Busy Busy Busy

New Chook House

Well as you can see I have been busy in the garden, built new chook house, put down mushroom compost, generally tidied up, after the damage the chooks did. Argh!!

Re-Building Chook House

Well after a week of chasing the chooks out of the garden, I decided something must be done. Just sowed some unusual seedlings that I grew at work, (the advantage of working at a botanic gardens is that you have access to great greenhouses). But Moleen and Bigears got out, apparently they jump, and trashed them!!! Argh. Try and escape this.

Exciting New Books

Well just got the new Green Harvest catalogue and have ordered some exciting plants and books.
1. Galangal
2.Horseraddish
3.Krachai
4. Turmeric
Edible Asian Garden Book-Rosalind Creasy
and from Eden Seeds
Garden Seed Inventury Kent Whealy

Sow in July

What to sow in Geelong, in July.

1. Artichoke
2. Asparagus
3. Broad Beans (Diggers do an ornamental sort with scarlet flowers
   
4. Broccoli (Try another more ornemental sort, Romanesco, availible from New Gippsland Seeds and Bulbs, looks like fractual and has a more delicate flavour)
   
5. Brussel Sprout
6. Cabbage
7. Cauliflower
8. Celery
9. Chicory(Go to an Italian Grocers for exciting variety in Raddiccio, you will be amazed at the colours and shapes)
10. Endive
11. Garlic (This takes up to 9 months to grow so find a spot out of the way)
12. Lettuce
13. Asian Greens (Sow thickly and you can eat the young plants as you thin them out)
14. Onions
15. Peas
16. Raddish (I love these and they never make it into the house, try with butter)
17. Spinach
18. Swedes
19. Turnips (Check out The Lost Seed for Red Turnip)

Chooks and Vegies

Big Ears and Moleen



It is a beautifull winters day here in Geelong, so I let the girls, Big Ears and Moleen, out for a bit to eat weeds and bugs.

This broccoli's main head has been harvested, and the offshoots are starting to grow, a good way to extend the growing season of your plants. This is backyard farming, not agriculture.

Broccoli

This cauliflower is nearly ready to eat. As it started to 'head' up I tied the leaves together to prevent discolouration and spoiling, but the cauli still poppped out a bit. Better eat it tonight. The snow peas are growing well, I had to put a collar around the seeds to protect them from those damm slugs. The other reason to let out the chooks, they love slugs and snails.

Snow Peas and Cauliflower

Oct 2006, The best grass in Geelong

What can I say, even under stage 4 water restrictions, I had the best grass in Geelong and I didnt want it, so I mulched with cardboard.Then I applied wood chips, admitedly this picture was taken last month that is June 2008, when I had to re-apply. But the garden looks good.
Notice the various mulches, and layers.

1. Pea straw
2. Mushroom compost
3. Leaf Litter (from my neighbour, who cleaned out her gutters and then left a pile of 'gunk' and leaves outside my gate, very usefull
   

The Begining

About three years ago I moved to the 2nd biggest city in Victoria, Geelong. After years of living in units and shared accomadation, I could finally have a vegie garden again. After emigrating to Australia, I longed for home grown organic vegies. At last I had a backyard. I was working in Melbourne and commuting up to three hours a day, had a budget of zero. But was ready to start.

I started by building my raised no-dig beds out of corragated iron and wood. After a while, the grass got out of hand so I mulched with cardboard and wood chips. Now all the beds are built, drip system installed (here we are on stage 4 water restrictions, so my garden is watered with washing machine water) and most of our food is produced here. I would love more fruit trees, but am restricted by growing them in pots as I am only renting.

Winter in Australia

This is a bed from my vegetable garden, using the principles of no dig gardening.