Moon Planting and Broody Chooks

Moon Planting Fruit Day

Planted some top up/replacement seeds of:
Balinese Corn - from Eden Seeds - in the east edge of Bed 10
White African Sorghum - from SSN - in the Workshop Area
Snake Beans - from Eden Seeds - back of Bed 9
See here and here

Planted seeds for late crops of:
Black Zucchini - from Eden Seeds
Delicata Squash - from Phoenix Seeds
Shishitou Capsicums - From Diggers Club
Pale Pink Hollyhocks - borrowed from school garden
Organic Silverbeet Green Silver - from DT Brown (these should have been planted the other day during Green Planting time but I only bought them yesterday so it will be interesting to note any differences in this batch).
These were all planted into punnets and put into the shade house.


Two of my chooks have gone 'broody' over the last couple of weeks and I read in the new Earth Garden "Chook Wisdom" book (available here) I bought yesterday that chooks shouldn't be allowed to stay broody because they lose weight, get anaemic and in our hot weather could get quite dehydrated.

They recommend having a separate "clucky cage" to house these chooks in until they go off their broodiness. The book says:
" A clucky cage needs to be light, exposed, have no nest-like corners but sheltered and with ample food and water"

The idea is to cool the chooks body temperature because while they are broody they have a higher temperature for incubating the eggs. So the cage should have a wire or slatted floor.

It's often recommended to use old 'cocky' (parrot) cages but these are as rare as 'cockies' teeth around here so I improvise and use whaterever I can.

This old milk crate is a favourite stand-by chook cage, but old Blackie doesn't seem to think so!!

Now Speckles leave her alone you know what its like in there!

I had a heap of these baker's trays out the back. Its a rough job just wired together so we will see how it goes!

Come on Gingy its not that bad in there!!

To be continued....

More Shade

On Wednesday 27th Dec Doc and I put up yet another shade structure. This one is over Bed 3 this was attached to the trampoline frame to lift the shade cloth higher to allow more light into the Tomatoes beneath it.


We have also replaced the shade cloth on the first shade structure with a terracotta coloured one with sewn hemmed edges. At the same time we added a shadecloth extension on to the new shadehouse in the Dog Pen Area.


We are buzzing along with these shade structures they are really making a difference on these hot windy days.

Green Planting Day December 2006

Moon Planting Time for Greens today.

My Moon Planting Chart by Thomas Zimmer says:
"Some crops do equally well planted either first or second quarter.
These are : Annual Flowers, Hay, Cereal Grains & Oilseeds, Cucumbers, Melons, Leeks and Shallots"

So I planted:
Lebanese Mini Cucumbers in Dog Pen Gardenbed on a trellis of wire rescued from a Pond Cover which is no longer needed since Tiger (the Fisher of Goldfish cat) disappeared over a month ago.

Seeds of the following into a cell tray:
Cabbage - Savoy - From Phoenix Seeds
Brussels Sprouts - Fillbasket From Phoenix Seeds
Kale - Toscano - From New Gippsland Seeds
Collards - From SSN var 111EB
Broccoli - Italian Curly - From SSN var 5786

Seeds into punnets:
Perpetual Spinach - From Phoenix Seeds
Rhubarb Chard From - Phoenix Seeds
Five Colour Silverbeet Mix - From Diggers

In the ground on West edge of pond:
Sunflower - Pardo Red - From Diggers
Sunflower - Evening Star - From Eden Seeds

Potted on:
4 x Tomato - Imur Prior Beta
5x Yellow Button Squash

And 2 Yellow Button Squash into ground in Dog Pen Gardenbed
ans a mixture of Lettuce into a poly box under the back Pergola.

In memory of Tiger 2001-2006

Pond Re-vamp

The Main Vegetable garden Pond has been annoyingly overgrown for quite a while. With all the vegie planting going on lately I haven't had the time to fix it!

Till today!

The water was in desperate need of clearing, the Eud de cologne mint was choking it. So out it came and I only had to rescue one little fish who'd become beached.

A bit of clearing round the edges and it was so much better.

However the other end had a large Russian Sage bush that was slowly taking over the whole area. This is a very hardy plant and pretty when it flowers but the foliage stinks. It was all or nothing here, so it’s gone.
I was struggling with it when Doc (Hubby) came home from work and said he'd have a go. It only took him one swing of the pick to dislodge the entire plant.
(I still say I loosened it for him).

