DIY rocket mass heaters
Win a copy of Permaculture Design Companion this week in the Permaculture Design forum!
  • Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education experiences global resources the cider press projects digital market permies.com private forums all forums
Where to buy the best cast iron pans Build your own eco home! Water less with hugelkultur! Forage for wild edibles in your area with this complete digital guide.
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nicole Alderman
  • r ranson
  • Anne Miller
  • paul wheaton
stewards:
  • Jocelyn Campbell
  • Mike Jay Haasl
  • Burra Maluca
garden masters:
  • James Freyr
  • Joylynn Hardesty
  • Steve Thorn
  • Greg Martin
gardeners:
  • Carla Burke
  • Dave Burton
  • Pearl Sutton

Vegie patch 2.0

 
Alex Pine
Posts: 39
Location: Adelaide, Australia
4
I like...
tiny house cooking rocket stoves
posted 4 months ago
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hey Guys,

I've decided to make my property more aesthetic and saleable, if I decide to go down that route.

I have heavy clay soil and in the past I have just mounded up raised beds. My garden looked a bit like a farm and I was walking mud everywhere when it rained or was watered.

I've since bitten the bullet and bought some hardwood sleepers to make some pretty beds. It's possibly not very permaculturey but better than not growing your own food.

I'm going to post videos and photos here to document it.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." - Dr Seuss

 
Alex Pine
Posts: 39
Location: Adelaide, Australia
4
I like...
tiny house cooking rocket stoves
posted 4 months ago
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Here's a nice time lapse of the first stage

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." - Dr Seuss

 
Phil Stevens
master pollinator
Posts: 502
Location: Ashhurst New Zealand
130
I like...
duck trees chicken cooking wood heat woodworking homestead
posted 4 months ago
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Looks great and I would say it's totes permie. You're creating edges and maximising the usefulness of a limited space, plus the bonus of not taking your fertile soil into your living quarters where it does less good.
 
Alex Pine
Posts: 39
Location: Adelaide, Australia
4
I like...
tiny house cooking rocket stoves
posted 4 months ago
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I filled the bottom of the beds with a failed hot compost I guess you could call it huglecultureish. Then capped them with the weed  seed laiden top soil I removed when roughly levelling the site. I will cover that with cardboard to try reduce weed pressure and a thick layer of compost for growies.
-Thumbnail-for-IMG_20190520_140847.jpg-.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_20190520_140847.jpg]
[Thumbnail for IMG_20190520_140847.jpg]

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." - Dr Seuss

 
Alex Pine
Posts: 39
Location: Adelaide, Australia
4
I like...
tiny house cooking rocket stoves
posted 4 months ago
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I'm slowly covering the soil with cardboard to mitigate the weed pressure.
-Thumbnail-for-Image2359610743255185226.jpg-.jpg
[Thumbnail for Image2359610743255185226.jpg]
[Thumbnail for Image2359610743255185226.jpg]

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." - Dr Seuss

 
Tyler Ludens
master pollinator
Posts: 11359
Location: Central Texas USA Latitude 30 Zone 8
738
I like...
cat forest garden fish trees chicken fiber arts wood heat greening the desert
posted 4 months ago
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I think it's permaculture if what you're doing increases the chances of it becoming a permanent feature of the property.  The more esthetically pleasing the better.  Most people can't understand the "messiness" of food foresty permaculture, so I think we can design gardens which adhere more closely to traditional garden designs while using permaculture principles.

In other words, it doesn't have to be a mess to be permaculture (in my opinion).

Idle dreamer

 
kappydell dayton
Posts: 27
Location: in the country in southeastern US
10
posted 4 months ago
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
We went raised beds asap after moving to our current location.  Our soil is red clay and gravel - so much so that I even looked into how to do primitive pottery using it, LOL.  We had top import our dirt, but it was well worth it.  The good part of the trade off is that moving from zone 4 to zone 8 we had a wonderful winter garden (no bugs to battle!).  Now putting in wicking pots in less level areas (yep, we are hilly, too).  Nice creek at the back of the property though, we like it here.
IMG_3373.JPG
[Thumbnail for IMG_3373.JPG]
RAISED BEDS FIRST GOING IN (CLAY SOIL)
IMG_3607-(1).JPG
[Thumbnail for IMG_3607-(1).JPG]
WINTER GARDEN - DECEMBER 2018
IMG_3353.JPG
[Thumbnail for IMG_3353.JPG]
our "creek" - not fancy, not potable, but it IS water...
 
Alex Pine
Posts: 39
Location: Adelaide, Australia
4
I like...
tiny house cooking rocket stoves
posted 4 months ago
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Putting in the sandy loam that the landscaping guy convinced me to get.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." - Dr Seuss

 
Alex Pine
Posts: 39
Location: Adelaide, Australia
4
I like...
tiny house cooking rocket stoves
posted 4 months ago
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Time to move the gravel in.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." - Dr Seuss

 
Alex Pine
Posts: 39
Location: Adelaide, Australia
4
I like...
tiny house cooking rocket stoves
posted 4 months ago
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I might not be able to move tomorrow.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." - Dr Seuss

 
Rob Brazington
Posts: 10
Location: SC
1
posted 4 months ago
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Well done.
 
Alex Pine
Posts: 39
Location: Adelaide, Australia
4
I like...
tiny house cooking rocket stoves
posted 4 months ago
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Just another quick time lapse of seed sewing before the rain stopped the recording.


Also some pics of my seedlings planted out yesterday.
Image3164211388091202321.jpg
[Thumbnail for Image3164211388091202321.jpg]
Image4310074946720349680.jpg
[Thumbnail for Image4310074946720349680.jpg]

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." - Dr Seuss

 
Alex Pine
Posts: 39
Location: Adelaide, Australia
4
I like...
tiny house cooking rocket stoves
posted 3 months ago
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Pretty slow going in the middle of winter. Should be rocking soon enough though.
IMG_20190710_142524.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_20190710_142524.jpg]
[Thumbnail for IMG_20190710_142524.jpg]

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." - Dr Seuss

 
Alex Pine
Posts: 39
Location: Adelaide, Australia
4
I like...
tiny house cooking rocket stoves
posted 2 weeks ago
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
The patch is starting to ramp up now. We've been eating broccoli, radishes and plenty of greens. The broad beans are just starting to to form pods and cabbages are forming heads. The Brussels sprouts are going to seed so I think they were planted a little too late. I've been direct seeding herbs, kale and chilies as things come out and transplanted my rather sad looking tomato seedlings.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2AUyfpkkLs[/youtube]

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." - Dr Seuss

 
Bring me the box labeled "thinking cap" ... and then read this tiny ad:
One million tiny ads for $25
https://permies.com/t/94684/million-tiny-ads
  • Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
Boost this thread!
Similar Threads
More...