Today was our usual Wednesday morning at the farm when volunteers and allotment holders gather together to tend the community garden and work on their own plots. We all down-tools at 10am for morning tea. Gallons of tea, plenty of cake, and lots to talk about.
The weather in Brisbane is just beautiful at the moment even though we are supposed to be going into winter. I took this photograph this morning looking across the community garden, it was early so just a couple of volunteers in the background. But will you look at that lovely blue sky.
Looking at the grass in the foreground it looks as if Peter has already been round with the lawn mower and the whipper snipper.
Blue sky over “Beelarong” community garden today.
I thought I’d show you one of the huge tumblers where we make our compost, we have half a dozen of them going at the moment. These tumblers were built by John who is one of the volunteers. He built them some years ago and they are still going strong. Heather oversees the filling of these tumblers and builds them up like a lasagne. Layers of lawn clippings, newspaper, chicken manure and weeds that have been put through the mulcher are assembled, the top half of the tumbler is then locked into place and a date put on the side.
The tumblers are turned every week and after about eight weeks we have great compost ready to use. In the summer it might be seven weeks, in the winter a little more. But I think it’s extraordinary that compost can be ready to use in such a short time. Heather tells me that ideally they would be rolled every day, but even rolling them each Wednesday morning gives a great result.
John’s compost making tumblers
At the end of each visit to the allotment I love to wonder around the farm. It is such a peaceful spot, and hard to leave sometimes. Wondering around today I ‘snapped’ this tiny pansy growing among the tomatoes. I thought it looked rather pretty.
Tiny pansy growing among the tomatoes
Allotment Adventures with Jean 
Jun 20, 2012 @ 19:37:30
What amazing compost tumblers!
Jun 21, 2012 @ 08:35:25
Thank you for visiting. I’m amazed too, not sure how John curved all that metal.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 13:37:47
Yes the tumblers are impressive! There is obviously dedicated and wonderful volunteers in your garden 🙂
It all looks wonderful as usual, and the morning tea sounds like a great way to spend a morning after gardening 🙂
Jun 24, 2012 @ 01:14:37
It was the volunteers that first drew me the farm where I keep my allotment. They are such a great bunch, and a shared morning tea does bind the group together.
Jun 26, 2012 @ 09:06:00
Every single one of your posts makes me smile Jean 🙂 I hope you don’t mind but I sent that picture of the compost tumblers to a lecturer at my polytechnic where I am studying my diploma as a great idea for their own compost needs. Part of the cert 2 & 3 in horticulture is the mandatory making of compost (and rightly so!) but it’s very hard to get anyone to volunteer to turn the compost and this would be a fantastic way to get the whole class out and helping 🙂 (now they just have to talk Cory, the amazing handiman into making it for them lol 🙂 )
Jun 26, 2012 @ 09:58:57
Hi Narf. Thank you for visiting. Please feel free to pass on the photo to your lecturer. We need so much compost at the farm that finding a way to turn it round in a couple of months is invaluable. And I have to admit we get a lot of laughs rolling these bins. (OK. I know. we obviously don’t get out enough !! )
Jun 26, 2012 @ 14:22:19
lol and who would need to go to the gym? (especially if you forget to let go when you are rolling and it squishes you like a steam roller LOL!…) now THERE is a mental image that is making me laugh 🙂
Jul 27, 2012 @ 09:16:31
Hi Jean, having finally found work/life balance “gardening” is my new “love”. Our 5 acre block has plenty of room for those nifty composters John made. I hope you didn’t mind but I’ve printed the picture for my handy hubby to make one (or two…). I’ve enjoyed reading your blogs and seeing your pictures – keep up the good work Jean. Janine
Jul 29, 2012 @ 17:33:55
Dear Janine. Thank you for visiting. I am sorry that it has taken me a couple of days to reply as I have been having problems with my internet connection but it is all fixed now. Don’t mind at all that your handy hubby is using the photograph of the compost drums. John our volunteer maintenance man at the farm seems to be able to turn his hand to anything practical. We can’t do without folk like that around. Best wishes. Jean.