Scarecrow's Garden

Red Sunflowers

2012-01-23T19:52:00.004+10:30

Update: Week 3 of January 2012:

Prado Red Sunflowers

Weather highlights:
Lowest Min 10.2C
Highest Max 37.6C
3 mm Rain

Propagation:
Potting on/up:
Broccoli Purple Sprouting
Cabbage Ethiopian
Cauliflower Romanesco
Cauliflower Violet Sicilian
Kale Morton's Mixed
Kale Tuscan Black (Cavalo Nero)

Next Week To Do:
I'm setting myself small tasks as I recover from strained back muscles...slowly, slowly!
Sow Silverbeet, Mini Cauliflowers and some Broccoli seeds on 26th/27th or 31st Jan.
Remove Squash and Cucumber plants from Bed 11 as they have powdery mildew and have finished production for the year.
Plant out seedlings of Beetroot, Silverbeet, Parsley when (or if) the weather is cooler or overcast or rainy!
Prepare Bed 5 for some Potatoes as a trial planting using saved tubers and new stock if I can find any!!!

Harvest:
Beans Tongues Of Fire 40g
Cucumber Bushy 94g
Potato Bismark 591g
Tomatoes Money Maker 127g
Zucchini Rondo De Nice 2151g
Cossack Pineapples 316g
Plums (tree 1) 11352g (made into Plum Sauce)
Plums (tree 2) 563g

Chooks: 29 eggs
1 from the lone Barnevelder
16 from the 5 Farmyard Ferals
12 from the 4 Faverolles

I have stopped harvesting
the Tongues Of Fire Dwarf Beans,
they will be left to mature for seed saving.

Future harvest I'm looking forward to!

Some Suyo Long Cucumbers plants finally survived
the earwig onslaught
and are just starting to set fruit!

This spider has taken up residence
in the Red Bor Kale
he seems to be keeping the bugs away!

If you live in Adelaide
there is a competition to find
Adelaide's Best Vegetable Patch
see details HERE

Grand Twins Visit

2012-01-17T14:04:00.002+10:30

Update: Week 2 of January 2012

Guess who came to visit!
Their Daddy found the wheelbarrow
and they loved the ride!

Weather Highs and Lows:
Lowest Min 8.5C
Highest Max 28.7C
No Recorded Rainfall

Propagation:
Seeds:
Radish Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus Oriental from DT Brown
Radish Raphanus sativus Mixed colours from The Italian Gardener

Harvesting this week:
Plus salad greens from Goldrush Lettuce, Mushroom Plant, Gotu Kola, Parsley, Shallot Greens, Silverbeet and Leaf Amaranth.
Beans Gourmet Delight 21g
Beans Tongues of Fire 76g
Capsicum Hungarian Yellow 23g
Carrots Mixed 96g
Cucumber Bushy 313g
Leeks Bulgarian Giant 132g
Onion Red 86g
Potato Brownell196g
Potato Bismark 216g
Potato Cranberry Red 384g
Silverbeet 77g
Squash Acorn Table Queen 103g
Tomato Big Rainbow 69g
Tomato Black Cherry 68g
Tomato Ida Gold 127g
Tomato Money Maker 64g
Tomato Stor Gul 153g
Zucchini Rondo De Nice 1427g
Cossack Pineapple 77g
Plums 351g

Chooks: 31 eggs
5 from the lone Barnevelder
22 from the 5 Farmyard Ferals
14 from the 4 Faverolles

The Grand Twins are growing up fast...

They dug in the dirt
- future little helpers in Nannie's garden I think!

Little Miss is fascinated by flowers while MiniMan collects sticks!
They loved testing out PoppyDoc's Wooden Toy stock!
When it was time to go Little Miss was still carefully studying her Nasturtium flower!

Shingleback Lizard

2012-01-11T15:27:00.002+10:30

Shingleback Lizard Tiliqua rugosa

aka Stumpy-tailed Lizard; Boggi;
Sleepy Lizard, Bobtail Lizard,
Two-headed Lizard and Pinecone Lizard

I have been waiting to catch a photo of this lizard for a couple of weeks. I first spotted it seeking a cool damp spot during the heat. Today it was seeking the warmth of the tyres along the driveway that have agapanthus growing in them.
This is a good spot for it to live because the agapanthus are renown for attracting snails and one of the Shinglebacks favourite meals is a snail!!!

Our Shinglebacks have lighter coloured markings than those in other parts of the country probably because it is normally hotter over here!

Humid Weather

2012-01-09T19:07:00.002+10:30

Update: First week of January 2012

The humid, warm days has set
the Sweet Potato off and growing.

The Yacon Smallanthus sonchifolius is thriving too.

Weather Highs and Lows:
Lowest Min 11.8C
Highest Max 39.5C
Rain 14mm

Propagation:
Seeds:
Beans Bush Phaseolus vulgaris Roc D'Or - Green Harvest into Bed 13
Beans Climbing Phaseolus vulgaris - Purple King DT Brown into Bed 1
Zucchini Cucurbita pepo var, melopepo Costata Romanesco - Phoenix Seeds into small pots for transplanting

Harvesting this week:
Salad greens from Goldrush Lettuce, Mushroom Plant, Gotu Kola, Parsley, Shallot Greens, Silverbeet and Leaf Amaranth.
Beans Gourmet Delight 50g
Beans Tongues of Fire 387g
Cucumber Bushy 116g
Squash Scalloped Yellow Button 257g
Tomato Big Rainbow 124g
Tomato Ida Gold 49g
Tomato Money Maker 81g
Tomato Pineapple 47g
Tomato Stor Gul 197g
Cossack Pineapple 111g

Chooks: 31 eggs:-
3 from the lone Barnevelder
13 from the 5 Farmyard Ferals
15 from the 4 Faverolles

The Black Sultana Grapes are staring to colour up!

In Bed 12 in the Kitchen Garden the Capsicums are setting fruit and the Cossack Pineapples are ripening and providing a tasty treat and maybe enough to try some jam soon!

Down in the Pumpkin Jungle several pumpkins have set and are growing fast, the vines seem to be coping with a slight attack of powdery mildew brought on by the unusually humid weather this year.

Scarecrow's Garden Journal Notes: December 2011

2012-01-03T17:03:00.003+10:30

Lots of flowers around the garden this year...

The flower of the Black Cumin is unusual and is followed by an equally unusual seed head...similar to it's cousin Love in the Mist.
The Agapanthus have been spectacular especially considering these don't need any watering at all...probably why they are considered a weed in some areas!
Creamy white Nasturtium Milkmaid from Diggers makes an unusual change from the orange and yellow varieties!
Finally I have a PINK Hollyhock... I think I have Kate to thank for this one. :)
Even the Bronze Fennel flowers are unaffected by bugs this year and are making a stunning display.

Temperatures this month:
Lowest Min 3C
Highest Min 21C
Lowest Max 19.8C
Highest Max 37.3C
68.5 mm Rain

Rain comparison with other years: Dec average is 22.7mm:
2011 68.5mm
2010 43.5mm
2009 4mm
2008 44.9mm
2007 26mm

Propagation: listed in weekly updates
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

Harvest Tally:
There is something from the garden every day at this time of the year!
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.

