6. Good Organic Gardening - November-December 2016 AvxHome.in

GARDENING FOLK | Ann & Steve Robertson
Round garden beds
The vegetable garden is a series of inground
beds and raised corrugated iron
rounds that are approximately 1.5m in
diameter and 800m high. Two of the round
corrugated garden beds are repurposed
water tanks. Steve filled the rounds twothirds
up with crusher dust (even when
compacted it drains well), added quality
sandy loam soil on top, to around 300mm,
and then dug in compost.
The main reason for opting for raised beds
was the resident bandicoots that regularly
pilfered from the existing patch. Ann adds
that raised beds are also kinder on the knees
— you don’t have to bend to harvest or weed.
Pest control methods include natural
products such as pyrethrum, eco fungicide
and growing flowers nearby to attract
beneficial insects.
A shady difference
Ann and Steve’s vegie garden is distinctive
from many others in that it’s only in full sun
from sunrise until about 2pm. “Our garden
is in part-shade so, in summer, I can work in
shade in the afternoon,” says Ann.
A sense of history remains in
the old cow bails
A garden arch frames a
glorious view of farmland and
the distant mountains
30 | Good Organic Gardening