Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: vivacity on January 20, 2010, 06:31:20 pm
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I've just come back from a sightseeing tour of some local allotment gardens and we've chosen the most
overgrown enchanted to call our own. What sold it for me? Well, it has running water and electricity, so I can take Thermie there too ;D Sad, but true :-[
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lovely! will you take photos for us?
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Oh, dear. The "now" photos will make you think that Tarzan is about to swing through the trees ;D Apparently, the garden belonged to a semi-hermit and he obviously wasn't that keen on keeping the garden house in good shape. It's damp, it probably needs a new roof and a LOT of work. But the whole family has decided that this is the garden for us even though we will have to spend many, many weekends weeding, planning and sweating away. We all came home elated at this thought! My step-daughter is already planning her flower garden and I've already planted the future vegetable beds :D (at least in my mind's eye). We are all very excited. It's brilliant!
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what a great family project. How big is your garden?
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Good luck - wish I could find a small plot near home.
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Oh! How I wish I had a bigger garden. Much to my husband Wayne's dissapointment I have planted a few veg's (spinach, zucchines, rhubarb) and some herbs in our front garden.) Enjoy your new garden.
Trudy
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Enjoy your new garden!!
I have a huge back yard, but poor water pressure and water restrictions, so my garden isn't that flash. I'm planning to fence 1/3 of the back yard off and plant fruit and nut trees in big drums so we can take them with us when we go. Hopefully, I'll get these reticulated.
Please post photos to let us know how it's all going!
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we have a tiny back yard too (when our tent is packed up wet we have to put it up in the front to get it dry, there's not enough room out back lol) but we are doing pretty good with our vegie garden atm :) we do have lots of pots of veg in the front garden though too this year ;)
here are some pics of ours (at the bottom) - i'll go take some new ones after i eat my lunch :D
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brazen20au/sets/72157603640454005/
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PS: please excuse the photos of my messy house :-[ they were supposed to inspire me to keep it clean *snort*
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LOL - like me posting pics on the blog so I'll go back and write the recipes - then people get annoyed because i don't post the recipes.
I like the frogs on the wall
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the frogs are lost in the hardenbergia jungle now, it has totally taken over that garden as we didn't have a proper climbing frame for it :(
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Your garden looks lovely Karen. Much better than my brother's who lives over there. Do you live out of Canberra?
I must admit, I also saw that wonderful tidy pantry.
Vivacity, that sounds wonderful I would love to rent some garden somewhere close. We don't have a back yard, ours is at the side and it is full of Model A's and millions of Model A parts. Our only garden is the front and I have my herbs out there, under the olive tree.
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we are in the northwest cookie, but in the suburbs - can't you tell from the tiny size of the block? lol
yes, my pantry is the one part of the house that is usually tidy haha
we have done the gardens in both our houses pretty much from scratch (the first house had one nearly dead tree in it and this one had some NZ flax plants) and we use almost all natives (but pretty natives, if your brother's garden is older it is probably full of ugly natives lol). we like the cottage garden type look :)
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Vivacity, how far from where you live is this garden plot and what do you plan to plant on it. I have heard of people who live in high rise apartments having these garden plots & I assume they are fenced all round with locks on to prevent others from stealing your fruit or vegies. I am thinking of getting one of those oblong corrogated iron thingies to plant a few more vegies and herbs in. Currently having the front yard done up with water wise plants of yukkas, agaves, cordylines, flax etc with river pebbles which will make that area pretty well maintenance free so that I can concentrate on my back garden. I intend having more work done out there also to lower my workload and just keep one area for growing bits and pieces. These new plant boxes range from small to quite large and mean the days of getting down on your hands and knees to plant & weed will be over as the plants would end up around thigh high. Would take a bit of soil to fill though. The prices are great for the size of them, an instant garden bed.
Good luck with your plot vivacity - sounds like it is going to be a real family affair. That's wonderful the children are interested.
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yes i want to get some of those too judy, for the corner near our washing line which is currently bare (the last bit to be "done")
i discovered recently we have a community garden just 5 mins up the road from us but not sure if they have any beds free, plus i'd be too scared to go and garden with all the experts, i know nothing, it's all luck! lol
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Congratulations! I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed getting ours into some kind of order, it's the most satisfying feeling. Make sure you do take those 'before' pictures. We didn't think about it until it was too late, so the earliest pictures we have are of bare earth where we've already cleared, and erected a shed.
I can't wait until I'm able to get out there again, it's my favourite place to be.
