The Herb Spiral

Our garden is progressing well and over the last few weeks we've made some additions, one being a Herb Spiral. It's been something I've been dying to try since I read about it in a Permaculture book.

Essentially it's a garden that spirals up giving you the advantage of vertical space. It also has the added advantage of providing different microclimates for different herbs. The top drains quickly and is dry but the bottom stays moist so you can plant your herbs according to their requirements.

Also you get different microclimates from the way the sun shines on it. The south side is shady, the north side is sunny. The east gets the gentle morning sun but the west gets the scorching afternoon sun. You can use these different microclimates to grow a variety of herbs in the one spot.

We bought blocks from a local brick work at 45c a block and used 80. I am going to add one more layer to the spiral so will use an additional 10 bricks. I filled the spiral with a quality garden soil which cost about $50.

If you are interested in trying it yourself check out the web for some good video tutorials or contact me and I can help answer your questions. Happy Gardening!!!

P.S. I would like to thanks my parents-in-law for their contribution to this garden, especially Nico for helping me build it.

Tracking and keeping records of what you plant Myfolia

We've recently done some serious planting and seed sowing and to be honest it's hard to remember what we planted and where. It's always hard to remember when things will germinate and what they need to grow effectively. Well, I recently found one website that will do all that and more. It's called www.myfolia.com and is free to join.

We use the website to keep track of seeds we have in our stash, the seeds we plant, when they would sprout and approximately when our plants are ready for harvest. You can also see what other people in your area are planting and follow what your friends and family on the other side of the world are doing in their gardens.

The website also has the ability to write a journal and keep notes on your gardens, plants ..etc. Because of this it is a great way to keep track of your experiments and document any tips or tricks you pick up on the way. If you are a keen gardener I'd recommend giving it a go. If you do be sure to look for me, wally2511.