Keyhole Garden

[txdon]

I'm going to build a keyhole garden. It is basically a (6') round (3') raised bed garden with access to the middle (shaped like a keyhole) where compost is deposited which feeds the plants as it decomposes. Does anyone have one and if so how is it working out?

 

[MossRoad]

Sounds interesting. Any pictures?

 

[jinman]

Don, have you been reading your Texas Coop Power magazine? The article this month is too obvious to be a coincidence.

 

[blueriver]

My wife kinda does that with a herb garden ... she had me get a big old tractor rear tire and some dirt ... she took the first year composting in the tire and mixing in dirt ... as for how its working I don't know ... she swears by it.

She has parsley, winter onions, dill, mustard seed (greens) and I think more. I can tell you when its time we have an abundance of the stuff she has in it. I love those winter onions.

I remember once she brought in some tomatoes at a weird time of the year ... when I asked her about it ... she said I guess they just grew from the tomatoe's I was composting.

 

[txdon]

Don, have you been reading your Texas Coop Power magazine? The article this month is too obvious to be a coincidence.

Yes Jim. I had raised beds before and do composting but never combined the two at the same time in the same bed.

 

[Bob in Maine]

If you search for keyhole gardens and permaculture, you'll find plenty of information. Keyhole beds are used regularly in permaculture gardening. Happy digging! Still a ways off before we'll be digging in our frozen soil in Maine, but we're getting there (right?).

Bob

 

[txdon]

The concept was taken from this web site
Texas Co-op Power Magazine - Texas Stories: Keyhole Gardening - An Online Community for Members of Texas Electric Cooperatives

and is now under construction.

 

[BrianDT]

So what do you do when the center basket fills up? Is this something you dig out each year and start over?

 

[RobertN]

Tons of info in a Google search. Interesting...

http://www.rice.edu/energy/research/poverty&energy/lesothoproject/khg card final ENGLISH-2.pdf

http://www.debtolman.com/keyhole.pdf

 

[txdon]

So what do you do when the center basket fills up? Is this something you dig out each year and start over?

Good Question. Since you water from the center, I would think as the center decomposes it turns to soil and runs out. But at some time I also think it will fill up. I'll find out. I'll make the center basket wide enough to get a shovel in it.

Thanks for the links Robert. I'll soon be at the point of filling it up and the links gave me some ideas of what to do with some cow bones.