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Life on two acres of arid dirt, on the edge of the Australian outback.

Sunday, December 9, 2018

new view of the veggie patch

From this...





To this...



As you can see, we have been busy.  After a lot of hard work, the veggie patch is now looking so much better.

This took a lot longer than we thought simply because it was difficult to manoeuver around and among the existing barrels which still had plants in them. The reason the plants were still in the barrels is because I did not know this build was happening until it was happening lol!

I will try to show the progress through each stage in pictures...Sorry but there are LOTS of photos...









Each night the veggies had to be shut away from the kangaroos. They have been coming onto our block lately because of the drought. I put water out for them, so they can have a drink in the dry weather.









On with the shade-cloth overhead...







More dirt had to be brought in, leveled and packed down...













On with the lattice work...







Now for the barrels...These have been emptied, with the wicking system and the soil renewed. We swapped the shade cloth for geo-fabric to help with the wicking process. They have been placed level on timber for air flow. The corrugated iron in this picture  faces north and gets the most sun, so were are going to get bales of hay and  place on the outside for insulation to keep the tin and garden area cooler. I will post later about the wicking barrel updated version...


Cutting the geo-fabric...



I removed some plants (in the heat) and transferred them to new established barrels...a bit chaotic looking in this pic...most of the plants have survived thanks to some much needed rain that fell just after we finished doing the barrels and planting seedlings...




Weld-mesh added for the plants to grow up on and over...


So now the area is mostly finished except for the east side. This is going to be finished shortly (hopefully). For now I have shade-cloth pinned up in this area and it is working well. The following photos were taken this morning so you can see how it is going.  I planted out new seedlings just before a couple of very hot days so they needed to be covered for protection from the fierce sun. A lot easier than it used to be lol! I have been waiting ten years for this build to happen, and now I am so HAPPY :D




I have placed these plants in pots out in the area to toughen them up a bit before planting out into the soil. Lemon verbena, pomegranate, and bayleaf.  In the black pot I have potatoes growing.


We are enjoying sitting out here in the evenings...


Temporary shade...



The veggie patch really stands out now, it can be seen from the main road that passes by our property lol!


If you are on facebook, there is a tour video on my page if anyone wants to take a look. Go here. The video was too big to include with this post.

And to finish off with last nights beautiful sunset...



The last two months are a bit of a blur with all the activity going on around here. Christmas is coming and I am not ready at all, but that does not matter as we decided years ago that we would not contribute to consumerism and buy gifts for everyone. Now we give the gift of money and only buy for the youngest grand children. To me Christmas has lost its true meaning and I would much rather prefer to spend time with my love ones without the pressure that comes every Christmas. We will gather together at our sons place this year.  We all take food along to share and it is always a lovely day.  Hoping for cooler weather this Christmas as the last few have been very hot!

If I dont get to fit in another post before Christmas and the New Year, I want to wish you, all my readers a lovely festive season.  May you all enjoy this special time of the year.

Much love and abundant blessings and I will see you soon,

Tania xxx

28 comments:

  1. That's a masterpiece of construction and layout. Well done to both of you for achieving this in the hot weather. Love the lattice and the weldmesh. I'm wondering if kangaroos eat chokos (if you can grow them) as they may be feasible for planting outside the north fence for shade purposes. Looking forward to the wicking barrel update. Have a lovely time with your family over the festive season.

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    1. Sure is a masterpiece Robyn, I am so happy and proud right now :)

      xTania

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  2. I love seeing your progress. Your garden looks so good. Well loved. :)

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    1. Thank you Leigh, it is definitely something to love now :)

      xTania

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  3. Looks fabulous. It will make a huge difference I’m sure
    We only had two days of heat and some of my poor plants just look like I’ve taken a blow torch to them
    Well done xx

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    1. I think it is going to be a ripper hot summer this year Angela. I suspect I will still need to provide extra shade for certain plants.

      xTania

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  4. It's nice to see bare ground and green plants when we have cold and snow.

