As I'm completely and utterly obsessed with the subject of growing food I've read about many ways of growing food but it's sometimes good to see these in person.
I've never seen a keyhole garden in use before so I was pleased to see this one at Hellen's at the weekend.
Made from a wall that had fallen down nearby, with a wire mesh compost bin in the middle it really seemed to be doing it's thing. Planted with peas this year and courgettes the year before they say it performs well in the garden.
I love the idea of this. It wouldn't work in my intensive veg garden but the principle behind it is great.
Does anyone have a keyhole garden or would like one?
What are your experiences of them?
Like you I'm intrigued by these but I'm not sure how it would fit into my garden.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see some permaculture ideas in this country though. I'm not saying that nobody does it here, it's just that so many blogs on it seem to be in very different climates- what works in sub-tropical Australia doesn't always translate to North Oxfordshire...
Yeah, I think there's a lot that doesn't translate over but there is lots of people doing it here. Stuff just wants to grow here so we don't have many of the problems faced around the world.
Deletewhat a fascinating idea, so clever, I've never heard of one before. But if I had the room I'd definitely have one!
ReplyDeleteIt's clever and looked great, like I said it wouldn't work for me in my garden though.
Deletethey are pretty popular here. i don't have one but they make it so much easier to tend the garden.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of having ti up high for some people, must make it so much easier to work.
DeleteHuh. That's really interesting. And you don't turn it? Just add new to the top? Are there worms?
ReplyDeleteNo dig is all the rage at the moment. I should imagine there's lots of worms in there somewhere.
DeleteThanks so much for all the great Helen's gardens pictures. They have motivated me to do more with my gardens. I loved all the signage on the slate pieces. And no, I've never done a key hole garden but I did fill three old well tiles (24 in diameter) with compost last year and planted gladiolas in them this year. They are growing fantastically!
ReplyDeleteThe garden there is great. I really enjoyed it as I got an hours tour at the end of the Sunday.
DeleteWe have a key hole garden built for us five years ago by a wwoofer. It's great, the stones hold heat in but also protect plants from frost. Ours is about twelve feet diameter, and a great height to work, we find we get twice a good a harvest from it than we would from one of our flat beds.
ReplyDeleteSounds great, I also like the sound of using the wwoofer to build it! Maybe I should look into getting volunteers here!
DeleteYours sounds a great size!
There's also helpx Kev, we find the helpx'ers better than wwoofers nowadays.
DeleteI suppose a key hole garden is a raised bed by any other name & could be made with wood instead of stone. I especially like the idea of the compost heap in the middle - free-standing compost bins are such an eye-sore in a very small garden & this puts it to great use while out of sight. These could also be used in a small front garden to use kitchen waste & grow bee-friendly plants.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's a great way of hiding th ecompost. That said mine are yard by a yeard and a half square and I fill on in under a month in the summer easily so it would need to be pretty big in the middle for me! Great in a front garden like you said.
DeleteI'm a big fan of the grown food not lawns. I've been altering my front garden to be more productive so watch this space!
Hey Kev I have added the last of the pictures. You will have to log in again to see them
ReplyDeleteCan't see it! Not sure where I ave to log in.
Deleteyou should be able to see it now?
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about using this concept. Only thing is I want to buy prefabricated raised beds and then all come in standard shapes. I definitely want to have a compost bin in the middle though, even if its a long narrow raised bed.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLet your friends and family enjoy this Spring and Summer with our quality patio furniture sets outdoor lounge chairs on sale
ReplyDelete