Changing my mind means more work.

Rebuilding the sustainable garden.
A couple of months of experimenting with propagation and potting has provided me with a good mix.

As winter sets in and sunlight hours decline, I find I need to reposition almost everything to maximise it. All of the potted trees have been shifted to a light coloured concrete to gain from its reflectance and thermal mass. The benefit of a light colour for the wall behind should help too.

Iv’e shifed the greenhouse to under a little shelter by the back door. This is right next to the overflow from the hot water system. There’s now a pipe from that to some rocks in the base of the greenhouse. The theory is that ‘waste’ heat from the overflow water can add to the temperature of the greenhouse.

The bioreactor is now closer to the house so that I can run the pump from the AC supply.

The straw bale garden is going crazy. The only maintenance is a water once a week and I have also added some netting to keep out birds and cabbage moth. It seems to be working.

The old concrete rainwater tank is now a makeshift nursery. It receives a good amount of sun and is used for its thermal mass to keep things a little warmer. It sems to be working. 30+ garlic plants can’t be wrong!