Photo: instructables.com via rollincaswell. Just fill out the form to begin your download now. Fill with organic layers The magic of the Keyhole Garden is in it’s composting abilities. This allows the water to filter down through the compost and then seep outward, carrying nutrients to the soil every time you water. Tie the wire or twine around them several times from top to bottom, to create the basket outline and hold the canes or sticks together. By watering the keyhole garden at its center, the water drains through the compost and then into the rest of the garden bed, offering a constant source of nutrients. These gardens give fantastic results quickly and add nutritious vegetables to provide a balanced diet. Featuring a drainage layer, a soil layer, and a planting area, keyhole gardens combine all the necessities that plants need to thrive. Corrugated metal or old fencing are suitable as well, as long as it’s strong enough to retain the soil. They were first established in the 1990s for residents of Lesotho, a small nation in southern Africa subject to frequent droughts and soil erosion. The Top 10 U.S. The origin of the “keyhole” structure lies in Africa where the climate requires the most efficient use of water resources. For a circular garden, hold a three-foot string in the center of the proposed garden and use the other end of the string as a compass to mark the perimeter wall location. A keyhole garden is a circular raised bed with a compost basket in the center and a notch "cut" out for easy access (from above, it looks like a keyhole). This basket will be filled with cans/compost to feed the garden. Keyhole garden beds are commonly seen in permaculture gardens. This gives the garden a keyhole shape when viewed from above. Maintenance of the keyhole garden Watering • The garden should be watered regularly so that the garden soil is moist. This post will cover: Keyhole garden permaculture designs Allow for a 24-inch opening along the perimeter wall that narrows slightly as it reaches the center of the garden. African Keyhole Garden Tomato and Basil ~ Looking Good! How am I going to get whatever I use into such a tiny opening? Having healthy food to eat is essential for people around the world. Add a two-inch layer of dried leaves or shredded bark around the base of the plants. The name comes from the idea that an access path to the heart of the bed looks a little like a keyhole when viewed from above. Click here to support Grandmothers in Lesotho! Choose a location where the ground is level and not subject to flooding. The traditional keyhole garden is a raised circular garden bed with a wedge-shaped cutout along one side that allows easy access to the center of the garden, where a cage serves as a compost pile. RELATED: 10 Times You Can Get Nature to Do Your Yard Work for You. Place a layer of cardboard or newspaper down. Some gardeners are completely devoted to one type of plant, while others have a set purpose in mind, such as growing and harvesting herbs and vegetables. Plant leafy greens next to root vegetables. Each keyhole garden has a composting basket built into its center. Making the Keyhole Garden. This will break down slowly, gathering moisture and smothering weeds in the process. Copyright © 2021 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. Compost needs air in order to decompose. Just a slight slope; the soil level at the outside wall should be about two inches lower than the soil around the compost cage. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. Old soda cans (crushed up) Large stones/bricks; Long sticks and a strong string; Soil, compost, sand, ash, manure and straw; STEPS. If you’d like to speak to one of our qualified landscape designers, gives us a call at 317-867-4811 or simply fill out the form below. Keyhole gardening is ideal for children, people with ambulatory considerations, and in areas where soil is hot, dry and hard to work with. Add layers of cardboard and the newsprint between compost and then fill the top half with straight soil/compost mix. More space to grow in with less effort. A keyhole garden allows a family to grow enough food for three meals a day – even in the face of an extreme climate and poor soil. The diagram below shows the different layers you should plan out to start your Keyhole Garden. By building keyhole beds raised to hip or waist level and using disease-free soil to fill your bed, you can quickly get back to growing your favorite veggies in your new keyhole bed. Choose the best location and the right plants for your climate and space. Fill the compost cage to the top with alternating layers of. You can construct your own keyhole garden in any shape you like—circular, oval, square, or octagon—just be sure to include a compost cage in the center. The garden uses a number of layers to retain moisture and nourish the soil, making it more productive than a conventional garden. Locate a suitable site for the keyhole garden area, without overhanging