The idea of a keyhole garden, so named for it's interesting keyhole shape, is to produce food using minimal water and maximum recycling. What a great concept!
The basic structure of a keyhole garden consists of a 6 foot circle of rock stacked 3 feet high. The structure is filled with layers of cardboard, phone books, or recycled paper. Soil is added to the top few inches for planting.
A small notch is cut out of the circle to allow access to a 4 foot tall wire mesh tube that sits in middle. Compostable materials and water are fed into the tube to provide moisture and nutrients to the garden.
While I was contemplating where I could build one of these, this keyhole garden, deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, was already growing cucumbers. Complete with it's deer proof fencing, this garden is sure to provide food for years to come. Well done!
Great post, Ally. Keyhole gardening is a great concept. It's practiced in parts of the world where gardeners have limited budgets and access to supplies. I've known a couple of gardeners who've used this method with great success.
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know. I'm particularly interested in the low water use aspect. I'm tempted to build one somewhere on my property where I can't reach a garden hose. It would be a fun experiment.
DeleteI saw this article in the magazine. It's a good idea.
ReplyDeleteSince we're both rural, I think we get them same magazine. I find some interesting articles in there from time to time.
DeleteI've done some research on key hole gardens, and I must say that the article you referenced and the pictures are the best I've seen.
ReplyDeleteI really want to try this. Are you going to put one in?
Cindy S.
It's definitely on my radar. Right now we're building a coop extension and a new brooding pen. My hen, Pansy, is hatching some little ones. Very exciting. Look for a blog on that soon.
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