The New Patch...

Ah, what a change in the weather today. Sun shining, much less wind but very cool though not unpleasant. A few days ago I finished the third side of the bamboo fence and it looks really nice...so far Sugar hasn’t tried to get in but once all the seedlings get bigger she may well be tempted so I will have to keep my beady eyes on her. Yesterday I planted some more sunflowers, beans, the last surviving peas and in a terracotta pipe some cucumber plants. The potatoes are finally in...It feels like I have been waiting forever for them to be ready and I can’t wait until they sprout up through the soil so I can bury them again. 

I also started weeding under the stairs outside my bedroom, it had lots of Wandering Jew and some Agapanthus in it...both of which have to be removed properly because any bits left in the soil will re grow. I did half the garden yesterday and finished the rest of it today and it looks lovely. In this spot I have decided to put some tomatoes, it will get lots of sun and should be reasonably sheltered from the wind...whether they are safe from Sugar is another story!

So far I have planted five under there and dotted them around some driftwood but now that the weeding is completed I will be able to put quite a few more in. The wood has lots of small grooves in it that make great nooks to slot the name tags of each variety in. I also found a nice old shell that made a great name holder as well. Because the balcony is quite high on one side I am thinking of putting some of the yellow pear tomatoes in one of the wire hangers I got from the op shop and hang them so they cascade down. At least I know I am guaranteed “some” fruit if they are out of reach from the troublesome nibbler. 

At the back of the garden I have planted some Statice seedlings that were kindly given to me (thank you Mark) and once they get bigger I’m sure they will look quite impressive poking through the driftwood. As well as the statice, there was some lettuce, celery, melons and a tamarillo...all things I didn’t have and very healthy plants too, Mark you definitely have green fingers! 

My neighbour Grace wasn’t home when I went over with the eggs and tomato plants a couple of weeks ago so I left them on the doorstep for her. A few days later when I went to check the mail I found some strawberry plants tucked away by the shed, another welcome gift for the garden seeing as someone, not looking at anyone in particular *looks at goat* ate my other ones. 

I also traded a bag of fresh eggs for a lovely old spade and two large pots with a chap called Mike. One of those large pots I have reserved for the tamarillo, the other for my passionfruit plant. 

Slowly I am finding homes for everything, there is alot of pots of things under the veranda but some will be going to a school gala this week to help raise funds for sports equipment so it isn’t as daunting as it looks. Once I take out the gala seedlings it will look more like a garden nook instead of a garden nursery. 

I had to plant some more of the Austrian oil seeds as the last lot got knocked over so while I was doing that I planted some crown pumpkin seeds too. My poor parsley has been dropped four times (yes I’m a klutz) so I might have to put another lot in but all in all I think I will have a good variety of nibbles come summer. Now all I need is about a thousand bamboo stakes for the new garden and I will be set...

A Chooks Life...

The girls have now made themselves completely at home. Even little Alfie has started taking food from my hands which shows her growing confidence. Lola is a complete food whore and would follow me anywhere if she thought there might be a snack in it. She jumps up onto the fence right next to me to make sure she is first in at snack time. I have to keep the back door shut now because Doris and TukTuk will come in and demolish the cat nibbles.

Where ever I go outside Lola and Petunia follow, especially if I am in the garden... because that means worms! I am getting 2-4 eggs a day now but have to keep an eye on Alfies as I couldn’t find any of hers for a week, she had made herself a little nest along the fence line under some long grass. Every morning they hang around outside for a snack, their favourites being bread, apple and kiwifruit...then off they go to bathe themselves in sand and sun.

Hold Onto Your Frocks, Brollies And Frillies...

I am now officially over all this wind and just when I think it is dry enough to mow the lawn it rains again and turns into a complete bog. Anymore of this and we will get lost in the jungle that used to be my backyard. Even the eco mower (aka...Sugar) is at risk of being put on the missing goat register. It will be nice when it dies down a little and I can get back to finishing the garden. The bamboo I had started to place around the new garden has been pulled out and used around the smaller garden because I need to get at least one garden ready for all the seedlings...the new garden will need a great deal more bamboo so until I can get enough I decided to use it for the other. That way at least I can start putting some of the seedlings in that need to be planted and the above mentioned Eco mower will not terminate them.

I have used the bamboo in an upright position so there is nothing to climb up on and I wired them together very closely with a galvanised wire so no snuffly lips can squeeze through it. The wire while still pliable has good strength to it so I am hoping it will last a fair amount of time. Surprisingly the two sides I have completed so far are rather strong so with any luck it will keep Sugar and the chooks out of it. The rolls come as thirty metre rolls, I used 1-2mm thickness but as long as you can bend it easily and pull tight with pliers anything else will be fine. The rolls I brought were between 3-5 dollars each which I think is reasonable but maybe you can source them cheaper.