trees or obstacles; Assemble the keyhole garden with the structural materials you have chosen; Fill in the area with a mix of soil and compost to the level required; Fill in the center well with organic material such as grass cuttings and kitchen vegetable cuttings How to Make a Keyhole Garden. You can purchase bags of “garden soil” or make your own optimal growing blend by combining equal amounts of sand, topsoil, and compost. These beautiful, productive gardens are ideal for small spaces and can accommodate a variety of plants like vegetables, herbs, flowers, etc. The compost cage in the center (if you’re making it from chicken wire) may require staking to hold it in place, and to keep it from collapsing when you add soil to the surrounding garden. Grow delicious, healthy vegetables. Place the canes in the middle of the keyhole garden circle, pushing them down into the soil to anchor them. 1.2k. Keyhole gardens are designed for function but not for looks, so most homeowners choose a backyard location rather than out front. Make sure that the soil here slopes downwards from the center of the bed. To create your keyhole bed, measure out your circle of land, and determine how high you’d like the bed to be, and where you’d like to place the pathway. Because the soil is highly nutritious, you can grow more plants than you can in a traditional garden. Fill in … Plant your garden. Determine the configuration of the outside wall. Preferred root plants for keyhole gardens include carrots, beets, and radishes. It’s the ultimate recycling process—dried leaves, grass clippings, and leftover vegetable waste are placed in a mound or container, and with the addition of water, the decaying process begins. How To Fill A Keyhole Garden (In The Very Best Way) Bonus: all the ingredients - old boxes, newspapers, and leaves - are totally free! Rotate crops annually. • Water from washing hands, laundry, or dishes is poured into the basket. A ‘compost basket’ made of wire (chicken wire or a more heavy duty gauge) is at the center as you build your layers. Gather materials like bricks and rocks to make a circular wall with a diameter of 6 feet and a wall that measures 3 feet in height. The Keyhole literally uses piles of common organic household waste and converts it into a rich growing enviroment for your vegetables to grow. 4. Build the centre ‘basket’ of the garden with the sticks and string. Typically, the walls are made of stone to give the garden a rigid shape, and to help trap moisture in the bed. Building your own keyhole garden is a simple process and no special construction skills are necessary. RELATED: The Invincible Yard: 17 Ideas for Lazy Landscaping. As water seeps through the compost, it will carry nutrients to your plants. During decomposition, the organic matter breaks down and is transformed into dark rich compost—a fertile soil conditioner. How to build a keyhole garden: MATERIALS . I planted 10 tomatoes, 8 spicy peppers and 10 basil in my 6′ x 6′ garden. Fill the growing area with the best soil you can get. Put three to five inches of rocks or large gravel at the bottom of the compost cage to allow for aeration from the bottom. The composting basket replenishes the soil’s nutrients as well. Welcome to my website where I write about growing your own organic food in a limited space. This style of raised garden bed is ideal for growing lots of vegetables in small spaces.They can also be very attractive depending on what materials you use to construct them and how you plant them. The very top of the keyhole should be filled with your favorite blend of potting soil and (you guessed it) compost. Water your keyhole garden in the center, directly in the compost cage. The cardboard helps retain the loose soil but will also allow water to drain away. This is the number one reason why I love the keyhole method. This is the key concept to a keyhole garden design. The … Square PVC keyhole garden kits, measuring approximately six foot by six foot, are available from DIY centers and online retailers for between $250 and $500 (like this 3-foot-by-5-foot aluminum keyhole garden on Wayfair, which retails at $419.99, or this 6-foot-square cedar option from Gardener’s Supply Company, which retails for $499). Stacked stones are traditionally used to create keyhole garden beds, but bricks, concrete blocks, and other materials can be used as long as it’s sturdy enough to support the soil. Consider lining the insides of the growing area with cardboard if the material you’re using to build the wall has large holes; without the cardboard, the soil may filter out or erode. Clean out the compost cage once every three to four years to remove depleted compost and then start a new compost cage. Fill the garden with a layer of cans (for drainage), then soil/manure/straw/ash as you build upwards to waist height. Keyhole gardening proved successful in providing a reliable source of food for the people of Lesotho, and the concept has spread across the globe. A