RE: Is Food Sovereignty Possible in a Harsh Climate?
We are up against the odds here in SA, so I think rainwater tanks are a must for when there isn't much rain during summer.
Another concept which I find really interesting is what they talk about in this doco: https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/watchfreeorganicgardeningmovie.html
@mightpossibly put me on to it and I think it would really help. We don't want large bark chucks but rather finely mulched wood chips. The finer chips would suit veggies more, but larger chips would be better for fruit trees.
The trick is finding them, I know some councils offer a couple of trailer loads for free each year, provided your a member of that council.
I'm also thinking of getting in touch with some companies who cut down trees and see it I could buy some of their mulch for cheap.
I noticed you use large bark chips in that photo, but do you have any finer stuff around?
Also do you have a compost? I'm looking at getting one going today because I always have lots of fruit and veggie scraps. No fancy bins or anything like that for me, I will be doing something like this.
The back to Eden gardening is the no till method, isn't it? Unfortunately, we have a lot of curl grubs and the only way I can manage it is by digging the soil over after each harvest to get them all out. I saw something on a chap who gardened with mulch and was really eager to try it because he was managing with minimal watering in a dry climate. I don't think it was as dry as ours, though, because just a few days without water in the mid 20s and it was bone dry a foot down!
My front has shrubs and trees, so everything goes down mulch wise, from chunky to fine, if it's going to take a while to break down. On the back, where I do more veggies I tend to use straw mulch more, often from the rabbit cages. The aloe picture is quite old and we had new pine chips then. I've since topped up with mulch I've gotten that someone was getting rid of on gumtree. It's always worth a look for free mulch on there.
I do two types of compost. The chickens get all our left overs and any of the waste from the garden that isn't toxic to them. Everything else goes into the compost bin the previous owners left behind or the tumbling composter (which cost way too much) or goes down as mulch.
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Also I came across some interesting suggestions for curl worms here > https://www.dayliliesinaustralia.com.au/how-to-get-rid-of-white-curl-grubs/
Yeah the eden method is the no till, really makes sense when you look around adelaide at parklands and stuff like that. They put down mulch and they very rarely water the plants.
I will be doing the same with my front yard and putting mulch down, which should keep the water bill down.
I noticed on gumtree you can come across mulch from time to time, there was a guy around the corner with horse manure I wanted to grab but that was during the record breaking heat the other week so put it off for a few days. That was all it took as it was all gone, which surprised me as there was at least 20 trailer loads of it. Gotta be quick.
Tea Tree Gully council offer free mulch, but that's not my council :(
Will have to look and see if playford do the same with free mulch.
Was hoping to get my compost going today but after spending 2 hours in the garden this morning I was stuffed and just did the shopping, this heat is harsh to work in.
For those curl grubs I have never had to deal with them before. I had a quick read up on them but other than that really don't know much about them.
I usually tackle bugs with a mix of garlic, spring onions and shallots, peppers and jalepino plants. I plant them scattered throughout my veggie patches mixed in between the other veggies, and they deter the nasties quite well.
I think the only thing that might work on those curl worms plant wise is peppers, they will secrete hot stuff into the soil and hopefully deter those little buggers.
Have you looked into predatory nematodes at all, they are meant to feed on them. they have to be the predatory nematodes and not the parasitic type, which are harmful to plants.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematode
I wonder if they might also put drip watering systems in parklands under that mulch. I know they did when they were renovating Fremont park. Every little certainly helps though. Once trees get bigger then they can cope much longer without being watered.
Argh! Sorry you missed the manure. We usually go to someone in Kudla who has piles. I wonder if it's the same one. If so, they must have had a truck to take the amount he usually has! Ah well, keep looking occasionally and hopefully something will come up that you catch.
I don't like to put anything in the soil to fight the grubs as even natural products don't discriminate between good and bad bugs. The chickens love them, anyway, so I've taken to looking at them as another harvest. 😁 will have to get better at planning and try mixing those veggies.
I'd love to hear how you go with the no till method. Let's hope you stay grub free. I realise that the lack of organic matter in my soil probably won't help with retaining moisture either. We have a very clay soil.
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I have seen those council watering trucks going around many times, they used to come to the park at my old house every month and water the younger plants there. Some would probably use drip systems or sprinklers I think there has to be some kind of watering otherwise nothing would grow. It always amazes me if you dont water an area it will go desert like over summer.
Haha yep it looks like it is the same guy from kudla, he did have heaps but it went so fast.
I'm guessing you live out north too?
I think mixing the veggies will work well, let me know how that goes :)
I will be starting the back yard in a couple of months, I will be covering it in mulch then woodchips and letting it sit for a few months so the soil can improve more ready for winter crop. Plus I want to get the front yard in order first :)
Will keep posting about it