{"id":279,"date":"2016-04-10T11:27:28","date_gmt":"2016-04-10T11:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/xsymetrix.com.au\/garden\/?p=279"},"modified":"2018-02-20T02:43:19","modified_gmt":"2018-02-20T02:43:19","slug":"popup-gardens-and-cinemas-in-kensington-melbourne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xsymetrix.com.au\/garden\/2016\/04\/popup-gardens-and-cinemas-in-kensington-melbourne\/","title":{"rendered":"Popup Gardens and Cinemas in Kensington Melbourne"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Autumn is well and truly upon us and despite defying the norm and turning up for a Collins St Naplan Online workshop in traditional Hawaiian shirt I fear it might be my last journey out with shirt alone, unless there are Hawaiian Hoodies of a similar style. That was Thursday\u00a0and I arrived home to see a set of tubs constructed at the end of our tiny street. This is a community garden, sponsored by the City of Melbourne<\/a> and far more than just a bunch of tubs for veges manicured by retired people looking for company and a back to nature vibe.<\/p>\n

There is science involved which involves weighing and monthly reporting on produce. Companion planting, no herbicides, natural protection and no fences mean that this will be an interesting experiment.<\/p>\n


\n\"\"<\/a>I am particularly interested in the technology which was explained to me by Marc, owner of the BioFilta company<\/a> that installed the tubs including the two large silver tubs that use potentially a world first watering system.<\/p>\n

There are a couple of neat tricks to this solution that Marc was happy to share with us on the planting day held Saturday morning. Honestly it felt as if I was having a horticultural lesson outside my front door. Firstly, the solution is very water efficient. Each level of tubs is filled from a cistern at the end of the row and the water gravity feeds into the bottom of each of the tubs which hold about\u00a022 litres of water. Each tub (or its plants) consumes about 3 litres a week.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nThe water is refilled once a week and this process ensures that the plants are watered throughout the week from the reservoir in the bottom of each tub. How? Through an ingenious process of wicking where the “false bottom” of each tub has four legs separating the floor of the dirt part of the tub from the reservoir below. These legs are hollow and dirt is placed into the legs \u00a0and this initiates a wicking or capillary action that draws water up into the soil towards the plant roots. The top of the soil is in fact dry which reduces weeds – fantastic. Additionally little if any moisture is lost through the soil which I was informed is high quality worm farm castings from the City of Melbourne worm farm.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With our own school gardens in the Northern Territory and various garden competitions I am keen to introduce these low maintenance high yield gardens to Territory growers, especially those in locations where the food miles and eventual food quality could certainly benefit from this kind of solution. A worm farm<\/a> and a biofilta solution could provide vegetables for a remote community.<\/p>\n

Another point was that aerators are fitted to the “false floor” which circulate oxygen through the watering system, or rather above it which provides oxygen to the subterranean environment. Combine nutrient rich material with water and lock it in, you can end up with foul smelling material. This aeration does away with that. Now, these are just words at the moment, but with seedlings planted and winter approaching, it will be interesting to see what unfolds.<\/p>\n