Last Day of Autumn Downunder

Scarecrow's Log: 31:05:2009:

Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min -0.4C
Lowest Max 11C
Highest Max 15.2C
9mm Rain

What's happening in the garden?

Apium prostratum Native Sea Parsley (or Sea Celery)
has survived the summer
and seems to be enjoying the cooler weather too.

The Broccoli and Lettuce in the old spudz bin has settled in well.

Even with the cold temps this little Cosmos is flowering!

Propagation:
Seeds:
A test planting of some seeds saved from an apple we bought at a market...

Potting up and Planting out:
From my Cutting homework last month I've potted up the resulting plants:
Euryops pectinatus - Yellow Daisy 8
Helichrysum italicum - Curry Bush 10
Artemisia pontica - Roman Wormwood 8
Correa alba - White Correa 10*
Tanacetum parthenium - Feverfew 10
Cistus ladanifer - White Rock Rose 4 outside... 6*
Salvia officinalis - Sage 10
Convolvulus cneorum - Silverbush 10*
Rosmarinus officinalis 'Pink' - Pink Rosemary 10
Coleonema pulchrum 'Aurea' - Golden Diosma 10*

The numbers indicate the successfully rooted cuttings...those marked with * have been put back into the hot house because they did not have strong root growth yet and will benefit from the extra warmth for a while longer. The rest have been put on the growing bench that is quite sheltered. Wasn't a bad result...96% strike rate.

Also potted up:
Silverbeet and Rainbow Chard into 10 mixed punnets and 3 pots.
Lettuce Marvel of 4 Seasons into 4 punnets.

Planting out:

6 Well grown Butternut Lettuce seedlings
into a wicking tub in the Kitchen Garden.

Cuttings/Division:

Divided up some Society Garlic and popped it in the edge bed in the main Veg garden. I'd noticed a predominance of yellow and orange and not a lot of blues and pinks. For beneficial creature attraction you need as many different colours flowering year round. This Society Garlic is a tough little plant that flowers at this time of the year.

New in the Garden This week:
Our first morning (this season) under zero! Brrr!

I've removed the shadecloth from the Northern (sunny) end of the propagation area. The sun is at a low angle at the moment and the plants will appreciate the extra warmth. These areas are still sheltered from the cold South wind that is of concern at the moment.

Weekly 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.
Peas Blue Bantam Dwarf***143g
Lemons***1698g

Plus a yummy mix of greens for soups/stirfries/salads...Kale, Lettuce, Watercress, Chives, Parsley, Sea Parsley, Soup Celery, Beetroot, Turnip and Swede Greens.

Still no Eggs from the girls.
We've bought some from our friends who we know look after their chooks well!