Rocks just don't seem like mulch to me, they don't gather and hold the moisture for the plants below, they don't slowly decay as worms fight their way through, they just sit there, inert. Oblivious to the joy and life of the soil.
So my mission is to move them mulchin' rocks and make them pathway rocks. Lovely idea, terrible reality. The rocks evade the shovel, or bring too much soil with them. It's slow, and boring, but now so very very rewarding!
Today marked the completion of the first large bed. Rocks moved, REAL mulch in, and plants, lovely plants in, where the mulch will keep them fresh and happy.
(why oh why did I not take a 'before' shot??)
The bed began with a rhubarb boarder over a year ago - the rhubarb approves of the spot wholeheartedly. When I looked closer I realised this was a special spot - surrounded by sheds and water tanks, it gets very little wind and lots of full sun.... it's practically the tropics!!! In went a sad looking Lime and Kaffir Lime, who continued to look sad, but have decided to step up the tempo for spring now. A treasured Tamarillo went in last year - and survived winter, and tree chilli 'Rocoto', both looking more enthusiastic about life by the day.This morning the mulch went on, news paper and straw, along with my 'Lisbourne' lemon, 5 more Tamarillo (did I mention I grew these from seed? oh well... I did!) and 4 Cape Gooseberry bushes. In retrospect I should have added a Pepino bush too... we'll see how things go, and replace a gooseberry bush or two if they doesn't flourish...
The area is exciting now, along way from it's original Agapathus and Fuscias.
Beyond it, my shadey-potty spot awaits... a proper structure, and maybe a Kiwi ??
They had a wicking bed system, and a water-fall over the rock wall to increase humidity, all a bit more high tech than I had thought of - but now are slowly being weaved into my plan.
