Need criticism: new garden ideas.

[LonerMatt]

If you can't dig depressions then do the opposite and build up areas around them. It still works the same way in the end.

Yes, this is what I will try to achieve.

My main problem is that the soil, at the moment, is not red sandy loam. Red compacted red dusty shit.

My primary goal is to get something growing that will build the soil's fertility and help to hold moisture - I'm hoping what I'm doing is a good start there.

yes! ripping should still deliver the goods, most service pipes etc are around the 400mm to 600mm depth, but there you need to be sure where things are before ripping. it it is a new area then the council should have a plumbing plan, if it involves underground power again they should be able to assist as will telstra.

So if I get the plans and they work out - how did you slash a line in? I'd need a machine (I think).

Hi LonerMatt,

I live in Mildura too. I'm not growing anything aside from ornamentals this season as we are trying to sell our house. Aside from that I'm fairly new to permaculture and I'm very much soaking up the ideas before implementing.

Well, I'll document what happens, but you're welcome to pop over and check it out once something happens. There's a lot of advantages in this area (cheeap mulch and compost!).

Advice for this climate or lessons I've learned are, Growing in raised and very well mulched beds can be advantageous. At the moment the soil is quite moist (for Mildura) due to the record rain events recently.

Not in my backyard! The soil's completely uncovered, and it's basically all but dust. That's why I'm starting from scratch, more or less. Interestingly, where the previous owners dumped the grass clippings from the front lawn each time, the ground is darker and while not moist, will hold together and isn't as compacted.

Having said that I've not tried some of the mulching techniques which i've discovered through reading about permaculture and I don't know anyone here who has either.

I usually just have a sheet mulch covered by a living mulch. There are probably more interesting ways, but I don't know them!

The mulch issue is one I'd like to solve too. My guess is it might be like mulching on top of a sand dune. It could take a long time to build up enough to hold water well.

That's where I think laying the foudnations before the mulch is important, as there are things that hold moisture well (newspaper, manure, clippings, roots) and the mulch needs moisture to break down into soil, as opposed to dust.

[Terra]

Hi Matt
Build a compost heap or decent size worm farm (couple of cubic metres) to use to feed your plants you will never have enough so make lots , lightly coat ground with chook manure a thin layer of old manure wet down then cover with thick cardboard (free everywhere most businesses have to pay to get rid of it) cover cardboard with 3 or more inches of straw type material get it all wet introduce some worms under cardboard , cut holes in cardboard dig a bit mix in some compost and plant up . The heavy cardboard will dramatically reduce your water requirementand weeding , i believe you need some manure or green material and worms under cardboard to counter N drawdown, Linda Woodrows book is worth getting im 52 and been food gardening since i was big enough to do so i was amazed at the number of small snippets of info i got out of it she does the mandala style garden which may or may not suit you , my set up is nothing like that im best described as haphazzard. Geoff Lawtons soils DVD has a good section on building compost (everyones got thier own recipe) . You have a great source of nutrient near by tons of it in the back waters (Azolla) read about it on lindas site or google it . Try Season is on to it with shade , the riverland weather can be harsh we visit friends often there , you might look at shade cloth "Domes" like lindas chook domes or build square / rectangle ones that are light enough to shift from bed to bed and you can take apart and move to next place if required .
regards Rob

[Try Reason]

Not in my backyard! The soil's completely uncovered, and it's basically all but dust. That's why I'm starting from scratch, more or less. Interestingly, where the previous owners dumped the grass clippings from the front lawn each time, the ground is darker and while not moist, will hold together and isn't as compacted.

Ah, yes the Mildura 'dust bowl'. Will be a fascinating and rewarding transformation. Don't forget the before and after photos. I'll keep an eye on the forum as to what you're doing. At some point I'm probably going to think "how did he do that?" and might even ask to have a look if it suits. The back yard in our new house (yet to move in) is conifers and buffalo grass lawn. That's it. Won't be much more in the soil than your situation I imagine, and probbly hard as cement too. The accumulated grass clippings are interesting. Would be pretty rich in nitrogen you'd think.

