I had fish tanks back when the had ss frames, slate bottoms and tar to hold them together. Used to spend my baby sitting money on fish.
What did you do in the garden today?
- Thread starter Dara77
- Start date
How bout giving us the rest of the story???
I like them ok. Really, I'll eat a piece of cardboard if I can put some cheese on it, and you tell me it's a vegetable. Yeah, I pick them when they are quite small. However, they are no where as good as my Fortex. Pretty plant, and even prettier blossoms. I find it interesting how the ants seem to love to congregate at the stem of the bean. Must be real sweet. Reminds me of how the ants crawl all over peony buds.
When I was a kid, I had an aquarium in my bedroom. I couldn't afford a top for it. Quite often (at night) the male sword tail would get thrashing around in there, and he'd go sailing over the top of the tank, and land on the floor. Even then, I was a light sleeper. I can't tell you how many times I'd get out of bed, find that bad boy, and toss him back into the tank. All the times he jumped out, he was never out long enough to die.
User395221
Crowing
I think animals of all sorts... I had aquariums (note the plural) too. I used to keep male bettas, but it was too upsetting when they died after their relatively short lifespan.
Swordtails are notorious jumpers. I had stainless steel tops for some of my tanks. Wish i still had them.
So i am digging up the clay soil and adding manure and sand. Taking out the tree roots and rocks. Here is the bed, i dug up about 2x5 foot area.
These are the roots i cut in that area. Must have had half a bucket of rocks too!
These are the roots i cut in that area. Must have had half a bucket of rocks too!User395221
Crowing
Have you ever heard of Esther Deans no dig gardening? Sounds like your place would be a good location for it.
Do tell. Never heard of it.Have you ever heard of Esther Deans no dig gardening? Sounds like your place would be a good location for it.
no dig gardening? yes please tell.. alright impatient me found her on google
Over 20 years ago Esther Deans wrote a small book called Growing Without Digging. This book has been reprinted 19 times and has sold almost 100,000 copies. Her revolutionary method of gardening has become famous worldwide as the 'no-dig garden.'
Esther, now 88 years old, lives with her husband, Tom, in a leafy retirement village on Sydney's North Shore. Esther and Tom cultivate their own garden there, as well as parts of the village's garden. 'I've had a pretty wonderful husband who supported me in all this sort of thing - without Tom I couldn't have done it all.' She is also grateful to her ancestors. 'I inherited my gardening ability from my lovely Scotch grandmother - she was a wonderful gardener. I'm the only one in my family that's followed her.'
Esther tells the story of the transformation of her backyard garden. 'You couldn't dig the ground - it was just clay. I suggested to Tom that we make a concrete edge and build a garden above the ground. On the first garden it was only lucerne hay and then compost. Then, after building a frame, I put a layer of paper, about 1/4 inch thick; on top of the paper, padded lucerne hay as it came from the bale and then on top of the lucerne hay a little fertiliser. That was chicken manure. On top of that, about 8 inches of loose straw, a little fertiliser again and on top of that about 4 inches of compost. I planted the seeds and it was just like something magic. The zucchini just grew and grew and the beans just grew - it was incredible what happened.'
Writing her little book was something that did not come so easily at first. Sitting at her table with pen and paper in front of her for hours on end, she finally put the pen down, muttering to herself, "I don't know how to write a book". 'I went to talk to the stars,' she says, grinning. 'And the little voice said, "Why do we want to have a garden?" I said, "That's it!" My first words. At 3.30 the first chapter was written and I don't remember writing it - it just fell off my pen.'
Her book opened doors for her. 'Garden clubs wanted me and then television wanted me and then interstate wanted me.' Then came overseas appearances. Much later, Esther was awarded an OAM for her services to people with disabilities, who receive most of the royalties from her books. Recently she was included in the 10th Royal Edition Who's Who. 'I've never been trained in any of this sort of thing but it all just came naturally.'
While Esther acknowledges that 'all these tremendous things have happened', it is the response from her readers that is most important to her. 'The letters are from everywhere - from Africa, America. I correspond with a lot of people overseas and it's beautiful correspondence.'
