|
|
Post by Joey on Mar 27, 2022 9:48:59 GMT 10
OK looking for ideas for setting up new gardens.
We'll be moving house soon into my friends owned house and have been given creative freedom to mod the yards as I see fit with gardens etc
I've already told them that I want to strip the lawn and returf it as currently a lot of the yard is grassless due to them having several chopped IBC pods used as goldfish tanks.
So I was looking for ideas on suggestions on setting up for fruit/veg gardens around the yard.
The back fence already has an existing full width raised garden bed that's just under 1m wide that I can utilise which is on the northern end of the N-S lot. Currently there is also a couple of paw paw trees in there somewhere which I'll have to bird net to save them from the annual fruit bat invasion.
I intend to lay irrigation pipe and sprinklers when I tear up the grass to avoid having to drag sprinklers around the yard to make watering easier.
I'm looking for suggestions on what you guys think would be the best fruit/veg to plant, (central qld region) as at this stage it's looking like I'll be building a few raised garden beds.
Best way to build raised beds? sleepers or just those kits from bunnings?
This house looks like the one that the missus and I would like to buy in a couple of years time when we have ticked all the boxes and our friends are happy for us to buy it off them.
|
|
|
|
Post by spinifex on Mar 27, 2022 16:03:18 GMT 10
Whats your soil like?
Sandy, clayey? loam?
How deep is the soil?
My tips are:
Build a 3 X 2 Metre greenhouse out of Lazerlite (polycarb sheeting) and install a dripper system based on 19mm pipe running around the edge of the floorspace with 5mm tube punched in every 5cm with a dripper on the end of each one. make every second tube 30cm long and the ones between 60cm you'll end up with 4 rows of drippers, each row 30cm apart to work with and a slightly wider gap down the middle to use for access. The drippers in each row will end up 10cm apart. Ideal for many crops from herbs to chilli to tomato to cucumber. Attach drip system to battery powered controller. (I like Galcon product - best $100 you'll ever spend in a garden)
Covered cropping is the way to go.
|
|
|
|
Post by spinifex on Mar 27, 2022 16:08:20 GMT 10
There are pictures in my old Spinifex Garden Pictorial thread which might interest you ...
|
|
malewithatail
VIP Member
Posts: 3,963 
Likes: 1,380
Location: Northern Rivers NSW
|
Post by malewithatail on Mar 27, 2022 16:50:25 GMT 10
Growing spuds in 30 l pots. Something to consider.
I refuse a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
|
|
|
|
Post by Joey on Mar 27, 2022 17:55:25 GMT 10
Whats your soil like? Sandy, clayey? loam? How deep is the soil? My tips are: Build a 3 X 2 Metre greenhouse out of Lazerlite (polycarb sheeting) and install a dripper system based on 19mm pipe running around the edge of the floorspace with 5mm tube punched in every 5cm with a dripper on the end of each one. make every second tube 30cm long and the ones between 60cm you'll end up with 4 rows of drippers, each row 30cm apart to work with and a slightly wider gap down the middle to use for access. The drippers in each row will end up 10cm apart. Ideal for many crops from herbs to chilli to tomato to cucumber. Attach drip system to battery powered controller. (I like Galcon product - best $100 you'll ever spend in a garden) Covered cropping is the way to go. Ground soil is rock hard clay base hence the food push for raised beds that I can fill with decent garden soils and composts. I went and scoped the yard out today again, and I can fit long rows of raised beds down the middle of the yard. I also noticed that the fence side existing raised bed is full of bamboo (didn't notice it the other day when I inspected as it was at night) in a privacy screen type planting arrangement so the existing raised bed is useless unless I want to totally demolish it to dig up the bamboo root balls. In one of the corners is a 10ft long wall coming off the fence which I could use as a base wall to make a greenhouse in that corner, and with our climate up this way it won't need all day sun, and I can always cut the bamboo down around it if I need it to get more sun for the green house. In the opposite corner is the frame work for a chicken coop that they used to have that I can rebuild if I want to have a couple of chooks around for eggs down the line, I can also double the enclosure for growing climbing things like beans or passionfruit. There is also a couple of established manderine trees and paw paw trees. Speaking to my mum, I also discussed the possibility of putting a native beehive in the yard to help with fruit/veg pollination and she said if I do that to include a good bunch of flowering plants for the bees to munch on as the native bees are limited in the range they can go for nectar. |
|
|
|
Post by Joey on Mar 27, 2022 20:00:55 GMT 10
Here is a rough sketch of the yard  |
|
|
|
Post by Joey on Mar 27, 2022 20:03:48 GMT 10
I'll be buying all the soil for the bed/s from bunnings due to the new rules on transporting dirt thanks to fireants which is a 200km each way trip so will be filling the ute up with bags when I do the shop.
