How To Fill A Keyhole Garden (In The Very Best Way) Bonus: all the ingredients - old boxes, newspapers, and leaves - are totally free! Composting is the method by which accumulated organic matter decomposes. Preferred root plants for keyhole gardens include carrots, beets, and radishes. Aug 10, 2019 - Aside from its aesthetic appeal, keyhole garden beds serve a lot of purposes, too. Keyhole garden beds are commonly seen in permaculture gardens. Just a slight slope; the soil level at the outside wall should be about two inches lower than the soil around the compost cage. Keyhole gardens can come in a range of shapes, sizes, and depths, though commonly they have circular or curving forms. You shouldn’t need to add a lot of scraps, just a few now and then to keep the top of the compost level with the soil or slightly above. As water seeps through the compost, it will carry nutrients to your plants. How am I going to get whatever I use into such a tiny opening? RELATED: The Invincible Yard: 17 Ideas for Lazy Landscaping. The composting basket replenishes the soil’s nutrients as well. The name comes from the idea that an access path to the heart of the bed looks a little like a keyhole when viewed from above. The Top 10 U.S. Keyhole gardening proved successful in providing a reliable source of food for the people of Lesotho, and the concept has spread across the globe. How to Make a Keyhole Garden. I loved the idea of creating a mix of a keyhole garden with a mandala design. 3m squared. But a new method of gardening is proving to be less labor-intensive and more affordable for individuals who grow their own food. The origin of the “keyhole” structure lies in Africa where the climate requires the most efficient use of water resources. The Keyhole literally uses piles of common organic household waste and converts it into a rich growing enviroment for your vegetables to grow. Add layers of cardboard and the newsprint between compost and then fill the top half with straight soil/compost mix. • Clean water is used on the topsoil. Plant your garden. Fill the garden with a layer of cans (for drainage), then soil/manure/straw/ash as you build upwards to waist height. For more ideas on building and planting your own keyhole garden, take a look at our Keyhole Gardening board on Pinterest. Plus, some plants contribute various nutrients to the soil—peas, for instance, add nitrogen—so by rotating the location of your plants every year, you’ll maintain a healthy soil balance throughout the entire garden. By Glenda Taylor. How to build a keyhole garden: MATERIALS . Keyhole gardening is ideal for children, people with ambulatory considerations, and in areas where soil is hot, dry and hard to work with. Locate a suitable site for the keyhole garden area, without overhanging trees or obstacles; Assemble the keyhole garden with the structural materials you have chosen; Fill in the area with a mix of soil and compost to the level required; Fill in the center well with organic material such as grass cuttings and kitchen vegetable cuttings Tie the wire or twine around them several times from top to bottom, to create the basket outline and hold the canes or sticks together. A keyhole garden introduces a no-dig, permaculture design in the form of a raised bed with a continual feed at the top for manure, vegetable scraps, paper and other brown and gree… You can build a keyhole bed that functions as an enclosed garden … This will break down slowly, gathering moisture and smothering weeds in the process. More space to grow in with less effort. They were first established in the 1990s for residents of Lesotho, a small nation in southern Africa subject to frequent droughts and soil erosion. For the best results, year after year, check out the following tips. Tomatoes can be planted near the center of the garden to allow the basket to provide support for the plant. Building your own keyhole garden is a simple process and no special construction skills are necessary. Keyhole gardening is sustainable, meaning that these structures will provide their own nutrients for years when constructed and used properly. This allows the water to filter down through the compost and then seep outward, carrying nutrients to … Just fill out the form to begin your download now. You can construct your own keyhole garden in any shape you like—circular, oval, square, or octagon—just be sure to include a compost cage in the center. This is the key concept to a keyhole garden design. The reason the garden is raised is twofold: It promotes adequate drainage, so the soil remains moist, but not soggy, creating an optimal growing environment. 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