Category: Do it yourself

Barbie's garden Design Do it yourself Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

Do-it-yourself Worm Farm

If you really want to have a flourishing, organic garden that comes from your recyled waste – then you really have to make yourself a Worm Farm. I will show you how easy and inexpensive it is to make yourself.

[one_half]All you need to get started[/one_half][one_half_last]Three black utility boxes[/one_half_last]

You will be able to get all your components from your local hardware store. I used 3 x smallish black plastic utility boxes with loose-fitting lids. You want to be able to open and close it easily. Then you will need 12 x electrical threaded pipe connectors (20mm in size). These will be the opening base locking legs so the worms will be able to move between boxes. I’ll show you what I mean… then you will need 4 x air vents and 2 x spade drill bits (a 22mm and a 18mm) and an electric drill!

The Worm Farm will be stacked (like in the picture) and can be placed anywhere because it takes up no room and it does not smell. The bottom box will contain the worm tea. The top two boxes will hold your worms and your table scraps and cut up newspaper. This will eventually be composted and you will be left with nutritious worm compost – black gold!

At the base of the middle box you will drill six holes with the 18mm spade drill bit. Here is where you will insert the connectors.

Here you see exactly where to drill the holes. The longest part of the connector will be on the outside of box. This will act as a support when you stack the boxes together.

The positioning of the holes needs to be accurate so that the base of the box fits exactly onto the lid of the box underneath.

[one_half]See-the base sits on the lid of box underneath[/one_half][one_half_last]Now add the air vents on the sides[/one_half_last]

Now remember – only 2 boxes will have holes at the bottom and 2 lids will have matching holes. The bottom box will contain the worm tea so no holes here!

Now each box will fit perfectly so they stack well. It is neat and unobtrusive and really stays quite clean. I have had mine now for 2 years and it has never smelled. When the middle box is completely full, then you start adding kitchen scraps to the top box. The worms will migrate from the middle box to the top box. Then you will be able to harvest the worm compost from the middle box without damaging any worms in the process. Remember this process takes a long time, however you can harvest the worm tea from the bottom box as soon as a few weeks. This “liquid gold” you dilute with water (preferably from your rain water tank as chlorine from your tap water destroys the good bacteria in the tea) 1 part tea to 5 parts water. You can water all your plants and vegetables and you can also water the leaves as a foliage feeder. Really – this is all you need to keep your garden well fed. It costs you nothing and you have a natural compost maker.

PLEASE NOTE: You can add all vegetable straps but avoid too much fruit scraps. This brings too many fruit flies and ants and causes an unpleasant environment for the worms. Rather only add banana peels and apple peels. No soft fruits and no pineapple. NO LEMON OR ORANGE PEELS. This is too acidic for worms. NO FAT – NO MEAT PRODUCTS. Layer the kitchen scraps with cut up news paper. The worms love it!!! I think they need dry airy spaces to breathe. They also devour the paper! Keep away from direct sunlight.

In my next post, I will show you how healthy and productive my Worm Farm is. It took me a while to post this, because I wanted to see how it would work. I have had other home-made worm farms and they got messy and slimey and looked ugly and the commercially available Worm Farms are very expensive. Mine literally cost me R360.00!!!! So now you have all the info to make your own!

Happy worm farming xxxxx

I would LOVE to hear from you if you have a successful worm farm!!!

Tags composting, do it yourself, garden, organic garden, worm compost, worm farm, worm tea, worms

Barbie's garden Design Do it yourself Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

My Greywater System

We have been planning this simple Grey Water System for quite sometime. It needed to be simple and cheap to do! So today was the day!! I will take you through the process with the photo DIY. We decided to use a collection box to trap the grey water and direct it to the veggie patch through a system of pipes. These pipes are the average plumbing pipes you get at any hardware store. It works like a drip system and spans the length of the 12m veggie patch. Here you can follow our process:

The two outlet pipes on the left comes from the 1st bathroom shower and basin and the other 2 outlets come from the en-suite bathroom shower and basin. The first bathroom is where we will collect the water for the veggie patch in the black plastic box. In this bathroom we will rinse only and use organic soap. The other bathroom we will use to scrub up and shower and wash hair and do the necessary -now these pipes will flow down straight through the black collection box and out to the bottom. This water will not be collected. You can see the grey water pipe coming out from the box – this is for the garden (I’m measuring it!)

