Large Backyard Planter

Originally posted by audas
one day when you sell your house someone will have to come in and spend three weeks smashing that thing to bits to get rid of it, then of course decontaminate from all the cement...

There's a nice thought. However, when my home was built in 1910, the owner at that time reclaimed the property from a mining operation — the grounds were (and still are) "contaminated" with pulverized iron ore, tin, aluminum, kyanite and tons of other interesting minerals. On top of that, the property had been used as a furnace dump, and there are lots and lots of pockets of slag and coal just a few inches beneath the surface.

So, "cement decontamination" is the least of any future owner's worries. Sheesh, some people are so anal.


— Doc Velocity





[edit on 5/3/2009 by Doc Velocity]

Great post you have inspired me to do one of my own. Thanks for the step by step photo's.

Great job and pics mate.

What was the reason for the river sand mixed in with the other earth material?

I understand the need for the soil and fertiliser, but sand?

In general, sand is used for drainage. If you have a soil that retains water the last thing you need is rotting roots. Sand will assist in this task.

Too much sand of course and your garden becomes rubbish once more. Look to see what soil your garden has an prepare accordingly.

Right-o. Our "soil" here is heavy, thick clay that dries hard as a brick in the summer and retains way too much water in the winter. It took me a couple of years to even get lawn grass to grow back there.

To achieve something even resembling garden soil, I had to pulverize a ton or so of hard clay, then mix in a sizable quantity of sand and organic material (composted cow manure and cheap topsoil) — the result was a dark, rich, crumbly mix that drains quickly and that plants apparently love.

And this garden soil has lasted for nearly 2 years without bringing in additional compost — it's just as dark and moist and crumbly now as it was on Day One. The only compost it gets is recycled vegetable matter from the garden itself, managed by a few thousand earthworms — so it's definitely got its own ecosystem happening.

— Doc Velocity

It's that time of the year again Doc

How's this year's version of the Backyard planter going?

Wow!!!!

That's an amazing job. But I have a few questions.

1. What are your plans for long term soil use? I know after a while, your garden will strip the soil of it's nutrients. So do you have a compost pile ready to replace the soil with?

2. I see you have a sprinkler attached to your water main. Right now, that's fine, but how are you going to get the water once everything goes down?

Great job though. Too bad I dont have my own house, or I'd be at home depot tomorrow to get the supplies.

Hey good show!

My employers neighbor grows a huge garden both grow seasons we get down here. He does it for his church and his church people come there to help tend it. He manages to water it with one huge sprinkler in the middle. Seeing this, I considered how it would be better to have it round instead of square. I don't have land, instead I urban container garden at my workplace. But I've suggested to several they ought to do circular gardens. But now you've taken that on professionally.

Originally posted by Doc Velocity
Today we're geared up for extreme survival situations, have trained in mountain backpacking, and are Red Cross certified in wilderness emergency first response.

How does one go about getting that??

Nevertheless, you would have thought I had proposed group sex or something when I casually suggested growing our own food out in the backyard a couple of years ago.

Yeah, its tough all over.