How to build a keyhole garden?
The structure of keyhole gardens makes them poor environments for wide-spreading plants, such as: First, identify a suitable space for the keyhole garden. Keep in mind that keyhole a keyhole garden should measure 2 meters or 6 1/2 feet in diameter. Clear the area of plants, rocks, and roots. Stake out the perimeter and the center.
How do keyhole garden beds work?
By watering the keyhole garden at its center, the water drains through the compost and then into the rest of the garden bed, offering a constant source of nutrients. Stacked stones are traditionally used to create keyhole garden beds, but bricks, concrete blocks, and other materials can be used as long as it’s sturdy enough to support the soil.
How do you compost in a keyhole garden?
Make a habit of adding food scraps to the compost cage in the center of your keyhole garden. If your family makes a lot of food waste, make your cage extra large. If you live in an area with lots of wilderness, you may need to reinforce or cover your compost cage.
Can you grow fruits and vegetables in a keyhole garden?
Even with less-than-optimal soil, you can grow a bumper crop of healthy fruits and vegetables with this unique garden design. Keyhole gardens, so named because they’re shaped like an old-fashioned skeleton-key lock, were developed to help folks with less-than-super soil grow nutritious produce.
What do you put in a keyhole garden?
A keyhole garden is a round raised bed with a pie-slice cutout for access to a composting basket in the center. The bed is filled with rocks, yard waste, decomposable plant material, and a thick layer of soil/compost on the top for planting. The center basket collects kitchen waste and other biodegradables.
How do you layer a keyhole garden?
0:218:04Building a Keyhole Garden - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipMatter here. And then we have our central compost pile in the middle. Now. As this all breaks downMoreMatter here. And then we have our central compost pile in the middle. Now. As this all breaks down it will shrink a little bit but we'll continue to add compost to the center island.
What should I fill my garden bed with?
The first option for filling your beds is a simple soil mixture. As you may have guessed, this is the simplest route you can take. Fill your bed with a 1:1 mixture of topsoil and compost mix, then lightly combine with a rake or shovel.
How do you fill a greenhouse bed?
Fill your bed with a nutrient-rich compost mix (homemade or commercially-produced). Then, top the compost with enriched top soil especially formulated for vegetable gardening. It has a fine texture to allow for immediate sowing and planting. Fill your beds all the way up!
Do keyhole gardens really work?
Keyhole gardens hold moisture and nutrients due to an active compost pile placed in the center of a round bed. Although most helpful in hot and dry locations, a keyhole garden will improve growing conditions in just about any climate.
What is the purpose of a keyhole garden?
A keyhole garden is a two-meter-wide circular raised garden with a keyhole-shaped indentation on one side. The indentation allows gardeners to add uncooked vegetable scraps, greywater, and manure into a composting basket that sits in the center of the bed.
How do you fill a garden border cheaply?
This border gap can be filled very cheaply with mulch, such as bark chipping, or even recycled rubber, which looks exactly like bark, and does a great job of keeping your borders looking neat and tidy. Using mulch just around the edge of your borders will keep your costs down, whilst keeping your plants healthy.
How do you fill a raised bed cheaply?
Create dig in your garden bed that is ten inches deep and in the center of your raised bed. Layer down a few layers of cardboard, and fill the core with straw bales, leaves, grass clippings, or old twigs. You can use one of these materials or mix them.
Can you fill a raised bed with just compost?
Can You Fill A Raised Bed With Just Compost? Using compost alone in your raised beds can work for certain plants if the compost is well matured, but it may also be detrimental to other plants. Using topsoil alone in your raised beds is not a good choice. Likewise, using compost alone is also not the best option.
How do you fill a raised garden bed?
2:1616:02How to Fill a DEEP Raised Bed CHEAP and EASY, Backyard ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo when it rains we don't want this thing to just fill up like a bucket wood. And just hold all thatMoreSo when it rains we don't want this thing to just fill up like a bucket wood. And just hold all that excess water and allow it to sit there we want to make sure it drains.
Should I put rocks in the bottom of my raised garden bed?
There is no need to put rocks at the bottom of a raised garden bed. It is actually a myth that has been around for several years. The belief for many years was that it would improve the drainage and also prevent any soil from spilling outside the beds.
Should I put cardboard in raised beds?
If you are lining the bottom of your beds in an attempt to keep pesky weeds from growing up from the bottom of your raised beds, cardboard should serve as a better, and longer-lasting deterrent.
How soon can you plant in a lasagna garden?
How soon can you plant in a lasagna garden? You can plant in your lasagna garden as soon as you build it, or you can wait until spring. In order to plant it right away, your top layer should be 4-6 inches of compost.
Do keyhole gardens smell?
In theory the compost basket in the center of your keyhole garden shouldn't smell, but there's always a chance it gets a little stinky if it's out of balance. (Don't worry, it's easy to fix!) “A foul smell is a sign that your compost pile is out of balance,” explains Dimitrov.
