:SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2008:
:PENROSE PUBLIC SCHOOL:
1pm ~ 3pm
Many hands really do make light work! At our last workshop we saw a huge transformation and made major progress in the establishment of our no-dig garden. In the space of just an hour and a half a large area of unused lawn was transformed into a well-designed base for a very productive garden.
1. THE DESIGN
David had worked with the students during the week to figure out ideal dimensions of the garden. No point in having a garden with beds beyond children's reach and too-narrow paths! David had measured the average reach of the students so that all parts of the beds could be accessible, and also the length from their knees to their toes when kneeling, so that ample space could be planned into the garden paths.
The figures: garden beds 1 metre wide, and paths 60 cm wide.
2. THE PROCESS
*The entire area was marked out with a few wooden pegs
*A small, dead Wollemi Pine and the fortress surrounding it was gently removed
*The bathtub (kindly donated by Reviva! Resource Recovery Centre) was filled with stacks and stacks of newspapers and then enough water to cover them was added
*A thin scattering of agricultural LIME was thrown down directly onto the lawn to assist in DEACIDIFICATION of the soil (Penrose soils are typically rather acidic)
*Very well decomposed SHEEP MANURE was also scattered over the area
*The wet newspapers were then laid down OVERLAPPING over the entire area. This is to prevent further growth of lawn and encourage the existing lawn to die off. By using wet newspapers, we can mulch and eventually plant directly into the garden, because the newspapers will disintegrate into the earth.
*STABLE MULCH (consisting of straw and alpaca manure from Alvaston Alpaca farm)was then laid down where the 1 metre beds are to be, and woodchip (TBC) was laid down where the paths run. We didn't have enough stable mulch to cover all beds, so David raced down to Penrose Landscape & Rural who kindly allowed us to purchase several bales of lower-grade Lucerne Hay at cost
*Everything was watered down well (including anyone who happened to be standing near the many holes in the hose)!
3. AQUACULTURE (not fish pond, as I first thought!)
The bath was then moved to a horizontal position at the top of the garden so that any water that needed to be drained could flow out onto the beds. A poly pipe (50mm) was fitted into the plughole for easy drainage, then the bath was half-filled with layers of decomposed sheep manure, sieved sandy soil (sieved sand makes for easier harvesting), and a sprinkle of lime. These layers were then saturated with water, so that a shallow depth of water remained on the surface.
What will we be planting in here? Water chestnuts, river bamboo, arrowhead, lotus root, and perhaps wasabi. All deliciously edible, easy to harvest and prepare, interesting foods!
I have loads of questions for David about the aquaculture, and if anyone else has any questions you should make a note of them so I can include them in here (so I'm not the only one who appears to have no idea!).
Questions:
1. How do we actually plant into the aquaculture? Seeds, seedlings, or roots?
2. Where can we buy these?
3. Do the plants need any kind of fertiliser (apart from what we have already put in the layers)?
4. How long does it take to grow things in the aquaculture (and how long is a piece of string!)?
5. It seems like a fairly stable environment to grow things in - what kind of things do we need to take care with (pests/frost/birds)?
DON'T FORGET OUR NEXT WORKSHOP!
SATURDAY 23 AUGUST
1-3PM
BRING YOUR GLOVES & WARM CLOTHING
PLEASE BRING ALONG ANYTHING YOU CAN TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMPOST HEAP
7. Will and Liam working on one of the post holes
8. David showing us the drip irrigation system 
9. A family effort!
10. Mei and May are very impressed with the sprouted seeds!