One aspect of her success that Esther does take credit for is her attitude. 'Whatever I do, I apply myself, whether I like it or not. And I think that is a number one lesson we should all learn.' She describes the need for this attitude at the house where she developed her no-dig method of gardening. 'Builders had buried all sorts of rubbish - I couldn't dig a hole without finding something, so I dug all that stuff out by hand. It made me very strong - I'm very grateful that I had to do that, and you see what has happened since then.'
Over 20 years ago Esther Deans wrote a small book called Growing Without Digging. This book has been reprinted 19 times and has sold almost 100,000 copies. Her revolutionary method of gardening has become famous worldwide as the 'no-dig garden.'
Esther, now 88 years old, lives with her husband, Tom, in a leafy retirement village on Sydney's North Shore. Esther and Tom cultivate their own garden there, as well as parts of the village's garden. 'I've had a pretty wonderful husband who supported me in all this sort of thing - without Tom I couldn't have done it all.' She is also grateful to her ancestors. 'I inherited my gardening ability from my lovely Scotch grandmother - she was a wonderful gardener. I'm the only one in my family that's followed her.'
Esther tells the story of the transformation of her backyard garden. 'You couldn't dig the ground - it was just clay. I suggested to Tom that we make a concrete edge and build a garden above the ground. On the first garden it was only lucerne hay and then compost. Then, after building a frame, I put a layer of paper, about 1/4 inch thick; on top of the paper, padded lucerne hay as it came from the bale and then on top of the lucerne hay a little fertiliser. That was chicken manure. On top of that, about 8 inches of loose straw, a little fertiliser again and on top of that about 4 inches of compost. I planted the seeds and it was just like something magic. The zucchini just grew and grew and the beans just grew - it was incredible what happened.'
Writing her little book was something that did not come so easily at first. Sitting at her table with pen and paper in front of her for hours on end, she finally put the pen down, muttering to herself, "I don't know how to write a book". 'I went to talk to the stars,' she says, grinning. 'And the little voice said, "Why do we want to have a garden?" I said, "That's it!" My first words. At 3.30 the first chapter was written and I don't remember writing it - it just fell off my pen.'
Her book opened doors for her. 'Garden clubs wanted me and then television wanted me and then interstate wanted me.' Then came overseas appearances. Much later, Esther was awarded an OAM for her services to people with disabilities, who receive most of the royalties from her books. Recently she was included in the 10th Royal Edition Who's Who. 'I've never been trained in any of this sort of thing but it all just came naturally.'
While Esther acknowledges that 'all these tremendous things have happened', it is the response from her readers that is most important to her. 'The letters are from everywhere - from Africa, America. I correspond with a lot of people overseas and it's beautiful correspondence.'
One aspect of her success that Esther does take credit for is her attitude. 'Whatever I do, I apply myself, whether I like it or not. And I think that is a number one lesson we should all learn.' She describes the need for this attitude at the house where she developed her no-dig method of gardening. 'Builders had buried all sorts of rubbish - I couldn't dig a hole without finding something, so I dug all that stuff out by hand. It made me very strong - I'm very grateful that I had to do that, and you see what has happened since then.'
Last edited:
User395221
Crowing
Basically, you just plonk the garden materials on the surface and forget about whatever horror-story is underneath.
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s867068.htm
There are lots of videos on youtube and other info online. I'm low on data so can't look for a good one.
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s867068.htm
After a few years (?) the underneath will also get easier to work with the worms working on it.
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s867068.htm
There are lots of videos on youtube and other info online. I'm low on data so can't look for a good one.
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s867068.htm
After a few years (?) the underneath will also get easier to work with the worms working on it.
I actually bought good potting soil to put in all the tires we use to garden but that would allow me to not replace it so fast
Similar threads
New posts New threads Active threads
-
Latest threads
-
-
Are these temps/conditions ok to start silkie chicks outside?- Started by TeePants
- Replies: 0
-
Water dripping off roof & into one portion of run - will this be a problem?
- Started by TeePants
- Replies: 2
-
-
-
-
Threads with more replies in the last 15 days
-
-
I culled my first cockerel, now what?- Started by redinator
- Replies: 120
-
*Answer These Questions The Best You Can Please *- Started by N3mesis_IceWing_NightWing
- Replies: 107
-
-
-