Beans Tongues of Fire 576g
Beans Gourmet Delight 218g
Cabbage Early Jersey Wakefield 1032g
Carrots mixed colours 152g
Celery American Stringless 427g
Cucumber Bushy 580g
Kale Red Bor 164g
Leek Bulgarian Giant 147g
Onion Stuttgart 621g

Potatoes:
Nicola 544g
Bismark 1695g
Brownell 105g
Cranberry Red 333g

Tomato Ida Gold 177g
Tomato Pineapple 66g
Squash Yellow Scallop 677g
Zucchini Rondo De Nice 5964g

Fruit:
Apricots 11011g
Cherries 3075g
Figs 450g
Loganberries 205g
Strawberries 95g

Eggs: (total for month)
98 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
21 From the 1 Barnevelder
66 From the 4 Faverolles

December of Previous Years:
2010
2009
2008
2007

To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the newest Map of What's Growing Where HERE

Come on over to the Scarecrow's Garden Facebook page and say Hi!

I'll end with this photo of a Spider...it shows up well against the white background of one of the old fridges around the garden. See Here

Last Week of 2011

2011-12-31T19:48:00.002+10:30

December: The Last Week of 2011

This has to be the best year for Dwarf Beans
I'm harvesting a small amount each day!

Weather:
The week started Hot, cooled down on Monday then the temperature steadily climbed back to 36C by Saturday. The New Year looks like starting off very hot with 39C predicted for the next few days! Argh!!

Propagation:
Seeds:
Early sowing of winter brassicas
Brassica oleracea
Broccoli Purple Sprouting from 4 Seasons Seeds
Cauliflower Romanesco (I usually call this one Broccoli) from The Italian Gardener
Cauliflower Violet Sicilian from Green Harvest
Kale Morton's Mix from Phoenix Seeds
Kale Tuscan Black (Cavalo Nero) from Diggers
Cabbage Ethiopian Brassica abyssinica from Seed Savers Network

Some 'top-up' seeds from earlier greens planting after the rain and heat kind of killed the first lot!!!
Lettuce Butternut
Miner's Lettuce

Cuttings:
Coreopsis

The Large Mixed and Tiny Spinning Top Gourds
are setting and showing their curious shapes!

It looks like the mystery pumpkins in Bed 6
will be Butternuts!
I don't have a lot of luck growing that variety
and here they are volunteering all by themselves!

***Happy New Year to all***
May your Food Garden
grow well in 2012!

Web News Dec 2011

2011-12-26T08:07:00.001+10:30

Things I have found interesting around the web this month.

You may have caught some of these on the Scarecrow's Garden Facebook Page and if you have I apologize for the double up!

Check out these great "Hay Creations" on this link

Costa Geordiadis of SBS's Costa's Garden Odyssey is all set to take over as the host of Gardening Australia. He should liven up the show!!! Read more about it here

Over at Organic Gardener Magazine website they reckon summer is the perfect time to get the Compost cooking!!! With the rainstorms we are getting maybe this is a good idea. See Here

While still at the ABC check out the Top Environment Stories of 2011 by Sarah Phillips Here

From Mother Earth News All About Growing Celery See Here

And from my Blog list...
Foodnstuff is celebrating the arrival of the first egg from the Barnevelders!!! Check out the post Here

Now for some videos...

A clever Chicken Tunnel system that I might have to investigate further for next spring so the girls can clean up the earwigs at garden bed level...I might have to top up the worms in the beds after though...

How about building a Mandala Garden like Geoff Lawton looks at in this video

For using up some of the harvest from the garden...
Here are is a video with ideas on using up a few of the never ending supply of Zucchinis. From The Garden Guru Phil Dudman

How about this sweet dish using SilverBeet (Chard) of all things from Gill at River Cottage

I finally updated my Garden Photo Blog with some Christmas pix Here
And don't forget to come on over to the Scarecrow's Garden Facebook page and say Hi!

Longest Day plus Lots of Rain!!

2011-12-22T15:57:00.003+10:30

December Week 3:

Summer Solstice Greetings 2011

Weather:
Over the weekend storms dropped 67mm of rain with 40 of that in about half an hour!!! Things got pretty wet but dried out quickly as the temperature rose through the week.

Propagation: Seeds:
Lots of flowering plant seeds have been scattered around the edges of the garden after the rain.
Sunflowers
Marigolds
Cosmos
Buckwheat
Mustard

Potting on/up:
Scuplit
Lettuce Butternut
Miners Lettuce
Salvia
Mitsuba
Silverbeet

Cuttings:
Chilli Yatsufusa - according to this site has 75,000 heat units, they reckon Jalapeno measures only 5,000 heat units!!
Capsicum California Wonder
These hopefully will grow in pots for over-wintering in the hothouse next year.

The Edge Planting at the end of beds 4&5 has come up well and is attracting bees under the shadecloth to the Rockmelons and Zucchinis with lots of flowers.

Although starting to show signs of humidity related problems (from all the rain!!) the Rondo de Nice Zucchinis are still producing delicious, round fruit almost daily!

We are expecting a great Grape harvest this year...the rain has knocked the vines down from the top of the pergola but we have left them down to dry out properly. Most of the state was on a Downy Mildew Alert over the weekend but things have dried out well with gentle winds this week.

It's getting difficult to get around in the Old Chook Run with Pumpkins, Trombones and Squash growing wild there. Shade was attached on the weekend (more hail alerts!!) and as the temperatures are set to rise this week the main cover has been left in place.

Grasshoppers are busy again this year like this little wingless grasshopper with occasional larger ones, they are quickly dispatched to the chook runs!!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas
and a Happy and Safe New Year...

...may your Garden Grow Great Food
for you all next year!

Matron's Christmas Veggie Blog

2011-12-18T12:10:00.003+10:30

Matron asked for a photo what we had growing in the garden that we could use on Christmas day.

This is the photo I sent to her!

Well here in Oz we are never quite know what the weather is going to do on Christmas Day. It pretty much determines whether we eat a traditional roast (we usually do) or go for a more Aussie BBQ with plenty of salads.

Although it is technically summer here it's been a cold start and not everything is buzzing along. Morning temps still drop below 10C. It's beautiful weather really.

OK if we go for the cooked meal...we live in hope that the temperature will not reach 45C...then lets wander around the garden to see just what could be included.

We have Potatoes...Nicolas are ready with maybe a couple of Cranberry Reds for colour.
The Tongues of Fire Green Beans are just getting big enough to harvest.
There is a selection of Onions to choose from Cream and White or some tender young Baby Leeks.
We have to include a Rondo de Nice Zucchini (courgette) because we have quite a few of those.
Some Baby Carrots Orange and Yellow this year.
For some cooked greens we have a selection...Cabbage, Celery, Red Kale, Young Dandelion leaves, Purple Orach, Silverbeet (Chard), NZ Spinach, and I could try some of the tips of the pumpkin vines that I keep nipping off.

The chooks are safe (I can't eat my friends and workers) we have a purchased free range chook in the freezer but I've plenty of Sage, Lemon Thyme and Onions for the stuffing.

But for some salads for a BBQ...
Tabbouleh as there is plenty of Parsley and enough little Ida Gold Tomatoes, add some of the Garlic that's recently been picked with some Lemon juice that was frozen earlier in the year.

For a tossed Green salad I could go for Mini greens...baby Lettuce, young Red Kale, Beetroot greens, new growth on the Duck Potatoes, Lebanese Cress, Watercress and young Nasturtium leaves plus a few of the leaves of the Mushroom Plant. With some Chives for flavour.

Add to this some Radish, Shallot greens, Celery, topped off with some edible flowers Zucchini, Pumpkin, Borage, Hollyhock, Nasturtiums, Chives, Red Clover, Lucerne, petals from Calendula and some very young Dandelion flowers

A selection of herbs for flavour Coriander (flowers can go in too), many Mints, Fennel, Dill, Basil (sweet, lemon and Thai), Chives, Lemongrass (and a native variety), Parcel (cut celery) and Native Parsley (or sea celery) there is plenty of Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme and/or Sage.
And from the girls an Egg salad with Chives, Coriander and Parsley.

