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Preparing the Keyhole Garden
When filling your Keyhole Garden, we recommend you use this layering technique for the best results.
Step 1.
Start by covering the bottom with a layer of cardboard
(Figure 12).
Step 2.
Place a 4-6" layer of brown materials over the
cardboard.
Brown materials include twigs, small logs,
cardboard, shredded paper, newspaper, brown leaves, pine
needles, coconut coir and sawdust.
Add water until the layer
is thoroughly wet.
Step 3.
Place a 4-6" layer of green materials on top of the
layer of brown materials.
Green materials include grass
clippings, green leaves, eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds,
vegetable and fruit scraps and plant trimmings.
Add water
until the layer is thoroughly wet.
Step 4.
Continue alternating between brown and green layers
until the Keyhole Garden is 3/4 full (Figure 12). Finish filling
the bed with 6-8" of a mix of soil and compost.
NOTE:
Slope the mix so it is highest around the Composter and lower towards the edges. This encourages nutrients to flow from the
Composter into the raised bed. Add water until the soil is thoroughly wet.
Important:
Wait 5-7 days before adding your plants to the Keyhole Garden. This gives the layers time to settle and compress, and
you may need to add more soil and compost to fill in the top of the bed.
NOTE:
Due to the nature of the layers, you should expect
the soil to settle over time.
Composter and Watering Instructions
Place stones or broken pottery into the bottom of the Composter.
NOTE:
This helps with drainage and encourages nutrients to
flow into the raised bed. We recommend giving your compost a headstart by adding layers of the above materials to the Composter
until it is half full.
Continue adding kitchen scraps to the Composter. For the best results, we recommend you add an equal amount of brown
ingredients to match the amount of kitchen scraps.
Important:
Do NOT add meats, pet waste, fats, bones, fish, dairy products, trash
or plastic to the Composter. These do not break down easily and can attract unwanted pests to your compost.
Water your plants directly from the top for the first couple of weeks. Once they are well established, you should directly water
them less and start watering into the Composter. This allows the water to carry the compost's nutrients directly to your plants' roots.
cardboard
brown layer
green layer
brown layer
green layer
soil and
compost
Composter
Soil slopes up around
the composter
Figure 12