I'd be interested in where you're finding your mulch and compost. Have paid quite a bit for it in the past. There are some people at the west end of 10th St that sell large bags of horse manure for about $5 each. This is a start and probably plenty to keep a backyard going. For a bigger scale I'm sure you could arrange something with someone who keeps horses. I might be on to something with chook poo too but not sure yet.

I'd be interested in Terra's cardboard method and if it can make a difference to water retention. Worms shouldn't be too much of a problem. They seem to arrive where ever there is moisture.

[LonerMatt]

Well I'm debating about adding discreet worms under cardboard or not. One of the reasons I wanted to layer newspaper (and now cardboard too) is that it retains moisture that aids breaking down of mulch, manure and the material itself. It's also something seeds can grow in!

I think sunraysia produce would give me cardboard, and I've got a lot from moving here.

The classifieds in the local papers are full of $8-10 bales of mulch, and also some mushroom compost.

Otherwise, bunnings have chicken manure around $10 a bag, and there's garden supply (or whatever it's called) that probably cost a similar amount.

I don't have a car though, so delivery is important.

[Grasshopper]

Dont know if Mildura soils are sandy but I assume they probably are.
I lived on reclaimed swamp in Port Melbourne which was basically dirty sand.
I bought a few homebrand kitty litter bags home from Coles and threw them around before I started mulching
Lots of cheap clay to bind the sand and hold some water.

[LonerMatt]

That might be a winner.

One thing I'm really looking for advice about is my use of green manure. Does anyone think this will work in the way I want it to (hold water, used to build soil while the components underneath break down, provide more mulch and organic matter later on)?

[Terra]

If you have time to grow a green manure crop thats a great idea , grow a legume to fix N as well , if its not too limey lupins could grow , check your Ph you might have to go with peas or beans , lupins have a strong deep root system so are great for breaking up hard soils , any of the agricultural grains would grow like crazy if planted now and the water was kept up . By far the easiest cheapest way to get large volumes of organic matter on site .
Rob

[Try Reason]

Thanks for the info about the classifieds. I'll be a fair way off building my new garden at this point with a flat housing market and no one offering near what we want for the current place. Once I'm up and going I'd be happy to pick up a double supply of cow dung to drop off when I'm ready.

The idea about cat litter is interesting. I have an aunty who breeds rare cats. My uncle has a pretty nice (and healthy) collection of fruit trees around their property. Everything from apples and pears to R2E2 mango. There must be years and years worth of used cat litter built up with those trees. A double action of nutrients and water retention. I've never really thought to ask about it and just assumed it was a convenient way to dispose of it and it probably enhanced the soil nutrients. It's a damn clever system!

I'm really starting to think seriously about green manure myself. It would need to be pretty heat tolerant in those couple of super hot months if this was ever going to be attempted. Most crops would be fine for at least half of the year (at a guess) which is plenty of time to prepare for warm/hot season growing. As for planting around fruit trees I like the idea of using curcubits and sweet potato/kumara for shading and moisture retention but they remove a lot of nutrients rather than adding. Comfrey looks like a pretty good little plant but I'm yet to study its hardiness. Plus it is deep rooted and may compete with trees. I've seen some impressive vegetable growth following the planting of broad beans at my dad's place. Perhaps a seasonal combination of nutrient accumulators/fixers in the cooler weather followed by ground covers in the hot weather is the solution.

Edit: Looks like Terra is onto something with the cereal crops! Does lucern grow from December-March?

[Try Reason]

Here's a link to the DPI website with a map of the Mildura soil types.

http://vro.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/malregn.nsf/pages/soil_mildura_irirgation_pdf/$FILE/mildura_irrigation_dist_map.pdf

Still looking for a description of sub soil types and wil post If I find anything. If you're interested in using local plants in guilds I have a couple of other links that describe local plant communities. I'm not too inclined to go down this pathway as of now because I can't see many food crops gelling with the local plants. Then again I haven't investigated it much. Some of the local herbs/shrubs I have looked at are rather sparse, unpleasant plants (in food crop context). I realise ignoring local plants seems to be some sort of no no in most permaculture readings.

[purplepear]

I realise ignoring local plants seems to be some sort of no no in most permaculture readings.

only if you talk to ecofacists. Local plants will be adapted to the soil and climate and do well but if they do not fit the needs of the guild then perhaps there is a more appropriate plant - dare I say perhaps an exotic