Mandala Garden

This is a work in progress - please add pictures, examples and text about your Mandala gardens, thanks.
==What is a Mandala Garden?==
The word "Mandala" is a sanskrit word which can be loosely translated as meaning "circle". Mandalas are used in Indian and Tibetan religions as well as by Native Americans. There are many examples in nature of a circle with a centre. Usually there are patterns within the circle, such as concentric rings or sections divided by keyhole paths.
==Benefits of Mandala Gardening==
* Keyhole paths make it easy to access plants without stepping on the garden (and thus compacting the soil)
* No dig/till
* Maximum productive area
==Where to site the garden==
==How to create a Mandala Garden step-by-step==
This is just an example, there are no real rules and you can be as creative as you like.
* Mark out a circle, e.g one person stand in the centre holding a piece of string and another walk around and mark the circumference of the circle with stones or sticks stuck into the ground
* Decide where you would like the paths to be, mark them out and mulch them, e.g. with cardboard and wood chips. In the example pictured, the first path went in from an Easterly direction. The path immediately opposite was then put in using string to try to get in in the correct place. Then south/north keyhole paths were put in at approximately right angles to the first two. This made 4 quarters. Then 4 more keyhole paths were put in, one in each quarter, making eight segments in all.
* Start to sheet mulch or dig the growing area. For sheet mulching start with cardboard or newspaper, wet it with a hose and then start layering organic material on top. End with a layer of compost and begin planting!
* The Romany Rest Mandala in the pictures was started with cardboard on top of lawn in the Fall of 2007. It was planted in Spring/Summer of 2008 and produced wonderful vegetables and flowers.
==Links to Websites with more information==
* http://romanyrest.com/blog/?page_id=190 The Romany Rest Mandala Garden
* http://www.suite101.com/blog/richoshay/mandala_gardens
* http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/Permaculture-Mandala-Garden/ Permaculture Institute Mandala Garden
* http://www.happyearth.com.au/picture-gallery/mandala-vegetable-garden/ Happy Earth Mandala Garden
* http://www.purplepear.net.au/mandala_gardens.html Purple Pear Organics