RE: hot windy site near Perth Australia
- Subject: RE: hot windy site near Perth Australia
- From: W* B*
- Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 12:02:44 -0700 (PDT)
Also, maybe Beth Chatto's book, THE GRAVEL GARDEN, will be a help. She
uses a gravel mulch, which won't blow around.
On Mon, 23 Apr 2001, Diane Whitehead wrote:
> Reply from Carol Joynson <CarolJ@minimed.com>
>
> >
> >
> >I started gardening on a plot behind a house in San Jose, California that
> >had been used to rebuild cars, barbeque, hold mock sword fights among 8 year
> >olds, etc. It was hard-pan, gravel covered California dry clay. It rains
> >off and on for about three months in California - the rest of the year is
> >dry as bone and hot in the inland valleys. I grew radishes and peas, and
> >moved up to corn and squash.
> >
> >Mulch. Mulch, more mulch, and a lot more mulch. I got hold of a local
> >tree-trimmer and they were happy to dump a few loads of chipped tree
> >trimmings in my yard. Saved them the dump fees. It took several seasons of
> >more mulch to create a real garden, but the only way to get from hot, dry,
> >dead to low maintenance and pretty is to add organic matter, lots and lots
> >of organic matter. And the first year or two, if you can get the dump truck
> >guys to put the mulch in the right place so that you don't have to move it
> >yourself, is just waiting for the inevitable rot to happen.
> >
> >After a year or two, you'll be able to tuck plants into your "beds" and the
> >plants will be able to work their roots into some soil. A plus point: most
> >weeds can't get through a 6 inch layer of mulch. And if they do start from
> >seeds blown in, they are very easy to pull because the mulch is loose.
> >Also, the mulch will keep the sand from blowing, and keep the area a little
> >bit cooler.
> >
> >Shredded corn stalks can sometimes be had from the local farmers in corn
> >country. If you have a brewery or other factory that processes something,
> >anything, organic, it's a matter of talking the husband, a friend, someone
> >with a truck into getting a load of spent hops, used mushroom bedding,
> >whatever you can arrange for (most places will give it away free if you can
> >arrange to haul it). Manures of all kinds, heaped on and covered with
> >chippings, straw, etc. will also help a lot - horse, chicken, rabbit, cow if
> >you can get it. Then maybe you can start looking at salvias, rosemaries,
> >and other things that don't mind hot and dry, and look beautiful.
>
> ps
>
> >
> I forgot to add that once you have some mulch, you can speed things along by
> putting your kitchen waste UNDER the mulch. If you put it on top it will
> stink and won't make compost very well (there's nothing like experience...).
> Kitchen waste is anything vegetable: vegetable trimmings, vegetable
> leftovers, coffee grounds, egg shells (rinsed out and crunched), even paper
> towels, if you use them, or shredded newspaper. DON't use meat or bone of
> any kind. It truly stinks and will draw rats/dogs/whatever your local
> scavenger is.
>
> Also - run your drip system under the mulch so that the micro-organisms that
> will be doing all the work stay a bit damp. The thicker the mulch, the less
> water you'll need.
>
> Good luck -
>
> Carol
>
>
