Alan's Garden Blog

I only go to the best shows so you will have a great experience at any one of the following. Toowoomba Farmers Market: every second Saturday beside Cobb & Co Toowoomba. Well worth a visit, fantastic range of organic produce and planet friendly products-a quality market. (http://toowoombafarmersmarket.com.au) Logan Eco Action Festival (LEAF): Griffith University, Logan Campus, Sunday 5 June, 10am - 3pm. An array of eco businesses, live music, demonstrations, workshops and children’s activities. (http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/environment-water-and-waste/environmental-programs/logan-eco-action-festival-leaf ) Queensland Garden Expo: Nambour, Friday 8th to Sunday 10th July. The best garden expo in Brisbane. Have a couple of days at the coast and pay me...

I plant my garlic early so that I get the bed back in time for spring planting of veggies. All up I have 100 planted this year. It's a great crop if you have the space, keeps for twelve months and costs around $40 a kg for the same thing at organic markets. I would never buy the Chinese rubbish.

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.