Goto My Garden

Orchids - simple to grow and look stunning

2013-07-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

My Orchid collection is limited to about ten pots that I have collected and grown over the years by separating them from one or two original orchids I was given ten years ago. The flowers are really worth the effort, and even when they are not flowering the long dark green leaves are attractive on their own. Most of the effort occurs in summer when you must remember to move the pots around to a shady spot, make sure they get plenty of water and a little orchid food every few weeks. I am very happy with the result as many of my orchids are flowering at the moment. One other tip I picked up to keep the flowers for a long time is simply don't cut them. Instead move the entire pot to a position on a balcony or even inside the house where everyone can appreciate it.
Here is one of my orchids on my balcony.

10 reasons my dog suddenly fears steps

2013-07-03T01:35:00.001-07:00

Living in a level house was always a dream on mine. Having grown up mostly living in single level federation or Californian bungalows it makes for easy communication and interaction of the family unit, but not so great for privacy and volume control. The house where I presently dwell has levels, and lots of steps, which although not the pinnacle of my shelter dream image, it can be advantageous when the boys are playing video games with surround sound on high volume - we cannot hear them. In fact if you stack them with enough grub, you can spend hours pretending they do not even co-locate.
Aside from the pros and cons for humans, there has been one member of the family that has struggled with the stairs. With a body only slightly bigger than an oversize rodent, Bozzie the dog initially refused to walk up the stairs in any part of the house when we first moved a year ago. After some training using enticements of food he became more familiar with the steps - until recently.
Within the last month Bozzie has chosen 2 sets of stairs in our home where he can only ascend using his eyeballs to drag him upwards towards a treat. His legs alone wont do the trick. Omit the treat and all poor Bozzie will do is wail and howl. What burst his bubble?

Why has the dog gone sour? I have concocted a few theories;
1. The steps are haunted and Boz has seen a wraith whilst we were out. Perhaps he can still see it when we are in the house?
2. During winter Boz has gained a few pounds and fears he might not have the required acceleration to escalate without sliding backwards.
3. His little claws are tapping on the steps and distracting him - maybe frightening him?
4. Following the behavioural experiments made famous by Pavlov's dog, perhaps we have somehow associated not climbing the steps with some positive reinforcement? Maybe the kids are secretly feeding him when he does not climb the steps?
5. Boz is a giant "wuss" and should go back to the pet store where he came from.
6. Boz has somehow had a mishap on the steps, maybe he slipped, maybe my 3 year old pushed him and he has never gotten over it.
7. The most obvious, but I will say it anyway; Boz has been taken over by aliens and they are unfamiliar with navigating stairs, having arrived from an entirely flat world.
8. Boz actually thinks he is a sheep, and everyone knows sheep cannot climb stairs.
9. Boz thinks he is royalty and feels walking up steps somehow beneath his lineage, preferring instead to be carried.

10. He is a super genius dog, and has calculated that with his very short legs and oversized head it is not, in theory, physically possible to ascend the steps.

Or maybe he is just fed up with everyone sticking funny hats on him and freaking out over stairs is a form of rebellion. ....

5 important tips when digging a hole

2013-07-01T17:14:00.002-07:00

Phoning a plumber was the final admission that I had failed to fix a self inflicted backyard problem. Here are my tips for digging a hole in the garden.

Learning point number 1: when you are digging and you find a stash of rocks consider that perhaps they have a reason for being underground..
Learning point number 2: Following from point 1, no matter how tempting it might be to remove the rocks and use them elsewhere in the garden, just leave them.
Learning point number 3: If you cannot help but remove the rocks, don't keep digging.
Learning point number 4: Don't keep digging.
Learning point number 5: If you cannot stop yourself from digging, don't use a pick.

Having ignored all of the above points I have been left with a cracked terracotta pipe, which leads me to my next 5 learning points when dealing with a cracked pipe;

Learning point number 1: Don't try and repair the pipe on your own - call a plumber.
Learning point number 2: If you have to attempt to repair the pipe, don't bother trying to purchase pipes or glues or adhesives or cement from the hardware store, you will be wasting your money.
Learning point number 3: Don't leave the pipe sitting cracked in a hole in the ground for months, particularly when it rains a lot. It will not magically repair itself.
Learning point number 4: Don't listen to your mates that tell you it is simple to fix - and definitely do not just fill in the hole and hope the problem goes away.
Learning point number 5: Don't let the dog roll around in the drain water that puddles around the cracked pipe, and then do not let the dog sleep on the sofa.
My garden helper raking leaves:

Bromeliads in bloom

2013-05-15T23:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I picked up a box of epsom salts at the supermarket. Just a pinch of epsom salts has transformed many of my bromeliads into flowering pink spikey flamingo-like spectacles. My daughter loves pink but was alas unimpressed by them, preferring to play with the marbles in the pots outside the front door. I guess that makes sense when you are three years old. Espom salts work wonders for bromeliads and then you can use the rest in your bath to soothe your aches from all the gardening.
Some snaps of flowering bromeliads from my garden and also my pineapple sage in a pot;

Autumn Action

2013-04-07T19:01:00.002-07:00

With the cooler weather I have activated my plans for garden hedging and screening plants.
Having lived in the house around 9 months and through the summer I have a good understanding of the garden hot spots and cooler shady spots. In addition I have identified the areas of the fence line and front garden that would benefit from privacy. I am still taking care of my aches and pains from the 2 tonnes of soil and tonne of sand that I have distributed around the garden (sand used for paving), but all the effort will make for a more suitable place for planting. I have decided upon Camellias as the main plant for hedging. I have had some good success with some of the existing Camellias in the garden and I find them relatively easy to care for. As an acid loving plant, Camellias are easy care if you buy the correct fertilizer. This is very straightforward. Just buy the one that says "for Camellias" on the front! The next thing is to be aggressive with prunung. The more you prune Camellias the better the leaves bunch. This ensures a solid hedge. I also like Camellias due to the wide variety of flower colours and shapes and the deep green waxy leaves. For some reason there is an abundance of Camellias in the nurseries at the moment and they are not too expensive. I picked up half a dozen plants over the weekend for $11 each.

I have been experimenting with cuttings from the Camellias and where I have planted them out of the direct sun they have been doing well.I have lots of Azaleas that also love the acid soil.
Once I have the Camellias planted and happy I will fill any gaps where extra screening might be needed and plant some sweet vibernum and perhaps Red Robin (photinia) Hedge plants or maybe syzgiums.
I am also considering some larger trees that will be useful where I want to block out neighbours and have the space to fit them in the garden. I planted a Bay a couple of months back to signal the edge of where my new veggie patch will go and have a nice Rosemary hedge doing nicely that I have already used for cuttings. It has purple flowers and will be a nice hedge for the veggie garden (once I actually get around to planting the veggies).

Here is a photo of a rabbit running down our street. These buggers are everywhere at the moment!

Chillies

2012-12-16T04:23:00.002-08:00

A friend of mine recently told me that growing your own chillies can promote arguments in the household. I am not sure if that is entirely true, but I can say that growing chillies is one of the easiest activities I have been involved in.
Here are my simple steps to growing chillies;
1. Find a chilli you like (not a chilli plant just a chilli!)
2. Let it dry out in the sun for a week or so
3. Find a pot that you are currently growing some other herbs or veggies
4. Poke a hole in the soil near the other plants in the pot
5. Place the chilli into the hole and cover it over with soil
6. When you water the herbs or veggies simply water where you planted the chilli
7. When the chilli plant starts to grow a month or so later remember it is not a weed and leave it to grow!
8. Once it is a few inches high you can transplant it or if the veggies or herbs are finished just let it grow in the pot.
9. Continue to help it along with fish emulsion, fertilizer and water regularly.
Some of my chillies in pots round the deck. In the photo with my daughter the chillies are all green, then a couple of months later they start to turn red and orange.

Dig Dig DIg

2012-12-15T03:14:00.000-08:00

Finally I had some time to get out the pick and spade and dig out a path down beside the pool and fill in the area with road base. The path has been set for pavers, just need to get some sand down and level and then order the pavers. :)
Some sunny days over the past month have adversely effected a few palms and ferns and the like. I have erected a lattice under the backyard deck area and started positioning the more shade loving plants in front of the lattice. I am keen to get my hands on some rust effect paint and apply to the lattice to see how it looks. I will then grow some shade loving vines over the lattice and let the palms and ferns do their thing. I found a small tree fern growing by the pool and attempted to relocate it under the deck also, but it is not looking too happy with the move. I will keep watering and see if it turns a corner. Of the three tree ferns I relocated earlier in the year only the largest one survived, however it has thrived. I think it was the extra watering that helped it along.
The front garden is starting to take shape in areas. The 3 Camellias I drastically pruned back in April are filling out really well with much tighter growth, perfect for hedging. A little more pruning and they will look fantastic.
I have also decided to take on cleaning the pool myself and after reading numerous articles and books on the topic I feel confident I can keep it from becoming a swamp.
Best,
Adam

