A Little Spring In The Air

Scarecrow's Garden Log: 31:07:2010:

The old Almond tree is nearly dead

but it's still managing to put on an early blossom show!

Temperatures this week:

Lowest Min -1.2C
Lowest Max 13C
Highest Max 18C
2mm Rain

What's the weather been like in the garden?
The days are slowly warming up enough to enjoy working in the garden. We've had the odd frosty morning, a little rain and ended the week with some windy weather again!

The days are warming up enough for the bees to be out,
this one found the orange
Calendulas in the Almond Area.

Propagation:
Seeds:
Peas Climbing Sugar Snap (Diggers) into loo rolls and put in the hothouse for a head start on germination as the soil is still very cold at this time of the year.

Potting up:
Jostaberry Ribes nidigrolaria cuttings
Prostrate Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus' cuttings
Larkspur Delphinium consolida seedlings
Galangal rhizomes Alpinia galangal (Green Harvest) into pots placed in the hothouse. Growing Info Here

Planting Out:
Strawberry Lowanna (New Gippsland Seeds)

Cuttings:
Variegated Elderberry Sambucus nigra variegata
White Correa Correa alba

In the Garden This week:

The bathtub in the water-garden shade house has been harvested of any remaing Waterchestnuts (these have been cleaned for re-planting). The soil in the tub was in good condition and I've added a small bag of cow manure to re-supplement it for another crop. New corms (the larger from those harvested) have been planted and the soil moistened. A plastic cover was put over the bathtub to keep the frosts off. As the Waterchestnuts grow I'll fill the tub with water again.

In a broccoli box nearby some Watercress seedlings are emerging and I didn't even plant them.

The Sapphire Potatoes that had grown away in the hot house have now been planted into bed 2 in the Main Veg Garden. Some chitted Dutch Cream potatoes have been planted next to them. This is an early trial planting. The bed will need a plastic cover to protect the emerging foliage from frosts but I'm hoping it will mean the potatoes have a good chance of cropping before the real heat of summer arrives early next year.

The Tomato seeds planted last week have started to germinate, as have the Nasturtiums and Globe Artichokes from the heated bed. They now spend their days by the sunny window in the caravan where the heat-bed is housed this year!

Also emerging are the Alyssum and Thyme
in the hothouse.
The insert is a close up of the tiny thyme seedlings.

I cleared a tub (an old 200 litre drum, cut down) in the Main Veg Garden and planted some Strawberry Lowanna plants. I've left a few volunteer Italian Parsley seedlings and the Anise Hyssop (which is showing signs of re-growth) to grow with them.

The Roi de Carouby Snow Peas were out growing their fleece covering so I've replaced it with longer pieces (the old piece was used to cover the potatoes until I get some plastic!)

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.
Beetroot-Golden***169g
Broccoli Nutri Bud***261g
Carrots Chantenay Red-cored***809g
Celery - Tendercrisp***42g
Kale Mixed***283g
MangelWurzel***121g
Parsnips Hollow Crown***122g
Peas Sugar Snap***67g
Radish Cherry Belle***50g
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed***200g
Spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing***27g

Eggs
17 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
15 From the 4 Barnevelders
21 From the 5 Faverolles

To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the newest Map of our place HERE