I have my fingers crossed that this little Cucumber (the first) might be ready and maybe some of the bigger tomatoes might just ripen in time. There are some Chillies ready that overwintered in the hothouse.

Dessert??
Fruit - Cherries, Loganberries, Mulberries, Apricots and a couple of Strawberries. If Doc is really lucky some of the Figs might just be ripe in time too.
These served with some homemade icecream or a creamy egg custard I think!

No one will go hungry on Christmas Day here that's for sure.

Be sure to check Matron's Blog Down on the Allotment to see what others in the Northworld have growing for Christmas Dinner! Her post should be up soon if it is not there yet...I can't figure out the time difference!!

Full Moon and Apricots

2011-12-15T14:57:00.001+10:30

December Week 2:

The full moon last weekend coincided with a lunar eclipse but that happened too late for this Scarecrow to be out taking photos!!

Weather:
The week began with a couple of days of light drizzle that didn't amount to much rain in the gauge but did seem to settle the dust!
Day temperatures haven't gone much above 25C. It has been a rather pleasant week weather wise although not warm enough for ripening tomatoes or encouraging growth of the watermelon plants!

Propagation: Seeds:
Beans Climbing Purple King in the Old Chook Run garden
Radish Colorati Raphanus sativus (mixed colours) from The Italian Gardener
Beetroot Chioggia Beta vulgaris from Eden Seeds
These seeds were planted in a Wicking Box on the front verandah
Turmeric Curcuma domestica syn Curcuma longa rhizomes in a pot.

Potting on/up:
Sea Kale Crambe maritima

Planting out:

Melons and cucumbers planted to grow on a homemade trellis.

Cucumber Suyo Long
Melon Early Hanover
Melon Tigger
Summer Savory
Amaranth
Sorrel Garden
in the Old Chook Run in-ground garden beds

Lettuce Goldrush
Leaf Amaranth
Beetroot Golden Detroit and Bulls Blood
Cabbage Tokyo Bekana
In the Greens Wicking Tank to replace bolting greens (see where here)

Lettuce Goldrush
Cabbage Tokyo Bekana
These were planted in a Wicking Box on the front verandah

Cuttings:
Sweet Potato White
Lavender

The White Sweet Potato is sprouting up again
so I have carefully removed and potted up
some of the 'slips' for planting elsewhere.

Barnie the last Barnevelder
seems happy to be by herself.
I let her out to forage each day
and she is well behaved
especially with the Black Ninja on patrol...(ish)

The Tongues of Fire Dwarf Beans

are beginning to produce tiny beans
that colour up as they get bigger!

I have been harvesting Apricots this week
making yummy jam, drying some
and eating some (not too many at once though)

Potato Pots

2011-12-11T09:38:00.002+10:30

Just what I thought might happen...the potatoes in the White Wicking Bucket are much happier than those in the Black Wicking Pots!

These have all been covered with 70% shadecloth on days with temps over 30C but those black pots are still heating up too much.

They would be better suited to a late winter/very early spring crop with frost protection...another note to self for next year!

***This was not a controlled test, just an observation!***

A Cool Start to Summer

2011-12-07T18:50:00.001+10:30

December week 1:

The front garden has recently
become a playground for these two young
Top Knots aka Crested Pigeon - Ocyphaps lophotes
Info Link Here

Weather:
A cool start to the first month of Summer downunder in SA.
On the first of December the minimum temperature dropped to only 3C
Maximum temps have been climbing slowly from 23C to end the week on 33C.

Propagation:
Seeds:
Zucchini nero di Milano (Organic) Cucurbita pepo from The Italian Gardener
This is for late December planting out.

Potting on/up:
Eggplant Casper
Eggplant Long Purple
Lavender Munstead Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead' - purchased seedlings

The second planting (direct seeded) of Runner Beans
has overtaken the seedlings...
...a note to self for next year
- don't bother growing Runner Beans
as seedlings for transplanting!

Did you know?...
The white flowers of gourds are pollinated
by insects during the night!

Purple Orach (Mountain Spinach)
- a colourful 'greens' plant for summer.

More colour in the Red Bor Kale
but I think it would be happier growing through winter.

Scarecrow's Garden Journal Notes: November 2011

2011-12-01T16:20:00.001+10:30

Some of this month's harvest:
Yellow Scallop Squash, Garlic, Broad Beans (for seed)
Loganberries, Rondo De Nice Zucchini
and Ida Gold Tomatoes!

Temperatures this month:
Lowest Min 2.2C
Highest Min 17.5C
Lowest Max 16.2C
Highest Max 36.4C
79.5mm Rain (recorded in my garden)

Rain: comparison with other years average is 26mm:
2011 79.5mm
2010 19.5mm
2009 55mm
2008 55mm
2007 60mm

Propagation: listed in weekly updates
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

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 342g
Cauliflower Mini 274g
Celery American Stringless 740g
Garlic Purple Monaro 1313g
Garlic White 1389g
Lettuces - Goldrush, Drunken Woman, Red Coral 530g
Onion Stuttgart 296g
Peas Onward 150g
Radish 80g
Tomato Ida Gold 125g
Squash Yellow Scallop 199g
Zucchini Rondo De Nice 2426g

Loganberries 2042g
Strawberries 492g

Eggs: (total for month)
63 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
32 From the 2 Barnevelders (now only 1)
61 From the 4 Faverolles

November of Previous Years:
2010
2009
2008
2007

To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the newest Map of 'What's Growing Where' HERE

Come on over to the Scarecrow's Garden Facebook page and say Hi!

Flower Salads???

2011-11-30T14:15:00.003+10:30

Update Nov 2011 Week 4:

Hollyhock flowers - this seems to be the colour that likes growing in my garden...no matter which seeds I actually plant!!
Did you know that Hollyhock flowers are edible??
I haven't tasted them yet but they are said to be bland.
This link has a list of edible flowers that would brighten up a salad.

Weather highlights:
We started the week in jumpers and trackpants, we had windy, cool weather (Friday's temp crawled to 16C with rain!) we ended this week with temps predicted up to 35C with horrible north winds!!

Propagation:
Seeds:
Alyssum Gold Dust Aurinia saxatilis Goodman Seeds
Basil Lemon Mrs. Burns Ocimum basilicum/americanum The Lost Seed
Cabbage Tokyo Bekana Brassica rapa var. chinensis Green Harvest
Celery Tendercrisp Apium graveolens var. dulce The Lost Seed
Cosmos Yellow Cosmos bipinnatus Home Saved Seed
Lettuce Butternut Lactuca sativa Home Saved Seeds
Miners Lettuce Montia perfoliata Phoenix Seeds
Mitsuba Cryptotaenia japonica 4 Seasons Seeds
Parcel Apium graveolens var. Secalinum - Home Saved Seeds
Salvia Blaze of Fire Salvia splendens Mr Fothergill's Seeds
Scuplit Silene inflata The Italian Gardener
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed Beta vulgaris 4 Seasons Seeds
Vietnamese Balm Elsholtzia ciliata Green Harvest

Potting on/up:
Basil All Seasons cuttings
Celery Tendercrisp I'm sowing seeds of celery each month to see when they grow best!
Cucumber Suyo Long and Bushy
Broad Leaf Guinea Flower Hibbertia obtusifolia
Sage Pineapple Salvia elegans syn S. rutilans
Herb Robert Geranium robertianum

Cuttings:
Double Pink Marguerite Daisy Argyranthemum sp
Sage Pineapple Salvia elegans syn S. rutilans

Planting out:
The last of the Large Mixed Gourd seedlings as I have now removed all the Broad Beans growing in Bed 7
Basil All Seasons cuttings into Bed 3 and Bed4/5 edge planting

First female flowers on the Whangaparaoa Crown Pumpkins
have been hand pollinated. See how on this link.