Spring time

2012-10-01T04:33:00.001-07:00

The sunshine on the garden revitalizes the soul and gets the creative cogs turning again. Guilty as I am feeling for not keeping my gardening blog up to date I have been quite busy with planting, landscaping and the rest.
Aside from the tremendous failure of my kitchen window herb garden, things are starting to take shape outdoors. Some raised garden beds are framing the structure of my garden vision and with some incredible generosity from a mate who was recently thinning his garden bed of native grasses, lillies and other natives the backyard is getting more and more like the sanctuary of serenity that I had in my mind.

Next steps? mulching, finishing the edging with railway sleepers and marking out some holes for posts to set screens and fencing for climbers, a greenhouse frame and fencing for the veggie garden.
take care,
Adam

Kubriki

2012-07-02T03:47:00.000-07:00

A world of ideas materialized before my eyes as I wandered the grounds of Kubriki last weekend. Recycling may not feel like the most exciting activity, but offers low cost options for garden elements that bring a garden to life. The buy back area has all sorts of odds and ends but I think when I am ready I will be making a trip to get some bush rock and sleepers to support a veggie garden. I will also need to get some mulch delivered soon.

Rainy days

2012-06-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

So much rain, a broken laptop, an overflowing swimming pool, lots of house moving activities and a wife in another country for two weeks have all contributed to gardening distractions. In the midst of the chaos I have cut back the front garden camellias (in anticipation of moving them to the backyard some time soon) and cut down half a dozen large tree ferns and planted them in the backyard. I have started transplanting some agaves and other plants to start a tropical look easy care border around the pool which has started to take form against the tree ferns. eventually I will move most of the grevilleas from around the pool and replace them with ferns, palms and other leafy tropical plants. Planning for little retaining wall and a path around the backyard h also started and I might get out the spray can and mark some pathways next weekend. :)

Something to keep busy on a rainy day...

Pots everywhere

2012-05-30T02:06:00.001-07:00

For the past few months I have been preparing for the house move by growing many of my plants in pots and preparing lots of cuttings.
Luckily I have been able to house all my pots at my parents place.
After a dozen car trips my parents backyard looks like a mini nursery.
I now have the task of delivering all my plants to their new home.

My parents have already placed dibs on some of the cuttings that have been doing well.
Having located a nice spot on the balcony with good morning sunshine I might setup a herb garden this weekend.
I am considering re-locating some of the natives to create a garden bed rather than the lines of plants positioned by the past owners. Perhaps too much effort for this weekend.
We will see
Best regards,
Adam

24 hours

2012-05-26T07:01:00.002-07:00

Twenty four hours past since we have moved and aside from a little sore muscles the family are all excited about our new abode. Except for Bozzie, our dog. Bozzie refuses to enter the backyard or leave the upstairs room without some other family member in tow. We took the little half pug half jack Russell for a walk around the suburb and even then he was acting like something sinister was around every hedge. Hopefully in time the family dog will get used to the idea of his new home and no longer act like he has been smuggled off to doggie dungeon.

The move started a little slow with the highly recommended movers turning up almost three hours late. Fate was on our side and thankfully the sun stayed out making the entire experience manageable and smooth. It was at around 8pm on Friday night that we found out why exactly the mover was so highly recommended when we we asked to pay $480 for the entire move. I had received quotes in excess of two thousand dollars from another highly reputable moving company.

A photo of Bozzie (aka Boris or Boz);

After ferociously unpacking for a full day the house now looks like a home instead of a storage facility and we had some good fortune with our broadband. My wife called to set up our Internet and was told they were only an hour away from shutting off the previous residents account. Our provider offered to switch over the account to us immediately.

We had Internet access instantly.

What made the Internet access victory even more sweet was when my wife was informed that if she had called only 1 hour later we would have been waiting 21 days to get connected. Just thinking about it makes my stomach turn...no Internet for 21 days would be living hell.

On the garden front I have done a little recon and located a pleasant but mush mash front garden of indigenous, tropical and formal varieties, that I have already sprayed with a welcoming seaweed mix.

