Kuckucksmuehle: Garden Archive

We designed the Mandala Garden right after the harvest at the end of October 2016. Immediately we set out to mark it and mulch it so that the beds are ready for the 2017.

The Mandala garden is where most of our food will be grown this season, it is our largest free area that we want to cultivate.

The design takes into consideration areas with are more shady and those which are more boggy. It also includes current features such as the mushroom patch which occurs naturally and we would like to preserve.

Here's what it will look like after we finish implementing the design: Map on google drive

If you would like to get involved in the garden planning (where to plant what and when) and learn how to use our companion planting database contact us, we are always looking for people who are interested in participating.

We also organise various events where you can learn by doing.

Marking the paths

Most of the paths are still visible after the winter but we need to make them clearer so that people stay off the garden beds.

The reason why we don't want people to trample the beds is because we practice a no dig technique, this means that the ground is not turned over by machines to avoid upsetting the top soil nutrients and help maintain the soil's natural biological activity ie we don't destroy the poor worms homes so they can keep taking care of our soil. Once the ground is stepped on the top soil becomes compacted and hard which makes it harder for the seeds to develop strong roots and it also reduces in air in the soil.

Having clearly marked paths will help humans intuitively keep off the precious beds.

Aerating the soil

Once the paths are marked we can start aerating the soil. This is done to loosen the topsoil before planting the seeds. The technique is simple but effective. Stick a pitchfork in the ground and move it backwards and forwards a couple of times until the soil yields. Take it out and move on to the next bit, repeat until all the beds are done and ready for planting.