Spring is here!

Spring is here

Its an exciting time in the garden and the paddock.

I think the quince blossom is the prettiest blossom of spring.

Old trees can look a bit tortured due to the heavy fruit forcing the branches to droop.

Mine is a young tree but it has had its fair share of tortuous droop and heavy fruit.

Note the large branches from a red gum tree that were used to prop up the drooping branches.

All fruit blossom is beautiful but I particularly like Nectarine blossom also.

Blossom keeps the bees busy

The promise of yummy fruit is almost guaranteed given water restrictions have been lifted.

I lost all of last years cherries in a heat wave.

I won't ever let that happen again.

The Lilliums are coming.

Thankfully between Skittles and myself the rabbits have not destroyed my Lillium patch.

I am looking forward to picking flowers for the market.

I have also been busy clearing and weeding.....an endless task in a garden.

I put this photo in to show you the slope I had to rectify to flood proof this garden.

I am planning to plant cucumbers against this retaining wall fence.

Oh and a trip or two to a nursery to spend some of my market money on flowering shrubs for market flowers. What a good excuse!

Not a very good photo however it does show you the dwarf diosma in the background.

I just love the blue dampier?

Very hardy apparently. It will have to be in my yard.

Spring is coming!

I went and checked the lilliums yesterday.

Just over half are poking their heads through the soil.

I am now getting nervous that rabbits might find them tasty.

Their forest home is just the other side of the rabbit proof fence.

The garlic is doing very well.

The "Blood and bone" put down to deter the rabbits has fertilised them well.

The Dianthus is full of buds and it won't be long before I am picking these flowers.

The leafy greens in this circle are ripe for picking.

Cos lettuce, Mizuna, Red Mustard.

The mustard is hot, too hot for my liking.

I picked some for the chooks yesterday but they weren't too keen.

I also weeded all the stinging nettle out of this circle and fed it to the chooks.

They weren't to keen on that either.

Hopefully the worms will like it.

This is one of my favorites.

It is a great filler in bunches of flowers

Fever few

You can eat a few leaves to settle a head ache (so they say)

This is a tulip that Lou gave me for my birthday. It has a purple blush on the outside.

It was chosen for its colours and is beautiful

I have it planted in a pot in the entrance way, greeting all who visit.

Thanks Lou!



Time to move the Chooks

The system is that the chooks should be moved every 2 weeks. They have been on this circle now for a couple of months. I have supplemented the weeds with 2 bales of pea straw and a bale of lucerene hay. It is the lowest point in the garden and given the flood plain status......I am keen to raise the ground level.

They have done a fantastic job of knocking down the weeds and spent plants.....Just to give you an idea, here is a photo of the circle before the chooks.

Quite amazing work.

I am ready to fill up the cleared and fertilized circle with cos lettuce, mizuna, rocket and spring onions.

With spring just weeks away I am very keen to plant, plant, plant, but I am running out of space.

Shelia keeps a good eye on me when I am out there.

I am keeping a good eye on this Mullberry tree. It is loaded and I look forward to the sweet treats as I walk past during summer. Last year it had 2 lots of fruit finishing just after Easter.

There will be no shortage of self seeded Rocket in this garden.

They are always the strongest seedlings and don't seem to mind me moving them to the latest cleared circle.

Come on spring!

Preparing for spring

I am trying to be in front for spring.

I have sown flowers

and veg

Spring begins in 4 weeks

Today is forecast to be 24 degrees C so it is beginning to warm up.

These are Romanesco Broccoli seedlings, otherwise known as "Cosmic Cauliflower" .

The most amazing looking vegetable!

Next to them are some corn flowers

How's this for a determined plant.

It is growing through a nail hole in the recycled tin. Evening primrose, the true one that flowers in the moonlight and emits a delightful scent. This retaining wall is holding up my circle gardens, it is where I got the original dirt to raise the beds above flood level.

Capsicums, Corriander, Love in the mist, Corn flowers, Polka dots, Parsley, Silverbeet, Spring onions, Marjoram and Dill & Thyme, just to name a few varieties.

I went and checked the Lilliums this morning.

Still no sign of them.

Oh well.

Pre-spring impatience

It is so cold nothing is growing.

I keep going down to the garden looking for a sign,

No Lilliums yet,

Skittles and I caught a rabbit the other day.

I had repaired a hole in the fence and discovered a tunnel from the forrest, under the camel walk and out into the garden. I sorted this out but unfortunately I trapped the mega rabbit inside the yard.

I worked this out when all my lettuce was eaten, I was on the war path.

I took Skittles with me and

Many lettuce will be saved as a result of this hunt.

I certainly played a part in the cornering of this fluffy feral pest, however,

I let Skittles enjoy the spoils all by herself.

Compost

I love making compost.

It's mind boggollingly easy for exceptional results.

It does help if you have your own chooks as their poo is simply the best compost activator.

I have my compost bays built big enough to have the bobcat as my chief turning tool.

I use the 3-1 recipe, that is 3wheelbarrow loads of dry material to 1 wheelbarrow load of poo.

Applied to the compost pile in layers. Wet each layer as it is placed on the pile.

This needs to be turned every 3 days for maximum composting.

If you follow the 3 day turning regime, it should be ready in about 6 weeks

My dry material is usually leaves, spoiled straw and hayand shredded paper.

Chook poo is my magic ingrediant. Once it is wet it is activated.

I avoid composting any weeds that might spoil the soil

because I use the finshed product for my market plants.

100 Lilliums

I have been a bit busy getting ready for a delivery of 100 Lillium bulbs.

Had to create a new row.

That meant some serious digging and weeding.

The mesh is for a horizontal trellis to support the flower stems.

Luckily I had 9 star pickets to support the mesh.

I had to lay the dripper line before planting to be sure they would be watered evenly.

Tedious and time consuming....I just wanted to plant the bulbs.

I also want it to work.

I brought the bulbs down to the garden to inspire the work.

Remember the Rudbekia? 10 ft tall yellow explosion of colour.

It's dormant at the moment,

amazing contrast.

Now.

6 months ago