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 Natural Circle Gardens 
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Post Natural Circle Gardens
This the the experiemental gardening system I have deployed on my farm in a school style setup. It is an excellent way to grow food in arrid soils which would be difficult to till or fertilize as people are poor in the rural areas. It was the best way for me to do a simple introduction to the technique. Our soils in the pic were below ph5 which wilted most growth planted into the raw soil as a test. Now we grow lush greens in 3 cycles a year. Lots of work, but a five year investment with little maintenance is not a bad outcome from a zero start and only a pick and a spade.


Circle Gardens: a discovery par excellence!
by Pat Featherstone

FILED IN: Green Gardening · Issue 15 · Soil For Life

Save water and increase production with a new way of gardening. I first read about ‘ecocircles’ (‘circles of cultivation’) in a Land magazine dating back to 1998. The article was written by Anthony Trowbridge of Applied Natural Sciences at Technikon SA.

In a recent telephone conversation with him he enthusiastically endorsed this way of growing as a means not only to save on labour, but also to provide a unique and simple way of growing large amounts of food in small spaces using very little water.

Not only can the method be effectively used by the home gardener, but it can also be used on a commercial scale, where its low-tech requirements reduce capital costs.

Professor Donald Langham, working in Venezuela, developed the idea of planting in circles instead of growing in straight lines in angular beds as a means of overcoming the difficulties faced by South American farmers; the same difficulties experienced in this country with an ever-increasing prospect of drought and, in some regions, floods, and the loss of precious topsoil.
...

http://biophile.co.za/gardening/circle-gardens-a-discovery-par-excellence


Image



This is the one setup of 3 we have going, and we use it to show and tell organic, low water usage - gardening.


Image

This garden has 72 holes dug in 4 circles of 18 in the shapes of the Star of David. Geometric.
With our other efforts we now have 144 holes dug, and you only have to redo them in 5 years time if you mulch religiously and encourage worms which I introduce from my worm farm. The pic was taken at the start of our second season.





:brockoli

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Thu Jul 29, 2010 10:19 am
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Post Re: Natural Circle Gardens
hey, pretty cool. a twist to the square beds see alot here. could make for some really pretty senery.

what kind of raiding critters do you have to fence for?

my bane are chipmunks. i've even dug wire mesh down 3' the whole perimeter of my garden. but if there's a way, they'll find it.

they get too sassy....they make for great moving-target practice. :whistle


Thu Jul 29, 2010 11:17 am
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Post Re: Natural Circle Gardens
I have both in my garden - circles and squares - and rectangles, too! :mrgreen:

The circular beds are the easiest to work in, IMHO, especially with these arthritic knees. Plus I have planted a couple of apple trees in the middle so we should be getting some lovely shade in the next couple of years.

I use the round beds to grow lettuce, onions, squash, etc. primarily because the beds look so beautiful when they are planted. I love it when cabbage is planted in them - looks just like green roses! ;)

Still using the square raised beds and the big old rectangular one but we are considering eliminating the big one and just might make two circles from it.

:wavey

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Thu Jul 29, 2010 11:59 am
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Post Re: Natural Circle Gardens
That fence i s critical for us Genesis.

We have problems with critters!

Blue Vervet Monkeys
Duiker (a small buck)
Antelope
Reed Buck
Bush Buck
Porcupines
Bush Pig
Meerkat

And those are ones I can remember apart from all the birds.

But the place would not be the same without them!


:heart

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Thu Jul 29, 2010 4:09 pm
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Post Re: Natural Circle Gardens
:awe And I thought I had problems with critters!

Yah not so much! Possums, raccoons, rats and other assorted critters don't even come close to yours, Sky!

Wow! Wow! Wow!

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Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:02 am
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Post Re: Natural Circle Gardens
:crylaugh


The monkeys are the worst BB

They drive my wife nuts.

It's coming Spring here now, and very much dry with veld fires raging. So little to feed on for monkeys. Everything in all our gardens is game for them. We lost 100 cabbage seedlings last week, not thinking they would eat the tiny plant. They normally chew up 1/4 of a cabbage and the rest is spoiled, but a grown plant. Eeek. New thinking going on here. I don't want to shoot them. Nature will have a solution for me.

But we love the game, and are grateful they are around.


:lol

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Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:53 am
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Post Re: Natural Circle Gardens
"Nature will have a solution for me."

well, in nature there are predators that keep balance in check. unfortunately, the balance in most places has been outta whack for some time. in my situation most of the coyote, fox, etc, that feed on critters like chipmunks and gophers have been killed off. now the only predator they have is ME. quite the delima for a native who's first instinct is to protect them.

it has taken a few years to adjust my priorities. i have accepted the fact that I have to control them, if i am to be able to harvest my organic crops, which i have to eat now due to sensativites to pesticides, etc. I also decided that if i must kill off to keep damages down, that i would make the best use of it. which is why i shoot them. target practice is a benefit to learning a life saving skill. maybe one day more than i thought. i do not eat them, but i make sure their death amounts to something of value to me and my family. my dad says i am almost as good a shot as my locally legendary grandmother. her husband had abandoned the family. she HAD to hunt to fed her 7 kids and was so poor, she had to make every bullet count.

i have to agree with you though....i would be heartbroken to have to shoot monkeys too. i wish you luck in finding a solution.


Fri Jul 30, 2010 9:12 am
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Post Re: Natural Circle Gardens
Quote:
The monkeys are the worst BB


Now monkeys I do have experience with from living in Venezuela.

My husband used to get the biggest kick out of the "mango monkey war" as he called it. We had beautiful mango trees in our yard in Eastern Venezuela. They produce fruit twice a year.

Red howler monkeys, capuchin and spider monkeys are all indigenous to Venezuela. The howlers, especially, love mangoes. Most of the year they eat leaves from various trees but in mango season they become crack heads! I don't know if there is something in mangos or whether it is from the fermenting fruit but howler monkeys will do anything for mangoes!

Don't know if you've ever heard an angry (or lustful) howler monkey but they are without a doubt the loudest creatures on God's Green Earth. :shock:

Being a newbie to life overseas, I had grandiose visions of homemade mango chutney that I could give as Christmas presents to friends and associates in country. I love chutney and mango chutney is the best, IMHO.

You can imagine my absolute surprise and horror when I awoke the first morning of mango season to find my trees literally covered in howler and spider monkeys!

It was out and out war! I tried everything I could think of from firecrackers to fake owls to fake snakes to hanging mirrors in the trees. Nothing worked! They laughed and threw mangoes at me! :gah

Unfortunately, I totally lost my cool one day and began chunking mangoes back and saying some not very nice words in the process - right in front of the gardeners, my husband and some party guests. :embarressed

It was ON! I swear those little buggers deliberately waited for me to come out of the house from then on.

They would peak out from the branches, wiggle their moustaches and begin howling and chunking mangos.

In the end, I bought mangos at the market to make my chutney. :doh

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. At least I had enough grace to retreat with what was left of my dignity! :whistle

:crylaugh :roflmao

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Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:29 am
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Post Re: Natural Circle Gardens
What about ANGRY CATS!!



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Fri Jul 30, 2010 4:29 pm
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Post Re: Natural Circle Gardens
Ya - we have cats, but they don't eat vegetables.... :roflmao

Leopards and civets that eat our guinea fowl a muscovey ducks.



Eat or be eaten

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Mon Aug 02, 2010 1:07 am
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