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    1. I forgot you have snow this time of year Gorges. Hope you are handling the cold okay, I will never know your kind of weather living here :)

      xTania

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  5. Hi Tania, Wow, that looks like a nursery. What an amazing job you have done. I keep Christmas very simple, too. It's a relief not to feel pressured to spend all that money. Enjoy yours, with your family.

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    1. Thank you Stephenie. I am determined to feel no pressure with Christmas, and I refuse to participate in the consumer side of it.

      xTania

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  6. It looks amazing Tania and certainly worth all the hard work. xx Susan

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    1. Thank you Susan and I hope so. Time will tell if the shade cloth is going to be enough shade for the veggies.

      xTania

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  7. Oh Tania, that looks absolutely wonderful!!!
    I know you said you have waited a long time for this garden improvement, but if it was me, I'd feel like all my Christmas' had come at once!!
    It looks so fantastic, nice little neat organised rows, but it's so practical in the SA heat!
    I have major garden envy going on! LOL
    Have a very happy Christmas with family and wishing you many good blessings for the coming year.

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    1. My birthday and Christmas present all in one Cheryl, I do feel blessed.

      Love spending time out in "the patch" now.

      xTania

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  8. Wow that looks amazing and I can tell it's a lot of work...well done.

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    1. Thanks Kathy. The hard work is over, now to reap the reward :)

      xTania

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  9. Super. Amazing! FANTASTIC!! I say that as someone who knows exactly the elements you are attempting to garden "edibles" in. I laughed at your kangaroo story. I love those guys on the land, and all the benefits they bring. But they will take out all your pampered edibles, if given the chance. I just had my sweet potatoes raided recently. All the leaves have been eaten, so that's why I don't get hardly any sweet potatoes every year. I'm going to have to do something about that, lol.

    I had an idea for your straw bales against the tin. Maybe you can have them outside the tin, during summer, but then during winter, stack them inside so the tin gets the direct winter sun. Then like a vertical garden wall, plant the straw with edibles and see if the hot tin, creates the right microclimate to stimulate root growth? I imagine lettuce and strawberries would do well.

    Anyway, so glad you shared your new development. It's a good investment in time, money and resources to be able to feed yourself more reliably.

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    1. Such a fantastic idea to do with the straw bales Chris. New ideas are always welcome, and I will definitely give this a try. Will keep you posted :)

      I am enjoying the new veggie patch, a lot less work now.

      xTania

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  10. That is an impressive set up,and will repay you over and over for all the hard work now. Good on you all.

    Merry Christmas from me too

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  11. What a makeover, Tania! Although a lot of hard work, I am sure you will harvest and enjoy the benefits. May your Christmas with your family bring you much happiness. Meg Xx

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  12. I am so intrigued at all this. Here you are trying to minimise the damaged of the sun and the dry and here I am trying to maximise sunlight and deal with too much moisture - opposite ends of the same reality of gardening!!

    It truly is a wonderous piece of work.

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    1. I think Doreatha Mackellar summed Australia up beautifully in her "My Country". The contrasts are amazing and beautiful!

      We wait for the "real" heat to see how the shade will fare. We are worried that it will not be enough, if this is the case we will put another layer of shade cloth over :)

      xTania

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  13. Oh wow. Love it and the pics.

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  14. Tania, your gardening efforts make me feel inadequate...lol...lol! Absolutely outstanding. I hope your Christmas and New Year were festive. Looking forward to all 2019 brings us all. Love, Mimi xxx

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    1. Thank you Mimi.

      The veggie patch was put to the test last week with two hot days, 46 & 47C and I managed to keep things alive, even though I did have to put protection over them like the old days haha!

      Wishing you and your family all the best this year.

      I promise to be a better blogger, including commenting on other blogs like your lovely one. I have been so bad at doing that lately.

      xTania

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Your comments really make my day. Thank you for taking the time and for being so kind.