More Progress – It is starting to look good.

Some more work has yielded god results, there is now some good soil evident after all the weeding. It was very hard like this:

 

Much work later it is looking like this:

There is a definite lack of organic matter in the soil but that can be fixed with some green manure crops or perhaps some bags of organic compost and manure from the hardware shop. I see the occasional worm when I am digging but their numbers are nowhere near my target density of 25 worms per cubic foot which is the ideal suggested by the biological farming guys.

The middle bed has quite different soil, it has much more clay than the others and breaks up into big clods. It is going to require an application of gypsum to change the soil structure:

 

Some of the sleepers on this bed are showing advanced signs of deterioration. The three beds in the garden are so big that I will be able to close down some sections if necessary and use the their sleepers.

The sleepers are untreated. The treated ones leach toxins into the soil which are then absorbed by the plant.

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One bed ready – two to go

After being covered with black plastic for a long time the soil is very hard so I have been breaking it up with a fork. I only saw two or three worms in the full length of the garden. I am hoping for some of the rain that is forecast this weekend.

The paths have been overgrown  with weeds as well bit the foot traffic should help keep them clear.

Two more beds to go and I will be planting tomatoes within a week.

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In The Beginning…..

Well, after a long time work has begun in the garden. as you can see there is infinite potential for creation (that’s a nice way of saying that there is lots of work to do):

I measured the pH and was surprised to see that it was 6.5 which is pretty much where it needs to be, according to Gary Zimmer “The Biological Gardner”.

Peeling back the black plastic which had been covering the beds for a couple of years revealed soil that looked like it came from a desert, all the structure and minerals but no organic material. Lots of centipedes but only three worms in two metres, they must have got lost.

Two day’s work showed up some muscles which haven’t been used for some time but I sure feel good.

Solitude

AN ODE by Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744)

How happy he, who free from care
The rage of courts, and noise of towns;
Contented breathes his native air,
In his own grounds.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,
Whose flocks supply him with attire,
Whose trees in summer yield him shade,
In winter fire.

Blest! who can unconcern'dly find
Hours, days, and years slide soft away,
In health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day,

Sound sleep by night; study and ease
Together mix'd; sweet recreation,
And innocence, which most does please,
With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me dye;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lye.

Highest weeds gone

Many thanks to Donald who knocked down the huge weeds along the walking tracks between the beds. It will save me a lot of work when I am able to get started .

September 2010 is the time when I will be able to start work in the garden. It is going to be a great springtime for me. The chemo will be finished and a new life begins in many ways.

There is still heaps of work left to do as you can see from the photos. The beds need massive amounts of work starting with the weeds. The soil has been covered with black plastic which should have some of them down (i hope)

The main work will be re-establishing the soil system in terms of pH, humus, trace elements and soil chemistry in general. It will take many months to reach a condition of organic harmony.

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