What is the lasagna method gardening?
A lasagna garden sits above the ground. But, instead of filling it with fresh soil like you would a raised bed, you stack compostable materials like newspaper, cardboard, leaves, and grass clippings. Over time, worms and microorganisms decompose the material and turn it into a rich, nutrient-dense soil of its own.
What is an African keyhole garden?
The African keyhole garden was designed by CARE in Zimbabwe during the mid 1990s to encourage people to grow their own food. The design relied on materials that were close at hand—such as bricks, stones, branches, hay, ashes, manure and soil—to create an easy-care garden for disabled people.
How far into the ground do I dig poplar posts?
I dug my poplar posts two feet into the ground, in the corners, as my anchors. They keep my bed from sliding downhill since I decided to build on a sloped site.
What to do if your garden is weedy?
If your chosen site happens to be weedy, mow them down and build right over them. Bill Mollison, one of the founders of the permaculture movement, and a huge advocate for keyhole beds suggests putting them close to your house. This makes it more likely that you’ll visit your garden often to tend and harvest.
What do you need to do with taller posts?
All you need to do is integrate taller posts into your bedsides and wrap or cover those with fencing, netting, or row covers as needed.
What happens when you put the key inside and turn?
When you put the key inside and turned, everything would click into place, and magical doors would open (or at least beautiful, heavy wooden doors that cost a fortune at vintage markets these days).
What vegetables can I grow in a garden bed?
They work great for annual herbs and cut flowers too. Vegetables that form a root ball like onions, beets, turnips, and round radishes are also good choices.
Can you vine tomatoes over a trellis?
Or…you can run your trellis outwards like a table and vine your tomatoes over the trellis. You may have to leave your keyhole to harvest, but you keep your tomatoes off the ground and limit fungal risks. Now, that you are in the know, unlock the magic in your garden and build yourself a perfect-for-you keyhole bed!
Can you use junk as a keyhole bed?
I don’t know about you, but I feel guilty about all the stuff I throw away. When you build your keyhole bed, you can use your unwanted junk as the base for your keyhole bed. (I’ll show you how shortly.)
What is a keyhole garden?
Keyhole gardens are circular raised bed gardens. The larger outer circles are where crops are planted. The center portion of these gardens are active composting baskets. Small aisles are built to access the compost baskets. Keyhole gardens get their name from the bird’s eye view of these features. The composting basket is center to the success ...
Why are keyhole gardens important?
Keyhole gardens were developed for the sole purpose of maximum crop output in the hottest and driest of conditions. Their low cost, low maintenance, and versatility make them a desirable gardening option for your yard and for gardening across the globe. Humanitarian foundations spearheaded the development of keyhole gardening to help improve lives ...
What is a keyhole compost basket?
The composting basket is center to the success of keyhole gardens. Kitchen scraps and grey water are added to the compost basket daily for continuous replenishment of the soil. The soil for keyhole gardens is specially layered to boost its ability to maintain moisture and nourishment.
How to make a composting basket?
Create your composting basket using sticks, positioned vertically, and twine or chicken wire. Think in terms of creating a basket. Place rocks on the ground at the bottom of the basket for drainage. Place a layer of topsoil over the rocks, and feed the compost with kitchen and garden scraps.
How to protect compost basket from heat?
Construct a protective shade to cover the compost basket during times of intense heat to prevent over drying. The protective cover can be used for rainy periods, too. You don’t want too much moisture to wash the nutrients from the compost into the soil too quickly.
How to sustain a garden after a plant has grown?
Use kitchen and other discard water in the compost basket after plants are beginning to mature. The water from the compost basket is sufficient to sustain the garden.
How to keep soil fertile?
Let the soil set for a week before planting seeds or seedlings. Plant at least four different types of vegetables in your garden to maintain fertility and to promote resistance to pests and disease. Onion and garlic, specifically, provide pest protection. Plant leafy greens next to root vegetables.
What is a keyhole garden?
A keyhole garden is a round raised bed with a pie-slice cutout for access to a composting basket in the center. The bed is filled with rocks, yard waste, decomposable plant material, and a thick layer of soil/compost on the top for planting. The center basket collects kitchen waste and other biodegradables. Watering into the basket disperses moisture and nutrients throughout the keyhole. This efficient raised bed method of gardening is often used in areas with poor soil unsuitable for growing vegetables.
What type of block do I use for keyhole garden?
I used concrete block to make my keyhole garden. Notches in these concrete blocks fitted tight together help prevent them from shifting, as you see in the inset photo above, plus I drove rebar stakes through the center of every other block to help stabilize the wall. I topped it off with cap blocks to cover the holes.
How to get rid of weeds in a garden?
