No dig garden

Here are some pics. The garden here has never been dug in 6 yrs.

Buttercrunch.JPG


Pines.JPG


Sugarsnap_Peas.JPG


Cavendish.JPG


Papayas.JPG
 
What about water?

Great looking garden there Rockstar. And Y-Man - what a great idea using those boxes!

I have just built a veggie patch, now that I am in a PPOR with a back yard. Filled it with topsoil leftover from drainage works. My problem is - water.
How does everyone water their veggie garden?

Someone told me veggies need to be watered daily - is this correct?
I'm thinking about getting a water tank installed, but I'll have to grow a LOT of veggies to justify the $2.5K supply and installation cost.

Thanks.
Lily

PS. Sorry, don't mean to highjack your thread, Learning Man, but maybe you are interested in the water issue too? Does Sydney have water restrictions like we do in Melb?
 
Great looking garden there Rockstar. And Y-Man - what a great idea using those boxes!

I have just built a veggie patch, now that I am in a PPOR with a back yard. Filled it with topsoil leftover from drainage works. My problem is - water.
How does everyone water their veggie garden?

Someone told me veggies need to be watered daily - is this correct?
I'm thinking about getting a water tank installed, but I'll have to grow a LOT of veggies to justify the $2.5K supply and installation cost.

Thanks.
Lily

PS. Sorry, don't mean to highjack your thread, Learning Man, but maybe you are interested in the water issue too? Does Sydney have water restrictions like we do in Melb?

Hi Lily,

I water seedlings every day for the first few days then back off to once every three days or so depending on the weather. If you stick your finger in the soil near the plants you will soon be able to tell if they need water or not. If their is moisture on the surface then you don't need to water. People who water every day end up with plants that NEED water every day because the plant roots don't need to dive down deeper into the soil to find water. ie: they become spoilt and dependant. If you mulch with spoilt lucerne or hay or similar you will reduce the amount of watering as well. Also build up the levels of organic matter in the soil as this helps to retain more moisture for plant use.

Good luck with the fresh produce and enjoy the growing.
 
we used a no-dig vege garden in our old house, because the soil was so hard, you couldn't dig anything.
I used bricks that were lying around the house to build the retaining wall... it was only 2 bricks high, and that was enough to get fairly good consistent crops of herbs, lettuce, snow peas, tomato, corn, brocolli etc. I stopped when I got pregnant and couldn't stand the smell of veges and I never really managed to get started again.
I think i watered it every few days in summer, and probably once a week in winter. But that was before water restrictions.
Good Luck!
Pen
 
Y-Man, love the polystyrene idea, shall have to grab some boxes myself ..

Re the veg, the leeks were tragically small - they never really passed the sprout stage. Likewise with the lettuce - it didn't grow straight up, it just grew a few leaves and then stopped and looked mournful. It was around the time that Brisbane didn't get decent rain for months on end, and I wasn't legally able to water enough to get them going and them keep them growing.

Rockstar, there's some gorgeous veg there. Nothing quite like eating food you've grown yourself.

Lilyhouse, I've got a water tank, but you have to be a bit wary of them as a real water supply. When it's raining, you don't need the tank. But when it's dry, you'll find your 3,000-5,000 won't go very far, especially if you attach a powerful pump - you can pump the tank empty in next to no time ... hence my preference for fruit trees, which require little effort once established.

Cheers
 
. My problem is - water.
How does everyone water their veggie garden?


We collect all water that would normally go down the kitchen sink (unless very oily / high detergent wash) and use this for watering. If the detergent level gets too high, it can kill the plants (detergents have very high salt content) - you may need to dilute with water used to wash veggies, or with water collected in the shower before the water get's hot.


Found grey water from washing machine has too many salts in it - even with phosphate free ones - so we use that for the toilet.


Cheers,

The Y-man
 
is that rocket flowering? if so, it's gone now! will reduce to hard sticks and be useless for large crops.

gotta pick those flower buds ASAP.
 
My uncle put together trough shaped boxes with treated logs that are up to waist heights. About 1.5 ft wide and about 8 ft long.

The plants (herbs and vegetables) are waist height. My uncle's elderly dad could potter around without bending. The soil in them goes to the ground so is as deep as any veggie could go.

Maybe not appropriate to the originator of the post but thought I would share as it is ingenious.

Uncle also replaces handles of tools so they are much longer. Up to his shoulder height. He says the leverage on it is better than a short shovel or fork and one doesn't need bend or use back as much.

Happy veggie-ing. :D
 
At the moment I just have a couple of small water tanks off the down pipes, most of which are attached to drip lines. I mulch heavily, at least 15 to 20 cms over summer, the idea being to hold as much water in the soil as possible. I send the grey water both bath and laundry onto the grass.
I didnt take up the governments rebate offer to plumb the laundry or toilet with a tank, cause I dont trust what they will do in the future. The whole set up cost less than $1000, and it means I can continue with my favourite hobby during water restrictions.
 
Thanks Rockstar.
You're lucky being able to grow such yummy tropical fruits.
If only I could grow bananas and mangos in my Melbourne backyard.

Lily
 
Thanks Rockstar.
You're lucky being able to grow such yummy tropical fruits.
If only I could grow bananas and mangos in my Melbourne backyard.

For any Perthites out there the red papaya also grows well in Perth - I never would have thunk it until someone showed me some very impressive trees...
 
I got one of those banannas last year and put it under my pergola. Its about 8 feet tall now, and the 6 year old keeps asking when she gets to eat the banannas.....
 
is that rocket flowering? if so, it's gone now! will reduce to hard sticks and be useless for large crops.

gotta pick those flower buds ASAP.

?????? :confused: BC,

They're climbing sugar snap peas - the ones that you eat the whole pod. Rocket grows like a weed around here as does coriander, pumpkin and the chinese veges if you let them self seed.

As for the bananas I have seen them growing ok as far south as Newcastle. There are some ornamental ones that handle colder climates but I would be stunned to see anyone get any decent fruit in Vic. unless they had a huge hothouse with temp control.
 
Been working on one of our IP's of late, so have not been out for a good look in the garden for a few weekends - in the meantime, the snow peas went wild...... :)

Cheers,

The Y-man
 

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All through my childhood we ate tiny little banana-like fruits off banana-looking plants growing wild in Silvan Vic, it wasnt a banana, but quite banana-ish, love to know what it is
 
As a kid we had a Banana palm at a house in Brighton SA, little lady finger bananas, it would produce 1 bunch per year. It was a little clump of 3 or 4 trunks.

Haven't had much success with vegies where we are Seaford SA, very limey dirt and too much salt. Hope to have more time to work on the raised garden beds.

It's been good having a read of everyones vegie gardens, nice to see others doing so good.

Regards
Graeme
 
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