When you said you'd rented a garden I thought, 'I wonder if it's got one of those garden houses?' and then you said that it did :-) Lucky you, I think they're brilliant. I've never seen anything like that in the UK. And to be able to take your TMX with you - brilliant! I always have to rely on a BBQ or open fire and a storm kettle. Oooh, I can't wait to get back to the allotment!
My best tip would be, don't try to clear it all at once. Do a patch at a time and get that patch planted up. Also, are you allowed to cover up areas on your garden? If so, covering the bits you plan to do last with cardboard means that by the time you get to it, the lack of light will have done some of the clearing for you. Also, if you've cleared a patch but aren't ready to plant it straight away (eg you want to dig in some manure but haven't got the manure yet) then cover that up so that you don't get new weeds in.
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Thanks for all the replies and enthusiasm!
I live in a part of Germany where a kind of allotment culture exists. When I told some of my colleagues about my plan to rent a little piece of land, they rolled their eyes. Allotments tend to have a bit of a bad reputation, i. e. some of your neighbours can be a little anal exact when it comes to the selection of plants you grow, how high your lawn is, etc. etc. One colleague even told me about allotments where you have to agree to the owners spraying your plants and trees with pesticides, fungicides and herbicides annually because they are afraid that diseases could spread from wildfire from one garden to the next.
So after hearing all these scare stories my family and I decided to just have a look around and view everything with a wary eye. The allotments are set on a steep hill where the air smells really fresh. We live in the centre of a small town so the air isn't that clean and it's really strange when you can breathe in and air reaches your belly button (if you know what I mean).
Anyway, we looked at four gardens, and thought that the first and third were the best. The allotments are a 20 minute walk from where we live, so not too far away. Over a cup of cocoa afterwards we decided on the messiest (no. 4) because we think that it looks rather enchanted and that we could do a lot with it. I'm not too sure how large it is, but it must be a little under 600 sq meters. As this garden is in such a state, we would only have to pay 500 Euros to the prior owner for a toilet house and a garden house which is damp because the prior owner didn't repair the roof. Luckily, a family friend is a master carpenter so he can help us to repair it (we hope).
For all of you who are thinking of renting a piece of land, the prices really can vary. The costs at this place are very civilised. 150 Euros to join "the gardening club", and other costs such as membership subscription, rent, insurance, etc., etc., which amount to about 20 Euros per month. Most of the gardens don't have running water and electricity, so we're really lucky that our garden does. And you have to do 10 hours of "community service" a year, which means that you help to keep the areal of allotments looking good. I see this as a positive thing because you can meet other people and perhaps learn a few things about gardening. And there's a summer party for all the gardeners which my step daughter is already looking forward to: "We could bring potato salad..." :)
Since I'm a bit of a novice gardener, I may just start with "square foot gardening" this year, i. e. make some wooden frames measuring - yes, you've guessed it - one square foot and divide each of these into 9 equal squares to plant different veggie plants. This gives me a crop of some sort this year while I gather gardening experience. If you'd like more information on this, you'll find some under http://www.squarefootgardening.com. It sounds appealing because it's low maintenance.
I'll keep you posted once we start work. The board of gardeners decides next week whether we can rent the garden (very official) and then we can start work in February. The board is against spraying pesticides and other nasties, so that is VERY good news.
I've just seen that CarolineW has written a reply. Thanks for all the tips, Caroline :) To be honest, we are going to ask for the landloard of our flat to help us a bit with garden "machinery." He runs a business specialised in cemetery gardening (I don't know the English term for this) so he's got a lot of stuff that will be invaluable for our garden challenge.
Can't wait to get my wellies on and start working! (With a nice warm soup from the TMX in the breaks).
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I am thinking of getting one of those oblong corrogated iron thingies to plant a few more vegies and herbs in. ... These new plant boxes range from small to quite large and mean the days of getting down on your hands and knees to plant & weed will be over as the plants would end up around thigh high. Would take a bit of soil to fill though. The prices are great for the size of them, an instant garden bed.
Hi Judy,
Raised beds are excellent. We built raised beds at our allotment, and we also have a series of them - more along the lines of what you're describing - at home too. Just a thought, though. The gardening magazines here always recommend avoiding any raised beds or planters that are made of metal, as they conduct the heat to the roots and overheat them during summer, and then the cold during winter. So a lot of plants are killed as a result.
It could be that the beds you're considering have some kind of insulation to prevent that, but I'd really recommend that you check that out before getting them. It would be such a shame to plant them up and then have the roots fry because it's so hot, especially when there are plenty of other kinds available at reasonable prices if the metal ones aren't insulated.
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Thanks for all the replies and enthusiasm!
