Rachel’s in raptures over how much kai has come out of her garden

First was Sirikit, she is keen to get growing. Siri picked a place that is a shared space between herself and her neighbour but is also central to the other apartment dwellers and is happy to share.

Next I visited Jordan. She has been trying to grow things in tiny pots and felt a failure. I explained that the space in these pots is far too cramped to grow anything but tiny flowers. I showed her how much room the roots of one cauli took up and why we use the bed system we do. She had two of the raised beds on legs from Bunnings there and some potting mix in bags so I suggested she fill them up and I will bring extra plants to pop in there. Perhaps strawberries actually.

From here I popped into Marea for a final visit. She was a bit sad as the fence surrounding her unit has been replaced and the garden bed was moved and put back but all topsy turvy. There is a rainbow chard and a perpetual spinach that had resprouted and was left there and the soil returned around them, so I explained she can keep eating these leaves until it goes to seed which may not be until the warmer months arrive and then let them seed down. She had seeds I had given her previously and was going to get it all reestablished in a month or two when it’s warmer.  She’s enjoyed eating from there and having fresh greens on hand. 

Last visit was Rachel. She’s in raptures over how much kai has come out of her garden. She said she skites about it all over the place! Talked about checking out the prices of veggies so she can see how much she’s saving. For someone who has never gardened previously she has done very well, and the garden is still in full flush. A very small amount of bug sharing (as she describes it) but mostly beautifully healthy plants. She was waiting for the peas to fatten up their pods but I explained they were sugar snap and ready now. She showed me her bokashi which she had stopped using as wasn’t sure it was working right when she saw the mould. I explained white mould in there is perfectly fine and it’s all breaking down nicely. I talked her through using the bokashi as a liquid fertiliser, food for the garden and a drain cleaner. She’s buzzing with her success and it’s lovely to see! She’s planning to get a second bed herself so she can expand further on what she grows. She has been a real pleasure to work with.