Just needed to clear the ground and get some plants to put in and it was finished.
Plants chosen were: White Lavender, Prostrate Rosemary, Erigeron Daisy, Bronze Fennel, a couple of Yarrow plants, Ajuga and seedling Wallflowers.

I had some helpers (other than Doc) today in the garden:

The Old Girl Chooks: Mama, Tippy and Dapple but they were mostly hiding!

The Ninja Cat

Even Lucky Dog was there to help today!

Summer Soltice

(Please click on the image to see the message!)

Today 22nd December 2006 is the Southern Hemisphere's longest day our Summer Soltice after today the daylight hours will become slowly shorter.
Now our summer's normally heat up!
Its already quite hot enough but at least things look cooler for Xmas day.

A further 16mm of thunderstorm rain over-night! The garden is loving this weekly soaking let's hope it keeps up!

Garden Log 17 Dec 06

Total rainfall for Thursday/Friday was 14mm. That's the best we've had in a long while. The garden is refreshed and the chooks survived although one has decided to go "broody".

I have posted my Holiday To Do List (pt1) on my ALS glog and updated it here so in between drying apricots and making jam I took some more photos of the garden.

This Red Radicchio from a Mesclun Mix is going to seed and doesn't look very red anymore.

The Waltham Butternut Pumpkins are setting although I'm noticing more female flowers than males this year.

Russian Garlic is fowering here in Bed 10 the corn and pumpkin bed.

My favourite Zucchini Rondo De Nice are growing happily under their shade in bed 5

Stipe and Sweet Cucumbers are sharing the shade in bed 5.

This baby sunflower doesn't to live up to its name of Russian Giant but it is still very pretty!

Garden Log 14 Dec 06

Something woke me at 4am this morning!
What was that noise???
Yes it was rain gently falling on the roof. By 8am we'd had 4.5mm not a lot but around here every drop is great. With rumblings far away and promises of thunderstorms this evening we should be in for quite a bit more.

I don't know if it has arrived in time to save my front garden though.

Some of the plants out there are looking very sick!

Of course other natives just sit and wait for rain.

But the vegies are jumping out of the ground this morning.
Sunflowers and purslane planted for chook forage are loving the rain!

The rain should bring up the rest of the Sorghum planted last week in the heat!

Everything smells great!
Even the fish are happy.

Not too sure about the chooks they're just not used to this wet stuff!!

Going Potty (Potting Mix that is...)

After a few years of experimenting I have settled on this method of making or supplementing my own potting mix.

I use

1 Bag of whatever potting mix is on special.

Having said that there are a couple of brands I still wouldn't use as they tend to set like rock in the pots or dry out much too fast.

1 Coir peat brick made from coconut fibre they are more sustainable than peat moss.

I soak these in 5 litres of rainwater

Often add nutrients too the water. Here I have just used seaweed liquid as I am using this mix for seedlings or cuttings. When I intend to use the potting mix for potting on seedlings I also add fish emulsion now and some blood and bone to the dry mixture. I also put some worm castings in the pots when potting on.

1 bucket of sandy loam any washed sand will do this is for drainage.

Each of these items are put into Max Mixer the concrete mixer that Hubby and I went halves in last year. I thnk I've used it more than him!!

Buzzed around for long enough to ensure everything is well mixed.

Then tipped into a waiting wheelbarrow ready to use.

The potting mix ready to use

I prefer to use this straight away but if I need to store it I put it in a large plastic crate container with a wooden lid stored in the shadehouse out of the weather.

Garden Log 6 Dec 06

I thought this was supposed to be summer????
Look at the first three days temperatures!!
Friday 1st December Min 13.5°C Max 30°C
Saturday 2nd December Min 7.5°C Max 21.9°C
Sunday 3rd December Min 3.9°C Max 24.7°C

Don't worry they've promised 38°C for Friday this week and that they will be getting right! Pitty they can't be so sure of our rainfall.

We've been enjoying the cooler weather and getting stuck into the garden to do list. We managed to put up another shade structure on Saturday. A tunnel over the potatoes in Beds 7&8.

Monday morning another went up over the squashes, zucchinis and cucumbers in Bed 5.

