I’ve pfaffed around trying to grow a few vegies here and there for a couple of years now. We had them housed up by the washing line but I kept forgetting to water them. Then we had a drip irrigation system put in but the chickens got into the patch followed by the wallabies and, well, bye-bye vegies. So, my problems were two-fold: neglect and vermin patrol.
A little while ago I was wandering up to meet the kids outside Badoo’s classroom (yes, I still have to do that, no back gate for me) when I spotted a couple of old school desk frames languishing by the skip. I detoured by the Principal’s office to see if I could have them to make some vegie boxes for home. She said yes, but I could tell she wished she’s thought of the idea first.
So I stole the frames away in the dead of night (I’m being dramatic – I had to go back later as I couldn’t fit the frames and the kids into the car in one go). Next I went out to Kimbriki – the local tip – to see what they had for me in their resale yard. I picked up a huge sheet of corrugated iron for $20. It was so huge I had to leave it there so I could return with Bart and the tin snips.
Back home with all the supplies we needed, Bart and the kids set to work building me a vermin-proof vegie patch that we could put in a sunny, accessible spot (right in the front yard, as it happened). I directed.
The corrugated iron was cut to size (this was the trickiest bit) and tied to the desk frames. Then we used square chicken wire to fill int the gaps. Tubing was run along the edge of the corrugated iron (it cuts like a knife, so you need to protect yourself!). Later I put bird netting over the top to make sure the vegie patch was Fort Knox. All up it cost us about $40 to make two 150 x 90 cm vegie gardens. How good is that?
What’s your vegie patch housed in?
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