I live in a part of Germany where a kind of allotment culture exists. When I told some of my colleagues about my plan to rent a little piece of land, they rolled their eyes. Allotments tend to have a bit of a bad reputation, i. e. some of your neighbours can be a little anal exact when it comes to the selection of plants you grow, how high your lawn is, etc. etc. One colleague even told me about allotments where you have to agree to the owners spraying your plants and trees with pesticides, fungicides and herbicides annually because they are afraid that diseases could spread from wildfire from one garden to the next.
That's why I asked if you were 'allowed' to cover bits up ;D
So after hearing all these scare stories my family and I decided to just have a look around and view everything with a wary eye. The allotments are set on a steep hill where the air smells really fresh. We live in the centre of a small town so the air isn't that clean and it's really strange when you can breathe in and air reaches your belly button (if you know what I mean).
Anyway, we looked at four gardens, and thought that the first and third were the best. The allotments are a 20 minute walk from where we live, so not too far away. Over a cup of cocoa afterwards we decided on the messiest (no. 4) because we think that it looks rather enchanted and that we could do a lot with it. I'm not too sure how large it is, but it must be a little under 600 sq meters. As this garden is in such a state, we would only have to pay 500 Euros to the prior owner for a toilet house and a garden house which is damp because the prior owner didn't repair the roof. Luckily, a family friend is a master carpenter so he can help us to repair it (we hope).
For all of you who are thinking of renting a piece of land, the prices really can vary. The costs at this place are very civilised. 150 Euros to join "the gardening club", and other costs such as membership subscription, rent, insurance, etc., etc., which amount to about 20 Euros per month. Most of the gardens don't have running water and electricity, so we're really lucky that our garden does. And you have to do 10 hours of "community service" a year, which means that you help to keep the areal of allotments looking good. I see this as a positive thing because you can meet other people and perhaps learn a few things about gardening. And there's a summer party for all the gardeners which my step daughter is already looking forward to: "We could bring potato salad..." :)
Since I'm a bit of a novice gardener, I may just start with "square foot gardening" this year, i. e. make some wooden frames measuring - yes, you've guessed it - one square foot and divide each of these into 9 equal squares to plant different veggie plants. This gives me a crop of some sort this year while I gather gardening experience. If you'd like more information on this, you'll find some under http://www.squarefootgardening.com. It sounds appealing because it's low maintenance.
That's how we started out, too. It still heavily influences my approach to gardening, and is an excellent place to begin. Do you have his (Mel's) book?
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i discovered recently we have a community garden just 5 mins up the road from us but not sure if they have any beds free, plus i'd be too scared to go and garden with all the experts, i know nothing, it's all luck! lol
Don't let that worry you, Brazen. You'd find that the other gardeners are more than happy to share their knowledge and experience with you, and are very encouraging and supportive. I didn't really know anything either when I started (not that I claim to be an expert now! :) ) It's amazing the way that gardeners always enthusiastically and unselfishly support, advise and help anyone that's giving it a go and trying to learn. There are hardly any exceptions to that, it's lovely.
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Hi, Caroline!
I bought the book on square foot gardening for my sister this Christmas and I'm just surfing amazon to see if I can find a used copy. Yesterday evening, I ordered a book called "Garden Retreats: Creating an Outdoor Sanctuary" by Barbara Ashmun und Allan Mandell which looks great. Since the garden is not one open area, it has little "nooks and crannies" behind trees and bushes which would make lovely places to go and read a book, mark exam papers in May or just plain laze about. I can almost hear the wind chimes ;)
I agree with you on the friendliness of neighbouring gardeners. Yesterday, we were greeted by a delegation of 5 members of the gardening board who wanted to "get to know us." They were all so friendly and emphasised how helpful experienced gardeners are if beginners have questions or problems.
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Well done Vivacity - it sounds wonderful.
We moved to the country last summer and have enjoyed the year here so much. The fresh air and exercise have agreed with us all and we have barely had a sick day all year. We are loving our chooks, vegie garden, orchard and even composting. We have just finished pickling the last of our baby-beets and making copious amounts of plum jam and are now eagerly waiting for our apples to grow and ripen. Preserving your own produce is just so satisfying. We hardly noticed the seasons when we lived in the city and now we live and eat by them.
I'm sure you won't regret your decision. :)
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I am excited for you, just reading what Caroline said and your plans for your plot vivacity. Thanks also Caroline for the info on the metal raised bed containers - I don't think they are insulated but will have a closer inspection of them next time I'm in the hardware store. I have one I am using for herbs at the moment that I made from recycled sleepers which we pulled up in another part of the garden - if only that was bigger. Still, first things first and this job is last on my list in the garden this year.