Saturday was the beginning Moon Planting for Fruit for December so the Black Cherry Tomatoes were planted by the trellis at the back gate and drippers were attached to these.

I had 1 each of the Ida Gold, Red Cloud and these Black Cherry Tomatoes left over so these found homes in the Tank Beds.
Sunday I planted the White African Sorghum in the Workshop Area where the ground had been prepared and a weepy hose attached last week.

Now I have to mulch these new plantings well ready for that heat later in the week!!

Main Vegetable Garden Layout

This year the planting is as follows:

Bed 1:
Onions: Creamgold
Carrots: Heirloom Mixed
With Companions: each other, Alyssum and White Cosmos

Bed 2:
Onions: White and Red
Garlic: Biofresh Selection

Bed 3:
Tomatoes: Ida Gold, Dwarf (from seed savers)
Tomatoes: Red Cloud, Dwarf (from seed savers)
With Companions: Basil, Celpar (celery/parsley cross)

Bed 4:
Tomatoe: Polish Giant (from seed savers)
Watermelon: Moon and Stars (heirloom)
With Companions: Nasturtiums and Basil

Bed 5:
Cucumber: Lebanese Mini (organic seed)
Cucumber: Stripe and Sweet (heirloom)
Squash: Delicata (organic seed)
Squash: Yellow Button
Zucchini: Black
Zucchini: Rondo De Nice
With Companions: Nasturtiums

Bed 6: Trial Mixed Bed:
Sunflowers: Giant Russian
Parsley: Italian (rescued volunteer seedlings)
Beetroot: Heirloom Mixed
Kohlrabi: Super Schmeltz
Kale: Russian Red
Broccoli: Purple Peacock
Lettuce: Red Velvet
Beans: Red Mung
NZ Spinach: (volunteer seedlings)
Tomato: Tigeralla (in cage)
Potato: Kipfler (in cage)
With Companions: Nasturtiums, Basil (Lettuce Leaf and Purple), Oregano, Thyme, Sage and Rosemary (these last 3 in big pots)

Bed 7 & 8:
Potatoes


Bed 9:
Beans: Lazy Housewife Climbing (from seed savers) on trellis
Potatoes in Tyres (painted white to stop heat build up)


Bed 10:
Beans: Dutch Stringless Climbing (from seed savers) on trellis
Sweetcorn: Dwarf
Sweetcorn: Balinese
Pumpkin: Waltham Butternut
With Companions: each other, nasturtiums, (orange cosmos, and marigolds that have self-sown from last year)

The Tyres:
Strawberries various varieties include: Sweet Heart and Chandler.
With Companion: Feverfew (usually Borage here but too hot this year for it)

Pussy-willow Bed:
Fig Tree
Meyer Lemon
Plus Companions and other Plants: White Cosmos, Erigeron Daisy, Clary Sage, Acacia acinacea, Rosemary, Lavender, Feverfew, Calendula, Arctosis, Cedronella, Convolvulus Cneorum, Bearded Irises, Southernwood, Euryops and bordered by a Tree Wormwood Hedge for wind protection.

Perennial Edge Beds:
Daisies, Evening Primrose, Lucerne, Gourds, Catnip, Hollyhocks, Westringia, Rosemary, Sage, Mirabilis, Oregano, Golden Marjoram, Roman Wormwood, Yarrow, self seeded Coriander and Parsley. Pond Edges: Similar plants to the edge beds

Perennial Beds:
Rhubarb, Asparagus (green and purple), Globe Artichoke, Squash, Zucchini, Sunflowers and French Sorrel

Fruit Trees:
1 Bartlett Pear
2 Narrabeen Plum
3 Red Fuji Apple
4 William Pear
5 Cox’s Orange Pippin Apple
6 Stella Cherry
7 Figs Cuttings from Garden Club Members Trees
8 Anzac Peach
9 Golden Delicious Apple
10 Santa Rosa Plum
11 Goldmine Nectarine
12 Jonathon Apple
13 Moorpark Apricot
14 Nashi Pear
15 Mariposa Plum
16 Trevatt Apricot
17 Meyer Lemon
These were originally planted with various Companions: Lucerne, Yarrow, Southernwood, Chives, Garlic, Tansy but few remain after recent dry years and now there are old chooks run under them for insect control. This area is bordered with Tree Wormwood and Tagasaste trees.