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Old Coach Road
Garden

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The garden has been established on the edge of the food forests, in a sheltered area in the southwest corner. This area receives the most light and is also closest to the house. The shot below shows the bracken and false bracken which dominated the site prior to being cut back in May 2010. The bracken has provided quite friable soil in a heavy clay base.

Once the bracken was cleared and cut down, we then formed up some beds.

The fence is designed to stop wallabies and rabbits.

 

Early progress is seen below.

This included the establishment of a pond.

 

Plants are propagated within the garden, in the nursery and at home.

Some of the plants grown include: comfrey, clover, lupins, vetch, lettuce, sorrel and other greens, lemon grass, leeks and onions, daikon, carrot, beetroot, rhubarb, beans, pumpkins and melons, peas, asparagus, regular and jerusalem artichoke, and lots of beneficial-insect attracting flowers.

We also established compost heap, in addition to the kitchen scraps compost bin. This is quite experimental: bracken and false bracken, unshredded, comprise the bulk of carbonaceous and green material. Some capeweed, peastraw, horse manure, blood and bone, and lime were added.

By early October many of the plants have started growing and the garden looks like it is ready to take off with the coming of spring.

By end of December the site had started to look like a garden, however a persistent wallaby and bush rat invasion had resulted in a number of plants being killed or eaten back.

Other features added include a stone seat, a sand pit and a water tank.