What a Storm!!

This morning the wind picked up

It only seemed like seconds before the sky darkened...

to black.

I dashed inside with Lucky Dog just in time.
High winds, hail and rain lashed and after...

Trees down in most streets in town

The primary school...

and the beautiful old tree in the main street
that I photographed back here in January this year
...is gone!

There is a concrete picnic table and chairs
under there somewhere!

We didn't see any major damage to buildings though
unlike other areas around the state.
See here

But how lucky can you be...
this was close

and this!

Sure was wet!

Purple Veg

Scarecrow's Log: 28:06:2009:

Of winter's lifeless world each tree
Now seems a perfect part;
Yet each one holds summer's secret
Deep down within its heart.
~Charles G. Stater~

Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min 0.7C
Lowest Max 12.9C
Highest Max 16.4C
15mm Rain

What's happening in the garden?

I picked the first Violet Sicilian Cauliflower and it tastes great!

Found a survivor Purple Dragon Carrot
in the Kitchen Garden.

We are still harvesting heaps of Lemons and juicing them for cordial and frozen juice for later in the year. I put the juice into ice cubes trays and pop them out into a plastic bag when they are frozen.
The skins are dried in the old car out the back and used as fire starters in our wood heater. They are very high in volatile oils so are just the thing to use.

Propagation:
It's been too cold and wet for much propagation this week but I'm studying the seed catalogues and checking through my seed stash to sort out just what to plant in spring.

New in the Garden This week:

The Radicchio - Rossa di Treviso not really new
but quite colourful on these dreary days.

We are slowly being over run by Nettles
time to brew up some more plant teas I think!

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.
Carrots Purple Dragon**161g
Cauliflower Violet Sicilian***1175g
Peas Roi de Carouby Snow***113g
Turnip Golden***632g
Lemons***7272g

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

Plus 14 Eggs from the girls.

They're Back!!!!

The Ginger Girls have started to lay again.

Three of them so far!

Is this one of the layers?

Or maybe this one...

It's unlikely to be this poor little one
who has only just started to moult!

Or this one...but her feathers are growing fast!

They look so neat and trim
as their new feathers grow back!

We are up to 3 beautiful eggs a day now
...we've really missed them.

Slugs on the Red Choi

My planting of Cabbage 'Red Choi' F1 has been suffering attack from something.

It started life with a curtain cover but still some plants looked like this!
I have removed the curtain now keep a closer eye on things...

I laid some earwig traps and I have been catching a few each day (and lots of baby ones!)


I went out at night to check on what was happening and discovered...SLUGS
We have been getting rain lately and it has brought these pests out!

They can be trapped in old orange peels and here is the collection for that night.


I understand beer traps are good for these pests but we don't drink beer!

This link has a few other options like port wine, sour milk, vegemite and water or honey and yeast. Might have to try one of those.

When I get these pests under control all the Red Choi can be healthy like this one!

The Winter Solstice and We Have Cackleberries Again!

Scarecrow's Log: 21:06:2009:

Ice time again!

From the article "Pagans party as winter solstice brings hope" in the Age today...

"For me (solstice) means giving thanks for what we have — shelter from the cold, a warm house, friends and celebration of good food and drink," Mr Andrew said.

Although the days will be slowly lengthening we have our coldest weather to come!

The Earth takes time to absorb the changes in heat energy received from the sun before weather is affected. This delay means the coldest weather is still to come; the coldest months in the southern hemisphere are July and August.

Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min -1C
Lowest Max 12.3C
Highest Max 15C
1.5mm Rain

What's happening in the garden?
We had a couple of windy days early last week and those new chooks went beserk!
Two flew over the fence (but did come home to roost at night) so Doc and I made the decision to move them into the 'secure cell' in the old chook run until we can settle them down.

It seems like they just begin to accept our presence and something happens to stir them up again. Of course moving them out of their house in the dark the other night really set them off. One screamed all the way to their new lodgings...I don't know what the neighbours thought but no one was game enough to say anything.

The Garden Group visited a members 'Scrub Block' this week...
beautiful old buildings, fantastic scenery and breathtaking views!