I get the feeling the front garden selection from the previous owner might have involved a drive the local nursery or Bunnings and a selection of one of each of a dozen different plants that they liked. I guess that makes sense, but I cannot say I am a fan of azaleas, camellias next to bird or paradise, rododendrums, ferns and Lilly pillys. The back yard has more of a theme with Many indigenous plants all planted in rows along the fence lines.

Most of the plants have been positioned directly in the lawn. A lack of garden beds will give me an excellent project to get something more attractive and sustaining for the plants. In addition the balcony areas and a side courtyard are both blank canvases. My first decisions will surround the front garden theme, the back garden design and soil treatments and some thoughts into innovative balcony gardening statements. First I have a hundred or so potted plants waiting at my parents so I have some driving to do. :)
Best regards,
Adam

Yabba Yabba

2012-05-24T01:32:00.001-07:00

Not Fred Flinstone's house. :)
A dreamy garden and residence in the Blue Mountains.
Perfect for some winter garden inspiration;

http://www.yabbayabba.com.au/gallery.htm
Enjoy!

Brush Turkey Mania

2012-05-22T00:59:00.001-07:00

Brush turkeys invading my backyard.
The question of whether or not a bush turkey can fly has been finally answered...

And the answer? Sort of...can you see the brush turkeys in the gumtree?

Winter veggie garden

2012-05-21T01:18:00.001-07:00

With all the mania preparing for my move I was able to sneak over to visit my brother and his new backyard veggie garden. Having not had much success myself with sowing seeds directly into the garden bed, and especially with winter and all, I cannot say I was not a little concerned that this garden bed might not be as vibrant as hoped.
Thankfully I was proven wrong.
My bro's veggie sanctuary has developed quickly from a paved pathway into a promising garden with hundreds of little potential veggies on the way.
The garden beds face north and capture the morning sun.
The location makes perfect sense - directly next to the kitchen for easy access and surrounded by paving - discouraging ground dwelling pests from an easy feed.
Encouraged by some special seed propelling preparation from the nursery this garden has quickly progressed into something that will quickly reward its owners with fresh produce and also perhaps more importantly something interesting and different for the younger family members (my nephews) Oliver and Oscar.

Check out the groovy paddle pop stick labels;

Some little carrots ready for thinning.

Moving house in 5 days!

2012-05-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

Many of my colleagues at work have been reminding me that moving house rates alongside the top 3 most stressful events people experience in a life-time (I am guessing that refers to a western lifetime as I can think of about a hundred more stressful events that perhaps someone from Haiti or maybe Conga might face in a lifetime).
After a long weekend of box packing and sorting, and another 40+ points loss for my 9 year old's footy team I am unable to tap in to my inner garden mantra and find anything green or garden-centric to share. Mixed with a balance of anxiety and excitement the pending house move I am sure will all be a distant memory in only a few weeks time. I do feel a sad to leave my garden and hope that the new owners do not replace it with concrete, but then that choice remains out of my control.
Making the move as effective and stress-free as possible does remain within my grasp and will continue as a focus until the move. I am hoping the pre-settlement inspection goes to plan. I also intend to find some suitable paint to rectify the mess I have made by touching up my current home with the wrong paint, leaving shiny blotches everywhere. I am sure I can get the problem fixed before the new owners conduct their inspection. :)

Best regards,
Adam

Visit to the Local Council Garden Centre

2012-05-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

A visit to the local council garden centre was not exactly high on the list of events for my 9 and 10 year old sons. Some of the offerings at the Kuringai Council Community Nursery were directed towards attracting native wildlife to the garden and the overall theme of indigenous planting made choosing the right addition to my garden an inevitability; http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/www/html/236-ku-ring-gai-nursery.asp?intSiteID=1
The nursery offered a small variety of plants propagated from local indigenous plant life. The staff were friendly and willing to offer some useful free advice.
Being interested in grevilleas and camellias I found from one of the nursery staff that the many non indigenous varieties with large flowers (on sale at most nurseries) prove troublesome for some of the smaller native birds (apparently their little beaks do not stretch long enough for them to feed) and are more likely to attract noisy miners. I was advised that smaller flowering indigenous varieties will attract natives and will still look good.

Definitely something worth considering.

I am interested in understanding more about how Australian native plants assist with attracting local birds, lizards, frogs and insects and have taken away lots of free reading material.
I also found the council have listed a comprehensive list of recommended indigenous plants to consider for my new garden;
http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/resources/documents/Fauna_attracting_species_KC.pdf
The boys were particularly interested in the native bees located near the building entrance on site. The Australian native bees do not sting and have an appearance much like a small house fly.