Here the water will travel down and across to the veggie patch. You can see all the lengths of pipe waiting to be connected. Now the angle has to be correct so there is always a downward movement of water – no block ups! Don’t worry – we did a test in our planning! The black collection box just rests on the plumbing drain. This will keep it easy to clean. Precise measurements is always needed for a job well-done.

Now here you can see the neat cement job and the neat way the pipes come out of the wall. My hubby had to re-do the shoddy workmanship of the previous plumber – so this was a necessary DIY job. There is an opening at the bottom of the box – an outlet and plug – like in a sink. If it is in the middle of winter, I can release the water to flow direct into the drain – not to over-water the garden! Smart, hey!? Here you can see three pipes collecting into the bin and the right pipe going through to the drain.

Now all neat and finished off with a lid.

Now you can see how the outlet pipe from the black collection box is hidden under the stones. It travels up slightly before turning to the veggie patch and the pipe comes back up to the surface. Now the exposed pipe has holes drilled at the bottom (you can see the black dot drawn on top to locate it). The pipe rests on stones to prevent dirt clogging up the drip holes.

The grey water does not come into direct contact with the plants or their leaves, so it is very safe. It drips into the ground and I have created furrows for the water to travel down to the end, giving good spread of water. You don’t want it to pool in one spot.

Now for the lettuces and vegetable seedlings! The vegetable patch is now ready for the winter planting! We should have done the Grey Water System in summer when the water was needed, but time is always the issue. At least I had the use of all the water we collected in the JoJo Tanks. I only used actual tap water twice when it was really hot!! So this new watering system will work continuously throughout summer!

Very proud that the Grey Water System is now in place and no more waste of precious, usable water. My Jojo Tanks in place as well so this garden is truly water wise!!

We all need to be aware of how precious water really is and to be mindful as to how we use it sensibly. Everyone can do their small part and store it – save it – use it wisely! What other ideas do you have? Lets share our ideas and innovative ways !!

Happy Gardening xxx

Tags grey water system

Barbie's garden Do it yourself Gardening Home page features

Heat of the Day

The summer gets really hot here and last year I had too many of my tender lettuces and new seedlings wilt from the unrelenting heat of the day! So this year I got my thinking cap on and designed a shade that was easy to make and easy to use! And Voila!! I used shade cloth, velcro, tie straps and electrical PVC conduit piping. I use PVC glue to put the whole thing together. My fabulous hubby made special foot pod holders – see arrow. He used heat to melt the PVC to make a curve so the frame can rest on it.

[one_half]90cm x 120cm with 50cm legs[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Gives great shade[/one_half_last]

[one_half]The connection fitting[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Real neat and professional[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Used normal 90 deg fittings you buy in the shop[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Used velcro and tie straps[/one_half_last]

Great DIY project and easy to do! The shade cloth was machine stitched for strength and I used velcro and tie straps to attach it to the PVC frame. It is so light-weight, I can pick it up with one hand, making it easy to move where I need it. Does it hold up in the wind?? We have had a few blustery days and it stays!! Going to make a few more! You can make it any size you want!

Happy DIY Gardening xxxxx

Tags DIY shade, shade for garden, shade project

Barbie's garden Do it yourself Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

Garden revamp for water wise gardening

Post author By Barbara
Post date May 25, 2014
16 Comments on Garden revamp for water wise gardening

Hi all my gardening friends!!!! I have been re-vamping the garden so that 2014 is going to be a water-wise and energy efficient year! One of the reasons I fell off the radar!! All the work was done by my hubby, Hannes, and myself so any extra free time was spent fixing and building!

