February Totals:

Scarecrow's Garden Journal Notes: February 2012:

Summer has ended just in time for the Grapevines...

...they say it's Autumn already!

Temperature range for February:
Lowest Min 4.6C
Highest Min 21.6C
Lowest Max 21C
Highest Max 36.7C
56 mm Rain (last check of the rain gauge was at 5:30pm on the 29th)

Rain comparison with other years: February average is 22.6mm:
2012 56mm
2011 151mm
2010 7mm
2009 0mm
2008 1.6mm
2007 10.4mm

Harvest Tally for February:
Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks on a daily basis or herbs picked for use in the kitchen for cooking or tea making. For Salads, Juice and Stirfries I have been picking Kale, Silverbeet, Leaf Amaranth, Purple Orach, Mushroom Plant, Gotu Kola, Basil, Nasturtium leaves and new Beetroot Leaves which are not always weighed.
Beans Gourmet Delight 55g
Beans Purple King 527g
Capsicum California Wonder 1251g
Carrots Mixed 536g
Cucumber Suyo Long 2153g
Garlic Elephant 150g
Leeks Bulgarian Giant 122g
Melon Tigger 460g
Onion Red 131g
Potato Brownell 323g
Pumpkin Blue Ballet 515g
Pumpkin Whangaparaoa Crown 2992g
Rockmelon Hearts Of Gold 3170
Silverbeet 132g
Squash Acorn Table Queen 2054g
Tomato Big Rainbow 627g
Tomato Black Cherry 52g
Tomato Ida Gold 64g
Tomato Money Maker 3003g
Tomato Stor Gul 950g

Total Veg Harvest for February 19.3kgs

Apple Cox's Orange Pippin 1901g
Cossack Pineapple 348g
Grapes Black Sultana 11910g
Nashi Fruit 338g
Pear William 1158g
Plums (tree 2) 1110g

Total Fruit Harvest for February 16.8kgs

Total Eggs for February: 85
51 from the 5 Farmyard Ferals
0 from the lone Barnevelder (she had a summer holiday :) )
34 from the 4 Faverolles

February of Previous Years:
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007

The garden is full of these busy little Blue Banded Native Bees (Amegilla cingulata) busily buzzing around the flowers! info link

Some interesting Fungi grows from potting mixes!

To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the newest Planting Plan for Autumn HERE
This is updated as planting occurs.

Come on over to the new look Scarecrow's Garden Facebook page and say Hi!

A Wet End To Summer

Update: February Week 4:

Cabbage seedlings up in days and almost ready to pot up!

Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min 11.9C
Highest Max 36.4C
56 mm Rain (last check of the rain gauge at 5:30pm on the 29th Feb)

Propagation:
Seeds:
Basil - Sweet Genovese Ocimum basilicum from Mr Fothergill's
Black Cumin Nigella sativa from The Lost Seed
Cabbage - Early Jersey Wakefield Brassica oleracea from The Lost Seed
Cabbage - Red Express Brassica oleracea from Southern Harvest Seeds
Cabbage - Verona Purple Savoy Brassica oleracea from The Lost Seed
Chervil - Curled Anthriscus cerefolium from The Lost Seed
Corn Salad (Lamb's Lettuce/Mache) Valerianella locusta from The Italian Gardener (organic)
Heartsease - Johnny Jump Up Viola triclour from DT Brown
Lettuce - Drunken Woman Lactuca sativa from The Lost Seed
Lettuce - Red & Green Salad Lactuca sativa from DT Brown
Love in a Mist - Miss Jekyll Nigella damascena from Mr Fothergill's
Parsley - Italian Leaf Petroselinum hortense from Mr Fothergill's
Poached Egg Plant Limnanthes douglasii from Mr Fothergill's
SilverBeet - White Silver Beta vulagris from Mr Fothergill's (organic)
Sweet Pea - Bijou Mixed Colours Lathyrus odoratus from Home Saved Seeds
Viola - Edible Mix Viola cornuta from The Lost Seed
Viola - Large Flowered Mixed Viola cornuta from Mr Fothergill's
Direct Sown into Bed 6 Main Veg Garden:
Spinach - America Spinacea oleracea from The Italian Gardener (organic)

Planting Out:
Bed 1 Main Veg Garden:
Purple Sprouting Broccoli Brassica oleracea from - Seedlings planted 27 Feb 12 from seeds sown 26 Dec 11
Bed 4 Main Veg Garden:
Brassica - Asian Greens mixed planted 27 Feb 12 from seeds sown 26 Jan 12:
Cabbage Red Choi Brassica rapa var. chinensis
Cabbage Tokyo Bekana Brassica rapa var. chinensis
Mizuna Purple Brassica rapa Japonica Group
Cima Di Rapa Brassica rapa

Next Week To Do:
Sow Pea seeds into loo rolls
Pot on Lettuce and Cabbage seedlings
Prepare Bed 9 for planting Romanesco Cauliflower, leaving Runner Beans on trellis.
Clear Bed 19 - save some seeds off the Purple Orach
Plant Kale Red Bor into Bed 19 after topping up with compost and attach netting
Tidy Bed 20 - remove Kale and Celery
Begin to cut back excess growth of the Pumpkin Jungle in the Old Chook Run

Harvest Tally:
Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks on a daily basis or herbs picked for use in the kitchen for cooking or tea making.
Beans Purple King 186g
Carrots Mixed 270g
Pumpkin Whangaparaoa Crown 2992g
Rockmelon Hearts Of Gold 335g
Tomato Big Rainbow 320g
Tomato Money Maker 888g
Tomato Stor Gul 153g

Apple Cox's Orange Pippin 717g
Black Sultana Grapes 120g
Nashi Fruit 338g
Pear Willliam 606g

Eggs: total for the week 28
14 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
0 From the Lone Barnevelder
14 From the 4 Faverolles

After the change on Sunday and with cooler, cloudy (even wet!) conditions forecast all week I have removed most of the shade covers in the Main Veg Garden. Just in time for some lovely soaking rain.

With the rain falling steadily all day on the 29 Feb I took the chance to spread some Neutrog Rapid Raiser Fertiliser around the Grape Vines and Citrus trees. The rain will help it wash in. Earlier in the week on a promise of rain I spread some Neutrog Seamungus into all the potted plants and watered that in.

The newly planted brassica seedlings have to be covered with netting to keep the pesky cabbage moths away...Vege net on Bed 4 and some temporary table covers over the Broccoli in Bed 1. Seeds sown have already germinated and are ready for potting on.

The Pumpkin harvest has begun from
down in the Pumpkin Jungle!!!

In the back the Trombones have continued their rampant growth with quite a few zeppelin sized trombones lurking under all that growth!

To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the new Planting Plan for Autumn HERE
This will be updated as planting occurs.

Basil Seed Mats

Last month I was contacted by the folks at Mr Fothergill's to try out some of their products. A box of goodies soon arrived and last week I had time to check out some of the things in it.

The Basil Seed Mats caught my eye
as I reckon I can get another crop of this to grow
before it gets too cold here.

These are great little 8cm rounds of tissue type paper with several seeds enclosed within.

You just fill a small pot with good quality potting mix lay the tissue round on top and cover with more potting mix.

They are easily watered as the seeds won't be dislodged.

I shall leave a couple of seedlings in this pot and pot up the rest for a late season harvest of fresh Sweet Genovese Basil.

Even with our heat over the last week
these seedlings were up in a matter of days.

Other herbs in this range are Coriander, Flat Leaved Parsley and Chives. See here.

I would be interested to hear from anyone else has tried these seed mats and how you went.
Either leave a comment below or feel free to Email Me.

More from the box of goodies soon...