This picture was taken mid October 2008. The rose bushes along the fence were showing some buds and the lime green Robinia was waiting to be dug out to make way for three planter boxes. It took Steve, with his two helpers, two days to clear the patch, construct the boxes using red gum timber and filled the boxes with a mixture of top soil and compost.
These are the pillars, set in concrete, that form the skeleton of the boxes. I could have bought ready made boxes out of corrugated iron or plastic. I have seen them at big hardware stores. I wanted an impressive structure to sit on the lawn and still be upright in a few decades. The boxes are north west facing. The disadvantage is the midsummer heat can desiccate seedlings if not protected. Last summer when the temperature soared to over 40 degrees centigrade I used tarpauline and old sheets to cover the boxes. I am trying to find some time to make a cover out of shade cloth in prparation for the heat of January and February. I bought this place because of the garden, which is all in the front yard, setting the house back. There is a large jacaranda tree in front of the house, which was one of the characteristics that persuaded me to show some interest to the agents. After signing the papers I used to drive past with friends and with every visit the size of the garden seemed to shrink. I wanted land to put in my collection of plants, which I had accumulated over a period of thirty years. I decided on building the boxes even before I moved in. They are for my vegetables. In the raised boxes the vegetables would not have to compete with the roots of the gum and the robinias. I have since removed two robinias but the roots are sending up suckers all over the garden. If I had wanted a forest of robinias I could easily have created one without lifting a finger.
When I saw the boxes filled with earth I could not wait to put in the vegetables I was hoping to sustain me through the summer. I added sheep manure and compost before putting in the seedlings. I used lucern for mulch. However the growth was not as fast as I had imagined. Seedlings in pots were shooting up faster than those in the boxes. I kept adding compost and manure. On inspecting the soil I discovered it was quite sandy. I suppose it is difficult to tell the quality of soil bought from nurseries. Over the next few months I kept adding compost and manure to improve the structure of the soil. Some plants did well and others were struggling. The peas were giving me a few pods but I was expecting to harvest basket loads. I should also have added some lime to the soil. In hindsight I have to say that I was supplied with lettuces, radishes, silver beets, capsicum, tomatoes and basils. The soil has improved greatly over the last fourteen months and the tomatoes I put in a few weeks ago are fruiting.
This is what the garden looked like in December 2008. The tall plants against the fence are sunflowers. They gave such magnificent flowers and the seeds collected have given me more sunflower plants this season. The boxes are wonderful to look at and I don't have to crouch or kneel when gardening. I do have garden beds where the kneeling is part of the job, but the boxes are a joy to look at.
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