For the past few weeks we (and others) have been working long hours in the food forest vege garden planting around 4000 seedlings, taking out and chopping up 8 Leylandii pine trees and putting down a sand base foundation with tiles on top for 10 compost bins (all compost bins were relocated).
Using tarps, scrap timber and star pickets we built a shelter for 72 x 25 litre potting mix bags for the 50+ fruit trees we are shortly to receive and plant in large pots (we are making up our own organic potting mix - more fruit trees to follow) and have space for the 72 x 25 litre bags of seedling mix we are shortly to receive for our multitude of seedlings we plan to produce down-the-line. The shelter also provides cover for the worm farm and other garden things.
Using pallets, tarps and star pickets we are also building 4 large outdoor storage bays for our humus mix, compost mix, soil mixes and sawdust (a tarp roof is also being erected over them to protect these goodies from rain and excessive heat).
The potting mix will also be used for various veges, herbs and spices.
When we took down the trees we put up a 20 meter lattice wall above and along the back fence to extend privacy and shelter primarily for the 6 meter length x 3 meter width x 3 meter high hot house being built out of poly pipes, star pickets and high quality uv plastic and second hand (free) plastic roofing for the walls (should be finished within 2 weeks).
Then we are building a chooks pen and a run under the maple tree. The run extends out along the side of the hot house. We will also be building a landing next to the maple tree and above the compost bins (we have limited space to work with) for a cubby house and outdoor play area. Then comes the water tanks and three sheds. We've also brought in many trailer loads of more wood chip.
We've done a lot of work to transform the imported 75 tonne of soil into a volcanic type of soil. For over 2.5 years we have used natural products like rock dust, zeolite, soft rock phosphate, fossil shell flour (DE), volcamin, clays and most importantly mycelium fungus and other beneficial microbes and fungi.
To get around the horrific fluoride, chlorine and other nasties in the "town water" which destroys important microbes, fungi, etc, we put a handful of organic seaweed flakes (we get it in bulk cheap - same with all other products) in each of the 24 x 60 litre garbage bins we use for watering the garden by hand. During the day we leave the lids off and after 5 days we start using the water (sometimes less). We also produce heaps of compost and mix it with an organic compost mix we get from a local (7 x 4 box trailer overfilled = $60.00) containing horse, cow, duck, sheep, turkey, chicken shit and mushroom compost. We get it only after 6 months maturity.
We had rain this arvo and the food forest vege garden is looking fantastic. If we are on the right track we will be producing dinosaur size food in a few years time, possibly sooner.
Once the water tanks and fruit trees are in place we will be closing off the garden from the outside world and recycle everything organically from within the garden, particularly the seeds. We will no longer be bringing anything in from outside. We sense that after three generations of seed replanting we could experience phenomenal results (healthy powerful dinosaur food).
The list of what we've been doing and will be doing shortly goes on and on......... Here is a link to a Feb 2013 Food Forest Vege Garden video we put up called "From Bare Dirt To Abundance"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sJCcCvZ97A - Part two will be made over the coming two months or so and uploaded to the YouTube Channel.
