September is bee awareness month and we have the perfect way to keep them buzzing.
We need bees more than you might think. Bees pollinate one third of the food we eat, and life would be a struggle without them. It’s a two-way street, bees need us to plant food they can eat, to keep them buzzing so they continue pollinating and creating the amazing honey we love.
Bee numbers worldwide are in decline and we must do all that we can to save them before it’s too late. Some of the main factors causing this are nutritional stress, lack of food compromising the bees’ resistance to pests and diseases, and pesticides and sprays.
Mossop’s Honey is a leading Manuka Honey producer from New Zealand and they have provided us with an eco-friendly way for us to do our part and help the honeybees continue on their journey. Pallet gardens are easy to make and look really effective hanging on a fence in the backyard, or simply sitting on a patio. Pallets are pretty easy to get hold of (for free) and look great with just about anything planted in them whether it be bee friendly flowers, herbs or vegetables.
Why not try your hand at this DIY Pallet Wall Garden with your pick of bee friendly plants?
What you will need:
- A pallet (you could get a pallet from any industrial area)
- White house paint (optional as you might like to keep yours natural)
- Screws
- Extra prices of wood (decking timber was the perfect width for my pallet)
- Plants that don’t require a lot of water
- Soil
- Some sheets of plastic for lining (optional if you want it to last longer)
- Staple gun (optional to attach lining if you are using lining)
Step 1
When your choosing your pallet try to go for one that requires as little work as possible. The one I used was perfect when I flipped it onto it’s back as it only required slats for the bottom of each planter box. Measure and cut pieces of wood to create planter boxes at each level and screw them on. You may be better off removing slats from the existing pallet and placing them on the front to keep the rustic feel.
Step 2
Water down your white paint 2 parts water to 1 part paint and brush it on all over. The wood pallet should have many pores that soak the paint in giving it a white wash look.
Step 3
Once it’s dry, cut your plastic to size and staple on to the inside of each planter pocket. Cut off any excess pieces of plastic. Now is probably a good time to hang your pallet planter so it is not too heavy once soil has been added. Add your plants and fill remaining spots with extra soil. I used I a lot of plants that I had lying around that needed a home, in hindsight maybe too many! You would probably use less and I think they would look much nicer grouped together in their various forms
You can shop for Mossop’s Honey on our website shoppri.com.
Filed under: News Tagged: Bee Aware, manuka honey, mossop's honey, Pallet Wall Garden 
