Bender's Backyard

Bender · **Posted:** Thu May 26, 2011 11:34 pm

Heres a few pics of my vege garden. There are 7 beds in total which I rotate each year.

This is bed 1. Its not ideally positioned as it only gets afternoon sun which tends to cook things in summer. It currently has some onion seedlings planted and a few spring onions. There are some herbs growing at one end, comfrey at the other and a few neglected roses that were there before I started (we are renting).

Bender · **Posted:** Thu May 26, 2011 11:37 pm

Bed 2 currently has a green manure crop growing. Its mostly mustard growing but there are a few peas in there.

Bender · **Posted:** Thu May 26, 2011 11:42 pm

Bed 3 is empty at the moment but will have potatoes planted in a few weeks. Bed 4 has warragal greens, parsnips, carrots, celery, parsley, lettuce, strawberrys and a lonely capsicum.

Bender · **Posted:** Thu May 26, 2011 11:46 pm

Bed 5 has some leeks (left over from last year), broad beans, peas and a few stray chillies.

I'm trying a red flowered variety of broad bean this year too.

Bender · **Posted:** Thu May 26, 2011 11:49 pm

Bed 6 has carrots, silverbeet, kale, rocket, chillies and I recently planted broccoli and brussel sprouts.

Faye · **Posted:** Thu May 26, 2011 11:51 pm

Love those pretty coloured broad beans Bender. Might have to try and get some seeds, sooner rather than later. Do you know the variety?
Hope your soil is better than ours, or I wish you lots of luck :thumb:

You have got lots of variety thats for sure. Thanks for sharing.

Bender · **Posted:** Thu May 26, 2011 11:52 pm

The last bed has globe artichokes and asparagus growing in it. It also gets mostly afternoon sun so isn't ideally situated.

Bender · **Posted:** Thu May 26, 2011 11:58 pm

Thanks Faye, the broad beans are a crimson flowered variety I bought from diggers. Not sure if they taste any different but I'll soon find out. The soil down here is definately a challenge. We are not far from the beach so its very sandy. Its also non wetting. I've been trying to add as much organic matter to the soil as possible to increase the water holding capasity. I'm sure it similar to the rest of the Swan Coastal Plain.

dufflight · **Posted:** Fri May 27, 2011 8:59 am

Nice garden. If you get a dozen bales of hay and cover a lot of the beds this will help break down into the soil. After your plants are finished you can dig the lot in, re-plant and top the beds off again with hay. I also find compost teas will help the soil take in water. Put a hand full or worm castings into a watering can and give the beds a dose every few weeks. The extra bacteria and worms will help break down the hay and give the plants a boost.

Burnsy · **Posted:** Mon May 30, 2011 4:53 pm

Another vote for a heap of pea straw over the beds, it is the only way to get moisture to hold in our hollow sands and it increases microbial activity. You will also find that putting some kind of structure around the side of the beds to hold the soil and pea straw mulch up will improve the beds to no end as you will no longer have the exposed side of the bed drying out and sucking moisture out of the middle of the garden. Anything will do the job, bricks, tin, timber, logs, just something for the soil to sit against so it can stay moist. As you are renting, aim for somthing you can take with you when you go and take your nice pile of built up soil that you have lovingly developed over the time of your tenancy leaving it flat and planted with some potted colour. That pile of solid bricks in the background on end will make a nice start!

Should look good in a few weeks when all those seedlings start filling out. Hope you like artichokes!!

Bender · **Posted:** Mon May 30, 2011 9:28 pm

Thanks Duff and Burnsy. I took your advice over the weekend and I put down some lucerne hay. Hopefully that will hold in some more moisture and slowly break down building up the soil. I would like to build some type of semi-permanent structure around the beds but it sucks when I know we will be moving in the next year or so and I'll have to take it down. I have covered the sides with hay now so thats a start at least. Planted some potatoes too - ruby lou, royal blue and delaware.

We got some nice rain over night too. 19.6 mm and some more today so that should help things along a bit

earthbound · **Posted:** Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:36 pm

Yep, big thumbs up for straw/hay and also mushroom compost, before long the sand is filled with organic matter... nice work Bender...

gnash · **Posted:** Tue Jun 14, 2011 12:20 pm

Great artichokes Bender....I had my first lot removed by parrots so hopefully the second lot will stay put.

dufflight · **Posted:** Fri Jun 17, 2011 9:18 pm

I like growing artichokes, they go nuts in the AP system. But I can't find a good way to cook them.

Burnsy · **Posted:** Fri Jun 17, 2011 11:38 pm

dufflight wrote:

I like growing artichokes, they go nuts in the AP system. But I can't find a good way to cook them.

Search youtube for how to prepare artichokes, boil then once prepared and then pull the bits out that you eat and dip them in satay sauce - yum yum.

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