So although I think I have solved the riddle of the horrible soil at my place, it has taken a great toll on my failing body so I made the decision to go no-dig.
My idea is to set up bath tubs on concrete house blocks ontop of existing garden beds so they end up at my waist height so no bending. I would fill the tub with cane mulch then top up with the best soil from the beds below, then make compost & add as needed. I will still need to surround the tub with a bird mesh fence to stop cluckles attacking!
Below are a few snaps of the first tub in place. I have been moving a heap of garden plants to a new location in readiness for a new carport. These plants have not had sun on them & the soil is obviously bought in due to being a bit red coloured & very nice soil generally.
So I filled the tub with partly rotted sugarcane mulch then added 2 barrow loads of the lovely soil I found in the brom bed beside the old carport.
I added a small amount of my usual fertilizer recipe plus 2 buckets of weed tea, 2 buckets of sheep manure tea & 2 buckets of rotted sheep manure slurry. I cultivated that through into the very top of the mulch layer to bring the mulch up into the soil a bit & covered with shade cloth. In a weeks time I think it will be ready to plant.
I'm going to stuff it with vegie plants which will grow to hang over the sides. The Cluckles supervised & inspected my work at every stage!
Tomorrow the next tub will go right where Julian white chook is grazing in the right hand photo. There is just enough room to squeeze in a tub without loosing that fantastic still producing broccolini plant that Julian is eating from. So there will be 2 tubs, one on either side of this path between these 2 beds.
Here's one for fun! After work was finished today & I was taking these photos, Annabel got nervous at the sound of the camera while she was dust bathing. Suddenly she stood up & made like a rooster! That yellow colouration in her comb is just the sun shining through.
My idea is to set up bath tubs on concrete house blocks ontop of existing garden beds so they end up at my waist height so no bending. I would fill the tub with cane mulch then top up with the best soil from the beds below, then make compost & add as needed. I will still need to surround the tub with a bird mesh fence to stop cluckles attacking!
Below are a few snaps of the first tub in place. I have been moving a heap of garden plants to a new location in readiness for a new carport. These plants have not had sun on them & the soil is obviously bought in due to being a bit red coloured & very nice soil generally.
So I filled the tub with partly rotted sugarcane mulch then added 2 barrow loads of the lovely soil I found in the brom bed beside the old carport.
I added a small amount of my usual fertilizer recipe plus 2 buckets of weed tea, 2 buckets of sheep manure tea & 2 buckets of rotted sheep manure slurry. I cultivated that through into the very top of the mulch layer to bring the mulch up into the soil a bit & covered with shade cloth. In a weeks time I think it will be ready to plant.
I'm going to stuff it with vegie plants which will grow to hang over the sides. The Cluckles supervised & inspected my work at every stage!
Tomorrow the next tub will go right where Julian white chook is grazing in the right hand photo. There is just enough room to squeeze in a tub without loosing that fantastic still producing broccolini plant that Julian is eating from. So there will be 2 tubs, one on either side of this path between these 2 beds.
Here's one for fun! After work was finished today & I was taking these photos, Annabel got nervous at the sound of the camera while she was dust bathing. Suddenly she stood up & made like a rooster! That yellow colouration in her comb is just the sun shining through.
So I still have several tubs to use before I have to look for more. But I generally find them either on gumtree or at the recycle station at the tip or at the demolition timber yard. I try to only get the light ones now. Probably a bit cheaper made but suits my back a lot better & I really don't need deeper beds. I try to make the top price $40 for a damaged tub.
