Sunday, February 27, 2011

Starting over for winter...

New Garden Layout...

We redid the labelling of the garden  beds to help make it easier to know what bed the other is talking about...
The Raspberry barrel hasn't moved yet as we are waiting for a trolley so it can be moved without to much trauma to the plant...

 Refreshing the Beds...
  
28 bags ½ filled with Mushroom compost were delivered by Greg From Wormtec on Saturday morning along with a Brix meter & small bag of worm cast based fertiliser pellets that he is working on...  Today the fun began with the revitalising of the beds once we did a tidy up...


 Pumpkins...

A decision was made this morning to do away with the Pumpkins as we have had no luck what so ever with them even though we have been hand fertilising the Female flowers as they open each morning... Makes it a lot easier to get around the beds now...


Bed #1...

Bed #1 has been stripped ½ way along... We didn't get around to transplanting all the baby Leeks today so they will be done next week... It has had some Blood 'n' Bone, Cracker dust & Mushroom compost dug through but will have to wait till next weekend to have the Horse compost added then be planted out...
Bed #2...


Bed #2 was completely striped then had Blood 'n' Bone, Cracker dust, Mushroom & Horse composts added... Snow peas seeds were sown under the trellis then 4 rows of Early Wonder Beetroot were sown up the other end... The tray on the bed has seedlings in it & shall be planted out next weekend...

Bed #3...

Bed #3 had the beans stripped from it & the Eggplants had a very radical trim... Blood 'n' Bone, Cracker dust, Mushroom compost & the old bean plants were dug through but will have to wait until next weekend to have Horse compost dug through... Cauliflower will be planted in here next week end if all goes well..


Bed #7...

Bed #7 had Blood 'n' Bone, Cracker dust, Mushroom & Horse composts added... 6 Broccoli seedlings were planted this afternoon... There are also 8 Snow pea seedlings that should be going in next weekend...



Bed #9...

Bed #9 has been a poor performer since the start... From the picture you can see that the soil is made up with mainly sand, some pebbles & the Sugar cane mulch we dug through when the bed was made...
Today I added Blood 'n' Bone, Cracker dust,  Mushroom & Horse composts... The bed will be planted out next weekend with Lemongrass from the a blue Wicking barrel & some Silverbeet that will be used as Chook food...


Beds 10 & 11...
The 2 small beds at the end of Bed #2 had Blood 'n' Bone, Cracker dust, Mushroom & horse composts added... Koo's strawberries were removed from Bed #11 as, sadly, they didn't survive the transplanting from last week... They will be replaced with some more when we find some at the market in the next few weeks...
Bed #10 had the Parsley from Bed #1 planted into it as well as a few Beetroot seeds to fill some gaps...

Bed #4 & Barrel #6 were top dressed with Blood 'n' Bone, Cracker dust Mushroom & Horse composts to help them along... The Eggplant in the bed also had a trim... We are leaving a few fruit mature so we can collect the seed for the next generation then that plant will be pulled... It has lasted for 3 years & 3 transplants now so we feel it's time to retire the old dear...

Barrel #1 & 2 had the Cape Gooseberries removed, the soil dug out then mixed with the Blood 'n' Bone, Cracker dust Mushroom & Horse composts... They were replanted in the barrels with the reconditioned soil then watered in well...



This was the pile at the start of the day (left) & then at the end (right)...
3 of the remaining bags are to be used on Bed #1.. The last will be mixed with some Horse compost then used as a top dress in the Spice Barrels...
2 of the bags were put straight under the house to see if we can revive the Mushroom plant... They have been placed into a waxed Lettuce box (we got full of leaves for the Chookies) & shall be covered with some seeding mix tomorrow... Hopefully they will start to produce & we will have heaps of home grown Mushies again...


Seedlings...
To get a bit of a head start on some veg we bought a few seedlings from the "store that shall remain nameless" yesterday...We bought Coriander, Common Mint, a punnet each of Cauliflower, Zucchini & Broccoli...
On Wednesday the girls & I planted out some seeds into trays,
4 x Brussels Sprouts
4 x Red Russian Kale
8 x Sugarsnap peas
8 x Melting Mammoth Snow Peas
10 x Sugarloaf Cabbage
10 x White Kohl Rabi


Rescued Produce...
This is what we managed to save from the plants were pulled or trimmed... Will miss the beans but the new plants should start producing in the next few weeks...



That's more than enough for now me thinks so shall call it quits & stop Waffling on...
Have a great one all...
: )»

Monday, February 21, 2011

Getting ready...

