We need a plan

Updated 13Dec2019

Whatever we are trying is not really working. And there are too many components to keep track of. Time to draw a plan. Maybe that will also help us organise it in our heads.

Did some "digging"  and found this great site for drawing out garden plans. It's called Gardena. I don't know how to draw or use drawing software well, and yet managed this...

But had to improvise a bit... for example I used a trampoline to draw the compost bins, and white picket fence as the water tubes :)

Here are some pics of our place from different angles, to give you an idea what it really looks like.

The main garden which will house the ponds and vege boxes. It is the main green bit you see in the right half of the diagram above...

The 3 feet wide tiled & raised will have some kind of seat.storage maybe 

The tiny strip of garden we have on the other side (left side of the diagram) will have some plants , compost bins, soil and stuff storage. You can see it here.

Btw the back dog is a stray that we let in occasionally. Zoey has quite a few stray friends that pop by to see her at different times of the day!!  

Food for the smallest fry

The newly hatched or born fry need tiny food called infusoria. I've been watching tutorials on creating and maintaining a culture. This was the clearest explanation I found.

 So it will be stinky, therefor inside the house is not an option. Outside, Zoey our dog will drink it!!

She is a strange dog. When we just got her (someone dumped her in the jungle nearby) we gave her clean water in a bowl. She had a sniff and that was the last of it. She drinks water only from our container ponds. Fish water must be the dog's version of beer or Coke.

What about Banana Leaves

A banana tree would be a great addition to the garden, for the bananas and also the leaves! as plates!

Plant food source - waste water from my indoor aquariums

The plants will need food/fertilisers. Let's try to supply them with the water from the indoor aquariums. I have 2.

This is the main one. 4x2x2 feet. About 300+ litres. I have neglected it for so long. There are only 2 fish in the tank! A very shy sailfin pleco and a serpae tetra. Oh yes, and about a thousand bladder snails...

The job to revive this tank will be a huge one. I want to make it as low tech as possible, but priority will be to have a healthy environment for the inhabitants.

Off the top of my bald head I can think of...

1. start regular water changes. The waste water will be great for the planned vege garden.
2. get some water circulation going to mimic a gentle stream.
3. lots of pruning
4. slowly introduce some tank mates for the tetra
5. slowly add some other species, maybe ghost shrimp, fighting fish, etc.
6. address the lighting
7. reduce the snail population.

Bitter success!!

The bitter gourd plant didn't do too well but it gave us this beauty.

 Fried it up with eggs.

Looks like $#!+  I need to learn how to take IKEA brochure pictures. They make toilets look nice.

Sowing seeds

No idea if this is the right way. Used an old paper egg carton. Put some soil in each of the holes. Placed one seed in each. Watered the whole thing.

Not much shade around so had to move this tallish potted plant to provide some cover.

Stage 4 - The Plants

The 4th and final stage is plants. Since our purpose is to make our garden into an edible one, plants will equate to herbs,vegetables, etc. Our neighbour, Aunty Kan, has green fingers and we will be looking to her for lots of help and advice.

What we already have are...

1. aloe vera - growing well in a pot with lots of little one sprouting.
2. curry leaves - the tree is truly amazing how it propagates. Our tree is not doing well, infested with white stuff, and sick leaves. The curry smell is hardly noticeable.
3. indian borage - mum gave us this coz she knew we couldnt grow anything. This truly is an indestructible plant. Supposed to be good for coughs. 
4. thulasi (Holy Basil) - we have the purplish variety which is supposed to be really good for you. My late Aunty Jessie told me to eat 3 leaves a day, do it for a couple of weeks, then stop for a few weeks. Basically don't eat it continuously.
5.  blue flower creeper - not sure of the name. it's doing really well. we have to cut it back every other week as it takes smothers everything in its path. the blue flowers are used to make blue rice.
6. bamboo - we cant really eat it, but its great for building natural support and structures. I use it in my aquarium as hiding places for the fish and shrimp.

We want this list to grow... fingers crossed. Hopefully I can occasionally update the status of these plants.