I found out that council residents can nominate to care take an Australian Native Bee hive at their place of residence. Once I am established in my new house I will look into getting our own bee hive.
Best regards,
Adam

Spider babies video

2012-05-15T03:46:00.000-07:00

I had found a red back behind one of my vegetable garden beds last year.
A big shiny one the size of a ten cent piece.
My mind went wild thinking of all the times the kids were helping with the gardening and playing in the soil.
Now I look in and around the high traffic areas as much as I can.
I spray the cubby house and around the edge of the home every few months.
I use a spray from chillies, garlic, soap shavings and oil that I found online.
I am the last person to coat my kids in cotton wool but I do find spiders a little creepy myself.
Keep safe in the garden.
Best regards,
Adam

Spiders

2012-05-15T03:27:00.003-07:00

Spiders seem to be everywhere in my garden.
I even find them in my car.
Mostly little green ones that appear harmless.

I have seen and read lots of great information on the benefits of insect predators such as lady bugs and preying mantis and the like, but not much about spiders.

Possibly they are too creepy and we all know they kill lots of unwanted bugs?

Here are a few spiders from my garden;

Lots of spiders in the garden must be a good sign of a thriving ecosystem.

Who likes agapanthus?

2012-05-14T00:48:00.002-07:00

Back when they were 2 and 3 years old, trying to teach my two sons (now 9 & 10 years old) to say the word agapanthus forms a fun memory that I recalled recently with my 2 year old daughter. A popular addition to my garden and a plant featuring everywhere in neighbouring gardens, suburbs, parks and other locations - agapanthus adds a solid splash of green to accompany formal or tropical or eclectic themes, with the extra benefit of impressive purple or white flowers.

Here you can see some agapathus with dark green spiky fronds, perched in behind some sage and surrounded by red dwarf salvias in my front garden;

An ideal remedy for any budding gardener experiencing feelings of helplessness and overwhelming disappointment from expensive gardening failures, contradictory to its many-syllable name agapanthus might be the least complex of growing projects and rates amongst the most robust, easy to grow plants I know. So you can imagine my (mild) distress at finding my old faithful garden self esteem saver listed on the nasty list.

Yes agapathus has received a big "X" cross against it.

According to Grow Me Instead, A Guide for Gardeners in New South Wales, "each flower head can have hundreds of seeds which are spread by wind, water and soil."
But all may not be lost - apparently removing the spent flower heads will mitigate the problem.

The Grow Me Instead agapathus recommended alternatives are;

Dwarf white agapanthus - almost complete absence of seed;
Swamp lily - suits any soil;
Blue flax lily - with blue berries to attract birds.

An example of agapanthus flowers I found on Flickr;

In case you want to see more, attribution goes to the following link; http://www.flickr.com/photos/tgerus/6430962247/

Garden recommendation - rocket

2012-05-12T22:46:00.005-07:00

When my eldest son said he wanted to build a themed garden using science fiction and I said we would grow rocket I am not sure exactly what he thought we would be doing but I am thinking he had an image something like this in his mind;

Photo from American Infra;
http://www.americainfra.com/news/crazy-military-ideas/.

Unfortunately for his highly imaginative brain, the rocket I was talking about was something that I have been growing successfully for many years.

Rocket will be on the top of the list of veggies for my new garden.

Home grown rocket has a slightly bitter/pepper taste that I have yet to find anywhere else. In addition rocket self seeds easily and grows quickly. By plucking enough leaves for a good salad once or twice a week I have found I can maintain a good balance of growth from half a dozen plants without having to remove them or start from scratch. Rocket enjoys a top up of thrive or seaweed solution every week or two and will enjoy a kick start of from some blood & bone, a rich mulch from the compost or premium potting mix and likes a nice sunny position (especially morning sun).
For time-poor gardeners rocket may be an excellent choice.

Growing Rocket (Garden of Eaden Blog post);
http://tinyurl.com/cen5ums

Low cost gardening Tip#4 Don't Throw Out Your Pots!

2012-05-10T03:21:00.001-07:00

Omnipresent Pots
This might seem to be an obvious tip.
Keeping your pots saves plastic waste and can be useful for housing plants, moving, transporting and saving them from the elements.
I had to assert my right to protect my plastic pots with my wife.
With plastic pots making an appearance all around the garden initially I had little hope to help my wife understand that I wanted to keep a bunch of plastic trash.
I was forced to resort to Out of mind out of Sight - I had to find a safe place for my unsightly containers.