I am going to share with you the front garden changes and the new addition of our rain harvesting JoJo tanks. We have made them a feature of our garden with a gable to hide the downpipes from the roof. The tanks are in a very attractive sand colour and fit beautifully between the veggie patch and the front garden.

All of the plants and raised beds come from the back garden. In the next post, I will highlight the back area! But for now, here is the best way to show you the front of the house – with photos.

[one_half]Raised beds and JoJo Tanks in background[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The Raised beds now a front feature[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Raised Bed 1[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Raised Bed 2[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Raised Bed 3[/one_half]

[one_half_last]All plants are thriving-so glad![/one_half_last]

The rain water harvesting tanks by JoJo are 2500litres each. These will be used to water the veggie patch and the front garden.

[one_half]First we needed to build a platform[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Tanks side-by-side[/one_half_last]

[one_half]The tap combines both tanks[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Here you can see the pipe from the roof[/one_half_last]

[one_half]The pipes are hidden behind the gable “bling”[/one_half]

[one_half_last]These tanks are already 1/2 full with 1 rain[/one_half_last]

Here are some water facts (courtesy from JoJo Tanks website):

Some 1.1 billion people, or 18 % of the word’s population, lack access to safe drinking water, and over 2.4 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation.
More than 2.2 million people in developing countries, most of them children, die each year from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation.
A report released in early October 2009 by the Water Research Commission of South Africa found that South Africa has 4% less water than 20 years ago.
Rand Water is predicting that demand for water in South Africa will outstrip supply by 2025. It also believes that Gauteng is potentially facing a water shortage as early as 2013.
In Cape Town the scenario is not much better with a water shortage prediction by 2016
If South Africans continue with their wasteful water practices, there simply will not be enough water to meet the country’s future needs and, we may have to start paying even more for water!
South Africans can change the scenario by changing their behaviour towards water usage and becoming water wise and savvy about rainwater harvesting.

Harvesting Rainwater:

1mm of rain allows you to harvest 1L of water per m2 of roof area – just allow for a 15% wastage factor.
Make sure that your gutters are installed to direct rainwater to rain water tanks.
An annual rainfall of 500 mm on a roof surface of 50 m² amounts to 25 000L of potential safe drinking water that can be preserved (40L per day for 625 days) or wasted! In South Africa, the water allocation per day per person is 25L

My favourite tree – The Leopard Tree. I have added a bottle feeder for the sunbirds!

[one_half]My azalias with The Leopard Tree[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The Mugwood tree still there[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Well-used wheelbarrow out to pasture[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The front deck with roses in the background[/one_half_last]

The cold weather is setting in and the rains have started – all is wet and very autumny. The roses have had a soft prune and a good dose of worm tea! They did not have a good show this year – I don’t know why!!

[one_half]The indigenous confetti bushes like the buckets![/one_half]

[one_half_last]The whirling butterflies – gaura[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Just a few roses peaking out[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Full view of the front from the deck[/one_half_last]

[one_half]The mighty Mugwood tree! Still a hit with the visitors[/one_half]

[one_half_last]From the bench looking to the Leopard Tree[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Love my new planter from my best friend![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Onto the next project!???[/one_half_last]

Well, lots of photos and lots of changes still to come!!

Happy gardening xxxx

Barbie's garden Do it yourself Fertiliser Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

Keep on Growing

I am proud to say that I am a Seed Gatherer! I have grown Heirloom seeds with some success and with the rewards, I am collecting the next seasons crop! The two tomato variations I have grown are Blondkofchen and Amish Salad Tomato.

Blondkopfchen

An heirloom tomato from eastern Germany. The name of this adorable heirloom cherry tomato means “little blonde girl”.
These tomato seeds produce big, leafy, indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants that yield a phenomenal amount of grape-sized, brilliant yellow/gold, cherry tomatoes in clusters of 20-30. The vines are large and sprawling, so give them plenty of space. Blondkopfchen is undoubtedly one of the best tasting cherry tomatoes. Deliciously sweet with a slight citrusy tart finish. A Non-cracking, disease resistant tomato variety that grows well in most climates including cooler growing regions.

