Mulch to suppress weeds. Living mulch doesn’t need replenishing.
Recycle compostable materials in a rodent-proof easy-to-turn composting system.
Work with natural forces such as sun/shade, rain (watering plants), wind (distributing mulching material – leaves), and gravity (positioning heavy elements uphill from where they are needed).
Use light weight, easily moved containers. Use light potting mix and soil substitutes e.g. coconut coir and mushroom compost, leaves.
Create no-dig beds and minimise need for digging and weeding.
Let animals do your work for you. Let chickens clear an area of weeds by either fencing them in during the day or simply feeding them in that area.
Build no-bend gardens
Use planters of lightweight and readily available material. Large planters are easier to maintain as they hold more moisture and can have mixed plantings which are less susceptible to insect invasion. If they dry out too easily, seal the insides next time you are potting.
Our of our students who is now a graduate, developed a system she calls her ‘Tin Towers’. She has 3 old cooking oil tins stacked neatly on top of one another. each has holes in the base except the bottom on. They all have the top cut out. The top tin grows well nourished herbs and annuals, the next tin down is the worm farm and the next one down is liquid manure made from weeds and the bottom one has a tap. It is all elevated to the tap can be accessed and the fertiliser that comes out is put back into the the top garden.
Hanging gardens are suitable for trailing and shallow rooted edibles such as strawberries but need more watering. Consider putting your indoor gardens in sunny moist areas such as Bathrooms and Kitchens.
Windowsills are sometimes an easy place to grow food. Kangkong goes in water on a sunny windowsill.
Indoor edibles includes the highly nutritious range of sprouts.
Gardens For People With Special Needs And Opportunities
Wheelchair gardens on table tops.
Tray gardens.
Aquaculture gardens.
Terrariums.
Miniature plants.
Aerial plants, bromeliads, orchids, and epiphiliums (edible fruit).
Medicinal succulents (such as varieties of Aloe).
Edible flowers.
People with special needs can offer small but highly valued work such as rare seed propagation which involves patience, care and good record keeping.
Grow food not lawns
Let animals do your work for you. Let chickens clear an area of weeds by either fencing them in during the day or simply feeding them in that area.