These Yellow Scallop Squash are looking yummy.

We only have fruit on one of the Apricot trees this year and they are showing signs of rain and hail damage but they are getting bigger and slowly beginning to colour up...

The Tigger Melons in Bed 6 are being trained up the wire cage that supported the tomatoes last year. A couple of volunteer squash/pumpkins have popped up out of the compost (?) and will be encouraged to grow outside of the cage...they are free to sprawl over the sides of the bed if they so desire...

This Golden Coreopsis was planted in the edge bed of Beds4/5
to encourage bees to go in under the shade
to pollinate the zucchini and melons growing in the beds!

While we are still picking Loganberries
and watching the Black Mulberries slowly ripen
the Thornless Blackberries are flowering
ready for fruiting later in the season!!

This Month's Winner

2011-11-30T12:20:00.001+10:30

OK it's past noon here at Scarecrow's Garden in SA.

The Winner for the latest Gardening Australia Magazine is:

Debbie
from Simply Me blog

Please Email Me with your address so I can get your details to the people at Morey Media who will send out your magazine ASAP!

Thank you to everyone who went in the draw, sorry you couldn't all win.

What's Growing Where Spring 2011

2011-11-26T15:54:00.001+10:30

Here is the full list of what is planted in each of the productive areas around the garden.
I've broken the garden into separate areas now and each Wicking Bed now has a number (all 20 of them!)

The Kitchen Garden in it's now expanded form Link Here

The Almond Area Garden Link Here

The Main Vegetable Garden Link Here

The Orchard (Faverolles chook run) Garden Link Here

The Old Chook Run Garden Link Here

You'll find them all on one page by clicking This Link

December Gardening Australia Magazine

2011-11-25T13:10:00.002+10:30

The December issue of Gardening Australia has been labelled the Edible Issue!

Tino Carnevale has a delightful article on growing Edible Plants as ornamentals and actually growing them in the ornamental garden! This is something I fully agree with him about.

Maggie Beer has written about growing Cumquats - not a fruit I have ever considered growing, considering my lack of success with citrus in general but Maggie's recipes sound delicious as usual.

There is a fascinating story from England (with a strong Australian influence) about a Cafe, that's actually in a Greenhouse, which is part of a Nursery. To me that sounds like heaven...

Josh Byrne has an article which delves into all the details of his Water Wise Garden over in Western Australia.

Last (but by no means least!) there is the cover story of how Indira Naidoo has filled her inner-city Balcony with Edible Plants and enjoyed the process so much that she has written a book on the subject. Just goes to show you don't need to have a huge garden to eat well from it. Check out Indira's Blog for more great photos here on this link.

Thanks to the people at Morey Media, who do the PR for Gardening Australia, for sending me a freebie copy of this latest magazine so that I could review it here for you.

I have ONE copy of the December Gardening Australia Magazine to Giveaway to one of my Blog Readers!

As long as you live in Australia (sorry) you can go in the draw!

So make sure you mention the magazine in a comment below for your chance to win a copy! Or you can leave a comment on the wall of Scarecrow's Garden Facebook Page.

Be quick because we will draw ONE winner's name
out of a hat on
Wednesday 30th November at noon!

Don't forget to check out the Gardening Australia website here

or go to the Gardening Australia Facebook page here

My Diary

2011-11-24T10:55:00.002+10:30

Katrina asked how I keep track of all the seed sowing, potting on and planting out around the garden. I wrote about keeping records in the Beginner's Guides (Part 5 here) but thought I'd add a bit more information.

I find it very helpful to know important dates in my garden. Things like:

first and last frost dates...although these can vary widely
when to expect rain...even if it doesn't come
experimental plantings...some work, some don't
when I order seeds and from where
seed saving notes
daily harvests of fruit, veg and eggs...I'm even training Doc to help here!!!
moon planting information...this helps break down the sowing into groups - fruiting, leafy and roots/perennials
including noting days when we have been away from home

Basically there is no way I could remember all those details without writing them down.

This year I have used a cheap diary that shows one week to an opening (double page). The cheap shops sell them and 'student diaries' are a similar layout.

As you can see in the photo above I try to write everything down as I do it. Yes, things still get missed but there is usually enough information to jog my memory for what else I did that day. That week in the photo was a busy week, sometimes there is very little written on the pages!

I use the websites mentioned in the beginners guide to keep track of weather conditions but I do keep my own rain totals as these seem to vary.

Writing it all up in this blog each week (in busy times) or month really helps to make sense of it all but that little diary is a 'hard copy' of my garden activities. It is interesting to go back through old 'journals' to our early days here (18 years ago) and see how the garden has developed. Even through years of drought!

As I ended in the beginners guide...
...I hope this has been helpful to you. Just remember to keep as much or as little information as you’re comfortable with.

Mixed Weather

2011-11-23T15:18:00.002+10:30

November 2011 Week 3:

Weather highlights:
With day temperatures reaching 35C and above the shade covers have proved their worth already this season. A cool change on the weekend brought some welcome rain and the cooler weather following meant a chance to get some more seedlings planted out. I am beginning to get some spare room on my propagation tables. Just as well because my Trees For Life supplies have been collected and I will be planting the first seeds very soon!

Propagation:
Seeds:
Nasturtium Jewel Mixed
Sunflower Sun King
Red Clover
Direct sown in the Old Chook Run Garden

Potting on:
Cucumber Bushy from seeds sown 10/11/11;
Cucumber Suyo Long from seeds sown 10/11/11;
Celery from seeds sown 29/10/11;

Planting out: clearing some of my leftover 'backup' seedlings.
Tomato - Black Cherry Seedlings from seeds sown 11/08/11;
Silverbeet - Green Organic from seeds sown 4/08/11;
Were planted into the Kitchen Garden area 4
Coriander - Seedlings from seeds sown 29/10/11;
Lettuce - Goldrush Seedlings from seeds sown 29/10/11;
Amaranth Leaf - Seedlings from seeds sown 29/10/11;
Went into the Greens Wicking Tank

In the Old Chook Run Garden:
Tomato Money Maker and Big Rainbow Seedlings from seeds sown 10/07/11;
Silverbeet Green Organic Seedlings from seeds sown 4/08/11;
A mix match of Companion Plants: again helping to clear the propagation benches!
Basil Genovase, Large Leaf Italian Ocimum basilicum
False Balm of Gilead Cedronella triphylla
Golden Daisy Bush Euryops pectinatus
Lavender Lavandula officinalis
Marguerite Daisy Double White Argyranthemum frutescens
Marigold Crackerjack Tagetes erecta
Marigold Oranges and Lemons Tagetes patula
Nasturtiums Tropaeolum majus Tall Mixed
Parsley Curled Petroselinum sativum
Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis
Society Garlic Tulbaghia violacea
Strawberry Guava Psidium littorale var. longipes
Tansy Tanacetum vulgare
Thyme common Thymus vulgaris
Willow Herb Epilobium parviflorum

In Tank Wicking Bed 8 MVG
Luffa
Gourd Spinning Top
Cucumber Bushy
Marigold companions

At the end of October these (see them here) newly planted Trombone and Pumpkin seedlings were being attacked big time!!!
The latest photo taken earlier this week shows how they have recovered. They had been covered up each night out of the reach of the minibeasties. Now that they are growing too large to be covered they seem to be fighting off the attackers by themselves!
The hoops were for shade covers when the seedlings were tiny. They remain to enable emergency covers to be thrown over for protection when we are on "hail alerts".
These plants are growing in the old chook run and the nearby Tagasaste trees will provide cooling shade in summer.

