I like the new key hole garden concept!

Ken4230 · February 15, 2014

Mine are made from a 55 gal. plastic barrel cut in half. The center tube is made from 1/4" hardware cloth set inside a child's sandbox pail. I have used 3 lb. plastic coffee cans before.
I grow mostly lettuce, carrots, green onions.. ect in them. I started out just putting kitchen trimmings, coffee grounds and compost directly in the bottom of the pail. That was a huge mistake, it smelled to high heaven.
Now i fill the pail with 3/4" rock and cover it with weed barrier cloth. That seems to work really well.

I spent several months in a hospital in Japan in the late 60's and got to see some of the ways they garden. They practiced this concept but didn't use a container.
Most of the ones that weren't round usually had a short stone wall holding the soil in. The round ones were built by piling soil up in a big mound around a large pipe. 6" wide x 6" tall was about normal, if i remember right.
There wasn't a bare spot anywhere on the mounds. When they harvested something, they replanted right then.

I use bottomless coffee cans in my raised beds now. Vegie peelings, old cornbread and just about any dry scraps go in the cans and the lids go back on.

Ken

February 15, 2014	#16
Ken4230 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Western Ky Posts: 282	I have two "redneck" versions now Mine are made from a 55 gal. plastic barrel cut in half. The center tube is made from 1/4" hardware cloth set inside a child's sandbox pail. I have used 3 lb. plastic coffee cans before. I grow mostly lettuce, carrots, green onions.. ect in them. I started out just putting kitchen trimmings, coffee grounds and compost directly in the bottom of the pail. That was a huge mistake, it smelled to high heaven. Now i fill the pail with 3/4" rock and cover it with weed barrier cloth. That seems to work really well. I spent several months in a hospital in Japan in the late 60's and got to see some of the ways they garden. They practiced this concept but didn't use a container. Most of the ones that weren't round usually had a short stone wall holding the soil in. The round ones were built by piling soil up in a big mound around a large pipe. 6" wide x 6" tall was about normal, if i remember right. There wasn't a bare spot anywhere on the mounds. When they harvested something, they replanted right then. I use bottomless coffee cans in my raised beds now. Vegie peelings, old cornbread and just about any dry scraps go in the cans and the lids go back on. Ken