Amish Salad Tomato

These small, red oval Heirloom open-polinated cherries seem to last forever on the vine without rotting or losing flavour. The flesh is very firm, mild and sweet, perfect for sauces, salads and for drying. There are up to 6 blemish-free tomatoes per cluster and are well-suited to both fresh market and home garden. A real advantage in the garden. They are still around during early winter!

Other seeds to gather….

Peppadew Chilli and Paprika-type Pepper

Peppadew

Paprika Pepper

New Heirloom seeds

[one_half]Organic Seeds[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Some freebies[/one_half_last]

[one_half]These going into the ground this week[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Direct sowing in raised beds[/one_half_last]

To keep the new seedlings well fed and watered – I have worm tea ready and rain water in a bucket. By using rainwater (or let the water stand so the chlorine can evaporate out) you don’t kill the beneficial micro-organisms, which is the point of municipal chlorine. I use the mixture of 1 Tablespoon to 1 litre of water.

[one_half]Worm Leachate – drains out of bin[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Rain water[/one_half_last]

Some of the benefits of the worm tea include:

a natural repellent for scale, mites, white flies, and aphids
natural fungicide in soil and on plant surfaces
increase in plant stem size and foliage
acts as a soil conditioner
will not burn plants
creates healthy soil for healthy plants
aides in the creation of colloidal humus
grows healthier fruits and vegetables than those treated with chemical fertilizers
improves water retention in soil
reduces the amount of waste going to the landfill, because worms eat our garbage

I really enjoy the idea of everything I use or re-use comes from my home – the worms eat the kitchen scraps, they make healthy compost and tea (homemade fertilizer), which helps my garden to grow!!

And so goes the circle of life!

Happy gardening xxxxxx

Tags garden, heirloom seeds, organic seeds, worm farming, worm tea

Barbie's garden Design Do it yourself Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

Shabby Chic for the garden

Post author By Barbara
Post date July 7, 2013
15 Comments on Shabby Chic for the garden

I have been told that my home is Shabby chic!

This is something I have not heard before – where have I been? There is a definition for it in Wikipedia! Shabby Chic is a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their appearance of age and signs of wear and tear or where new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique.

We take pride in making almost all our furniture out of recyclable wood, steel, corrugated sheeting, chains, and other stuff. Here you will see what we have built to make our outside space “Shabby Chic”. My next post, I will share with you the inside of our house, because in the 8 years we have been here, we have tackled huge renovation projects. You might be interested what we keep ourselves busy with – when I’m not gardening! 🙂

[one_half]Love this bench-gift from my friend![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Our Mugwood Tree[/one_half_last]

Buckets are a big feature in my garden

[one_half]Stones & steel add to the grass feature[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Stones and wood used here too[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Sticks & wooden planks as a fence[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Buckets as a feature here too[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Back garden deck[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Simple wood chips[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Deck and fencing we built[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Handmade fencing[/one_half_last]

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

[one_half]Barrels used too[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Bucket and barrows![/one_half_last]

This is real old-fashioned and now Shabby Chic!

[one_half]Fun with wire and beads[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Another view of buckets and barrow[/one_half_last]

The Chicken house!

Hope you enjoyed my Shabby Chic interpretation – do you have anything in your garden that fits the bill?

Hope you have a great gardening day!! xxxxx

Tags Design, do it yourself, Shabby Chic

Barbie's garden Do it yourself Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

My own Compost

Since I have started my organic gardening craze and the blog as well, I have been purposeful in keeping it all natural and organic. I raise chickens for their great personalities – oh, yes as well as beautiful eggs and the natural manure to feed my pesticide-free garden. I have learnt so much but if I do not put it into practice, then I am just a big wind bag of hot air! I need to pursue what I believe is good for the earth and it starts with ME!