Like most clean freaks my wife did not really care about my intent, she simply did not like the idea of keeping rubbish around the house.
So here are some tips for keeping pots out of sight, and a few reasons why you might need them;

Tips for keeping pots;
1. Find a place in the garden shed or under the house where clean freaks will not get upset and secretly dispose of them without your knowledge.
2. Wash your pots before you store them to discourage little creatures from wanting to make your pots their new home.
3. Stack your pots and keep the more fragile ones (usually for seedlings) somewhere out of reach so they do not get stepped on and crushed.

Why to keep pots handy?
If you want to;

grow cuttings on mass or;
grow seedlings or;
to store things.or;
transplant or;
divide or;
move frost sensitive plants;
or move heat sensitive plants....Pots can be used for so many things!

Your kids will even enjoy playing with them if you leave some around the garden!

Garden Invaders - Arum Lily

2012-05-09T03:13:00.000-07:00

Arum Lily sits on a list of environmentally unfriendly garden nasties.
I was a little shocked to find one of my favourite garden plants listed inside the "Grow Me Instead" guide for the Nursery & Garden Industry in Australia. These beauties look great in the garden and last for months with their large velvet white tubular flowers and require little care.
Unfortunately, according to the guide Arum Lilies "produce prolific amounts of seed that wash down gutters and streams and readily germinate."
I have only recently established a nice pair of Arum Lily specimens in pots ready to move to my new house, so I guess they will be destined for the vegetation bin instead. :(
Thankfully the Grow Me Instead guide recommends a few similar and just as attractive alternatives in the form of the Swamp Lily, Day Lillies or Cunjevoi.
Well I guess I will be looking into these new options for my new garden. :)
Here is a photo of some of the Arum Lily examples from my front garden.Bye Arum Lily...
Best regards,

Turramurra Bees

2012-05-08T01:02:00.001-07:00

During my visit to the Festival on the Green I bumped into some Bee keepers (also known as apiculture) with some honey tasting and live bees on display. The bees are local to the area and may be close to converting my son's peanut butter and jam sandwiches to peanut butter and honey, an old favourite of mine when I was at school.
I used to also enjoy peanut butter, jam, and banana sandwiches after swimming training. Yum!
The honey comes from the North Shore Beekeepers (also known as apiarists) from Bertrand Road Turramurra.
I have attached a video of the bees and a photo of the stand.
And the taste - sensational! Thanks North Shore Beekeepers. :) Buzz buzz.enjoy.

Organic Veggie Garden

2012-05-07T00:41:00.000-07:00

Making something from very little seems to be a theme with organic veggie gardening and has interested me for a long time. My current garden houses half a dozen large rectangular raised garden beds that I have used for herbs and veggies with great results. For my new garden I have been researching aquaponics to harness the nitrogen rich water from fish to grow lush veggies. Aquaponics also seems to be achievable on a reasonable budget. My low cost aquaponics idea consists of picking up a free bath tub like this one on Gumtree http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hillsdale/other-stuff-for-sale/old-bath-tub/1001805480 for the fish and then use my existing rectangular garden beds to secure above the tub and an old water pump from a fish pond to pump the water. The idea will require some work and may end up a little messy, which will upset my wife.

In an effort to locate a neater approach (and reduce the potential nagging from the wife) I have been researching other alternatives.

I recently found an alternative to aquaponics that looks neat and tidy, requires no pump and no fish and no renting a Ute to pick up and old bath tub.

Simply named the Organic Veggie Garden. :)

From Blue Mountains Australia and introduced by Jonathan Springfield, the Organic Veggie Garden seems to have everything figured out - a closed system to keep out the pests, limited watering due to the greenhouse environment and a neat and tidy unit to keep the wife from complaining. I have seen the device first hand and was impressed. Just add some rich soil, some veggies and away you go!

The only major con that I have with this clever invention seems to be counter my garden philosophy of low cost gardening. Yes that's right - the unit costs $800. I guess that seems fair given the amount of effort and the self-contained fool proof benefit of the system, however I would need to re-prioritize my gardening action list and miss out on lots lower cost garden projects for me to spend $800 for this fine veggie growing apparatus.
So for those of you that do not have a long list of things you want to achieve in the garden - or if you have an unlimited budget and just want to get the best outcome for growing your own veggies from the least effort this may be for you.
You can find out more about the Organic Veggie Garden at www.veggie-patch.com.au
Best regards,
Adam.