I found the easiest way of making the fencing was to push the poles into the ground closely together, one side at a time...cut a length of wire approx a metre long and start from there. I used slightly thinner lengths for the rails and threaded left to right along the bottom rail keeping the wire taut and the vertical poles straight as I weaved along between the uprights. At the start it was a hot mess but as you go along you find a pattern and follow that. Some bamboo isn’t perfectly straight, but once you start the top rail it sorts itself out...just keep the wire taut, the poles straight and it will straighten out. I am chuffed with the results of mine...it looks lovely so far but it does take a lot of bamboo lengths due to the closeness of them. It is also filtering the harsh wind so the seedlings aren’t exposed to the brunt of the wind.

Have managed to get two small lots of bamboo in the last week to add to the bamboo I already had so tomorrow if we get some fine weather I will go out and finish what I can. Some of the larger pieces I made into tepees for the purple king and yellow runner beans, one corner has lots of honey and pearl corn coming up, another I have planted ten sunflowers so far and will add more once I can wire up the third side of the fence. In another corner will be the Urenika potatoes in the old compost bin. I don’t expect a huge amount this year but it will be great to save some for next year.

And Here Comes the Rain...

This morning was pouring with rain and nobody wanted to go out into it. Diesel took one look out the door and decided to stay in bed, the chooks while eager to be fed didn't seem keen to go out and Sugar was quite contented to stay in her kennel. The only one who dared to get up with me was the cat. After a few hours of heavy rain the sun came out for awhile which gave me a chance to turn over the small garden in preparation of planting the potatoes and corn and completely weed out the small garden under my bedroom window where i have scattered seed.

The compost I made and turned over into the small garden has broken down well and is now good healthy looking soil with lots of very busy worms. It has now been turned twice and I have only had to remove a few small weeds each time so a good result all round. Once it is Sugar proofed the planting can begin (being mindful of the horrible weather we are experiencing at the moment) and I will be a very happy camper!

This is another area I am working on at the moment...a dull garden at the back of the house. It has limited access to it, gets minimal sun and was completely taken over by weeds. The weed mat that was on it had been thrown over the top of the soil, held down by some old bricks and left. Over time it has moved allowing all sorts of weeds and rubbish to accumulate so my mission is to turn it into something practical and easy on the eye. The extra soil needed to be removed so I have added some to the new garden and hopefully if this weather EVER improves, I will be able to finish making it into a productive nook.

Tonight I decided to make a frittata for tea seeing as I had plenty of fresh eggs, corn, cheese, roasted potato and onions and a few other bits to add that mmmmm to it. As I cracked open my eggs I found two double yolkers, wahoo! Theres just something about double yolkers that always makes me smile, isn't there an old wives tale about good luck?. Here is a pic of the yolkers in question...

When A Barrel Of Laughs Isn't A Barrel Of Laughs...

I woke up this morning, opened the bedroom curtains to find Sugar had got herself stuck through the compost barrel. Im not quite sure how she did it but she wasn’t keen on going back through so sat down and sunbathed until the cavalry arrived. Yesterday she climbed up onto a terracotta pipe and lost her balance stretching herself out to nibble new flower heads and fell into a large shrub which she got lost in, it looked so funny!. This afternoon I heard a stampede coming through the house and it was her and Diesel running through playing together...which of course she was immediately evicted. 

She has a very cheeky side and will push the limits whenever she can. Twice today I have caught her nibbling my berry plants and she knows alright! Cheeky wench jumped off the second time with a kick in her heels as if a show of rebellion.

The second time as well as shouting “Off” I also turned the hose on and gave her a quick squirt with it. Hopefully she will soon learn what is for snacking and what isn’t...goats are very clever!

Today while sorting out a big bag of eggs and some tomato plants for a neighbour, I discovered that I only have one Voyage type tomato...either I’ve lost them, or lost the plot...(could be the case too lol).

I’m sure I had grown about 5 or 6 but I can only find one pot so I decided to plant some more because not only does it look a fabulously freaky looking fruit but I want to be able to share a few with other people and save some seeds.

I also decided to plant Green sausage, peach, Amish paste and another type (whose name escapes me at present) as well.

I moved the table around in the potting shed today so make the best of the sunlight and give access to the windows for when it’s not blowing a gale! The sunflowers that are getting much bigger on the windowsill were swapped around with the smaller ones and everything else watered, turned and spread out. 

Would be great to have a little poly or glass house here to maximise the opportunity of growing but the wind would probably have it in shreds within a short time. 

Thinking some little cold frames made from clear roof sheeting that are easily able to be moved around would be a good compromise. The new garden is looking awesome. I keep adding to it and so far no weeds coming through but lots of worms making it home. If tomorrow is fine (because it is pouring down and blowing a gale here at the moment 1am) I might toddle down to the beach and find some suitable driftwood.