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I am excited for you, just reading what Caroline said and your plans for your plot vivacity. Thanks also Caroline for the info on the metal raised bed containers - I don't think they are insulated but will have a closer inspection of them next time I'm in the hardware store. I have one I am using for herbs at the moment that I made from recycled sleepers which we pulled up in another part of the garden - if only that was bigger. Still, first things first and this job is last on my list in the garden this year.
I was just sat here thinking about it, Judy. If they're considerably cheaper and more convenient than the other options available to you, there's no particular reason whey you couldn't insulate them yourself, really, is there? It's only a matter of reducing the conduction of the metal to the soil - which cardboard or straw would do as a completely easy, low tech method. Of course, it would gradually rot over a period of years, but it could always be done again when refreshing the soil. Or, for longer term but a bit harder, stick a piece of wood between the metal and the soil.
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Check them out here Caroline
http://www.theveggiegarden.com.au/ (http://www.theveggiegarden.com.au/)
Look great don't they? Could quite easily line it with cardboard.
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The 'farm' where DH does a bit of relief teaching put in a couple of those last year. It was mainly for the children from a special school who are in wheel chairs. He said it is very rewarding to see them weeding etc.
I wouldn't mind a couple at home out the 1 metre back yard we have that is all brick paved.
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the square foot gardening does sound great!
and i'm very jealous - your garden plot is bigger than our entire land (for house, garden, play area, washing line etc) - 500m2 LOL
but you do have a lot of work ahead of you! definitely take before pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Check them out here Caroline
http://www.theveggiegarden.com.au/ (http://www.theveggiegarden.com.au/)
Look great don't they? Could quite easily line it with cardboard.
They do - and you could ;D
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Thanks for telling us about your enchanted garden. I can't wait to hear how it progresses.
I think this is a great idea. It's not very common in Australia. We live on a farm and I have 3 gardens - 2 greenhouses with raised beds in them, and a fenced garden too. As well as 100+ young food producing trees, hens, ducks, cow for milk etc. I love it and would love for others to have some space here (too much grass anyway) to grow some vegies, or keep chickens even if they're willing to visit often enough. We are 2km from one town and 12km from two other towns. I wonder what sort of distance people would travel to visit their garden?
I have two raised beds of recycled tin (galvanised rainwater tanks) and 6 of plastic and 2 of timber and I notice no difference at all in their performance. We have below-zero temps in winter, with frosts (not heaps, but some), and get up to around the early 30s for part of summer (live in the mountains, so not a really hot, hot place). We have 3m+ of rain each year and the raised beds are great in the wet weather!
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Thanks for your post, Mama_bel :) I've just been looking at the price of raised beds (Hochbeete) over here on the Internet and they are really high. Plus surfing the internet has the disadvantage (especially if you're a garden novice like me) that you see all these gizmos that seem really useful, like a bin for growing potatoes, etc. Luckily, I just came across www.gardenfork.tv which is full of really nifty ideas and videos on how to make your own raised beds, tomato frames and cold frames, to name but a few of the projects. Galvanised water tanks as raised beds sound good, too! I think I'm just have to go in for budget gardening while I learn basic carpentry skills :-\ (Got two left hands, so could be a problem).
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Hi Vivacity,
Mel describes how to make a raised bed in his book, too. Ours are made of scaffolding planks, and other bits of recycled wood - whatever scrap we've been able to get hold of and recycle. although our original 2 square foot beds are exactly to Mel's design, and cost much more than the scrap wood ones because we dutifully followed his instructions to the letter ;D Nowadays we're much more 'Oh, that'll do.' And 'Is it cheap or free? Great, we'll do it that way!' We even built a temporary raised beds out of spare straw bales that we had lying around once. It worked really well, too. We use straw as mulch, to cover the dirt paths between the raised beds, and for our hens and rabbits. So we've always got plenty around.
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Looks like I may be able to get my raised garden bed sooner than I thought. Today the guys finished off the front garden (looks great, pity I can't take & post a photo) and because they ordered too many river pebbles I told them they can do down the side of the house for me & use them there. They can start in just over a week and just means cutting down some largish trees and shrubs, laying weedmat then spreading the pebbles. I have the pebbles and the weedmat so it will just be the labour costs & I can then go out and get myself one of these corrogated iron garden bed containers to sit on the new area.
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Thats great JD. You will be picking homegrown fare in no time at all
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Great work JD - shame you can't get pics on here :( :( - need to get those grandchildren onto the computer.
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That's exciting, JD!
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Look out, here come the fresh vegetables.