Fact Sheet: Starting a New Garden
Presenter: Leonie Norrington, 28/11/2009
SERIES 20 Episode 44
"I'm building a new house and garden on a half hectare rural block at Mandurah across the harbour from Darwin. It's going to be a writer's retreat.
Because I'm not here all the time, my plan for this garden is to make it as tough and self-sufficient as possible. It has to be able to take care of itself no matter how difficult the conditions."
Water sources for the garden are a water tank and rainfall. "I don't have a bore or reticulated town water so I have to be careful and use a little bit cunning to make the most of the water that I've got."
Three ways Leonie will manage the water on the block:
- Water harvesting from the road above the block. The block slopes quite steeply and when it rains the driveway turns into a 'raging river' ending up at the creek below. To capture water Leonie is installing a couple of 'whoa boys' - so called because 'Whoa! They slow you down.' They are simply mounds of gravel that direct the water from the driveway into the orchard.
- Slowing the water down and forcing it to infiltrate the soil. Leonie manages this by constructing swales in the orchard. These are half-moon shaped mounds of earth which catch the water as it travels down the hill, allowing it to soak into the ground where the fruit trees can use it.
- Protecting the soil from erosion caused by the rain's impact. Leonie achieves this by 'terracing' with large rocks, collected from her block, in places where water gains speed and is likely to cause to cause erosion. "I also put geo-textile or heavy duty shade-cloth behind the rocks to further hold the soil and stop the water breeching the rock terraces.
For the orchard Leonie has selected plants that are hardy, waterwise and can look after themselves with minimal effort from her. "Mangoes are ideal; they have enormous root systems that seek out underground water." Leonie's orchard also holds a Kaffir lime, a Darwin lime, a cumquat and pineapples.
Planting can be a challenge on a rocky block so Leonie uses a crowbar to dig holes. "Luckily, I don't need to dig my holes very deep because I plant small seedlings. I plant them long before their roots have started going around in the pot. You want them so they're still keen to get out and explore. That way, you end up with a well anchored plant with an extensive root system that's well able to look after itself."
Although Leonie only has a rainwater tank, she has installed drip irrigation for some of the fruit trees. Because of low water pressure from the tank, the line is arranged in a circle around the trees (this creates a 'closed loop' system which increases pressure slightly) and the drippers are buried under the mulch.
Leonie uses "ridiculous amounts of mulch" because it minimises evaporation, feeds the plants as it decomposes and slows the water encouraging it to soak into the soil. But, most importantly, it adds humus to the soil and that increases the soil's ability to hold and retain water."
Below the house Leonie has planted local native plants. Once they've been through a wet season and have established themselves, they really won't need any further attention.
Leonie says, "There's always a lot to do, but creating a new garden is exciting and challenging - I love it."
Information contained in this fact sheet is a summary of material included in the program. If further information is required, please contact your local nursery or garden centre.
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