CcBear Dunbyu Gardens

BnBob · **Posted:** Mon Nov 17, 2014 7:46 am

Found the same with the "premium" garden soil so also buy mushroom compost to add some organic matter in Bear.. Just don't add too much or you might end up with a very large worm farm like we did ;)

Snags · **Joined:** Wed Jul 07, 2010 10:52 pm **Posts:** 234

Whats the downside of a very large worm farm?

BnBob · **Posted:** Mon Nov 17, 2014 9:57 am

Snags wrote:

Whats the downside of a very large worm farm?

Our beds/farms from last year didn't drain that well Snags.. Caused a few of the plants to rot off at the roots..

Charlie · **Posted:** Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:38 pm

Hows it going Bear? Any new garden pics?

Ccbear · **Posted:** Sat Jan 24, 2015 10:32 am

Hi charlie, sorry have not been here for a while. No new garden photos but a couple of the cleaned out chook shed and the new hens. Bought four austrolope cross point of lay hens. One has started laying so a few egg in the fridge.

Have had excellent rain over the last couple of days and the water tanks are full. Still to finish the second wicking bed at the front of the house as I have been busy cleaning the property and working on my RAS after the loss of the fish.

Need to dig the soil out of the front wicking beds as there was too much chicken fresh manure in the new soil mix. Will dump it down the back and it can be worm food for a year. Intend to use a mix of a good potting mix and compost as I will be top fertilising as the new crop grows.

Clean chook shed

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Nesting boxes

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Just in case the Clucky cage

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Ccbear · **Posted:** Sat Jan 24, 2015 10:39 am

The new girls

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This is the over grown sides of the pen

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Has not taking them long to knock down one side, I have shut the other side of as they were not using the shed and nesting boxes. Will open it up next week and by that time they can also start roaming outside for a few hours a day.

Raining again and it is a lazy day but will have another coffee and head out to check every thing in between showers. Cheers

Charlie · **Posted:** Wed Jan 28, 2015 11:43 pm

Bear have you got a few more pics of the nesting boxes, I need to do this with our pen. Either way I'll check it out when I come up next week and a bit

Ccbear · **Posted:** Sat Jan 31, 2015 6:46 pm

As mentioned before I had problems with the soil mix I used in in my front wicking beds. The soil was a purchased new mix with a fair amount of chicken manure. Should have let it sit down the back for six months to mature but was pushed for time.

Yesterday I emptied one of the beds, dam hot and a lot of barrows to move down the back. I had used a bread crate as part of my reservoir and that was a part of the problem. The crate being 600 x 600 mm square the weight of the soil bent the centre in nearly 50 mm and the soil was sitting in water instead of wicking the water.

Crate still in position, notice the centre.

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This may give you a better view.

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Will now clean out the gravel and drainage pipe washing both components clean. Will then fully clean the half IBC before restarting. Thinking of using milk crates instead of the bread crate and reinstalling the drainage pipe and gravel. Will fill with a mix of compost and good potting mix and in 12 months add some of the existing soil after it has matured. Cheers

Ccbear · **Posted:** Sat Jan 31, 2015 6:47 pm

Hey Charlie when you are here your are welcome to take your own photos. Cheers

You can use old mower catchers or milk crates covered in. They prefer a dark place to lay in and the nest should be lower than the roost.

Ccbear · **Posted:** Sat Jan 31, 2015 7:11 pm

This is the pile I am building from the soil. Putting down a layer of grass clippings then a layer of soil about 50 mm thick. This will just sit for 12 months and let the weather and the worms do the work.

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Will get some roof sheeting and construct some sides so I can keep the pile intact.

Jaymie · **Posted:** Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:36 pm

maybe put an old plant pot under the bread crate?

Ccbear · **Posted:** Sun Feb 01, 2015 10:02 am

Hi Jaymie that is a good suggest or some cut off of PVC pipe with holes in the bottom edge to let the water flow through.

Going to increase the height of the water reserve by 50 mm and cut the depth of growing media down by 50 mm. Certainly do not want to dig them out again. Cheers

Aussiedownunder · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2015 7:30 am

Ccbear wrote:

As mentioned before I had problems with the soil mix I used in in my front wicking beds. The soil was a purchased new mix with a fair amount of chicken manure. Should have let it sit down the back for six months to mature but was pushed for time.

Yesterday I emptied one of the beds, dam hot and a lot of barrows to move down the back. I had used a bread crate as part of my reservoir and that was a part of the problem. The crate being 600 x 600 mm square the weight of the soil bent the centre in nearly 50 mm and the soil was sitting in water instead of wicking the water.

Crate still in position, notice the centre.

Attachment:

image.jpg

This may give you a better view.

Attachment:

image.jpg

Will now clean out the gravel and drainage pipe washing both components clean. Will then fully clean the half IBC before restarting. Thinking of using milk crates instead of the bread crate and reinstalling the drainage pipe and gravel. Will fill with a mix of compost and good potting mix and in 12 months add some of the existing soil after it has matured. Cheers

I use milk crates and cut them down to the height you need
I recon a bread crate in an ibc is to big

Ccbear · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2015 8:21 pm

Most likely will be doing the same this time, thought of them when I started but oped for the bread crate because of its area. Cheers

Ccbear · **Posted:** Mon Mar 09, 2015 6:46 pm

Not much happening in the garden here, weather has been against us between rain and 40c heat with high humidity. Been busy trying to get the grass cut all round and the trees trimmed but just going in a circle.

Noticed this in the front garden yesterday,

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Not sure if it is the poison variety or what. Looks good and fills in a area.

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