With the heat the Loganberries ripen rapidly...we eat as many as we can fresh then the rest go into the freezer for cold treats on hot days or additions to the fruit salads Doc and I take with us to markets for our breakfast!
After the rain all ripe fruit was harvested before any chance that mould could develop (none did) and the pickings were made into some yummy jam.

During this week I will be posting the updated What's Growing Where? on this link.

First Zucchini, First Tomatoes.

2011-11-16T09:07:00.001+10:30

November 2011 Week 2:

It's great having Lavender
growing under the clothes line...
...but it needs to be kept pruned
so we can hang the clothes out!!!

Weather highlights:
Cooler, calmer days after the storms time to get out and plant and weed...before the next lot of weeds grow up.
By the weekend the temperature was 35C with strong, hot northerly winds blowing...more heat is forecast so it's time to get the shadecloth up.

Propagation: Seeds:
Cucumber Cucumis sativus -
Bushy The Lost Seed
Italian Non Acid Cornucopia Seeds
Suyo Long The Lost Seed
Direct sown Squash Acorn Table Queen in bed 3 MVG
Beans Dwarf Tongues of Fire in Bed 7 MVG Replacing some the slugs ate!
Beans Runner Scarlet Emperor into Bed 9 MVG additional to the seedlings as they are not growing well.

Seedlings potted up from seeds sown 29/10/11:
Amaranth Leaf
Basil Purple
Basil Large Sweet Italian
Black Cumin
Borage
Californian Poppy
Coriander
Lettuce Gloria
Lettuce Goldrush
Phacelia
Sorrel Garden

Potting on Plants/Cuttings:
Tansy Tanacetum vulgare
Thyme Pizza Thymus nummularius
Thyme Silver Posy Thymus vulgaris argenteus
Blue Ginger Alpinia caerulea
Ginger Zingiber officinale

Planting out:

Tamarillo Tree Cyphomandra betacea

Planted into the Old Chook Run Garden:
Washington Naval Orange Tree
Tamarillo Tree (Tree Tomato) Cyphomandra betacea

Squash Acorn Table Queen x 2 seedlings from seeds 29/08/11 planted into MVG Bed 3
Tansy cuttings into the edge beds in MVG (Main Vegetable Garden)
Gourd Large Mixed Seedlings from seed sown 28/08/11 planted into Bed 7 MVG

It sure feels like summer is here already!!

With day time temperatures rising
the cherries are starting to colour up
so it's time to get a net over them to keep the birds off.

Some of the large Tomatoes are flowering

Ida Gold are ripening and first ones have been picked!

First Rondo De Nice Zucchini weighed in at 330g!

Grapes are flowering
and we are winning the battle with
the Grapevine Moth caterpillar Phalaenoides glycinae
by picking them off daily.

After the rain the Faverolles enjoyed
a dustbath in the cool soil.

Compare The Triambles

2011-11-13T14:49:00.001+10:30

In case anyone still needs proof
of the sheer 'grow-ability' of Wicking Beds

Check the growth comparison of
these Triamble Pumpkins.

Both seeds started 29/08/11
Both seedlings planted 18/10/11
One in the ground (top)
One in a wicking bed (bottom)

The bottle used for comparison
is a 2 litre drink container
with it's bottom cut off!

Thunderstorm Season?

2011-11-09T20:12:00.005+10:30

Update November Week 1:

In Flower Now:
Silver Lace Bush Tanacetum ptarmiciflorum.

Not only attracting Bees but there are at least
3 Ladybirds on those flowers!

Weather highlights:
Temperatures are starting to rise and the hot winds are blowing in...time for some shade over tender seedlings. On Tuesday morning a thunderstorm dropped over 20mm of rain! Overnight 2 more storms dropped a further 35mm that included hail!!

Propagation:
Seeds:
Around Bed 4 MVG:
Sunflower Pardo Red Helianthus annuus
Into the edge bed of MVG and in the Old Chook Run Garden:
Sunflower Sun King Helianthus annuus
Into the New Wicking Tank (no 20):
Nasturtium Tall Mixed Tropaeolum majus
Scattered around the garden after the rain, seeds of:
Alfalfa Medicago sativa
Buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum
Purslane Portulaca oleracea
Red Clover Trifolium pratense var. sativum

Planting out:

Into Bed 4 (remade wicking bed):
Rockmelon Hearts of Gold Seedlings from seed sown 4/8/11
Peanut Virginia Arachis hypogaea a lone survivor from last year
Nasturtiums Milkmaid Tropaeolum majus Seedlings from seeds sown 29/9/11
On the edge of beds 4&5:
Coreopsis Coreopsis grandiflora
Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis
Annual Chamomile Matricaria chamomilla
Perennial Chamomile Chamaemelum nobile
Black Cumin Nigella sativa
False Balm of Gilead Cedronella triphylla
Statice Limonium sinuata
Portulaca Gold Portulaca grandiflora
Summer Savory Satureja hortensis
Winter Savory Satureja montana
Coriander Coriandrum sativum
Variegated Oregano Oreganum vulgare 'Variegata'
Pink Evening Primrose Oenothera speciosa
Thyme Pink Carpet Thymus serphyllum coccineurs
Thyme White Carpet Thymus serphyllum alba

Into a new Wicking Tank (no 20):
Watermelon Golden Midget Seedlings from seeds sown16/9/11
Watermelon Moon and Stars Seedlings from seeds sown16/9/11
Purple Orach Atriplex hortensis var. purpurea (bought at the Hospital Fete).

Nasturtiums Alaska Seedlings from seeds sown 29/09/11 planted as Companion Plants to the Melons in Beds 6 and 10

Cucumbers Bushy, into the Almond Area Wicking Bed,

they are replacements for the ones the earwigs destroyed
when I forgot to cover the plants for just ONE night.

Potted on:
Watermelon Golden Midget
Watermelon Moon and Stars

Divided and Potted up:
Purple Leaved Wood Violet Viola labradorica

Pumpkin Beetle, Aulacophora hilaris
has been nibbling away at this pumpkin leaf!!
These beetles are removed by hand when found.

Garlic Harvest 2011

2011-11-05T13:40:00.003+10:30

According to this article it was time to harvest the Garlic from Bed 3.

1313g of Purple Monaro Garlic
1389g of SA White Garlic

It is now drying in the sun for couple of days then it will be moved to a shaded airy place to complete the curing process.

The biggest bulb of each type will be saved for next planting next March.

This was an early planting experiment that saw the cloves (from 2 bulbs of garlic) planted into a Wicking Bed back on March 21st 2011.

The Monaro Purple cloves came from a huge bulb that my friend grew from the ones I bought from Eden Seeds in 2010. I gave her some to plant in case mine didn't grow well!
The SA White Bulb came from an organic market. It was the biggest of the ones I bought.

The early planting allowed them time to put on growth before the cold winter weather set in and now they have been harvested before the heat arrives!
It worked in my climate.

Scarecrow's Garden Journal Notes: October 2011

2011-11-02T19:20:00.003+10:30

The Loganberries are loaded
as are the Strawberries in the Berry Wicking Bed

Read more about Growing Berries in a Wicking Bed on my Outback Edge Harvest blog where I have also added a new Plant List Page to list the Beneficial Insect Attracting Plants in and around the garden.

