Friday, July 18, 2008

Rest and Relaxation in Noosa?

By Tanya Booth:

By the time we had departed Jordan we were a bit tired and weary so we made our way to Noosa QLD, Australia, for some much needed R&R. It was a nice couple weeks of relaxation and surf. Our friends, and fellow Permies, in Noosa (The Gemmells) have always been very supportive of us and there is always a warm welcome and good food to be had. The pursuit of permaculture has been made much easier by friends like these. We could never express enough graditude for the hospitality they have shown us. The picture above is of Jesse and a couple of the Gemmelle boys enjoying a beautiful Noosa evening.

While we were staying in Noosa, a neighbour, Deb, needed some help putting together her garden. Deb decided to follow a no-dig garden recipe from a magazine with step by step instructions. All that was need was few hands to help.
A no dig garden is similar to the process of making our compost piles. However, the ingredients are not piled in a heap but layered out over a large area and there is no need for turning.

In a no-dig garden the materials are layered one on top of the other and allowed to decomposed at their own rate. This type of garden is a great way to start off a new bed. The big effort is having patience, allowing the ingredients time to develop into nice soil. There are numerous different formulas for making ‘no dig’ gardens but the main idea is to let nature do the work. As the ingredients breakdown, worms will move in and do the important work of soil aeration. The materials used will depend on what is available or what you can afford. The no-dig method is great for those who have marginal soil or wish
to turn a lawn into something useful.

There are numerous recipes available on-line, and it can make for a fun afternoon with a few friends. It is not complicated at all, but it does require accumulating the right stuff and taking a survey of what is available in your own backyard.
Take a look at these plans and give it a go!!
No Dig Recipe

The above picture is Deb with her newly finished no-dig garden ready for planting. It took a total of about 2hrs to put it all together and about $200 worth or materials. Within a few months this garden will be producing more veggies than Deb can eat and continue to produce well for many months to come. A worth while investment!


While in Noosa we also recieved a bit of press check it out by clicking the following link!
Noosa News

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