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I removed a couple of inches more of our dreadful hydrophobic sand from this bed. Cultivated the sand and removed the remaining weed clumps and old dead roots from previous plants.
Our first priority is to add a Wetting Agent to this sandy soil to help with retaining water and also nutrients.
I have applied a product called Charlie Charcoal, it’s a crushed fine Charcoal ( Biochar )
The Charcoal is porous with tiny holes that helps water holding in the sand. Also as I add nutrients to the soil, the Charcoal will help hold nutrients close to the plants root system and will also encourage healthy Microbial soil activity.
I added a light layer to the sand and watered in , instantly you can see the water absorbing into the sand and not running off.
ta
Second stage for our NO DIG Edible Garden.
Nutrients have been added to the bed.
I swear by Rock Minerals and use them all the time. It is packed with trace elements and minerals and is slow release. This will provide plenty of nutrients to the plants. It will also increase healthy soil microbe activity.
I gave the bed a light sprinkling and watered in.
Stage Three of our NO DIG Edible Garden.
The layering begins.........
Now that we have added a Wetting Agent that will last along time in the soil and the nutrients are added , we can start adding our organic layers and building a healthy active soil.
First layer..........
I swear by and always use Triple C ! It’s a blend of cereal crops - Corn , Chicken Manure and Canola. Made here in WA. Over time it breaks down into the most beautiful healthy feeding compost. Trust me when I say the Earthworms love it !!!!!!! They too will be a big part of this garden........
Notice I have not put any close to the edge as I build up the soil , I don’t want it to spill over.
This bed is 9 metres in length and 90cm wide. I used one full bale. And it is approximately two inches thick.
Please make sure when you open the bag , wet it down thoroughly so the dust doesn’t fly up.
That looks great @mich1972. Well done! Many thanks for sharing.
I'm sure your method will prove beneficial for other Workshop community members with similar sandy soils. It's certainly a common challenge for many gardeners.
We look forward to seeing how your no-dig edible garden progresses with planting and then harvest.
Thanks again,
Mitchell
Continuing the layers for our edible garden. I have added a layer of cow manure as it’s important to add organic matter to hydrophobic water repellent sands.
i then added my planting layer of Compost.
Thank You !!
With our dreadful hydrophobic sands here in Perth I wanted to add heaps of organic matter to build up the soil.
Once the soil temperature starts to come down ( still hot here ) then I will start planting my winter veggies and I will definitely share as we go along 😊
Happy Gardening and get your hands dirty in the fresh air !!
Morning everyone !!!! Here’s an update on how our edibles are going.
I have not had to feed them at all since planting as the layers had plenty of nutrients. I swear by Rock Minerals and Charlie Charcoal ( holding onto the nutrients ) the organic matter has been fantastic building up our Earthworms !!
Hi @mich1972,
What a bountiful harvest you are producing there. It appears your preparation work is really paying dividends now. Have you had any issues with pests and if so how do you manage them organically?
Many thanks for sharing your update, I trust it will inspire many of our members to get out into their gardens and start prepping for spring.
Mitchell
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