The reason for my absence from ATS.....

I decided a few years ago to try and become a little more self sufficient. I have always liked my plants and herbs so I decided to make a permaculture garden. I do not have a lot of land and I am situated in a very inhospitable place for growing plants. The worst problem here is the wind and salt spray.

I decided to use rocks where I could as they are free to get and readily available and laid myself out a rough pattern.



Because my home is on the moors we do not have soil. I had to make my own soil mainly out of crushed shell sand from the beach, sheep poop and peat dust. This took a long time to do but was well worth it for the vegetables.

Washing seaweed to make soil.. Its also very good as a soil mulch.



My first years beds I made produced a bumper crop of Kale and Purple Sprouting Broccoli... It is one thing growing food and another eating it. Lots of the food comes up at the same time and there is too much to eat. The first year a lot got wasted. I have since learned different methods of preservation like making pickle, fermenting cabbage or wine



The garden is slowly coming to life and after a lot of effort it is beginning to pay off well with both food and entertainment.









This year I built some covered raised beds and cold frames too. These beds get really warm and they produce a lot of vegetables.





My food production has increased exponentially over the last three years. I now grow garlic, onions, kale, garlic, chives, caraway, dill, coriander, parsley, broccoli, peas, strawberries, recurrent, gooseberry cabbages, spuds and others.

I plant things like marigold to help keep the pests away and I am constantly learning about new plants and herbs. The plant below is know as Rhodiola rosea it grows wild on the cliffs here and has a stunning geometry. The plant is adaptogenic like ginseng. It has different effects on different people and is a very powerful herb.

The herb Rhodiola rosea has been used traditionally in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and other European countries as a “tonic herb,” said to fight fatigue, aid convalescence from illness, prevent infections, and enhance sexual function. In the twentieth century, Soviet physicians classified rhodiola as an adaptogen . This invented term refers to a hypothetical treatment described as follows: An adaptogen helps the body adapt to stresses of various kinds, whether heat, cold, exertion, trauma, sleep deprivation, toxic exposure, radiation, infection, or psychological stress. Furthermore, an adaptogen supposedly causes no side effects, treats a wide variety of illnesses, and helps return an organism toward balance no matter what may have gone wrong.

www.med.nyu.edu...

The work continues at a methodical pace. I am hoping next year to put a green house in..



Of importance is the garden is a place to meet and play where things grow and life has time to explore itself. I do not really consider myself a gardener. I am still learning.



purp

I actually did wonder what happened to you!

originally posted by: purplemer
Of importance is the garden is a place to meet and play where things grow and life has time to explore itself. I do not really consider myself a gardener. I am still learning.

If you got all that stuff to grow in the Moors, you are most definitely a "gardener". Great job and great to see you back. It's all very beautiful.

a reply to: purplemer

Don't forget the shard and asparagus! Where you at anyway?

That looks incredible, you have really done a great job there.
Sometimes there is nothing more satisfying then looking at your garden before you put in a heck load of work and after.

When you say moors are you speaking about Dartmoor?

a reply to: Logarock


I did look at growing asparagus but I think it might be to windy for it here. Apparently asparagus does not like wind. I live on the Outer Hebrides. That is about 50 miles off the coast of NW Scotland.

purp

We've never had the chance to talk before, but I'm glad to meet you. Well done!

I grew up on a farm and very much appreciate what you've been able to accomplish.

a reply to: purplemer

Incredible! I'm very impressed! Congratulations! You've put in some hard work!

a reply to: Sparta

No not Dartmoor. I live on an X Ministry of Defense base on a Scottish island.. Moors, rocks and sea... :-)

a reply to: purplemer


They hold up in cages against the wind.

By the way I noticed some rocks in your garden. Do you use these as part of a heating function for the plants?

a reply to: Logarock

Hello I will have another look at asparagus then... thank you

The rocks where mainly put in to create borders and act as wind breaks. In the summer they do release heat too. The cold frames have a layer of plastic bottles in them full of water these help to stabilize the temperature.

a reply to: purplemer

Looks amazing, you have the life I wish I had

I have looked and some different approaches to auquaponics and they seem to have different levels of success .One was using just gravel with a flood and drain method .

ETA a vid that explains how do create this system from the small to the larger

Question purplemer, in your second photo, the seaweed washing tank, are those bowling balls among other things used for your drainage aggregate? If so, seems like a pretty clever use.

Nice job!

Despite the desolation, it looks like you have a pretty nice spread over there.

a reply to: dfens

They are buoys. Plastic balls used as markers at sea. Sometimes they come in on the beaches. For draininage aggregate I have used a lot of oyster and mussel shells. These are good under the soil layer as they provide habitats for small creatures.

They are also good the soil. First you have to fill a bag with shells and run over a good few times with the car. The idea being to crush or powder them. When you mix them into the soil they raise the ph and buffer magnesium just like dolomite does...

That's beautiful, Purplemer, nice work! I wondered where you were. Your garden looks very pretty and yummy! Thank you for the pictures and descriptions - still trying to picture you washing seaweed - how is that done?

a reply to: purplemer

So you put the seaweed in a tank with buoys and that washes it? a reply to: purplemer

a reply to: purplemer

That's amazing, I'm so impressed. Looks like a lot of work lugging those stones into place!
It reminds me a bit of Derek Jarman's garden (which has to be one of my top ten) but yours is a whole lot better, and tastier!

a reply to: gwynnhwyfar


The seaweed sits on a metal grid frame and the hose washes through it.. The buoys are just kind of sitting there because I needed somewhere to put them...

Some people have an affinity for working the land.Well done sir and your posts are missed.

a reply to: purplemer

Absolutely beautiful Purp! I can't begin to imagine the amount of work you've put into your garden.

You've proven where there is a will, there is a way.

Thank you for sharing the pics and a step by step guide of what you did to make your bit of veggie heaven on earth.

Des