Lesotho Keyhole Garden

Recently I turned our round raised bed into a Lesotho style keyhole garden (minus the wedge) as an experiment in 'arid' gardening, because let's face it with multiple days in a row of 40+ heat here in summer, temperate gardening techniques aren't really adequate.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the concept, Lesotho (in Africa) has a temperature range of 40+ during the day, down to -15 degrees at night. Some years ago the people were in dire straits, as their crops weren't producing and a large proportion of the population was malnourished. That was until they developed the idea of a keyhole bed.

The keyhole bed is a raised circular bed (made of stones, bricks etc) with a wedge cut out for access to it's centre. There, in the middle is a basket which sits through the core of the bed. The bed is built up in layers (like no dig gardens) but the inside is raised so the dirt/straw etc slopes down to the outer edge of the circle. Food scraps, manure, straw, compost etc is placed into the central basket, and grey water is poured into the basket which ensures the bed is gravity fed and moist right to outside, whilst fertilising as the baskets contents break down.

There are a number of great sites on this method. Here a link to one which shows you how a group of school children did it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I-_6Bog-rM

I planted some seeds and a few plants in mine, and it's the most exposed garden bed I have - yet seems to be doing really well so far. I'm still top watering though as I haven't managed to fill the basket (chook wire in my case) to the top yet so the gravity fed aspect isn't functional yet.

Just a tip though to any of you thinking of giving it a go....cover each layer of food scraps with sand, clippings or something...as the smell from mine wasn't terrific after a week or so in the sun until I sorted it!

Photos to come in a future post.

Sunshine through the rain!

There was sunshine at our home today despite the rains... but this golden orb was fluffy!

Zeus, Medusa and Persephone are pleased to announce the arrival of Nysa.



She was born early this morning. Nysa, means 'goal, ambition' - fitting since she was so keen to break out of her egg first.

Another gosling has since arrived this afternoon, but being a little damp still, it was hard to tell the sex...so naming will wait until tomorrow though I think it was another little girl. Since these goslings have arrived during a day of spring rain, I'm giving them both Rain Nymph names.

There are still a few eggs to hatch so tomorrow will bring more joy. The Munchkins are delighted. *Sigh* Isn't spring wonderful?!

Wisdom of a 6 year old

Quote of the week - When asked why he simply refused to have gel put in his hair - after all his brother was keen?
Elder munchkin replied "Because, I don't want that stuff....I think people should just look the way they are"

Mum beams in the background....!!!!

Spring is here!

Would you look at these gorgeous colours? Who says vegies aren't beautiful?


I really need to get outside - there's stuff to harvest and weeds to pull everyhere I look. This week though has been busy with some spring cleaning. It is so intrinsic - that need to open windows and smell fresh air in the house, to bring out the lighter coloured linen and bring vases of fresh flowers into the house.

I've decluttered, cleaned, sorted and polished bits and pieces and gosh it feels fine!

Five Glorious Five....

A Munchkin in our home turned 5 today! We had a fun filled morning with the Munchkin's Kindy friends and a family gathering tonight.
Munchkin seriously stalled going to bed tonight. Obviously didn't want the day to end. And stroking that soft little Munchkin's hair as they settled into bed tonight, neither did I . Where does the time go? How do babies grow so fast? I try to savour the moments and yet every time I stop to look, it feels like so many have just slipped through my fingers.

I guess most parents feel this way...and to those of you out there who don't - please share your wisdom. I could use it.

Introducing Zeus, Medusa and Persephone

Zeus (the Goose...well ok gander) was so named because he was the underdog in his previous home. We felt he needed a fresh start with a bold name. He is the white one with beautiful blue eyes.
I guess we had a theme at that point, and Hubby suggested Medusa for one of the females, as she is very beautiful, has a snake like head and hisses!!! You can see her in the background to the right.

We have named the second female (hidden behind Zeus) Persephone. Goddess of spring who was said to make the earth fertile (one of the reasons we got geese!). She is also beautiful.

They are settling in it seems. Though they are still nervous of us, Zeus will take food from my hand, and the others from less than half a metre away if I put it down between us. They love carrots!

Hubby saw some mating antics happening amidst the waterplay, and indeed one of the females - I didn't see who, is making a nest...and has laid an egg in it. I'm not counting any goslings before they hatch. I'd LOVE for them to hatch some this spring, but realistically, I would have thought the trauma of moving home would mean she probably won't sit that well.

Time will tell. Meanwhile we are thoroughly enjoying them and looking forward to letting them out into the orchard in the weeks ahead.

We Have Geese!!!!!

My camera's batteries are dead but pics tomorrow I promise!!!

It was short notice - and a busy weekend for everyone around here (thanks goes to our parents and Cousin Jim for all their help!) but they are home.

