Veggie Garden Part 2

Charles cant spell says...
Now for some pictures. Here is a dodgy hand-drawn explanation of wicking bed layout I did for my daughters school as I will be setting up their garden.

The depth is shown in the diagram, I did this up to describe the layout of what I was going to do on the cheap at a school garden until their funds arrived. Basically an earthwall (slightly compacted) Inground but still closed Wicking Bed. My beds as you can see use a sleeper on the side, this way I can walk on the sleeper and plant between the bed [Grin] , its where I put my beneficial perennials. The plastic is there at the moment because I am still figuring out how high I want to mulch upwards.

The water holding media I have used in these (street tree clipping/mulch) was generally no more than hand (finger tip to wrist) deep, for my hand 20cm. The AgPipe lays on the bottom (Builders plastic) and is covered by an inch or two of mulch, or more if I thought I wanted/needed more. Hence often the media would have only been 15cm, prior to a bit of compaction from the soil going on top.

Also I realise the plastic is not that strong and I may get a few leaks over time given the sharp nature of the mulch, but it was something again I could live with given my location and requirements. Hey I started with sand, I am not all that picky yet. Plus I realise that this is a "trial" and in 2-3 years I will be digging up the beds, redesigning, using pond liner, and maybe gravel/blue metal, however in the mean time I will get 3 years of vegies and when I flip the bed out I will have all that rotted organic matter to mix into the new bed.

So the drain, or drains is cut in at the media/soil interface, I drill a few large holes 40mm place an icecream container over the outlet and then put the mulch back around it. Bear in mind I have sand so this will drain well enough, if you dont I wouldn't be so sure. If you are in a high rainfall poor drainage area I suggest you use the shadecloth sided beds. You then could semi sink your water holding media into the soil and have the ground level at the same height as the interface. This should allow biological transfer between the earth and beds, but maybe not earthworms, hence why you need worm boxs, Bio Boxes in the Wicking Beds.

Hope that helps confuse you more

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Charles cant spell says...
Cindy,

Never too ambitious, you need a few beds to allow some rotation and other fun things.Do you have liner or something to stop the water getting out the bottom, or is it a No Dig style approach. You might also have to consider shadecloth for summer as it looks nice and exposed. Given its nice and compact you could do a poly or PVC dome over it all and cover/uncover as required.

snottiegobble says...
Pigeon pie is supposed to be tasty!!
Seriously though I feed the pigeons, bronzewings,crested & laughing doves & also 28s ( never heard one say that yet, its more a"hewey fftt, hewey fftt")also my magpie team & I dont have any probs at all with either seeds or plants. Try scattering budgie seed on the lawn. That keeps them too busy to disturb the garden beds.

amanda says...
I agree CSS - also they do like a sweet soil. I lime the bed that is taking all my brassicas and leafy greens, regardless. My broccoli have big heads - but they are the "marathon" seedlings from Bunnings.
I use same fert's wobbly - plus phosphate and gypsum now n then. Are they in full sun?

Brendan says...
Hi amanda,
Try it shredded very fine in a salad. Sometimes the middle part can be a bit tough.
They would be very hard to grow up here.

Brendan says...
Hi amanda,
Oh yeah, it's strong alright. Don't add too much :-)
I've read you can cut it into chunks and add to soups & stews, but I've never tried that.
It grows the same as celery, apparently.

amanda says...
Ok - will also try the spud and celeriac mash that an "old timer" told me about...

beginner help needed!! says...
Hi Everyone,

I hoping someone is still out there who can help me! I want to make some veggie gardens (raised) i have about an acre to play with i want to grow everything possible but the only problem is i have no idea how to do any of it hahaha i have two beautiful young children and want to teach them where "our food comes from" i dont want to use anything treated or anything thats going to cost me a million dollars, i have a high water table (i think thats what they say) i want to grow fruit trees also so what layers do i start with in the veggie beds? and should i cover them from getting to much sun? there is so much to no im getting lost in it all THANKS!!!

Jantina says...
Good advice from Brad. I'd like to add, Start Small!.Two or three beds is plenty to look after when you start out. You are much more likely to have success and less likely to get overwhelmed. Esther Dean's Gardening Book (growing without digging) is a simple easily read book of methods that work. Could probably get it at your local library. Good luck.

Brad says...
a good beginners book by don burke: http://www.bookoffers.com.au/organic-don-burkes-guide-to-growing-organic-food-don-burke/

Mike says...
wont rust or rot? BRICKS!
--------------------------------------
raised garden bed

Brendan says...
Yeah SG & Au0rey,
I used Hi-Ten colorbond with koppers logs, so far so good.

You can build them with the cca logs on the outside if you want.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Brendan says...
Yeah SG, my land is on a slope, (see car in background), so I made that garden bed dead level on top. I just reckon it works better :-)

Brendan says...
Hi SG,
That's compressed coir 'potting mix', from bunnings, (~ $11 for ~ 60L), but there's garden soil beneath. I've since dug all the coir in, and planning to grow garlic in ~ half the bed.

Btw, they used to sell compressed coir 'seed raising mixture' and compressed coir 'soil', but I had to settle for second best, the 'potting mix.' They do have compressed coir 'mulch' tho.

Brad says...
coir is processed coconut husk i believe. bunning has it in perth sg and I'd be very surprised if they don't have it your way. I've used it when I don't have compost to get organics and water holding into a soil or potting mix. Wet it thoroughly first - its poor if it ever dries out completely. Its also very good worm farm bedding. If you are going away a while, just chuck some on top.

here's a vegie bed question. How much did you start at once when your garden was new? Did you evolve slowly and add bit by bit, or go hard and do lots at a start?

snottiegobble says...
Dont know about Brendan, but I built the whole thing in one go ( just sand here) & didnt plant or sow anything until complete. Half filled with yellow sand & topped up with potting mix, sheep manure, top soil etc.
Coir would seem to fill the gap of not having the light mulch that I need. Many thanks!

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

snottiegobble says...
Thanks Brendan, I will certainly take a trip to Bunnings. I suppose its not cheap but certainly worth it if it saves watering!

snottiegobble says...
Thats cheap, Wayne, I hope they have it at Bunnings down here.

Wayne says...
Thanks for that advise Charles

KrisB says...
Hello, after a couple of years of growing vegies behind a dodgy straw bale wall, I'm about to build some permanent raised beds.

At the moment I'm thinking of one long bed along side out house, with three raised beds coming out perpendicular (about 2.4 x 1.2 each).

Those sizes are to suit sleepers which I would have 2 sleepers high, but before I make the final choice and start getting sleeper prices I thought I'd see if there any other options people here might suggest that would be either less expensive (concrete sleepers are about $33 for short ones!) or better for long term maintenance...

Thank you :D

Brendan says...
My mates new veggie garden I helped to make & design.
As you can see, the beds are dead level :-)

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2	Picture: 3

Julie says...
Why such elaborate protection Brendan? Birds, weather? Dog?

snottiegobble says...
Congratulations Brendan, thats really something to be proud of! A great idea for my planned nursery/fernery.

amanda says...
You can help me build one of them anytime Brendan! :) It's a beauty.

Will the humidity build up in there in the wet season tho..?