Permaculture Gardening

Today I went to a seminar at yet another local library to discover more about permaculture gardening. It is something I am definitely interested in. Basically it is the creation of a permanent culture, that is, a way of living on the land that is fully sustainable, because there is no use of chemicals, and the clever design gets the most out of the environment. It's all about being space savvy, time savvy, water savvy, and above all, soil savvy! You see, the soil, as with any organic garden, is the key.

healthy soil = +++ nutrient uptake = healthy plants = pest/disease resistance = higher yield

There are several ways I intend on improving my soil quality.
1) I have started a worm farm... I only have about 12 worms, some of which may well be dead by now, but hey, it's a start!
2) Getting Chookies! The ultimate nitrogen adder! They have a good scratch, remove pests, deposit nutrient rich poo, and all this action is great for healthy soil.
3) Adding organic material to the garden beds, including but not limited to- lucerne hay, sugar cane mulch, horse poo, chook poo, and some organic lifter/blood and bone.
4)I also plan on adding dolomite, which is a lime calcium and other type of soil conditioner which helps remove odors from chickens and unlock nutrients in the soil. Lime by itself will also change the pH from acidic to more alkaline. Something badly needed in my neck of the woods. Soils that vary from pH 6.5 - 7 lock nutrients away and worms wont live there either (worms are a great indicator of soil health).

All these things are in the pipeline. I am trying not to burn through too much money, as I will need some in reserve for when the chookies get here.

Ways of saving money include a simple shift in thinking.
Instead of thinking - What do I need to buy? I am now thinking along the lines of - What can I re-use to serve that function? And I keep finding ways to save more money. It's great!
The aquarium that will be used for a brooding box for chicks, will later become a mini glasshouse for seedling propagation, maximising daytime sun & keeping the possums away from delicate new shoots, perhaps I can put the garden on the bank of the hill & only put three wooden sides on it? This too would save time & money.
Keeping your garden as productive as possible saves money at the grocery store. A simple shift in thinking from :standard veges growing seasons & then a big break for the garden over summer, to :Our state has three seasons - European Summer (our late autumn early winter), Mediterranean Summer (spring before the rains get here), Asian Summer (tropical wet season - summer through to early autumn (easter). Thinking in this way, makes it easy to pick suitable crops, and easy to keep the garden productive in the middle of the hottest summer by growing stirfry asian greens and other crops resistant to high temps & brutal sun. The simple erection of a sunshade also aids this cause, as plants grow most morning and afternoon and shut down in the middle of the day in extreme temperatures.

Still, it helps that I have sold the horses, because all in all, this garden and the chooks will cost me about $1000 to set up. I am also splurging on a very good quality set of secateurs, and watering can. If I outsource labour, and buy everything new, it will cost upwards of $1500! Um, I think I'll put in the extra work & save that $$$!

Speaking of money, Next Saturday is the last lecture in this series, on low cost gardening... keeping costs down by sourcing freebies, second hand, and DIYing. I'll let you know any handy hints I pick up!

Going the organic route also saves money in the long run, because you do not need to buy pesticides, herbicides, phosphorous or nitrogen. You look for natural sources and you incorporate them into your garden routine. Things like chickens & green manure go a long way to providing all your gardens' needs. Lady birds (eat aphids & mealy bugs), hoverfly larvae (eat other pest larvae), and even the chookies go a long way to keeping pests at bay. There is enough veges to go around without having to kill every single insect that wants a piece of the garden... once the predatory insects come along things balance out eventually. :0)

That is, well, except for the possums.
So, I'll buy myself a slingshot while I'm at it... better yet, I'll make one. Back yard BBQ anyone?

Happy Gardening!