The birdlife here is phenomenal. Mostly we just hear them, a huge repertoire of calls through the day coming from the forest trees, but some are more visible. These sweet birds look like they will be our main garden residents. They have been around since we moved in, feeding on grass seeds in the paddock, and just this week they have started taking seed from the hanging feeder we put up for the pet doves we inherited. Red browed finches are very pretty to have flitting around; I can’t wait till…
Read MoreYear: 2014
Local fruit: Black apple, Planchonella australis
These were a complete surprise to me, but it was nice to discover a native fruit tree, the black apple, in the forest here. I discovered them by chance after following the dog when she took off into the forest.
Read MoreBreaking broody hens
I can see why broodiness has been bred out of many poultry breeds. With my hens the build up to broodiness seemed all advantageous, but that didn’t last.
Read MoreDogs and chickens
When we moved here we inherited chickens and wanted a dog. I grew up with farmers in the family and there never seemed to be a problem with dogs and chickens, although often both dog and chickens were confined to their own yards, so I didn’t think there was a big deal there, but ending up with a dog that likes to kill chickens would be problematic. We had contacted the pound to see whether they had a suitable dog, but they basically said that a mature dog can’t be…
Read MoreDig up, hoe back, rake over. Making a new garden bed
I’ve settled on a process for making new beds. I’ve tried a few ways, from no-dig, through hoeing, to digging, and for the new plots on the Mid-levels where the soil is deep, digging is definitely the way to go.
Read MoreThree sisters 4 week update
The Three Sisters bed is coming along, despite the dry weather. After my previous post, when the maize was well started, I finished off the planting with bean seeds between the maize stems, and watermelon, rockmelon, and cucumber seedlings in the spaces between the maize blocks.
Read MoreThe Mid-levels.
This last week I have been busy with my new patch, which I’m calling the Mid-levels. It’s halfway down the hill towards the dam, and the site of my new veggie garden, watered from the dam with the solar pump.
Read MoreRescued sunflowers; a week of watering.
A week ago I rescued two of my sunflower patches with water from the dam, pumped by the solar panels and pump we re-comissioned. Bill was away for the week and commented on how much they had grown, so I took a photo to compare (the picture from last week’s post is the same spot). It’s good to see they’re making quick progress now. I haven’t been brave enough to check the other patch I have further down the hill, but we still have not had enough rain to wet…
Read MoreGrowing sunflowers; tough through the dry
I’m inside writing for a couple of hours today because it’s too darn hot to be out in the sun. It reminded me though to post about growing sunflowers and how I’ve been impressed by how hardy they have been through dry weather. I sowed these seeds back in September when there was still some moisture from August’s rain in the ground, expecting that we would get the usual return of rains in October, but it has been extraordinarily dry. They are in a plot down the hill, two hundred metres or so…
Read MoreAnd more compost.
The dry weather means I’m not digging beds so much, and as I mentioned in my last post, my thoughts turned to making more compost. My friends Phil and Lindy have a most impressive setup, with masonry bays, chutes and what have you, but they have a lot of animals and a big family. For me, it’s just important to get started, and I can upgrade later. My resources are; waste hay from the chicken pen, hay from slashing, and muck from the bottom of the dam. To make the whole…
Read More