So – I am so excited when I can take my heaps and heaps of garden and kitchen and chicken refuse and turn it into gold! The great smell of sweet earth makes me smile! It’s not a glamorous job but it is very rewarding!!

The first and very active composting heap is in the Chicken Run. Every week I rake up the straw and poop and add it to the heap. I sprinkle with compost activator and leave until broken down – about 4 – 6 weeks. The ration of carbon (straw) to nitrogen (chicken manure) should be balanced 50/50. Oxygen is also important to produce heat. Keep the heap damp and water when dry. This makes for a great compost!

[one_half]Well broken down compost[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Collecting for the garden[/one_half_last]

I hope you can turn your garden waste to something useful! AND it’s for free!

Happy Gardening xxxx

Tags compost, composting, home compost

Barbie's garden Do it yourself Home page features Miscellaneous

Easter Egg Treasure Hunt in Barbie’s Garden

Post author By Barbara
Post date April 3, 2013
6 Comments on Easter Egg Treasure Hunt in Barbie’s Garden

This Easter, I had great pleasure arranging an Easter Egg Treasure Hunt in my garden for all the children !! The little “Easter bunnies” had to prepare for the big event by putting on their bunny ears and bunny tails. Hannes created such a fun video of the day and it went smoothly without one forgotten easter egg. Thank you Mr Easter Bunny!!

For all the blogging friends – the two beautiful girls are Jessica (the oldest bunny and “team bunny leader” at 7 years) and Tamsin (the bunny with the pink easter bag and treasure map monitor, at 4 years) and they belong to my son (in the wings taking photos) & daughter-in-law, Brandon and Nicky, and the cutest little boy is Brandon at 3 years together with his enthusiastic mommy (wearing the bunny ears), that being my daughter, Kristen, and my son-in-law, Gary is in the background. And me, you can just see every now and again – mostly just the legs!

If you want to know who the wild man in the helicopter is – why, thats Mr Easter Bunny! 🙂

Happy Easter to you all xxxxx

Tags Easter, Easter Egg Hunt, Treasure Hunt

Barbie's garden Design Do it yourself Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

Throwing Stones

This seems like the week of garden activity for me! Thank goodness, I have the strength to do the manual labour needed to get this job done! But – here I had lots of help! We finally got around to throwing stones for our new Zen area. It is already taking shape and I am so pleased that my hubby is gonna be part of this garden feature!

My faithful work horse! This is going to be a tough delivery!

[one_half]Ok – this is the 40 sq.m. area we need to fill[/one_half]

[one_half_last]It is a substantial piece of land[/one_half_last]

[one_half]This is 4 tons of stone![/one_half]

[one_half_last]13mm Worcester – from Bark & Stone[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Working my butt off![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Nearly done! Whew![/one_half_last]

Zooooooom!! Who would have known that this job took us exactly 1 hour to complete!

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

[one_half]Neatens up the whole area[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Also brightens up the area[/one_half_last]

I am super happy that we have leapt over this hurdle. Again, we have used the services of Bark & Stone in Montague Gardens. Their service is great and Dennis, who delivers the stone, maneuvers his huge truck through narrow gaps like a pro. Thanks guys, once again! Now comes the decorating. We want to put up a sheltered cover where we can sit (maybe in our hammocks) and enjoy the cool evenings or just relaxing with a good book and dozing in the late afternoons – hey? What do you think?

Happy gardening this week xxxxx

Tags Bark & Stone, path stones, stones, Worcester Stone

Barbie's garden Design Do it yourself Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

Hen House update

Well, the final touches have been done and voila – the Girls have a fully “furnished” 5 star abode! We still need to add a perch and zoomy up the laying stations, but all in all I am sure not one of them will complain. We have 3 happy hens! The Great Hen House Build was posted earlier – (link here to see)

[one_half]Getting the room ready[/one_half]