In an attempt to make my workload lighter, I am moving my food garden to one specific place area rather than all over the garden. But I seriously underestimated the workload and effort needed for the project. After a couple of weeks, hands that are full of calluses and various frustrations, I finally finished and now I am merely waiting to see if things are going to grow. Please join me in this write-up of this wonderful and frustrating journey! I also found out how as if by magic my compost buckets in which I grew swiss chard for many years turned into soil! It is really amazing.

Compost Turning into Soil as if by Magic

Many moons ago, I posted about how I planted my swiss chard in buckets or containers filled with only compost. Yesterday I dug out all of the swiss chard plants and I was stunned to see the end result. The compost, as if by magic, turned into soil! Or a substance nearly exact to soil. Here is a short video, check it out for yourself:

In any case, I had a tonne of it to process. I had some fresh compost and a lot of topsoil I gathered from replanting grass (more on this below); so I mixed it all together. It was amazing soil! And lots of it.

Moving the Food Garden: Moving the Grass Part

And thus the journey began with some four pieces of grass sods.

I had the great idea to transplant these sods in the bottom garden, down a flight of stairs and very far away from the current food garden. It was physical work, carrying these sods down the stairs in a bucket that has seen better days. I planted them where the grass has died in the bottom garden:

After seven days, they actually started to grow again! My replanting worked:

I did something right, as all of them are growing. Not just in this space.

But the hard work was not over, I had to move so many sods it was not even funny.

As with my cooking, I questioned my sanity. I literally sweated all my fat away. I think I lost 4 kilograms in the two weeks because of the work.

Moving the Food Garden: Moving the Plants Part

Now I needed to move the plants. I began by moving the thyme plants. I made two plants from cuttings from older ones that have since died. Luckily, these two survived. But they were the first plants to be moved.

Then came the basil plants. I grow the normal one but also lemon basil. They were growing so well in the container, I had some conflict in replanting them. But since doing it, various basil (of both kinds) have sprouted and are growing vigorously in the new soil. In the background of the photo below, you can also see the garlic chives I moved. But they are basically weeds so they did not have a problem being transplanted.

The other big move was the amaranth plants. I just transplanted them to see if they could take it. They grow so fast and I have thousands of seeds. But it looks like they have taken.

And the last big move was the swiss chard. This happened yesterday, so I am not sure if they will take. It is now a waiting game.

The Many Seeds I Collected

Over the years, I have built a steady supply of seeds from all the plants I grow. From indigenous fynbos to rocket and basil and swiss chard.

I saw this moving of the food garden, to spread seeds in the move and regrow the garden anew. I put together various seeds, from mustard plants, to basil, to rocket, onions, and swiss chard. I mixed them together, added some compost, and sowed them.

Postscriptum, or Playing the Waiting Game

Now it is basically playing the waiting game. Many seedlings will grow, but many will not make it. The summer sun is deadly. Some of the swiss chard showed signs of life, but only for a short while. Most will probably die. But luckily I have thousands of swiss chard seeds. Now, I am just watering everything in the hope of it making it.

I hope you are gardening nicely, and that you are well. All of the photographs are my own, taken with my iPhone. The musings are also my own. Stay safe!