotextile material.

Once the frame is in place, then it’s time to move on to the really important step, the one that is vital for a good crop and that is Dominique’s recipe for a rich soil mix.

What you need are Seasol, organic fertiliser, a “5 in 1” pelletized fertiliser, a good combination of soil and potting mix.

Mix it all together and add the soil to the stand.

Ready to plant:  Have on hand a stock of 20 young established strawberry plants (not runners).

Plant each one by gently loosening the strawberry plant’s root system before popping it into a hole in the soil.  Water the crop and that’s it.

To see Dominique’s planting technique, watch her in action in Putia garden  “DIY Strawberry Planter Stand with Chef Dominique Rizzo”.

Now back to that strawberry recipe.