Jerry (my partner) has been living in Temora for a couple of months now, working at the local hospital. I got some time last week to visit him at his new home and one place, one very special place he took me was to The Men's Shed where he is now a member. This place was AMAZING! Holy crap...I wish I could have dressed up as a bloke and used all their amazing equipment. This men's shed movement is great and there are more and more popping up around the place. Jerry is by far one of the youngest members at the Temora men's shed but all the guys there seem so kind and willing to help out and pass their amazing skills down to him.
Some of the guys have been working on a veggie garden out the side which gave me some great new ideas for my own garden...
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| strawberries |
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| Growing strawberries in some old buckets...what a great idea. |
A successful rhubarb crop growing some kind of old tub. I love gardens that re-use old stuff and turn them into something useful. This garden at the men's shed was full of recycled tubs, pipes, wood.
These old pipes have been cut out to put plants in. Some of the men said they had been growing strawberries in them but they were heating up too much in the summer and the strawberries were burning. These are a great idea for people in small spaces, balconies or patio areas. They can be used to grow leafy greens, such as lettuce, rocket, spinach, strawberries or great as herb planters. If you do use these, they can get quite hot in full sun during the summer but are perfect otherwise and a GREAT idea and are free!
The men at the shed have used these old railway sleepers to create these raised beds. They look really good and seem very easy to assemble. If you have access to some railway sleepers, have got some space, these are another really great idea, especially for kids and older gardeners.
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| Growing silverbeet in the sleeper raised bed |
A beautiful, healthy crop of broccoli is important for any garden during the winter. The shed had a beautiful crop. A little earlier down there because of the cool but if you are in Sydney plant your seedlings now. I have done one lot and will put some more in in the next few weeks.
I came across this blog post about the Temora shed 4 Men Inc. while doing a research project for school.
ReplyDeleteWhat stood out to me was the use of recycled rail road ties for a vegetable garden. I am not sure if RR ties are manufactured in Australia the same was as they are in the United States. Here they are processed with a Chemical called Creosote. This is information I have come across while researching.
"1. Treated Wood and Poisonous Chemicals
Probably the biggest concern in using wood railroad ties in landscaping, is, the fact that they are treated with Creosote or other preservatives. Creosote is made from coal tar. According to the EPA, "Creosote is a possible human carcinogen", although this evaluation is still inconclusive. Still, the EPA recommends that wood railroad ties not be used anywhere where "frequent or prolonged contact with bare skin will occur."
Because the chemicals that are used to preserve wood railroad ties can leak into your soil, they are not to be used in or around a garden where food is grown. Some sources, such as landscape-america.com, also recommend that wood ties not be used where they'll "come in contact with people, pets and vegetable gardens."
http://voices.yahoo.com/the-pros-cons-using-wood-railroad-ties-landscaping-1592283.html?cat=32
Hopefully the raised planter boxes are made with something else. Otherwise I would recommend converting them to flowerbeds, or other ornamental vegetation(something people will not consume).
I hope you find this information to be helpful. Merry Christmas!