Alan's Garden Blog

I had to replace a Herb Garden because the stand it was on had rotted away. It was at least five years old and you can see by the photo that the chip is still good. In fact I was tempted to re-use it but I had some new chip on hand. It has some dirt mixed in it because I installed this one before I started using the mat to separate the soil from the chip.  

Recently got my third job at Clifton Co-op Hospital. I put in a couple of square double heights a few years ago, came back last year to install one large and the popularity among patients and long-term residents was such that they got me back to do another two extra large. Following photo shows my helper, Daniel Creevey, when we had finished. He has just started Uni and I think the experience of working for me barrowing soil will make him study  that much harder.  

 When I started building my Watersaver Gardens hardly anyone I met at garden shows had heard of the wicking system. How times change. It seems everyone is talking about them. Orders are such that I am kept busy with them so have contracted out the local construction part of the business. Took quick snap of ten flat packs to go out today to Melbourne and Sydney.    

Rhys and Jennifer saw my Watersaver Gardens at the Nambour Garden show in 2015. They were still renovating at the time but came up to Toowoomba recently to have a look at the wick  gardens. Methodical Rhys bought a plan of the property and we worked out a layout for four Jumbos and three Extra Large on a terraced area.  I assembled the gardens on site and supervised the installation with Rhys and Paul doing all the hard work. Jen kept us going with iced water, coffee and loaded up bread rolls for lunch. The soil on site was perfect so we only...

I often get asked about what you can grow in my gardens. I grow potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, asparagus, ginger, really any veg. The following photos show a passionfruit, spuds and kiwi flax doing really well.