The new chook house is similar to my design (Hubby tells me he can make an outside door for egg collection cown the track) but a lot sturdier. It's made from 2 ute canopies, modified thanks to the amazing design and welding skills of our fathers. It's great and about $600 cheaper than the $600 dollar model we were looking at buying. All recycled too!

As for the Geese, they are Pilgrim Geese and absolutely beautiful. Hopefully in time they will become excellent weeders and feeders to the orchard. Currently they are staying in their shelter, just for a week or so until they settle in and feel at home.

Photos tomorrow!

The things we do!

This is how I communicate with my husband!




You're probably wondering what on earth this objet d'art is.. well, glad you asked. It's going to be our new chook house. (We are getting geese and they will be going into the current hen house so the chooks need a new home).


After numerous attempts to explain what I wanted and him trying the same - this got rather heated- and me failing dismally at some sort of diagram, I finally went away, then returned to plonk this in front of him.
"THIS is what I want!" I said proudly. He, rather rudely squinted at it, and made various remarks like "Do you think it'll need a door?" and 'What no roof or wire?".... ignoring the fact that it has an outside access point to eggs, and this design (unlike other unnamed people's) meant that the roosts are to the side so chooks aren't traipsing through their own muck to access the nesting boxes. Did he comment on those wonderful points...no! But at least he agreed to build it. Finally!

Now all we have to do is find a giant sized Nurofen box and we'll be right!

Bonfire and Brew

Our cousins from the UK arrived this week - along with their gorgeous twins. Tonight the Clan gathered to welcome them properly with a bonfire. I think bonfires are one of my favourite winter things.
The way was lit with bottled candles and flares, down to the tangled mass of sticks, branches and roots that rose from the ground like an out of place beaver lodge. F-I-L had been busy the last few months, with a plan in mind.
It was a slow start, leaves lighting up brightly, then dying. But there was no end of encouragement from the crowd and after a quick scavenge for twigs we soon had a bright orb, and then a fire!
The young lads fueled it enthusiastically until the circle that had gathered widened considerably, to cope with heat, and better appreciate the view. There's something so connecting about a fire. One beautiful cousin had brought a friend with her and was introducing her to the Clan. In the explanations that followed about who was who, I mentioned 'Everyone here is connected somehow' (we are an extended group). And as I said it, I realised how we are so broad (cousins and second cousins and cousins once removed and in-laws, and siblings and friends that are family by choice) but there is a definite clanness to us.
I married into this clan, and feel it strongly as this is so unlike the family experiences from my background. But this is a family where the matriarch only ever treated me like a daughter, not a daughter-in-law, and I have a sister, (not a sister in law) and the cousins call me their cousin (not their cousin's wife). Here is a space and place for everyone - even my side of the family who are clan now too, not 'in-laws'.
With hot soup, roast meat, bread by the basketful, spicy mulled wine and wonderful company I just sat and bathed in the glorious feeling that I would not want to be anywhere else in the world but here. This is home and these are my people. And I am just the luckiest person alive.

The quiet time

Things are very slow at the moment. It's too cold to sow much into the ground (though I have been moving cabbage and spinach seedlings out into the orchard).
I thought I'd planted way too much broccolini this year (about 20 plants) but no, it's still not too much. We've been harvesting from the first succession every week or so (small amounts) and now that the others have caught up I managed to get a substantial double handful for tonight's chicken pie, but there still isn't enough to have this much every day or two, nor give bushels away to family/friends.
I wonder how much it takes? Every year we plant more, but still nowhere near enough. I'm at the point where I've decided to make every seed I can, count... and fill every space I can find with a vegie plant. I know some won't get the water they need, but those that tough it out will have their seed collected and perhaps I'll develop more drought tolerant varieties.

The good thing about winter is the time it leaves to plan and organise. I've been scouring Diggers' catalogues and placing orders. Boy will I be busy in spring!
In particular I've set myself a tomato goal for this summer. I'm waiting on an order of Amish Paste tomatoes, Jaune Flamme and some others of mixed varieties. The first two are for the sole intention of preserving.
The tomatoes were a flop last year. Soil was moist but leaves got burnt to a crisp in the 40plus heat...no crop!
This year I'm planting the tomatoes under trees in the orchard and in other spots where they'll be partly shaded. I was reminded by my father in law this week that they only needed heat not sun, which I knew..why didn't I do this last year?
In any case, we've never had a big enough crop of tomatoes that there's been heaps of surplus. This year I want SURPLUS PLUS! I dream of jars of homemade pasta sauce and dried tomatoes, neatly lined up in our store cupboard, ready for the winter months when we love to have pasta and pizza. This is the year!

The Fire Pit

The light's not great because it's late afternoon but Ramsey reminded me I'd promised photos of the fire pit. This is it!

:)

A new look and some photos

Since this is a new start to the year of blog for me I thought a new look was in order. And here are the photos as promised.

