I am on the Gold Coast on just under an acre.
I started witha couple of I ground beds but our clay soil made it difficult so I upgraded to two simple timber raised garden beds which I have run for a few years now plus a large stacked herb beds
Early in 2016 I created 4 x IBC wicking beds and 4 x wicking barrels.
I also built a Hybrid RGGS (rain gutter grow system) using pvc storm water pipe and grow bags.
All the new additions did well this year but I got slammed by the Quensland Fruit Fly and lost bucket loads of Tomatoes and Capsicums in particular. They have never really been that much of a problem before. Some of that is because till I got the wicking beds/buckets and the RGGS the hot weather was too hard to garden in. But now I have crops running right through summer.
Researching fruit fly traps and baits online was how I found this website/forum. So I have both traps and baits out and new crops of Tomatoes and Capsicums showing fruit so I am living in hope they make an impact.
Also at the beginning of the year I created a 600 x 600 x 600 continously flow through worm timber worm farm. I got the plans online...called Vermibin VB24. The castings have now built up over 400mm and I am harvesting black gold regularly. The worms multiplied so fast I have now built an additional 1800 x 600 x 600 worm farm with three bins. Each are now about 1/3 full and worm stocks are building and my 10yo daughter has plans to start selling worms when stock levels build. I built the worm farm, I paid for the materials, I feed them. I apparently have to build her a website... but she gets all the money?!?! A fair exchange in her mind.
I just purchased 35 lm of new colorbond off gumtree which will be converted into 2 or 3 more wicking garden beds in the next few months ready for the cooler months.
I started witha couple of I ground beds but our clay soil made it difficult so I upgraded to two simple timber raised garden beds which I have run for a few years now plus a large stacked herb beds
Early in 2016 I created 4 x IBC wicking beds and 4 x wicking barrels.
I also built a Hybrid RGGS (rain gutter grow system) using pvc storm water pipe and grow bags.
All the new additions did well this year but I got slammed by the Quensland Fruit Fly and lost bucket loads of Tomatoes and Capsicums in particular. They have never really been that much of a problem before. Some of that is because till I got the wicking beds/buckets and the RGGS the hot weather was too hard to garden in. But now I have crops running right through summer.
Researching fruit fly traps and baits online was how I found this website/forum. So I have both traps and baits out and new crops of Tomatoes and Capsicums showing fruit so I am living in hope they make an impact.
Also at the beginning of the year I created a 600 x 600 x 600 continously flow through worm timber worm farm. I got the plans online...called Vermibin VB24. The castings have now built up over 400mm and I am harvesting black gold regularly. The worms multiplied so fast I have now built an additional 1800 x 600 x 600 worm farm with three bins. Each are now about 1/3 full and worm stocks are building and my 10yo daughter has plans to start selling worms when stock levels build. I built the worm farm, I paid for the materials, I feed them. I apparently have to build her a website... but she gets all the money?!?! A fair exchange in her mind.
I just purchased 35 lm of new colorbond off gumtree which will be converted into 2 or 3 more wicking garden beds in the next few months ready for the cooler months.