Urban Farming Oz

Well it has been almost 6 weeks since we started our project. The lettuce we had in a small pot before we started are all gone, but the seeds we planted are getting bigger by the day. Soon we will have lettuce back on the menu. The beetroots are growing really well so beetroot tops are part of our salad mix now. The radishes will be ready soon too.

Another two beds built, one in the foreground and one around the far corner. In the photo below, we are facing east, north is to the left. In all we now have four large beds and one potato bed, half a wine barrel with herbs and various pots. We hope to eventually be rid of the pots which are inefficient and high maintenance. In the winter this area is full of sunlight. We plan to 'igloo' the garden in the foreground in an experiment to keep alive chilis! This weekend we will be mulching the beds with organic sugar cane mulch.

Railway sleepers are expensive, so the last two beds have been built from untreated palette wood. It's not as permanet as the sleepers, but we'll see how long they last.

We've finally finished and filled the first of our new garden beds near the house. Filling them with soil was quite a job as we can't bring a vehicle close to this area. Barrow loads of soil were moved from the old garden to the new spot. The weather has been hot this week, limiting the time we could spend working on the garden.  Other interruptions (such as earning a living) also had to take priority, but the first new bed is finished and planted.

Our previous blog In the beginning gives a very brief outline of our first five years as tree-changers. This web site and blog is about what happens next, no history here - this is the story (and the web site) in the making. 

We've come here, we have a great life, but we're still not getting it right. Just like our city counterparts there is not much time. My question was, what can we do to change this, and the thoughts and attitudes of others to help the current resource shortage issues?  We're a part of the problem too, committed to a mortgage we also need to generate income.  Looking around our farm we saw how hard it was to keep up with the gardens and manage the business...just like many other people.