Welcome to the fortress. A fearsome, commanding, mighty, ominous, structure of solid impenetrable brick.
An indestructible bulwark of fortified architecture imposing itself upon the plains of my humble backyard.
The newest addition to my garden.
The garden is at the back of a rental property on the south coast of New South Wales, about 2 hours south of Sydney, Australia. The soil is generally fertile in a region famous for dairy farming and viticulture, although the garden had been stripped of much of its nutrients when I moved in, courtesy of the previous tenant’s neglect and a dry winter. The garden attracts quite a lot of sun, during very warm summer months and even during colder winter months in what is typically a temperate climate. The area is also famous for beaches and surfing, which is great after a day of hard yakka in the garden.
Who better to guard the fortress, than Ben the Beserker – well, a distant descendant of the Beserkers, without the sculpted torso or the lust for power and glory and the tendency to wreak murderous havoc in a trance like frenzy. In fact, Ben is more likely to invite would-be invaders in for scones and tea. Nonetheless, he is a formidable figure.
The fortress was constructed with some bricks that I acquired. It only really became a fortress, rather than a more standard garden bed, when I realised that the bed would not be high enough if I were to lay the pavers flat, in the fashion for which the bricks were designed. As a result, I stacked the pavers vertically and ended up with a fortress.
The walls of the bed need to be of a certain height in order to contain the multiple layers of grass clippings, manure and soil which will lie on top of the base layer of newspaper. This no dig gardening method has so far proved successful for my other garden beds, including the one which contains the silverbeet and potatoes.
What will reside within the walls of this peaceful citadel?
You’ll have to wait and see, or you could try to glean the information from Ben – good luck.
kieranblakewriter 