Temperatures this month:
Lowest Min 0.4C
Highest Min 19.2C
Lowest Max 14.7C
Highest Max 33.5C
26.5mm Rain

Rain comparison with other years average is 29mm:
2011 26.5mm
2010 57.5mm
2009 58mm
2008 3mm
2007 15.5mm

Propagation: see more for month here and here
Seeds:
Amaranth Leaf Amaranthus gangeticus - Eden Seeds
Basil Purple Ocimum basilicum cv purpurascens - Phoenix Seeds
Basil Large Sweet Italian Ocimum basilicum - The Lost Seed
Black Cumin Nigella sativa - The Lost Seed
Borage Borago officinalis - Home Saved Seeds
Californian Poppy Eschscholzia californica - DT Brown
Celery Tendercrisp Apium graveolens - The Lost Seed
Coriander Coriandrum sativum - Mr Fothergill's Organic Seeds
Korean Mint Agastache rugosa - Eden Seeds
Lettuce Black Seeded Simpson Lactuca sativa - The Lost Seed
Lettuce Gloria Lactuca sativa - Select Organic
Lettuce Goldrush Lactuca sativa - Home Saved Seeds
Phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia - Phoenix Seeds
Sorrel Garden Rumex acetosa - Eden Seeds

Direct sown into the Wicking Bed in the Old Chook Run Garden:
Pumpkin Australian Butter - seeds from Gringo in Victoria
Pumpkin Wrinkled Butternut - seeds from Seedsaver J in NSW
Pumpkin Blue Ballet - seeds from Seedsaver J in NSW
Pumpkin JAP - seeds from Seedsaver J in NSW
Squash Golden - seeds from Gringo in Victoria
Direct sown into the ground in the Old Chook Run Garden:
Possibly Styrian Hulless Seed Pumpkin - seeds from Seedsaver J in NSW

Potting up/on:
Mushroom Plant Rungia klossii cuttings taken 22/09/11

Seedlings planted out:
Melon Tigger x 6 Seedlings from seeds sown 4/08/11 into Bed 6 (in the cage) MVG
Melon Early Hanover x 4 Seedlings from seeds sown 4/08/11 into bed 10 MVG
Beans Tongues of Fire Seedlings from seeds sown 29/09/11 into bed 1 and 7 MVG
Beans Gourmet Delight Seedlings from seeds sown 29/09/11 into bed 10 MVG
Capsicum California Wonder x 6 Seedlings from seeds sown 10/07/11
Capsicum Hungarian Yellow Wax x 4 Seedlings from seeds sown 10/07/11
Cossack Pineapple x 2 Seedlings from seeds sown 10/07/11
Eggplant Casper x 1 Seedling from seeds sown 10/07/11
Eggplant Long Purple x 1 Seedling from seeds sown 10/07/11
The last 5 went into a Wicking Bed in the Kitchen Garden

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 145g
Broad Beans Scarlet Cambridge 80g
Cauliflower Violet Sicilian 860g
Celery American Stringless 1560g
Kale Red Bor 80g
Lettuces - Goldrush, Drunken Woman, Red Coral 560g
Radish French Breakfast 210g
Strawberries the first few for tasting

Eggs:
116 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
38 From the 2 Barnevelders
89 From the 4 Faverolles one died mysteriously

At The Community Garden:
All but 4 of my surplus Tomato seedlings were sold at the local hospital fete to raise money for the Community Garden. Others have been shared with the "Plotters" up there.

During the school holidays I ran Kids Planting sessions.

Week 1 we planted Sunflower and Nasturtium seeds around the base of the Kids Beds. It didn't take long for them to come up!!

Week 2 it was Seedlings and Herbs in the beds.
Tomatoes "Black Russian", "Big Rainbow" and "Ida Gold"
Lettuces "Black Seeded Simpson" and "Red Coral"
Cucumber "Bushy"
Zucchini "Rondo De Nice"
Squash "Yellow Button Scalloped" and "Acorn Table Queen"
Curly Parsley
Lemon Balm
Chives
Coriander
Thyme
Marigolds "Oranges and Lemons"

Meanwhile the Kids Strawberry Bed has taken off. With the bird netting in place it's first in, first for the Strawberries when the Kids arrive at the garden! Those Lettuces will provide a yummy salad for a family too!
There was an interesting post on Emma Cooper's Blog recently about growing plants with kids.

October of Previous Years:
2010
2009
2008
2007

To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the newest Map of our place (soon to be updated) HERE

Propagation Update

2011-10-29T15:10:00.002+10:30

Thin Bamboo stakes have been added to the Tomatoes in Bed 3
to train them up to the wire on the overhead arch.

Weather:
The weather has been hot and windy one day, cold and drizzly the next typically spring!!
The drizzle has brought hundreds of Snails and Slugs out of hiding just in time to devour some of my new baby seedlings. Argh!!!!

Propagation:
Potting on/up:
Basil Purple Ocimum basilicum cv purpurascens
Cucumber Revel
Dill Anethum graveolens
Ivy Pelargonium Double Mauve Pelargonium peltatum
Korean Mint Agastache rugosa
Marguerite Daisy Double White Argyranthemum frutescens
Mexican Hyssop Agastache mexicana 'Sangria'
Salvia
Salvia Blaze of Fire Salvia splendens
Squash Yellow Button, Acorn Table Queen
Thyme Spanish Wood Thymus mastichina
Tomato Ida Gold and Kotlas
Unnamed Yellow Groundcover
Zaatar Origanum syriaca

Planting out:

Into the Almond Area Wicking Bed went:
Beetroot - Chioggia seedlings from seeds sown 15/08/11
Celery American Stringless purchased seedlings
Cucumber - Suyo Long x 4 seedlings from seeds sown 4/08/11
Leeks Bulgarian Giant seedlings from seeds sown 2/07/11
Tomato - Stor Gul, Moneymaker x 4 each seedlings from seeds sown 10/07/11

Into the Old Chook House Wicking Bed went:
Cucumber Bushy x 3 seedlings from seeds sown 4/08/11
Squash Yellow Button x 4 seedlings from seeds sown 28/08/11

Planting into that pumpkin mound resulted in bug attack big time!!!
These seedlings are now covered each night
with a plastic bottle (with the base removed).
These must be removed each morning
or the seedlings will overheat in the sun!

Pumpkin Triamble x 1 seedling from seeds sown 29/08/11
Trombone Gramma x 5 seedlings from seeds sown 29/08/11

Whereas those in the Wicking Bed have hardly been touched
and are 3 times the size!

Pumpkin Triamble x 1 seedling from seeds sown 29/08/11
Pumpkin Wangaparaoa Crown seedlings from seeds sown 29/08/11

Lettuce Gloria seedlings from seeds sown 2/07/11
as succession planting in the Greens Wicking Tank

Potato Purple Congo into a Wicking Bucket!
A white 20 litre bucket this time as I believe the black pots
will get too hot in our summer.

Division:
Split up pots of:
Thai Basil Ocimum basilicum
Thyme Pink Carpet Thymus serphyllum coccineurs
Thyme White Carpet Thymus serphyllum alba

Cuttings:
Daisy Marguerite Yellow Argyranthemum frutescens
Mint Vietnamese Polygonum odoratum

To Do List:
Continue clearing beds and planting seeds/seedlings. Still a few to go!
Rebuild Wicking Bed 4 and build one more Wicking Tank Bed...
Clear Driveway and put up car shade cover back up for summer!

And The Winners Are...

2011-10-28T17:17:00.002+10:30

OK it's gone 5pm here at Scarecrow's Garden in SA.
That means the winners can be chosen...

And the 3 winners are:

Lynne from Treadles & Treasures
Dancing With Frogs
Malay-Kadazan girl from Kebun Malay-Kadazan Girls Blog

Please Email Me with your address so I can get your magazine sent out to each of you ASAP!

