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Scarecrow's Log: 25:10:2009:
Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min 2.7C
Lowest Max 17.5C
Highest Max 30.2C
3mm Rainfall
Lowest Min 2.7C
Lowest Max 17.5C
Highest Max 30.2C
3mm Rainfall
What's happening in the garden?
Two groups have visited the garden this week so we've been busy getting it ready...mainly weeding!
The Strawberries are slowly ripening!!!
Propagation:
Seeds:
I've been sprinkling lots of flower seeds around the garden as they form on the plants, Erigeron, Borage, Calendulas and any others that are seeding.
Erigeron karvinskianus in flower and seed
Borago officinalis in flower and seed
Potting up:
Cucurbits; Cucumbers, Rockmelons,Watermelons, Pumpkins and Zucchinis.
Planting out:
The first Tomatoes, Roma on Bed 2 and a couple of Grosse Lisse in Tank Bed c (to grow up on the fence). The Romas are sheltered by the remaining Beetroot and Blue Bantam Dwarf Peas will provide shelter for the Grosse Lisse plants from both sun and any late frosts!
New in the Garden This week:
My daily raid on the earwig populationvia the hose traps is yielding a regular boost
to the chooks protein feed.
I'm picking these little leaf rolling caterpillarsoff the Thornless Blackberry daily...Argh!!
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.
Asparagus***842g
Broad Beans Peruvian Emerald***333g
Carrots Atomic Red***120g
Silverbeet***120g
Tomatoes Ida Gold***52g
Plus a yummy mix of greens for soups/stirfries/salads...Kale, Lebanese Watercress, Chives, Parsley, Sea Parsley.
Eggs:
31 from the Farmyard Ferals
12 from the Ginger Girls who have decided a rosemary bush is a better nesting site than the box in their house!
3 from Blackie.
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12 comments:
Scarecrow, how do you trap earwigs? I have seen quite a few in my garden. Do they eat young leaves? My passionfruit and eggplant younger leaves plus shoots were all eaten. I would like to think they are the culprits since they are the commonly seen in my new garden.
Wow your strawberries are ripening already? Mine are just starting to flower and show some fruit. Do you protect your strawberries as well from birds or strawberry-eating bugs, if any? First time growing strawberries and I hope to get to eat at least one ripe one hehe...
A big THANK YOU for an original solution to my earwig problem!! I have beer traps, oil traps and paper traps as per most recommendations which catch a handful of the little... erm.. pests, while their buddies enjoy the extra elbow room while merrily crunching my vegie seedlings. I had thought that I would have to resort to nightly catching sessions... the hose trap sounds ideal, as there were heaps of the little critters hiding out in my half-constructed irrigation system hoses! Sadly no chooks here to enjoy my catchings...
What an interesting way to catch earwigs. I think we may have the good kind as there are lots of them but I never seem to see any damage. We did have quite a few of those leaf rolling caterpillars this past summer though...I'll second that "Argh."
We are in the throes of a wet autumn, harvesting potatoes, leeks and brussel sprouts from the plot. Getting the ground ready for next year before frost makes the ground too hard to dig.I am visitng to get a fix of summer down under!
Hi SM
If you go out at night you will see the earwigs on the seedlings if it is them...or you may see slugs!
You will probably need to protect those strawberries...lots of creatures love them as much as we do! Earwigs, slaters, slugs, snails even the stumpy tailed lizards we try to attract to get the snails love strawberries!!!
Not to mention that birds love strawberries too!
A good way to grow strawberries is in raised containers or beds well off the ground...but then they are closer to the birds!
Hi vTg
When you have earwigs you seem to have millions of them...argh!
Use any traps you can they will all reduce the numbers slowly.
We sometimes have to cover each seedling individually to keep them off but that means remembering to put the 'hats' (usually plastic bottles with the bottoms cut off) on every night and removing them every morning. Forget one night and the seedlings will be gone! :(
Hi Mr H
These are introduced earwigs and they just love the mulch we have to use over here in our gardens.
Those little caterpillars seem to love that blackberry plant. They are a real pain when they get stuck into the new flowers...that means no fruit!!!
In other areas of the garden I can manage them.
Hi Peggy
You are welcome here anytime to get a summer fix! We have plenty of summer weather to come over the next few months!
Argh! Frozen ground sounds sooo cold!
That looks like wonderful, live chicken food. They will just devour those!
They sure do Matron especially when I add mixed grain to the bucket...it freaks-out the little farmyard ferals, to see their dinner moving! lol
Hi scarecrow, are strawberries self-fertile or need insect pollination? I have got them under netting now to protect from birds.
Hi SM
This Link should answer your question. I hope! ;)
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