What suggestions would you more experienced growers for a good mix of garden soil/manure/mulch etc be?
|
|
bushdoc2
Senior Member
Posts: 381
Likes: 469
|
Post by bushdoc2 on Mar 27, 2022 20:35:48 GMT 10
I'll be buying all the soil for the bed/s from bunnings due to the new rules on transporting dirt thanks to fireants which is a 200km each way trip so will be filling the ute up with bags when I do the shop. What suggestions would you more experienced growers for a good mix of garden soil/manure/mulch etc be? Find a local gardener (eg. the old duck down the road with a decent home vege patch) and pick their brains, seriously. Ask them: 1. who is the best garden shop around, (ie. who actually knows what they are talking about and where do you buy from?) 2. what grows here best? eg. what types, species, sub-species, varieties. 3. Anyone around with a spare tiller/rotary hoe who wants to rent it to you for a day? 4. How do THEY control pests (old ducks are often able to look for cheaper/easier ways). 5. What do they want to swap? Cuttings from their plants for some of your bilton/honey or a hand with the gutters before the wet season...?
|
|
|
|
Post by ausprep130 on Mar 28, 2022 18:01:46 GMT 10
I'll be buying all the soil for the bed/s from bunnings due to the new rules on transporting dirt thanks to fireants which is a 200km each way trip so will be filling the ute up with bags when I do the shop. What suggestions would you more experienced growers for a good mix of garden soil/manure/mulch etc be? Find a local gardener (eg. the old duck down the road with a decent home vege patch) and pick their brains, seriously. Ask them: 1. who is the best garden shop around, (ie. who actually knows what they are talking about and where do you buy from?) 2. what grows here best? eg. what types, species, sub-species, varieties. 3. Anyone around with a spare tiller/rotary hoe who wants to rent it to you for a day? 4. How do THEY control pests (old ducks are often able to look for cheaper/easier ways). 5. What do they want to swap? Cuttings from their plants for some of your bilton/honey or a hand with the gutters before the wet season...?
Spraying black coffee on the soil will kill snails and slugs - as they slide across they ingest the coffee and then overdose. Cheaper than shop bought baits and harmless to pets. I can't recall the ratio but a strong black coffee with a cup or two of water should do the trick. Double or triple it up just to be sure. |
|
|
|
Post by SA Hunter on Mar 28, 2022 18:21:23 GMT 10
Find a local gardener (eg. the old duck down the road with a decent home vege patch) and pick their brains, seriously. Ask them: 1. who is the best garden shop around, (ie. who actually knows what they are talking about and where do you buy from?) 2. what grows here best? eg. what types, species, sub-species, varieties. 3. Anyone around with a spare tiller/rotary hoe who wants to rent it to you for a day? 4. How do THEY control pests (old ducks are often able to look for cheaper/easier ways). 5. What do they want to swap? Cuttings from their plants for some of your bilton/honey or a hand with the gutters before the wet season...?
Spraying black coffee on the soil will kill snails and slugs - as they slide across they ingest the coffee and then overdose. Cheaper than shop bought baits and harmless to pets. I can't recall the ratio but a strong black coffee with a cup or two of water should do the trick. Double or triple it up just to be sure. I gotta try that! |
|
|
|
Post by Joey on Mar 28, 2022 18:22:34 GMT 10
There are no garden supply shops in my town, so I've got to buy in from the next big town 200km away sadly.
There's an old duck a couple of blocks away with a massive garden, but a lot of her stuff is ground creepers and succulents rather than fruit/veg
|
|
bushdoc2
Senior Member
Posts: 381
Likes: 469
|
Post by bushdoc2 on Mar 29, 2022 21:18:30 GMT 10
Go at night to get the snails.
|
|
|
|
Post by Joey on Jun 18, 2022 19:32:24 GMT 10
Ok as mentioned in the diary thread, I've now built a couple of 1m² raised beds. I've plumbed my irrigation hoses into a riser up the middle of each bed so that I can set up the watering.
The question is what style of water should I aim for?
The beds will be mixed veg (prob have the plots quartered into 4 different veg plants depending on what I put in each garden) Should I go for a central 360° nozzle or should I look at flexible drip-feed hoses for each plant?
I saw this neato riser head at bunnings that has multiple switchable outlets so you can plug in several 1/4" hoses and adjust each hose feed.
My tap timer is set up that each sector of the yard/gardens is watered for 15mins each morn for an idea of watering times for different spray heads
|
|
|
|
Post by Stealth on Jun 18, 2022 19:45:09 GMT 10
I think I'll be doing something similar, but with a dripper hose with a few holes punched at intervals to sit at near the base of the plants. Then over-mulch with sugarcane mulch to keep the moisture in. That way you keep a lot of moisture in and you're not wasting spray over areas that don't need to be watered. I've been looking at the Holman watering stuff that you can alter and set up for whatever needs you have. I figure on having a couple of tubes to replace out depending on the distance required between each plant. I know there's probably a LOT of people that can think of more economical ways of doing it, but I've used that set up in the past with a water timing system on the tap and it was perfect for customisation depending on space and planting distances. They seem very durable and exchangable if you plan to swap them to other setups. But also I'm NOT a pro gardener in any way, shape or form, so maybe take my ideas with a grain of salt! lmao. |
|