Thank you to everyone who went in the draw, sorry you couldn't all win.

3 Magazines to Giveaway

2011-10-23T11:55:00.002+10:30

Wow!! That month went really fast and it's time for the November issue of Gardening Australia. Argh! November already!!!!

This month is a very special issue of our favourite Gardening Australia magazine. It's the 20th Birthday issue and as a treat it includes a free packet of seeds to get you out planting.

You'll have to read it to believe this but there is an article all about a vegetable orchestra!!! There are even instructions for you to make a Carrot Clarinet.

Lots of information about what to do to prepare your garden for the coming blast of summer!

The lovely Maggie Beer is back this time with information on growing (and cooking) Peas! Great because my little patch of peas is almost ready for harvesting. I only have a small window of growing time for podded peas and usually grow the edible podded varieties.

This issue includes a FREE catalogue from Garden Express to drool over.

In the Gardening Diary this month Jerry Coleby-Williams tells us how to care for our edible plants during the coming summer.

Millie Ross is feeling clucky...it's OK the story is all about keeping Chooks!

This is a Special Collector's Edition and as such those generous folks at Morey Media, who do the PR for Gardening Australia, not only sent me a freebie copy of this latest magazine so that I could review it here for you but they have sent THREE more copies for me to giveaway readers of my blog.

So make sure you mention the magazine in a comment below for your chance to win a copy!
Or you can leave a comment on the wall of the new Scarecrow's Garden Facebook Page.

Be quick because we will pick 3 winners on Friday 28th October at 5pm!

Don't forget to check out the Gardening Australia website
or go to the Gardening Australia Facebook Page

This Giveaway has now ended...see this link for the winners!
Thanks everyone for entering!

Blooming Bird Bath

2011-10-19T17:00:00.001+10:30

This photo of our Tyre Mound Birdbath is for The Joyful Homemaker at Mrs McGregors Garden to show her what it looks like right now with all the plants grown!

See this link on Doc's Blog to see how it was built!

The Pigface plants have grown well without any additional irrigation during the 4 years they have been there. In fact they need a good trim back!!!

The empty tyres are part of the front yard re-vamp!

Mid-Month Update

2011-10-16T08:30:00.001+10:30

We are harvesting loads of greens from the new Wicking Tank Bed in the (extended) Kitchen Garden. The Lettuces are delicious, the Mizuna has flowered (can eat the flowers too), the Coriander and Celery is abundant and the Kale, Cabbages and Cauliflowers are growing well!

Weather highlights:
The month began with light rain fallingand light breezes. It progressed to a delightful Spring weekend. The lowest minimum temperature was 0.4C which luckily didn't bring any frost to the newly planted seedlings!

On Friday temporary covers were added to the beds
when we were on a Severe Thunderstorm Warning
with expected Hail...
...fortunately it was only small hail
but I wasn't taking any chances!

Propagation:
Seeds:
Onions Spring Allium fistulosum from DT Brown
Nasturtiums Tropaeolum majus Tall Mixed from DT Brown

Potting on/up:
Tomato Big Rainbow, Pineapple seedlings from seeds sown 10/07/11
Zucchini Rondo De Nice seedlings from seeds sown 29/08/11
Leeks Bulgarian Giant seedlings from seeds sown 2/07/11

Free from the garden:
Alyssum seedlings
Calendula and Borage seeds

Planting out:

The Carrots Radishes and new Spring Onions
are thriving in the BathTub Bed
safe from those pesky earwigs!

So around the base of the Bathtub Bed I planted - all from cuttings taken during the year.
Alpine Strawberries Fragaria vesca 'Alexandria'
Violet Blue Viola odorata
Violet Pink Viola odorata rosea
Seaside/Mexican Daisy Erigeron karvinskianus
Society Garlic Tulbaghia violacea
Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium
Russian Thyme Thymus nitidis
Rosemary Prostrate Rosmarinus officinalis
Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis
Lime Balm Melissa officinalis 'Lime'

In the Main Vegetable Garden:

Tomato seedlings have been planted
and the wire mesh moved to the top of the arch frame
to allow them to climb on to it.
The advanced Zucchini seedlings were covered
with white 50% shadecloth while they settled in.

Leeks Bulgarian Giant seedlings from seeds sown 2/07/11 into Bed 6
Zucchini Rondo De Nice seedlings from seeds sown 29/08/11 into Bed 5
Tomato Big Rainbow seedlings from seeds sown 10/07/11 into Bed 3
Tomato Pineapple seedlings from seeds sown 10/07/11 into bed 3
Beans Runner Sunset Runner from seeds sown 10/07/11 into Tank Bed 9

Into Tank Bed f:

Strawberries Pink Flowered purchased plant (from Bunnings)
Arnica seedlings from seeds sown 4/08/11
Korean Mint seedlings from seeds sown 4/08/11
Mexican Hyssop seedlings from seeds sown 4/08/11
Lovage from the propagation table
Echinacae from the hot house

Chinese Artichokes in Wicking Pots

We answered a call for help on the weekend from our son up north. He needed to put a new fence up after a storm blew the old one down. Of course we wouldn't miss a visit to see the GrandTwins (now 15 months old) so off we went - loaded up with a variety of garden tools!

To Do List:
Check Watering Systems for start of irrigation season - See Links Here and Here
Continue clearing beds and planting seedlings.
Pot up excess seedlings and cuttings to sell at Hospital Fete next weekend to raise funds for Community Garden.
Rebuild Wicking Bed 4 and build one more Wicking Tank Bed...

So Many Eggs

2011-10-13T18:20:00.002+10:30

Last months egg total was 224 and yes as Matron commented that is a lot of eggs.
I use a lot in baking and we eat eggs for breakfast regularly but this is still too many eggs.

I like to freeze the excess supply for use later in the year when the girls aren't as productive.

To freeze eggs I use the method from Jackie French's Chook Book:

Per cup of Beaten Egg use 10g (2 teaspoons) of Sugar to use them in baking or 3g Salt for savoury use (scrambled eggs, egg slices, quiches etc).

The sugar/salt is to stop them thickening according to Jackie and I haven't tried it without.

I freeze them 2 at a time for baking and 6 at a time for savoury because most of the recipes I use need them in those amounts.

There are other ways of freezing eggs but I find this way most convenient.

Next on the list Doc wants to try a batch of Pickled Eggs!

Scarecrow's Garden Journal Notes: September 2011

2011-10-04T16:38:00.003+10:30

Temperatures this month:
Lowest Min -3.6C
Highest Min 10.8C
Lowest Max 12.6C
Highest Max 31.8C
16mm Rain

Rain comparison with other years, average is 33.1mm:
2011 16mm
2010 35.5mm
2009 65.5mm
2008 11mm
2007 33.4mm

Propagation:
I've been recording all the propagation over the month;
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

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.
Celery American Stringless 3210g
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed 320g
Sweet Potato 1077g
Cabbage Verona Purple Savoy 500g
Cauliflower Violet Sicilian 860g
Asparagus 145g
Shallots Red 385g
Turnip Snowball 676g

Eggs:
90 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
35 From the 2 Barnevelders
99 From the 5 Faverolles

September of Previous Years:
2010
2009
2008
2007

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

And the Winner is.........

2011-10-01T12:11:00.002+09:30

It's just gone noon here at Scarecrow's Garden and Doc has picked a winner!!!!

Abrim

So thank you for delurking and please Email Me with your address
so I can get the magazine sent out to you ASAP!

Thank you to everyone who went in the draw,
sorry you couldn't all win.

Hard Working Barnies

2011-09-30T19:35:00.003+09:30

September Week 4

Not an albino Cockroach...