The composting basket is a handy way to get rid of kitchen scraps and weeds, with the bonus of nutrients added effortlessly to the soil as those materials decompose. If the compost basket attracts insects or starts to smell, stir the compost and sprinkle soil over the top, or add a layer of straw, leaves, shredded cardboard or dried grass clippings to the top. In the spring when the basket contents are all broken down and the basket is full, you can remove the compost to mix into the planting layer of the bed. A potato fork works well to pull compost out of the basket.
What materials are used in keyhole gardens?
Where keyhole gardens are common, cans, rocks, clay pots, branches and all sorts of debris may be tossed in first to fill space, followed by layers of soil, plant matter, wood ash, manure and other biodegradable materials that will become rich compost over time.
What is the hardest part of a raised garden?
Probably the hardest part of the construction is filling the bed. It does take a lot of soil! The top 18 inches of your raised bed should be a good quality soil/compost mixture for planting. The bottom can be filler. Where keyhole gardens are common, cans, rocks, clay pots, branches and all sorts of debris may be tossed in first to fill space, followed by layers of soil, plant matter, wood ash, manure and other biodegradable materials that will become rich compost over time.
What vegetables can I plant in a raised bed?
Soil warms up faster in spring in a raised bed like this, so you can get a jump on planting cool-weather veggies like peas, broccoli and lettuce. Erect a trellis over the composting basket to grow vining cucumbers or pole beans. And the best part is, there's minimal bending while you weed and harvest!
Where to draw a wedge in a composting bed?
Next, draw a wedge to the center of the bed large enough for you to get to the composting basket. Aim this keyhole to the north, the shadiest side of the bed, to keep the sunnier spots for growing.
What is a Keyhole Garden?
A keyhole garden is a small circular raised bed with an indentation on one side. The keyhole-like indentation isn’t there for aesthetic purposes. It’s used as an access point for food waste, gray water, and manure.
What materials are needed to build a keyhole garden?
Gather free, readily available materials to create the keyhole garden walls. Stones, cement blocks, and used tires are just a few examples of commonly used building materials.
Why do you need to make amendments to your keyhole garden?
Keyhole gardens are designed to stay moist when little precipitation is available. While you will need to make amendments to your keyhole garden compost pile, this is far easier and less expensive than adding commercial fertilizers. As the compost decomposes, it releases rich, beneficial nutrients into the soil.
Why add a garden floor to a keyhole garden?
Don’t forget to add a garden floor. This essential layer helps trap in moisture and nutrients . Without it, essential plant foods will leech into the soil beneath your keyhole garden.
Why were keyhole gardens important?
Keyhole gardens were part of a vast humanitarian effort. They were intended to empower individuals to feed themselves.
How to make a biodegradable floor?
Create a thick yet biodegradable floor for your garden. Use old newspapers, yard clippings, broken clay pots, and aluminum cans to line the floor and walls. Using these materials, create a slope that extends from the compost cage to the garden walls.
How much space do you need for a keyhole garden?
Don’t stress about the placement of your keyhole garden. Just be sure that there is sufficient space for 6 1/2 feet of garden. These African container gardens have their own built-in drainage system and they are raised off the ground. So the pre-existing soil conditions have no impact on the plants.
What is a keyhole garden?
A keyhole garden is a round garden bed with a compost pile in the center. The garden has a notch in the front, so gardeners can easily add to or turn over the pile. Featuring a drainage layer, a soil layer, and a planting area, keyhole gardens combine all the necessities that plants need to thrive.
Who designed the Keyhole Garden?
The keyhole garden was only one part of large renovations to the property. Casey Boyter Gardens designed this garden with the family’s love of entertaining in mind.
Why do keyhole gardens need to be in the center of a round bed?
Keyhole gardens hold moisture and nutrients due to an active compost pile placed in the center of a round bed. Although most helpful in hot and dry locations, a keyhole garden will improve growing conditions in just about any climate. Read on to learn more about how keyhole gardens work as well as some ideas for building your own at home.
What is the handle on a Send a Cow keyhole garden?
The handles are forged aluminum, the blade is hardened steel. The handle even includes small shock absorbers to protect your hands and wrist. Simply the best on the market—and it comes with a lifetime guarantee. keyhole garden from Send a Cow.
What are keyhole garden borders made of?
The borders of this keyhole garden are made of cement and glass, eliminating the need to worry about compost eroding the garden walls.
How did Jim Long build his keyhole garden?
Jim Long shows how he built his keyhole garden, with wooden fencing as the exterior. He shows the filling he used beneath the soil. The round hole where compost and water goes is made from chicken wire. He places a lid on top of the round hole to help retain some of the moisture. Jim saves the compost to use in other pots and future use in his keyhole garden.
What is a notch in a garden?
A notch is cut into a round garden bed. The notch makes for easy access to the center compost well. Keyhole garden in Uganda by Send a Cow. This sustainable gardening method uses kitchen and garden waste and gray water (or wash water) as food for your garden. Layering is proven to enhance soil health.
