Sustainable Thursday

This week while searching for an interesting topic to discuss, I came across something I had never heard of before. Keyhole gardens. While they are used a lot in Africa, I had never heard of them before. Their design is very simple and uses permaculture methods and would be very beneficial to gardeners everywhere. Their unique design makes them a combination of a raised bed garden and a compost pile all in one structure. They are extremely efficient and can be custom built to an individuals specific needs. By building the garden about 3 feet high, they are easy for people who may be older, disabled or have back problems to care for. In fact, that is one of the reasons they use them in Africa. Since so many are chronically ill there, these gardens make it possible for them to grow food for themselves and their families.

After doing some research this week, I have found you can make them from a variety of materials and in any size you desire. As the name implies, they are shaped like a keyhole. They are round with a small, angled path on one end. The compost section is right in the middle and the path makes it easy to walk up to the compost pile and add to it. If you don't prefer to have a compost pile in the middle of your keyhole garden, you could have a tree, a water feature or a rain barrel there instead.

Keyhole gardens can be as simple or elaborate as you want. Some are made from stone and others just from wire fencing. You could use bricks, landscape stones, river rocks, fencing or whatever strikes your fancy. You can use recycled materials or have it made to match your home. Let you imagination run wild.

There are many benefits of these types of gardens. It is an excellent way to grow a lot of vegetables in a small space. There is a wonderful article on permaculture and keyhole gardens at www.gardeningknowhow. com/organic/the-essence-of-permaculture-gardening.htm. Also if you do a search on Google for keyhole gardens, you will be able to find a wealth of pictures of keyhole gardens which will give you many ideas on how you too can build one in your own yard. There are many other wonderful articles online as well. This is a topic well worth researching.

Since they retain water better than a traditional garden, this makes them ideal for here on the hill. If you are wanting to do some gardening this summer, I would suggest giving a keyhole garden a try. If you do, send us pictures and let us know how it turns out. We love to hear of everyone's gardening adventures.