I have been trying to wrap my mind around using the principals of permaculture to use the space that I do have in a more sustainable way that works with nature and for me.
I started studying Permaculture a short while back from a link posted by Africanaussie. In her Australian garden she is using some of the ideas with great success. Here is her blog site:
http://africanaussie.blogspot.com/
And the site for learning about Permaculture:
http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/
One of the areas of my yard came to mind that could be improved is the area around my old Mango tree stump. This area is a path that I walk around most every time I go in the backyard.
It gets full sun most all the day long making it a great place to have my container vegetables.
The space gets little water as it is outside the reach of my lawn sprinkler so the grass is mostly dead.
The dogs use this area as a trail.
This area is hard to mow and hard to keep the grass looking half decent.
So with the permaculture principals in mind I have converted the space into my own crop circle.
Here is the rear view of the crop circle. Well actually it isn't a circle but it is good enough for government work as my father used to say.
What advantages did this achieve?
The circle eliminates much of the hard to grow and mow grass area and converts it to a mulched pathway around the stump.
The 4x4 posts side by side give me a stable platform to set the 5 gallon containers on. This gets them up off of the ground assuring they will drain properly out of the holes in the container bottoms. It also gives me about 25 linear feet of raised surface to set my vegetable containers on around the ring.
The mulched area inside the ring leaves a path to access all the containers around the stump as well as a path for the dogs . The dogs like it already and have been lying in the path soaking up the sun.
Here is the entrance view to the crop circle area.It benefits me by reducing my lawn area while still utilizing the sunny space for the vegetables.
This simple change has transformed the gestalt of the area making it more inviting and aesthetically pleasing.
Or as we say in the South it looks more better!
---SANDDUNE--
It does look more better LOL! That was a wonderful idea. I love how you put a face on the stump.It looks like it really belongs there. Do you find yourself talking to it? It needed some hair growing too. LOL!
ReplyDeleteYep, reckon it does look more betterer. I'm surprised you're not growing anything on the stump! I'd kill for a nice stump like that for epiphytes.
ReplyDeleteHi Sanddune,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention, and I like your little crop circle! Like Rainforest Gardener says, I would be using that stump for growing something on. Then again, if the dogs like to hang out there it might be hard. Is there a reason you grow everything in containers? If you added lots of compost to the soil that might be a great sunny spot for a vegetable garden.
I also have the same question as africanaussie. When I just saw the picture, I thought the area wrapped around by the posts is the raised veggie bed. This will be a good spot for the veggie garden. Hmm, only your dog won't be happy about it! :)
ReplyDeleteHHG,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you like it. Actually the face was the idea of my better half. I think it is kind of creepy especially at night. I seldom talk to the stump but I do find that I talk to myself a lot. Thanks for stopping by.
RFG,
I use the top of the stump for a natural table to set stuff on. It is in the full sun all day and will cook most plants during the summer months. The epiphytes like the filtered light from a tree with a canopy in the tropics and I have some growing on my Avocado tree across the yard.Probably some type of cactas could survive the sun there.
Gillian,
I get lots of good ideas from your blog and learn a lot from it. The containers are easier for me and I use them each like one square from a square foot garden raised bed. I can move them around with the plant for more or less light. They offer the plants protection from wind-bugs-dogs-hurricanes- prolonged freezes because I can move them at will. Sort of like a nomadic garden.
At the end of a planting cycle I can dump and refill them with fresh compost to start another plant. They work well enough for me now but at some point I might try some formal raised beds.I like your recommended permaculture site it is quite thought provoking to read and try to apply the ideas.
Ami,
The dog is actually three dogs one of which is over 100 pounds.I made the mulched area as a pathway for me and the dogs so everyone is content. I use the posts to sit the containers on that my vegetables are growing in.It gets them off the ground to drain properly and keeps the bugs out. It all works out in nature. The dogs chase the lizards around the stump using the mulched path. The lizards work up an appetite
from running from the dogs so they are hungry and eat more bugs around the vegetable plants.That's the idea behind permaculture to work with nature and gain benefit.
Oh, I love the idea of the dogs chasing the lizards making hungry bug-eating lizards. I'll try to remember that when my own 20# great white lizard chaser is romping through the pentas. It's all permaculture:) Your crop circle is a great idea. I use containers for my small scale veggie gardening too. I'm looking forward to seeing what you grow and harvest.
ReplyDeleteNanaK,
ReplyDeleteDogs and gardens are a challenge in themselves. Hope your vegetable containers work out for you they seem to do well here.
Sounds great and looks good. It's a win win situation. I really like the tree man face on your stump...the lichens are cool, too!
ReplyDeleteSusan,
ReplyDeleteThe circle is working out well. One of my dogs thinks it was made for him and he likes to lie in the circle in the sun. The Lichens make a great place to set your coffee cup on while working with the other plants.