Autumn

Dis a lot of work in the garden the other week, and also cut the grass and turned the compost heap. Chris is still putting his urine on the heap which id helping add more nitrogen to it. Cleared the side bed of rubbish and large weeds. Still need to finish off the potato boxes, monday I will do it, have an RDO. Will plant broad beans as a green manure crop down the side. The brassicas are in and more is waiting to be planted, just need the beds. Need to prune the dead wood off the fruit trees, clear the grass from their base and make a bed around the base. Growing herbs and perenial edible plants makes, the fruit tree happier and free from pests and diseases. Need rocks newspaper and a mountain of compost. I am trying not to buy it this time, just make my own, also add worm 'poo' from the worm farm which has expanded.
I added this to a bed of really crap sandy soil, kinda of like grey dust and the salvia fruitcosa,

garlic chives, comfrey and cardamon are doing really well. Wish things would speed up still we havnt been here that long since late feb, so only two months. Plan to get water tanks, small ones that we can move with.
Potatoes planting in june, the no dig method that I use at work because it takes up small space and is relitively idiot proof??? Although I heard one of the guides questioning the method...foolish woman...I am the guru of all things edible well mostly.

Reverted Artichokes

The trouble with growing artichokes from seed, is sometimes they revert back to their less productive and wild type. I think this one has done so as it has a lot more spikes on the leaf tips and resembles the wild one (they are all over Altona and are edible but you need to prepare them with riggers gloves as they are very spiky). I will let it grow and compare it to the others. All these 3 were grown at work and over the summer were neglected in their watering or suffered on the 40 degree plus days, but due to their tuberous root came back, so they haven't actually flowered yet. Hpefully should get a big crop next year, and some suckers that I can plant at the back. Although to hide the neighbours I am thinking of planting Salvia karwinskii as it grows to 2-3m and has spectacular flowers, and can survive on little water. But we shall see.

Xena takes on the dog

Well we had an eventfull easter sunday, the next door neighbours dog got out and tried to eat Xena, one of the baby chooks so named because she stood up to Big Ears (Big Black Chook) when she was only 4 weeks old. The chooks ran out into the street and onto the road and the little dog pounced on Xena, I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and asked the guys over hte road to hold him while i ushed the others home. I couldn't find Xena anywhere and spied the next door neighbours cat going under the house so I assumed the worst. However later when weeding the garden she appeared, and I have no idea where she went or how she escapes, but the screams she made as the dog attacked her have made me go vegerarian.

Alliums

Chook Palace
The girls hardly know themselves with this old shade house having been turned into the palace. Big Ears survived from the old house, and the two new chooks Beaker and Xena.

This bed already contains the golden shallots and I will also be planting it with garlic.

The new garden beds made from old potato boxes, very cheap, I will cover the bottom with newspaper and then fill them using the no dig method, but this time I am going to try using top soil as oppoised to compost as it is a quarter of the price $10 a metre

There already was an exsisting hazel tree in the garden but although they produce male and female flowers, they are self incompatible, so need a second tree the fertalize the flowers, I bought a second one a Global Greening in Batesford and put it in the ground. Behind it I will plant globe artichokes.

Apricot tree under a peach tree.





Well things have calmed down a bit so I have started work on the garden. The other weekend I planted my trees in the ground.