Late Spring Gardening at Pepper Green Farm

 This diagram gives an outline of some of the features in this area. (Graphic: Tank water garden (in Interp Boards Pics))

Pond – The pond has a number of uses within the garden. It allows us to grow a greater range of plants than we would be able to if the garden was entirely based on land - Water Ribbons for instance is an edible, native waterplant with crunchy sweet tubers. The pond also encourages frogs to the garden where they help us by eating many small pest species. It also provides a source of water for birds, ensuring that birds do not attack our fruit because they are thirsty as is often the case. It is important that a garden is not only productive but also pleasant to be in!  Thus another important function of the pond is to provide a pleasurable and restful place to sit and enjoy the garden. Fish in the pond provide extra interest and also help to keep mosquito larvae at bay.

Propagation tunnel – This structure allows us to raise many of the plants in the garden on-site instead of having to buy in seedlings. Plants raised in this area will tend to be tougher than seedlings available commercially as they have a less frequent watering regime and are used to the prevailing conditions. It also allows us to grow a wider range of vegetables than we would otherwise be able to, as there is a greater range of varieties available as seeds than as seedlings. We can also grow our own seeds from plants raised onsite. This area will also be used for frost protection in the winter months when we will move frost-tender plants in pots inside.

                Worm Farm – The worm farm will convert scraps from the garden and kitchen into useful food for the garden. Keeping these scraps out of the rubbish reduces land-fill and methane emissions. We will be using both the liquid (“worm-juice”) and the solid matter (worm castings) as valuable fertilizer for the gardens. Worm farms are particularly useful in a small space as they take up less room than a composting pile or bin.

                In-ground wicking beds – if you haven’t been introduced to the Wicking Bed concept yet, please have a look at our previous blog. These wicking beds have been dug into the ground and can thus be treated like a normal garden bed – the only difference is in the delivery of water to the beds. Having them in the ground allows worms and other useful soil life to move between other garden areas and the wicking beds. It also allows us to utilise the healthy soil that was already in this area.

Another important part of the Tank Water Garden is the irrigation systems. You won’t see much of them as they are almost all below the soil surface! Although it means that we do have to be very careful with the garden forks, below surface irrigation was chosen for its efficiency. Water is delivered to where the plants use it: the soil around their root systems. Evaporation is minimised as there is little moisture at the surface of the soil, leaving more water for our plants. The irrigation systems will be put on an automatic timer system so we do not have to be in the garden everyday to water.

Text by Beck Lowe