Wicking containers, worm farm, and gathering

Post date: Mar 9, 2014 11:47:58 AM

Recently completed second wicking bath with shade cloth on both to protect the seedlings:

After getting a 6x4 load of worm castings (luckily with worms in too), I decided to build a worm box alongside the future pig pen. (Pig droppings are supposedly great for worms to compost.) It is simply a wood box with iron sheet bottom, lined with shade cloth, and shaded. A little pipe gutter collects liquid in a bucket. I made 4 piles of the worm castings inside alternated with 5 piles of horse droppings (the worms will move to feed on the poo on either side):

Most of the castings and worms have been used to inoculate the gardens with worms and some fertiliser, but I wanted to perpetuate the castings/composting process and have another bath worm farm now for this purpose too.

Last Sunday, we held our first Permaculture Gathering. We invited some people we have met in the past 6 months or so who are interested in Permaculture. We planned to have a series of talks after a tour around the house and gardens. Well, the tour took a long time and sparked many conversations. We came back for afternoon tea and then had time for just one of the talks about wicking containers by our brilliant neighbour Mel. These water thrifty vegetable beds are well suited to our dry climate where water use has to be conservative. We will add shade cloth to it tomorrow: