Who still has a vegetable garden?

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#750207 24-Jan-2013 13:55

pctek: They say I can get a water tank - sure, I don't have the thousands of dollars for one of them. I know what they cost...

Outrageous Fortunes, are being made by some :-(
I use a series of large plastic drums to catch grey water from the washing machine - usually sufficient for watering the garden. You do need to use the grey water rather promptly, otherwise it starts to pong somewhar after a few days of sittng in the sun, cultivating stinky bacteria ...

I did try once to capture waste sink and shower water. That particular exercise I wont be repeating ... now I just raid the close-by stream that trickles nicely into a couple of deep pools for any additional water when the grey water runs out.

I also use a fair amount of the water crystals, both in the vege garden and the potted shrubs and flowers. So far, I haven't seen any heat-stressed plants, so th stuff does seem to work quite well.

SS

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alvin

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#750256 24-Jan-2013 15:39

we live in a very limited concrete space.

so space and even soil is a premium. we've always wanted to grow our own veges. we've already looked at pots at the warehouse. does anyone have any suggestion for a good soil mix/compost mix as I have no experience using it.

geek4me

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#750260 24-Jan-2013 15:45

alvin: does anyone have any suggestion for a good soil mix/compost mix as I have no experience using it.

I have found Warehouse potting mix to be good enough and cheap. Recommend using gloves though when handling it to avoid Legionnaires' disease.

timmmay

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#750263 24-Jan-2013 15:52

alvin: we live in a very limited concrete space. so space and even soil is a premium. we've always wanted to grow our own veges. we've already looked at pots at the warehouse. does anyone have any suggestion for a good soil mix/compost mix as I have no experience using it.

Get the book "square foot gardening" from the library. Perfect for your situation.

Batman

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#750265 24-Jan-2013 15:57

what do you mean "still" have a vege garden ... many people have one, many people are starting one!

alvin

207 posts

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#750268 24-Jan-2013 16:01

geek4me:
alvin: does anyone have any suggestion for a good soil mix/compost mix as I have no experience using it.

I have found Warehouse potting mix to be good enough and cheap. Recommend using gloves though when handling it to avoid Legionnaires' disease.

timmmay:
alvin: we live in a very limited concrete space. so space and even soil is a premium. we've always wanted to grow our own veges. we've already looked at pots at the warehouse. does anyone have any suggestion for a good soil mix/compost mix as I have no experience using it.

Get the book "square foot gardening" from the library. Perfect for your situation.

thanks for the replies guys!!

SepticSceptic

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#750328 24-Jan-2013 17:05

alvin: we live in a very limited concrete space. so space and even soil is a premium. we've always wanted to grow our own veges. we've already looked at pots at the warehouse. does anyone have any suggestion for a good soil mix/compost mix as I have no experience using it.

The warehouse also sells large flexi-barrels, which are typically used as BBQ ice buckets, etc. They are quite big - almost the size of a half-barrel. We purchased a number of them for around $3.00 each, even though the stickered price was around $9.00. Quite garish colours, but very usable for shrubs, small garden plots, etc.

Head off to a local demolition yard can work wondows for getting lengths of timber for making smaller garden plots, especilly for the shallower rooted veges - you often don't need to much depth for the smaller vegies - radish, lettuce, beans, etc they will do quite well in less than 1 foot of dirt.

Also large Poly-Bags - PB40, can be used for tomatoes, courgettes, etc - anything that has a deep root system. The store-bought ones are quite thin, I found a bunch of thicker-walled PB40's on TradeMe for a few dollars, and will last a few years of handling, unlike the thin walled ones which tear when you pick them up ...

Have also been toying around with an idea for hydoponics-based veges, especially greens - basically just a bunch of old guttering down the side of the garden shed in a zig-zag arrangement, with the lower end feeding the top of the gutter below it, and circulating the water and nutrients with a small pond pump.

If you are planning on a number of these scenarios, your best bet would be to get in a cube, or half a cube of garden mix from the local landscape supplier - works out far cheaper than individual bags of potting mix or compost.

SS

pctek

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#750345 24-Jan-2013 18:01

500l or washing machine water wouldn't do it. We are using far, far more than that. If I could afford a tank big enough, I could afford their meter.
Can't afford either....

It's not one vege garden it's pretty much the whole place has been converted to food.

Niel

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#750403 24-Jan-2013 20:23

The people that used to live next to us had a permaculture garden, everything was edible. And I mean everything. They also had open days etc. to teach others. A number of years ago they moved away and renting it out. Still lots of edible stuff, but far too many for the tenants and they have planted a few normal plants. Still lots edible though.

We are about to do the landscaping at our new house and then I'll make planters for my wife. I'll be the one watering it, and probably weeding it, but she will use it in making dinner for me ;-).

You can never have enough Volvos!

spagbowl

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#750426 24-Jan-2013 21:38

It's interesting reading this post. Not sure if there are any other Christchurch people reading. For those of us in the city that are still lucky enough to have a consistent water supply receive it unmetered. it's also been an excellent growing season. High temperatures interrupted by occasional bouts of heavy rain.

I moved into a new place at the beginning of December so I am a little behind this year. I didn't bother gardening in the last year at my old place as I knew that the new tenants would not harvest the produce. Sad, really.

geek4me

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#750579 25-Jan-2013 09:33

spagbowl: I didn't bother gardening in the last year at my old place as I knew that the new tenants would not harvest the produce. Sad, really.

I think people have lost the art of looking after a garden over just a generation. Tenants in our old home let the garden go to rack and ruin. The need to prune and spray roses has been lost on people - they don't have a clue what to do preferring to harvest the supermarket rather than the garden - it's a real shame.

dickytim

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#750605 25-Jan-2013 10:22

Intereesting thread, we have 4 raised garden beds that we plant broccoli, lettuce, celery, silverbeet, tomoatoes, beans, corn etc.

IMO having a vege garden seems to me to have become more popular now are people are more concerned with what is in their food.

I love having fresh veges in the garden and pulling weeds is surprisingly theroputic

nickb800

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#750619 25-Jan-2013 10:44

geek4me:
spagbowl: I didn't bother gardening in the last year at my old place as I knew that the new tenants would not harvest the produce. Sad, really.

I think people have lost the art of looking after a garden over just a generation. Tenants in our old home let the garden go to rack and ruin. The need to prune and spray roses has been lost on people - they don't have a clue what to do preferring to harvest the supermarket rather than the garden - it's a real shame.

No-one has time for ornamental gardens these days. I have lived in a couple of different flats, and I always look after the fruit trees as well as starting a vege garden with the easy-grow, quick-reward basics (lettuce, spinach, herbs, etc). But I simply dont have any time to look after roses.

Most of my peers are too busy to even maintain a vege garden.

MikeB4

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#750640 25-Jan-2013 11:46

I have a Vege garden and a Glass house, it's awesome to have fresh produce. The crap you get in the supermarket is fresh from a cooler where it may have languished for a year.

A good example, buy Silverbeet, after getting it home from the store it will be wilting and limp. Cut fresh Silverbeet in from the garden the morning and it still looks fresh in the evening.

timmmay

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#750652 25-Jan-2013 12:11

Farmers markets can be quite good. Sometimes you get broccoli that still seems fresh a week after you bought it. Supermarket usually only lasts a day or two before it's not so good.

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