In 2015 we started with several beds in the color garden. We carred a lot of water in watering cans by hand. In 2015 Mariella joined the bio garden unit and one of her bigger wishes was, to have a easy running water infrastructure. All the year 2015 she was bringing water to the plants – by hand – and miss a stable technical and easy to use system a lot.

The wwoofer Philemon collected the straw to use it later. Straw or similar organic material is a good tool to keep water inside the soil . It protects the environment for salads and other fragil plants to help them starting.

All takes time. Philemon collected organic waste and wood and helped to repair the dry stone walls around. We decided to design a new bed, becauseof the original dimensions. We places a raised bed solution in the inner part.

Also we liked to use the organic waste to transfer it in the raised bed to good quality humus soil.

In the next step we filled the hole with old wood and organic waste, mostly out of a mediaval water canal nearby and some leaves of carobtrees and busches. On top we put a layer of carton to guard the water in the soil and to protect new plants on top from wild herbs coming up from the layer of waste below the carton.

On top of the carton we put a layer of 10-20 cm good soil from the hole and a mix of good soil from other places in the garden area.

Philemon repaired the water tubes and we added 2 new lines for the raised bed section. We proteced the soil with waste and straw.

In one day we created a new habitat for 40 salad plants and we activated the watering system. A dream becomes true, less watering cans every evening 🙂 – some dreams need time to become true, but they become true.