The first is of the 'Potager' or herb circle. You can see the tiles I used. It has grown HEAPS since this photo was taken, but I still have to fill in some soil at the back - ran out of steam on this project...but will get there.




The next photo is of the front view (the lavender in the bottom left of the top photo is the lavender hedge you can see middle left in the 2nd shot). You can jus see my little blue shed in the background. This view is the view from our dining room.






And below, my cold frame. Mini - but is sufficient for now.









It's all looking so 'full' and green - the sort of garden I've always wanted. Have to admit I'm feeling very pleased that all that hard work is starting to pay off. If you click on the photos you'll get a better look.

And we have big plans for the place. And this time when I say 'we' I actually mean it! Hubby has agreed to get on board with the big projects namely to enclose our north side verandah (our house is solar passive so this will mean trapped heat from the bricks and no wind which will reduce the cold air on those windows) with bistro blinds so that we can roll them up in summer when we don't want the glass house effect.

In addition we are planning to build a shadehouse across the front of the house (south side) as this is the side that gets terribly hot in the afternoon in summer when the west setting sun hits the walls and windows. The shade house will be covered in a deciduos vine (grape or kiwi I'm thinking) so it will still let light in during the cooler months but provide cool breezes through the house in summer.



I think the plan will be to start on the shadehouse in Spring so we get the benefits of it this summer.

Things are in swing!

The RETURN!!!

It has been soooooooo long since I last posted. Life got very busy - as it does between caring for a young family, work and play (namely work... on our land).

The results will be posted up over the next few weeks.

So garden wise what have I been up to? Well research in a big way. I've been reading anything and everything I can on permaculture and finding ways to make it work here.

Here's a list of the changes since last post (over a year ago!)

1. Built a keyhole shaped 'potager' - mainly filled with herbs. It's made out of the recycled roof tiles from our old house and is thriving! What a change from the dry patch it used to be. Plan to cover it with shade cloth for summer and put up a grape on trellis at the back shield carport.
2. Put up a small shed - second hand passed on from a neighbour. It's blue and I love it! It got deemed 'mine' and has all my gardening stuff in it, plus a bench for workspace. I think I finally get the whole attraction men have about sheds.
   
3. Built a swale....well sort of. I dug ditches in the orchard to catch the rain that runs downhill so fast. Not sure that they're exactly on contour as my method of planning them wasn't very scientific. I got the hose, watched where the water ran, and heaped dirt in front of it to stop it going down and redirect it sideways. Soon had a horizontal line across the orchard which I dug and heaped the dirt on the low side. In any case it works! I've also redirected the water from the driveway. The orchard is always so very dry in summer. Hopefully this year will be different - in any case it's never had this much water in it before.
4. Built 2 ponds. Below our decking was a dry spot where nothing grew (water resistant soil due to the effects of leaves from the eucalypts above it). Since putting the 2 ponds in the decking area is noticeably cooler in summer and the wildlife has thrived. Insects abound and the quenda diggings have increased in that area 20 fold.
5. Planted more fuit trees.
6. Rezoned the main vegie patch. The orginal spot we tried years ago was too dry at the time. Since then the lavender hedge and lime tree surrounding it have grown and offer enough protection for it to be sheltered and ideal as a vegie patch. Again- recycled tiles form the raised bed.
7. Build a rough compost bin area from old corrugated iron and some star pickets. It's not fancy but I have compost for the first time ever!
8. Changing the face of the orchard - sowed a pasture of green manure (hoed and sowed by hand I might add!) and am trying to establish a food forest there instead of the typical orchard in rows. It will be some years before it looks as it should but this is a start.
9. Saved some old grapevines that were lying on the ground in the paddock and have raised them on a wire/star picket fence.
10. Built a fire pit/drumming circle area. We have to remove some pines due to the risk of borers. The segments have been arranged in a circle with brazier in the centre. I'm in the process of planting up the outside with natives to eventually create a 'cave' or secluded area. The kids already love it and we've had a few marshmallow toasting sessions to try it out.
11. Have started making our own yoghurt. It's so easy - why haven't I been doing this for years?
12. Installed a wood fire - this one we bought new for two reasons. Firstly we looked for months and couldn't find any decent ones secondhard. Those that were available aren't legal anymore due their emissions levels. Secondly Hubby insisted we get a 'pretty' one. We ended up getting a 'Jotul' which is supposed to be incredibly efficient (one of the best brands in the world in this regard apparently). The brand is Norwegian but I understand the parts were made here. There was much debate about getting a wood fire but the research showed they actually are greener than gas and electricity. With the cost of electricity going up too we thought it was silly to not make use of our land and be self sufficient in this regard. So I'm madly planting firewood for the years to come.

See - no time to blog when this is all happening. Photos to follow once I steal the batteries for my camera back from the kids!