keyhole garden is a raised, circular garden bed with a keyhole-shaped indentation on one side. Use large stones to build the garden wall. By Glenda Taylor. The organic matter in the compost cage at the center of a keyhole garden is continually decomposing—the gardener adds new organic matter to the top of the cage while the layers beneath are decaying and releasing nutrients into the surrounding soil. As the organic matter in the cage decomposes, it will become more compact. The indentation allows gardeners easy access to the garden in order to add uncooked vegetable scraps, grey-water, and manure into a composting basket that sits in the center of the bed. I'm Kevin, your friendly neighborhood gardener. And much more! Some plants have shallow roots while others have deep roots that draw more nutrients from the soil. While the original keyhole garden shape is circular with a wedge-shaped cutout, there are no set rules. Fill your keyhole garden with greens and roots plants and enjoy a neverending harvest of nutrient-dense delights. Keyhole garden beds are a bit different from more common raised garden beds, which are usually filled with only soil. You may find that the soil starts dropping as the compostable materials you included inside of the raised bed start to decompose over time. About Me. In addition, permaculture keyhole gardening can be easily adapted to fit the individual needs of the gardener. Glenda Taylor, The Invincible Yard: 17 Ideas for Lazy Landscaping, 10 Times You Can Get Nature to Do Your Yard Work for You, A post shared by Scott Dalton (@scotted123), 10 Houseplants That Thrive Where Others Die. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team. But a new method of gardening is proving to be less labor-intensive and more affordable for individuals who grow their own food. Leave an area wide enough to stand in while tending the garden. Water your garden by pouring water through this well. Plus, some plants contribute various nutrients to the soil—peas, for instance, add nitrogen—so by rotating the location of your plants every year, you’ll maintain a healthy soil balance throughout the entire garden. For more ideas on building and planting your own keyhole garden, take a look at our Keyhole Gardening board on Pinterest. Plus, there’s no bending and stooping required to tend plants. I loved the idea of creating a mix of a keyhole garden with a mandala design. A keyhole garden is a large, raised garden bed. A post shared by Scott Dalton (@scotted123) on Jun 7, 2016 at 11:42am PDT. Keyhole garden beds are called as such because they resemble keyholes. Keyhole gardening is sustainable, meaning that these structures will provide their own nutrients for years when constructed and used properly. Visiting other people’s gardens is a lovely way to peek into their passions and interests. Place your compost ring at the center of the bed, and measure out 5-6 feet from the ring all the way around it; this is the typical size of a keyhole bed. Onion and garlic, specifically, provide pest protection. What you choose to plant depends on what your family likes to eat, but good choices for keyhole gardening include lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, kale, onions, spinach, herbs, and tomatoes. A keyhole garden is considered a type of permaculture (permanent agriculture) because it’s sustainable and regenerative. When watered, the nutrients from the compost spread through the soil, fertilizing it without the need for added commercial fertilizers. Because seeds and garden tools are very expensive, keyhole gardens are a sustainable, inexpensive solution to feeding these rural families. Article by Hometalk. Is there something I could squirt into a few keyholes to permanently seal them up? Examine the garden in the spring and make any necessary repairs, such as replacing loose stones. The garden has a notch in the front, so gardeners can easily add to or turn over the pile. Follow these step-by-step instructions to start keyhole gardening. 4. Composting is the method by which accumulated organic matter decomposes. Read on to understand how these small, smart gardens work—and all it takes to start one of your own. In Lesotho, where almost 1/4 people are sick with HIV/AIDS, it is especially important that grandmothers are able to grow vegetables to keep themselves and their orphaned grandchildren healthy (especially if they are HIV+ and require nutritious food to help digest their ARV medication). Planting Bed Fill: Use the same materials as for a lasagna garden, or compost pile, such as cardboard, paper, manure, leaves, straw, hay, old potting mix, or wood ashes, then finish the surface for planting with top soil. As you add fresh scraps from your kitchen to the compost cage, you’ll be constantly replenishing the compost, which will settle as it decomposes. For the best results, year after year, check out the following tips. This post will cover part 1 of how we drew out, designed and mapped out the garden