Permablitz #210 – Edithvale pt2
The return to Tina’s home in Edithvale (after the first blitz two weeks prior) started with a sunny day once again, but this time there was something different – a little more wind… and all newbies for the Permablitz with one or two oldies coming a little later. The first project for the day was to fix one of the leaking wicking beds. Ooops! Whilst doing the hospital bed corners of the liner, someone put a staple in the liner which created a little hole. This was easily fixed with a little silicone – hooray!
We then proceeded to fill in the area where an outdoor spa had previously been, to make it into a lasagna bed ready for planting in the spring. Some cardboard, twigs, scoby yeast culture (the scoby looks a little like a jellyfish with no tentacles), then tea leaves from some kindly donated kombucha, a sprinkling of lime to stop the acidity, some manure then finally the soil. We also planted beans and peas to create a nitrate filled soil ready for planting the beautiful tropical forest once the weather warms up.
What’s scoby you ask?
“Scoby” is actually an acronym: Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast. And that’s exactly what it is! A scoby is the living home for the bacteria and yeast that transform sweet tea into tangy, fizzy kombucha — think of the scoby as the coral reef of the bacteria and yeast world.
We then proceeded to fill in the other wicking beds with soil and manure. We planted some potatoes; Tina informed me that they need to be treated before you put them in the ground due to a fungus that attacks the soil and can then destroy the soil’s nutrients. Good tip!
We also built our first pond. A hole was dug, then we smoothed out the dirt, adding carpet so no piercings occur in the liner before adding the liner and rocks, before finally adding the water. What a beautiful site that was! Oh and by the way the way to keep them clean is to get fresh water mussels, as apparently they filter the water and love all that yucky stuff.
Tina provided a spectacular lunch for everyone with lots of great food to eat. She was also a great source for information regarding sourcing products such as boxes and tea leaves for the wicking and lasagna beds.
Enjoying a well-earned break!
It was a great day of learning for all the volunteers, with Seila and Terry being a great source of information as the “go-to men about the garden”. Seila has been running Stephanie Alexander gardens at two primary schools for a number of years, and Terry has designed over ten blitzes in recent years – between them there wasn’t much they don’t know!
All in all a great day was had by all, with everyone wanting a permablitz of their own…
You can see more photos of the day in our gallery here.