Got a call the other day from Mr Wormtec  to say that we will be getting our Compost/soil improver & Brix meter this weekend..... **Does BIG happy dance** Have cleared a few beds to get ready for the compost so we can get some broccoli & snow peas in the beds...

 Compost...
I know I did a post on this last week but though I would do another as we did it slightly different... We got 8 more bags of horse manure & started to compost most of it in a couple of old Wetpot reservoirs & Koo's old Strawberry barrel as it had heaps of drainage holes in it... This time I added lawn clippings from the day before, that had already started to steam, & the manure... This was well mixed together & layered into the bins/barrel with a fertiliser mix... I use a 500ml vitamin bottle to measure out  2 scoops of 5 in 1 fertiliser, 1 ½ scoops of Blood 'n' bone & 2 scoops of cracker dust... This was then watered  to help the cooking process... The drums we did last week have already shrunk by a third & are looking like they may be ready in the next 2 weeks...
 

Other Potterings...
  Koo's Strawberry barrel was infested with ants due to it having an inner plastic lining they could use to build a dry nest... The surviving plants were rescued & planted in the old Rainbow Silverbeet bed at the end of Bed #2 after some 5 in 1 & worm castings were added...We also planted out another Pineapple crown & a Rosemary that had been hiding under the back stairs in a small pot... The Cucumbers have come along well during the week... I added a small piece of shade cloth along the trellis as the morning sun is causing a fair bit of wilting... As soon as the roots find the water in the base of the bed in a week or so they shouldn't need it I think...

 
Weare about to get hit with a bit of a nasty storm so might leave it there for now...

Have a great one all....

: )»

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Decision Day...

Decision Day...
Trying to work out today what plants are worth saving, pulling or just harvesting early... Due to the soil in some beds being so degraded we will be rehabilitating them by removing some soil then replacing it with the composted horse manure/worm casting blend from Wormtec... We are expecting delivery  in the next few weeks along with a Brix meter to monitor plant health...
 
Bed #1... The Purple cabbages will all be coming out this week to be turned into Coleslaw, rice paper wraps or stir fry... We did loose 3 during the week due to each of them being attacked by dozens of "silk" producing grubs... Such is... This bed will be totally stripped except for the Leeks, Shallots, Sage & a Kent Pumpkin at the far end... The bed will then be turned trough with fertiliser, cracker dust & compost blend then left until we organise some plants for it...


Bed #2...  Above are some shots of the "Rainbow" Chard we harvested the seed from this afternoon... The seed in the bucket will be sown into a fenced off section of the Chooks yard as fodder & the seed in the paper bag is for sharing & our ownn use...
    The Monster Pumpkin had one last big prune of the long leaders today to see if the smaller new ones will produce some female flowers that will hold onto the fertilised fruits... The Celery is getting the benefit of the doubt at the moment as is the Banana Chilli in this bed... We have/will be feeding them with Worm wee/Seasol along with some 5 in 1 fertiliser blended with Cracker dust & worm castings dug in to the soil in the gaps between plants... This bed will be reconditioned after the Celery has been harvested & a decision made on the Pumpkins...
    The 2 Square beds at the end of Bed #2 will have some Compost blend dug through it but am unsure of what will be going in there as of yet...Have been thinking about adding the Cape Gooseberries but shall just wait & see...
Bed #3...  The beans are still producing a few here & there but have lost their dark green colouring so I fear it is time to dig them through the bed...The Beetroot shall be removed & turned into a salad during the week... This bed will then have some soil removed & have some of the purchased compost blend as well as other fertilises added... The Eggplants at the end of the bed shall be left as they are producing more than we need in the soil as it is now...  
Bed #4... One of the the Eggplants from this bed has been removed due to the others that are producing elsewhere... The Cape Gooseberries are starting to pick up but are still being munched on buy the bugs so they got a Neeming this afternoon...... The soil around the plants in this bed will have some fertiliser & compost added... Asian greens & other quick leafy crops will be planted in here where space permits...
Bed #5...  This bed had Dragon carrots including one that was going to seed... Unfortunately it got pulled accidentally  as we were harvesting the other carrots & preparing the soil... We added 2/3 of a bag of 5 in 1, 1L of Cracker dust & 2cups of blood 'n' bone then dug it through the bed... 8 Bush Beans & a Thai Basil were planted on top of about 1½ cup of Worm castings... They are sharing the bed with 2 or 3 different types of feral chillies, a Purple Basil, & some Sweet potato's that have decided to re-establish themselves in the bed...