Propagation:
Potting up and on:
15x Dusty Miller Centaurea gymnocarpa
7x Pink Violets Viola odorata rosea
6x Thyme Thymus vulgaris
6x Lavender Munstead Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead'
3x Acacia victoriae AKA Prickly Wattle, Gundabluey, Bramble Wattle, Elegant Wattle...(I think the name Gundabluey is my favourite!)
6x New Zealand Spinach Warrigal Greens Tetragonia tetragonioides
9x Felicia amelloides Variegated

Cuttings/Division:
Popped several cuttings of Feijoa Feijoa sellowiana in a pot after Doc 'pruned' a branch off for easier access into the old chook run!
Removed a few (8) Pizza Thyme Thymus nummularius pieces from their big pot for planting up into smaller pots. These are to go into a new Pizza Herb Garden I'm planning for the Cob Oven area this spring.

Planting:

For the Planting module of my course this week I needed to plant out 10 plants from pots and 3 bare rooted trees. So we have some new fruit trees and their companions as well as a few new natives in the front garden.

I have to photograph every step of the way as a record for the course and The Black Ninja was there to supervise of course! Or maybe she was just enjoying the winter sunshine!

New in the Garden This week:

3 new fruit trees:
Apple Pink Lady (late fruiting)
Nectarine Goldmine
Peach Elberta

The soil temperatures are very low at the moment and this little Legless Lizard wasn't impressed when I disturbed his slumber while I was digging the planting holes...so I found him a nice warm rock to live under instead.


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.
Jerusalem Artichoke***3175g Some went at the markets.
Lemons***7950g Juiced for cordial and freezing.

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

The Cackleberries!
At last!!!! 3 Eggs from the Ginger Girls.

It's great to hear them Cackling again!

Winter Colour

Scarecrow's Log: 14:06:2009:

Winter is the time for comfort,
for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand
and for a talk beside the fire:
it is the time for home.
~Edith Sitwell~

Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min -1.0C
Lowest Max 9.6C
Highest Max 14.0C
22mm Rain

What's happening in the garden?

Colour in winter...Pink Correa

More colour and growth:

Cabbage, Calendula, Cauliflower and Rosemary.

Propagation:
None this week again...my course topic this week was pruning...

Pruning Fruit trees, Rosemary and the Saltbush hedge out the front...some of the fruit I picked off for the chooks first.

New in the Garden This week:

A visit from a Grey Butcherbird with his delightful song for such an aggressive predator!
See this link for more info
And here for photos of his earlier visit

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.
Carrots Atomic Red***479g
Celery Kintsai (Soup Celery)***60g
Pumpkin Queensland Blue***2708g Found hiding above the chookrun gate!
Swede Butter***168g
Turnip Golden***425g
Lemons***4959g Juice frozen in ice cube trays for later use.

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

Don't tell the chooks but we are still buying eggs...

Winter Begins...

Scarecrow's Log: 07:06:2009:

First week of winter
...rain is falling
...the fire is on
...Lucky Dog has moved inside

Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min 2.8C
Lowest Max 11C
Highest Max 14.4C
14.5mm Rain

What's happening in the garden?

Those new little chookies
are slowly showing an interest
in what we bring to feed them
instead of running away each time!

Doc's done a great job of cleaning and sharpening
our pruning tools.
We are all set for winter pruning now.

The Broad Beans are showing their heads
despite the cold weather.

Propagation:
Not much happening this week...too cold, too wet (ya!) and I have a cold!
Just as well that the Gardenate June chart for my zone lists only:
Broad Beans
Mustard Greens
Onion
Peas
Radish
Shallots
Snow Peas
Swedes
...I've already got most (the ones I want) of those in already! I use the chart for Cool/Mountain zone now that it's so cold here...not much will change for next month.

New in the Garden This week:

I'm finding that spiders are enjoying the curtains
...each time I take off a clamp
to tend the veg I find a new one!

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.
Carrots Atomic Red***250g
Celery Kintsai (Soup Celery)***170g
Snow Peas Roi de Carouby***90g
Swede Butter***200g
Turnip Golden***300g
we've been cooking soups and stews on top of the wood fire!

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

I'm not mentioning eggs this week!