No dig

I got home from Lajamanu in November last year to find all our loungeroom furniture pushed to one side and a set of tyres taking up the space. Trevor had a jigsaw in hand and was tackling the tyres head on. Pretty little flower like petals emerged under his hand. Recycled tyres made into plant pots.

Just give them a wash and then paint them in white Trevor said to me. So I did. Visions of swans cut out out tyres in 1950s gardens flashed before my eyes.

But somehow the tyres emerged as wow what a great idea. God nows we have tons of old tyres lying around the place. The roads are hard on cars out here. A trip to the local tip will yield trailer loads of tyres, rims, exhaust pipes, bumper bars, car doors, and any other car part you can name.

The tyre idea started with me reviving my memories of Esther Dean's no dig principles.It is back breaking work to dig into the earth here in Yuendumu. It bakes solid under the searing sun. Watering a section for 24 hours continuously is one way to dig, but in a place where rainfall is scarce and our underground water reserves are precious such a method seems criminal.

And with the multitude of car parts around here why not add a recycling component to Esther Dean's idea. Seems like a perfect partnership.

By the way want to know how to make a swan out of a tyre? Check out this site.

Happy gardening
Susan