bed and what keyhole and mandala beds are. Here are some more tips to help your keyhole garden thrive: When you first build your garden, fill your compost well so it’s level with your bed. Self-fertilize by using garden waste as fuel to grow vegetables, Allow frail and/or disabled grandmothers to easily access their crops, Keep animals from eating the produce due to the raised beds, Soil, compost, sand, ash, manure and straw. Towns People are Moving to in 2020—and the Big Ci... 10 Genius Gadgets to Bring on Your Next Road Trip, Our 12 Favorite Farmhouses Across America, 10 Tips for Effectively Cleaning Your Home During a Pandemic, 12 Outdoor Rugs to Fit Every Budget and Style, 7 Reasons Homeowners Switch to Radiant Heating. You can build a keyhole bed that functions as an enclosed garden … Can be built in just a few hours. This basket will be filled with cans/compost to feed the garden. Grade the soil to slope down away from the compost cage so water runs to the outside edges. Aside from the fact that it looks great as a garden design, it serves several purposes. Planting the traditional method would have taken twice that space and double the effort to prepare. Irrigation and crop rotation are some of the ways farmers and gardeners have addressed drought in arid regions in the past. Keyhole garden designs are quite similar to the raised garden beds which many people are familiar with. You'll need about 4 to 6 overlapping layers regardless of which choice you use. A keyhole garden is a remarkably adaptable element that works in a range of garden styles. Tomatoes can be planted near the center of the garden to allow the basket to provide support for the plant. This allows the water to filter down through the compost and then seep outward, carrying nutrients to … The cage is filled with yard and kitchen waste, which decomposes and releases vital nutrients into the rest of the raised garden. Make sure the layer of cardboard or newspaper spreads all the way to the edges of your raised bed plot. Hi. The outside wall is two to three feet high, and the compost cage in the center is often one to two feet taller. • Clean water is used on the topsoil. 3m squared. A keyhole garden is a circular raised garden bed with a compost basket at the center and a keyhole-shaped path that allows access to the entire garden. Answer Save. I really look forward to sharing part 2 once the garden beds fill out this summer! 5 Answers. Water your keyhole garden in the center, directly in the compost cage. The compost basket provides a handy place to toss kitchen scraps and fallen leaves, where they’ll turn into additional food for the garden. Keyhole gardens, so named because they’re shaped like an old-fashioned skeleton-key lock, were developed to help folks with less-than-super soil grow nutritious produce. A garden to nurture the soil and the family. A keyhole garden introduces a no-dig, permaculture design in the form of a raised bed with a continual feed at the top for manure, vegetable scraps, paper and other brown and gree… You shouldn’t need to add a lot of scraps, just a few now and then to keep the top of the compost level with the soil or slightly above. The cage is constructed from a perforated material, such as chicken wire, which allows water to flow easily out of the cage and into the garden bed. This style of gardening is very convenient for those who like to engage in the activity, but are not ready to experience back pain. A keyhole garden is a round garden bed with a compost pile in the center. Aug 10, 2019 - Aside from its aesthetic appeal, keyhole garden beds serve a lot of purposes, too. Disclosure: BobVila.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Choose a flat area approx. You agree that BobVila.com may process your data in the manner described by our Privacy Policy. If you opt to purchase a kit, it will come with all the instructions you need to assemble the panels; if you prefer to build a traditional keyhole garden from scratch, the following tips will help. Keyhole gardens are relatively small—six feet in diameter, or less—in order for the gardener to be able to reach all areas. Use stacked stones, bricks, or concrete blocks to form the perimeter wall of the keyhole garden. This is called “. Be sure to leave yourself an access point so that you can get to your compost ring throughout the season. Add kitchen scraps when the level of the compost drops. Keyhole gardens can come in a range of shapes, sizes, and depths, though commonly they have circular or curving forms. Diy Garden Urban Garden Garden Design Gardening Tips Keyhole Garden Landscaping Tips Raised Garden Garden Projects Garden. The reason the garden is raised is twofold: It promotes adequate drainage, so the soil remains moist, but not soggy, creating an optimal growing environment. 1 decade ago. Build the centre ‘basket’ of the garden with the sticks and string. How can I permanently fill a keyhole? 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