 Bed #6...  This bed we are still quite happy with... The carrots are forming nicely but wont be ready for a few more weeks & the Spring Onion thinnings are being used on a weekly basis... This bed is getting a regular feeding with Worm wee/Seasol ... 
 Bed #7... The Cucumber bed is going to be striped of plants & some of the soil removed so some compost, chook straw & 5 in 1 fertiliser can be added over the following weeks... I think it will be turned into the Snow pea bed with some Broccoli planted at the front...

 Bed #8... (formally the Tomato bed)  This bed is being left as is for the time being... Some Burpless Cucumber seedlings were planted along the trellis last weekend... They were planted into soil that had a good amount of 5 in1 dug through it.. A large handful of fresh Worm castings was placed at the base of the plants to help them settle in... This bed also contains some feral Ginger, 6 Capsicums, Sage, feral Sweet basil's & a few Orange Chillies... All but the Cucumbers & feral Ginger may get pulled yet so we can dig through a good amount of the Compost blend then plant out...


Bed #9...   (The small Pumpkin bed behind Lemon Tree) This garden has soil like Concrete !!! I only mixed 5 in 1 with the "premium" soil blend we bought when this bed was first filled... It does have a feral Eggplant growing but I am willing to sacrifice that & re do the soil in the bed so we can plant some Lemon Grass... I am also thinking about a Zucchinis in here as well but not certain about that yet...

The Spice barrels appear to be going alright even though the soil is rather compacted... New "sets" are popping up... I have been breaking  up the surface soil every few weeks & adding  liquid fertilisers...

The original Strawberry barrel that Koo planted has been mined out by ants... It needs to be dug up, plants relocated & the barrel recycled... I am considering resurrecting some old hydroponic grow tubes then  planting out the berries around the back stairs so they can be watered & tended daily... The new Strawberry barrel is doing ok...  The Pink  Strawberry is throwing heaps of runners so we will be sharing some with other family members once they have their gardens up & running...

The 2 Cape Gooseberry barrels were not doing well at all until Worm wee/Seasol was added on a regular basis... They are filled with the "dodgy" Nursery mix so they may end up planted in the 2 Square beds at the end of Bed #2 yet...


Horse Manure Compost...
This morning I made up a Compost blend using some pony poo, blood 'n' bone & Cracker dust... 2 drums were made up... 1 has roughly 40L of pony poo, 2 cups each of blood 'n' bone & Cracker dust with the other drum having 4 cups of blood 'n' bone & cracker dust... The ingredients were mixed well in the drums with some water then rolled around the back yard... They have been left in an up right position in an area of the yard that gets sun until 2pm... They shall get a mix with the garden fork & a roll around the yard every few days to help aerate the blend...
 Compost tea...
 I shall be looking into making some Compost tea but will get into that in another post once I have worked out how to rig up a system as I'm am going a "little bit fancy" with its construction... The aim is to brew a tea that will be teaming with bacterial life so it can be added to the garden to help unlock nutrients in the soil for the plants... I am wanting to do a bit more research before I start & am hoping to incorporate it with Moo's science unit...

Crocuses...
 
  Here are the Crocuses from the Front yard... They have all bloomed now & shall probably die back by tomorrow night but we shall enjoy them while they are here...
The Pumpkin growing from the lawn clippings in the front yard is a mystery yet we are hopeful they will do better than the plants out the back...

Have a great one all...

: )»

Thursday, February 10, 2011

A few issues...

Pests !!!! 
We have been inundated by pests as I may have mentioned in the last post...

These bugs have been feasting on the Cape Gooseberries & require daily removal.. The little fellas on the right are rather squishy & when in a pack can devour a large leaf in under a day.. I have a feeling one is the offspring of the other.. One for the books me thinks...



The lady bugs (not the good kind) on left have been feasting on the cucumber & Eggplants.. They don't appear to be doing much damage but still get a spraying when we do.. The damage to the Sweet potato leaves is caused by mini Grasshoppers that are just everywhere after the rain.. They are a hardy plant & will bounce back.

Here are a few shots of leaves infested with the citrus leaf miner.. We gave the 2 limes a good pruning to rid them of the blighter's but have left the lemon for the time being... They only affect the new growth so we shall be spraying all new growth as it appears from now on...

Failed Crop...

We haven't been successful with any hand pollinated pumpkins as of yet...
I fertilise the females before 9:30 most days & have been supplementing the plant with sea weed & worm wee fertilisers on a weekly basis but the little fruit just wont "stick".. After doing so well with them last year it is a bit disappointing...




On a final brighter note, we have a bunch of Crocuses about to bloom  under Koo's window... Will be keeping an eye on the so as to get a good pic...

