G'day from North North Brisbane, Australia

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself Here' started by Jislizard, Nov 29, 2012.

  1. Jislizard

    Jislizard Junior Member

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    Apparently I am already a member of this forum, I signed up in 2009 to answer a question on cloves trees! I hadn't heard of permaculture at the time, I was just Googling for a supplier of clove trees.

    I only recently realised that I was a permie.

    I am interested in Aquaponics, hugel kulture and Rocket stoves but don't curerntly have any of them, raised beds and wicking beds I do have. I am planting out anything I can think of but with less than 80m2 of garden I am running out of space.

    Currently growing vanilla, peppercorns, cardammon, cinammon, tea, coffee, horseradish, limes, blood oranges, red grapefruit, manderins, valencia oranges, lemon myrtle, figs, ginger, tumeric, cloves, avacodos, kumquat, lettuce, celery, bay, cacao, potatoes in sacks and herbs, herbs, and more herbs. I have a lot of condiments but not much in the way of food.

    Also just put in a woodfired pizza oven and half way through building a wood fired bbq as well. I wanted to put in a rocket stove and I may still give it a try space permitting.

    On the to-do list I have to expand my rainwater storage, 3000 litres is not enough for Queensland over the dry winter. I also want to plumb it in to my toilet (a possibility) and the washing machine (I have no hope of getting this). Sort out the greay water so it doesn't go to waste. Set up a below substrate watering system to minimise evaporation from watering. Build a green house and sort the shed out. Then buy a property out in the wilds and start all over again.

    Cheers

    Mark
     
  2. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    Hi Mark,

    Sounds like how I got into this forum. I started gardening and then realised that permaculture was how I felt about things and it all fell into my place.

    My plans are like yours, increase water capacity (trust me, 10K is not enough either especially through the last winter and I feel it can only get worse), greenhouse to come, and I'm planting hundreds of seedlings to expand into a larger space.

    How north of North are you?
     
  3. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    I think that's happened to a few people I've met!
    I'm guessing you are probably north of SOP and south of me.
    I have 30,000L of storage and it is just enough. I went the commercial high tech option for grey water (Nubian Oasis). Which is good and works and everything. But now that I'm a bit further into realizing that I'm a permie, I wish I had gone for a low tech option because I don't know how to make it work and have to rely on electricity and servicing to make it work.

    So you can do cacao in this part of the world? THAT'S just made it to the top of the wish list...
     
  4. Jislizard

    Jislizard Junior Member

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    I'm in 4020, Redcliffe, nice area, no floods, no bush fires, no cyclones and no frost. Way better than the UK where I came from, it is a bit odd to see my old house plants growing outdoors though!

    Trying to cut the water bill ended up with research into drought tolerant plants, water storage, grey water usage, wicking beds, hugelkultur and aquaponics, that's when I realised I had strayed a long way from being a gardener! Plus every time I ordered a book from Amazon they recommended all these 'permaculture' books to go with them.

    I was looking at the $1500 priced greywater management systems but I have a book called "The New Create an Oasis with Greywater" coming from Amazon, which is also permaculture apparently.

    I bought some seeds from an ebay seller, tropiclimber, not the right season at the moment though. I am not sure they like the night time temps over winter this low down so as soon as I can get a greenhouse the better, I have another book on the way "The Earth Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book"...

    30,000 litres! That's about the size of my house! What are you growing? Dolphins?!:)
     
  5. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Yup - sounds like the bug has bitten you. There's no going back now.... You'll be ordering a compost loo next!

    Everything BUT lawn. The property is 1750 m2. I have 4 tanks in total - one is the grey water tank, then there are 2 rain water tanks - each one capturing one side of the roof. Then there's Big Bertha the 20,000 L tank right at the top of my place that acts as a header tank so that the garden taps run without a pump. The grey water also feeds the washing machine, and when there's excess (regularly) I put it into a rainwater tank. (Don't tell the council - they won't approve.) The rainwater does the toilets and pumps up to Big Bertha who waters the garden. I have lots of fruit trees and large vege gardens.

    Oh and I forgot - the chook house also has its own rain water tank - a 100 L plastic barrel.

    Before the last rain fall there was about 2 inches left in Big Bertha, but my plants hadn't died. Apart from the weeds which I wasn't watering. You'll be surprised by how much you need and how little it actually rains....
     
  6. annette

    annette Junior Member

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    Hi Mark

    You're in my old stomping ground there at Redcliffe. Lived most of my life there and yes very nice, and there was a cyclone wanda there in 1974! There are a few of us in north brissy.

    Just got a new tank and still waiting for it to fill. I have about 30000 litres, 200 litre for the chook house and a 1,000 litre for a small garden up the top of the property.

    You sound like you have some good stuff going on there!

    Welcome

    Cheers Annette
     
  7. Jislizard

    Jislizard Junior Member

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    ok! Sounds like I am going to need some more water storage! Or less plants. I have been wanting to try ferrocement for a while now, looks like I might get my chance after all.

    And some way of delivering it, getting tired of bucketing all over the place.

    I wasn't aware of Wanda, my in-laws got here in '82. I have been after some shutters for a while now.

    Thanks for the heads on that one.
     

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