Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

As I have now almost (mm sort of) finished the design for my new AP system I turned my mind to raised garden beds.
As I am wicking beds failed I thought screw this I will try something else. This may have been motivated by the fact that I got about 10 cu m of chipped tree loppings and am promised about the same of aged horse shit (about 3 so far) for free, and my neighbors trees keep dropping dead branches on my property.

So at this stage I am going to go with hugelkultur.

I thought about many combinations of wicking and hugelkultur but atm I want to keep it simple.

Design (in my mind) is two truck wheel guards, about 4' wide by 2' high, 2 x lengths 9' (variable depend what I can get) of colourbond. 6' wide weedmat for lining.

Sorry keep getting sidetracked by youtube putting crap over my headphones (if you pick a song and let it run out you have some *sigh* programme deciding it for you) going to have another beer and do this later.

Im doing pretty much the same thing with my new raised beds Sleepe. Ive got tons of organic material that has gathered and composted down the back of our block for decades and instead of carting it off to the tip or burning it Im gathering it up to go in the bottom of raised beds. Should lay a fantastic base with zillions of microbes already at work and supply a long term source for earth worms to take habitat.

I agree and looking at rotting tree logs they are like sponges under the beds.

Looking at Cornell studies on composting C/N/water ratio's etc nearly put me off (although some of the formula's would probably get Stuart off)

Can't believe its taken me 6 mths to get off my ass and start this.
First bed is halfway complete 2 x truck mudguards 2x insulated garage door panels. Lined with 2x layers of 200 um black plastic with borax and diamatous earth sprinkled between them (my theory on termite control). Slotted ag pipe through the center exiting at each end for drainage and airflow. Currently half filled. Bed is 12' x 4' x 2'.
I have enough stuff to do another 2.

Sleepe,

What are you protecting from the Termites?

We have a problem with termites on the block, in fact I have just dug out a large mound (which is going into the beds). The hugelkultur bed is logs and barkchips I want them to breakdown with fungi and microbes but if I leave them unprotected the termites will get them.

OK bed 1 pics 1/2 completed and completed, left excess black plastic around so I can slab over it.

those beds look neat Sleepe, did the materials all come from the tip ??

cool use of the truck mud-guards around the ends ?


guess the termites are technically not such a problem in the beds as they break (heavier) wood down quicker,
but don't really want to be encouraging the little fellows as they might find other things to munch on.

[edit] I think the original hugelkultur probably relied on more porous/spongey wood that our Aussie Euc's.

I was reading that Wood Vinegar is a.good inoculation for termites..
..

Hi Darren

Aside from some nuts and bolts and dynamic lifter (needed to raise the N level) all reused material.

The large logs in the bottom are approx 1/3 dried newish wood and 2/3 old wood. I selected them on the basis of weight. The bark chips were from a tree lopping company that wanted to get rid of some chipped wood branches leaves been sitting in a heap for about a year.

Peter

I will be getting some wood vinegar but atm I wanted to be pretty sure termites don't get in the beds,

HK bed 2 completed pic. Please excuse the rustic slabbing and tacky Easterly wind break (weed and wind control atm)
60l bin on the end is a worm farm.

Can't plant anything at the moment as the temps out there are plant killing.

A bit of distillate spread around the bottom it wont hert the plants and keeps the weeds down

Sorry Milne I should have explained myself better.The ground is covered with builders black plastic and the slabs are just to hold it down and stop it getting damaged.

Quick update

After a *frack* hot and dry summer the matured horsemuck and barkchips had become hydrophobic, eventually sorted that with soil wetter. Planted tomatoes, capsicums and aubergines in bed one (wrong time of the year but they are still producing)
Bed 2 I started a few weeks ago. Potatoes, leeks, silverbeet, broccoli, peas,and a couple of types of beetroot.
As I could not trench very far I made a mini raised bed on the potatoes seems to be going ok.

Pulled out the failed (or more aptly badly designed) modular GB's on the AP system, will be working on the new and to my mind much better ones when I have time.
Restarted the bottle cap spa, have seedlings in pots in there to keep them watered and will be planting out soon.

OK it was a longish update.

So long term results are .................??