Have a great one all...
: )»

Thursday, February 3, 2011

It's been a while....

A bit has happened since my last post...
 We have had a bit of rain, lost our Bunny pup to what the vet thought was a snake bite, had a bit more rain, & then a rather serious flood event... We have had to put the garden & some other things on the back burner for a while & have only started to get back into the swing of things now with the kids starting back on their schooling...


 The Feral's in the patch....
 The Kent pumpkin that sprouted in Bed #2 is the only 1 of 2 Pumpkins left the other being at the end of Bed #1... It has had about 6 flowers fertilised, grow to the size of a tennis ball, turn yellow & drop off... I think I might just trim some of the longer runners off & try again with some of the newer ones as it is getting rather large... It now wraps around Bed #1 as well as growing over it & the also down the fence line towards the bottom of the yard... Very impressive looking but not much good if it doesn't set fruit...

Left : A Sweet Basil that I delicately mow & snip around... Right : Ginger that sprouted in the tomato bed.. Must of been a bit left in the soil when we recycled the old spice bed... The tomatoes were pulled due to disease & fly strike.. Cucumbers will be going in after the soil gets fed & a turn... 

 All the other tomatoes were removed from Bed #2 as well... Think we may just plant them near the house where it will be easier to control the fruit fly... We pulled the Fly traps down after 2 weeks as we caught less than 50 in all yet still had by far the majority of the Tomatoes being struck...
Right : The orange Chillies & Capsicums are still popping up everywhere... Happy about this as I think we may need to retire the original Chilli plant soon...

 Too much Rain...


 We lost about 50% of the Kohlrabi due to them rotting in the ground... It was mainly the imiture ones that we lost & like the die back in the Beetroot, we think it has to do with the amount of rain over the last few months... The beetroot do look like they are recovering by themselves & we are picking the larger ones as they look ready... Is a bit of a toss up as the bed could have something more productive go in...



 One benefit of the rain is that we are now seeing little "Rocket" Frogs turn up in the patch... Found a few in amongst the Bush Beans feasting on the small grasshoppers infesting the patch... We keep spraying with Neem but the rain keeps washing it off...  The beans have started to pick up as well... They always tend to after threatening them with being dug back into the bed... A lot of the soil looks really bad & compacted at the moment... This is mainly due to poor selection, as we chose the closest supplier rather than the best, but also due to the rain compacting it as well I think... Most of the beds have had a fork over & a good feed of worm wee (thanks to the new productive Worm Kingdom) & the plants are loving it... I am also getting a quote on some composted Horse manure mixed with worm castings from a supplier at the Gold Coast that will be used to help condition the beds...

Bits going well...
The Egg plants are all going well enough for us to be giving the excess away regularly... The Green Thai have come on well as have the Early Long Purples... We have also been told that what we thought were Lebanese Eggplant (Right) are actually Pingtung Long from Asia...
Left :These are some Shallots I bought marked down drastically at Woolworths...Cheap & already productive... : )»
Right : The Cape Gooseberries keep getting attacked by a leaf munching beetle that feeds exclusively on them... There are also some grubs that squash very easily eating the underside of the leaves... The Darwin lettuce popped up from an earlier sowing that produced nothing...
 The red Cabbages are coming on slowly.. Has been a battle to keep them free of Cabbage Butterfly grubs due to not being able to spray with the rain... I have been spending some time on them every morning squishing grubs & it looks as if we will not loose any... **Knocks on wood**  

One Dragon Carrot has surprised us by going to seed early so we are keeping an eye on it daily ready to collect the seed... The other Carrots are going well as are the spring onions in the bed with them...We have picked a few baby ones & munched on them already...



The Cucumbers are on their last set of fruit I think & we should have some Marketmore Seeds going in this week... The Spice Barrels (Right) are powering along & we are very happy with the way they are progressing...



The Lemon tree is laden with fruit... Unfortunately it has a leaf disease/infestation, like the Kaffir & Tahitian Limes, that must be looked into this week as well...



On the whole I cant complain about the state of the patch... We were not directly affected by the flood as the water didn't enter our property like it did in 1974... The water covered 75% of our back neighbours land (Right) yet they were lucky as their shed/tools were spared & only had their Laundry flooded out under the house... We went & helped a couple clean out their Mothers property on the Friday afterwards but by the Saturday, we were turned away from helping locally so went around offering the use of our washing Machine as a way of helping out others...



Well, that's about it for now so have a great one all...
Hopefully I will post more often now that we are getting back into the swing of things...
: )»