Three years in the wet tropics with soggy vege patch every time it rains, has prompted a major "up"grade. I'm hoping by going to raised garden beds i can avoid the swamping and rotting that comes with every major downpour.
I've decided to do this in 2 stages so i still have half the vege garden producing. The potatoes were taking up nearly half of the space so when they were dug and harvested last week, it was time to start the upgrade!!
DH David rotary hoed to level and we had several truckloads of river silt delivered to mix with soil and provide drainage. The raised bed frames are made from recycled roofing aluminium sheets, bought at a clearing sale last year for next to nothing. They are 4mtrs long X 2mtrs wideX 600cm high with a total of 8 frames, each frame was assembled on site with reinforcing in the corners and star picket bracing half way along the length.
We assembled one frame, then David would fill with silt and soil, while i raked and mixed, then on to the next one.........for 2 days.
I will have to do a series of picture entries, as i don't know how to include them in one post
So here half the garden hoed and bed one in place
roundthebend attached the following image:
You've done some great work on those beds, roundthebend. Well done. Are you on a farm or do you have a very large family? I'm sure all that hard work will pay off in abundant harvests. I also loved your photo of the pawpaw frog. Very sweet.
Thanks for the photo instructions forest,it may take me awhile to get the hang of that.........first learn to highlight,I'm a real novice on the pc.
We do live on a small farm of 70 acres, but with hubby still working at the mines 3 hrs away and commuting at weekends, we leased 20 to the neighbour(under sugar cane). Another paddock of 35 acres we have been planting tropical fruit trees and built a dam, 10acres is tropical rainforest creek line + regrowth, i call my land for wildlife, the other 5 acres around the house we had to clear with a bulldozer to remove derilict sheds and old car bodies. This is the area now has a new machinary shed, fowl houses and runs, the vege patch and an area we have started fencing and pasture improving to raise some livestock.
Our aim is to debt free on retirement(not that far away!), have a high degree of self sufficiency and sell our produce at the big city markets, to give us a small income. The new garden beds will hopefully also take a lot of back ache out of it.
We don't have a big family, but they all shop locally for there fresh produce
I used riversilt Sprite
EEEEEKKK........my whole album is gooowwwwnnn........Jamie the pics were straight from my albums on the home pc, when i press "browse" all home photos are available and not my als album
Rhonda, David is at pajingo gold mine, before that Mt leyshon(over 20years in total).
Im so Jealous 