...apparently they turn white when they moult!

Weather:
With yet more frosts forecast for the coming weekend planting out was put on hold. This week has been horribly windy yet again and I have been putting a shadecloth cover over the glass front on days when the temperature is set to top 30C. At least we have had a bit of rain even some small hail!!

I have been getting the seedlings out into as much sun as I can on calmer days to stop them going 'leggy' which is what will happen if they don't get enough light. This is the beginning of hardening off...but they also need to stay out over night for that.

Propagation:
Seeds:
Beans Phaseolus vulgaris:
Climbing:
Purple King from DT Brown
Blue Lake from Eden Seeds
Dwarf:
Gourmet Delight from New Gippsland Seeds
Roc D'Or from Green Harvest
Tongues Of Fire from New Gippsland Seeds
Beans Soy Glycine max from Eden Seeds (the last planting hasn't germinated yet)
Beans Winged Psophocarpus tetragonolobus from Green Harvest
These seeds were soaked in hot rainwater for a few hours then sown in old egg cartons. As soon as possible after germination they will be planted out with minimal disturbance.

Sunflowers Helianthus annuus
Double Dazzler from Diggers
Dwarf Sensation from Mr Fothergill's
Prado Red from Diggers
Sun King from DT Brown
Teddybear from Diggers
Helianthus debilis ssp. cucumerifolius
Italian White from Diggers
These were sown in folded newspaper pots made with one sheet of newspaper (not a double one) so they are smaller than the big ones. Again these will be planted out soon after germination.

Nasturtiums Tropaeolum majus
Alaska from Grower's Pride
Milkmaid from Diggers
Tall Mixed from DT Brown

Buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum from Phoenix Seed
Dill Anethum graveolens From Gringo in Victoria
Salvia splendens Blaze of Fire from Mr Fothergill's

Free from the garden:
Borage Borago officinalis from seeding plants - scattered around garden

Potting up/on:
Luffa seedlings

Yes the Barnies did almost destroy the mound garden. Mainly the mulch layer where all the beasties were hiding!
I have allowed them a short session in the Wicking Beds. They were closely supervised because these beds are full of wormies and the chooks aren't having them!!

This was a surprise.
I expected the Pink Flowered Strawberries
to have pale pink flowers like the label said!

The last Violet Sicilian Cauliflower is ready to pick!

Baby Stella Cherries
are still hanging on through the windstorms.

Don't forget that you only have a few hours left to go in the draw for a copy of the October Gardening Australia Magazine. There is a growing list of names so why not add yours to the comment list on the last post here.

First Ever Giveaway

2011-09-27T10:40:00.003+09:30

The October issue of Gardening Australia is once again full of interesting articles. Lots of tips and more from the great Vegetable Growing guide from Jerry Colbey-Williams.

This month Maggie Beer has a super special on one of my favourite veggies - Silverbeet. I have always grown this vegetable no matter where we have lived. Of course Maggie has included how to use Silverbeet in the kitchen...I'll have to share this information at the Community Garden where the Silverbeet has really taken off.

Millie Ross is busy out in the garden again this time growing a Playhouse for the Kids. A Bean Teepee that sounds like great fun!

This month's Gardening Diary is packed full of seasonal tips. Like what to plant now in your region, new plants on the market and even how to make your own (safe) wetting agent at home.

Then there is the important issue of Food Security. A thought provoking article about just where our food is coming from and includes the grim statistic that shows Australians waste 7.5 million tonnes of food each year.

Thanks to the people at Morey Media, who do the PR for Gardening Australia, for sending me a freebie copy of this latest magazine so that I could review it here for you.

Magazine Giveaway!!!

This time I'm allowed to give away a copy of the October Gardening Australia magazine to one of my blog readers!

As long as you live in Australia (sorry) you can go in the draw!

For a chance to have a free copy of the October Gardening Australia Magazine sent to you just leave a comment below and I'll put all your names in a hat and get Doc to draw a winner at noon on Saturday 1st Oct 2011 so be sure to come back and check if you have been the lucky winner.

Check out the Gardening Australia website here

Or if you are into it (facebook that is) join in the fun on their Facebook Page here

This Giveaway has now ended...see this link for the winner!
Thanks everyone for entering!

September Week 3 - Spring Equinox

2011-09-23T16:38:00.003+09:30

How lucky are we!!! During the windstorms last weekend this tree branch must have missed the new shed by millimetres. This shed has only been up for 6 months and holds Doc's Wooden Toy stock!!!

Weather highlights:
Warmer days, windy days with just a touch of frost!
Highest maximum temperature 30.5C
Lowest minimum temperature 0.5C.
With 1mm of rain that nearly got blown away!!

Propagation:
Potting on/up:
Beetroot
Bull's Blood
Golden Detroit
Chioggia
Chives
Parcel
Black Cumin

Cuttings:
Pomegranate Punica granatum info link
Lemon Myrtle Backhousia citriodora info link
Lemon Verbena Aloysia triphylla info link
Sweet Appleberry Billardera cymosa info link
Mushroom Plant Rungia klossii info link

Planting out:
Mini Cauliflower
Celery
Into Wicking Boxes
Kale Red Bor
In between the Crimson Flowering Broad Beans.

It's getting very close to Spring planting time in my part of the world. We just have to get through a couple more frosts this weekend (including a -2C for Sunday argh!!)...then maybe some early planting trials...depending on the seven day forecast.

I've let the Barnevelders into the Old Chook Run area to have a final scratch through the mulch layer on the raised mound. Every time I check there are many European Earwigs in the mulch layer. The chooks will no doubt destroy the mound but it will be a small price to pay for being able to plant the Trombone seedlings there soon...maybe next week!!!

What's this???

I'm saving some lettuce seeds. I've left the last of the lettuce (Drunken Woman) to go to seed and because I have another variety (Crispmint) in the same bed about to seed I've covered the flower heads with a piece fine fleece. This will also prevent cross pollination by the weed Wild or Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola) that grows around here. I try very hard not to let this weed flower in my garden as it is very difficult to remove, having a nasty prickly stem.

It's time for the Cherry Tree to flower again.
We dream of the fruit that ripens around Christmas.
The Apple Blossom smells wonderful!

The Grapevine is sprouting new life too
and will soon provide full shade over the back pergola.
We have Jostaberry flowers!!!
The first of the Asparagus is up!

September Week 2

2011-09-17T18:30:00.003+09:30

Maybe The Black Ninja thinks that sleeping in a pot of Gotu Kola (Centella asiatic syn. Hydrocotyle asiatica) will give her brain a boost!!!

Weather Highlights:
The week started with cold, windy and drizzly weather and cleared once again to bring frosty mornings including Tuesday's low of -3.1C. After that the day temperatures rose up to 28C by Friday and the frosts were gone...for now.

Propagation:
Seeds:
Alyssum Gold Dust Aurinia saxatilis from Goodman Seeds
Carrot Purple from Goodman Seeds
Beans Soy Centaur Glycine max from Eden
Watermelon Citrullus lanatus:
Sweet Siberian from The Lost Seed
Golden Midget from Digger's Seeds
Moon and Stars from Digger's Seeds
To replace the earlier sown ones that failed to grow well after germination

Potting on/up:
Arnica
Basils:
Mrs Burns Lemon, Large Italian Sweet, Genovase, Purple, Thai
Black Coral Pea
Chamomile German
Coriander
Honey Dew Melon Tigger
Korean Mint
Large Gourds
Leeks King Richard
Marigiolds Crackejack, Oranges and Lemons
Mexican Hyssop
Queen Anne's Lace
Rockmelon Hearts of Gold
Salvia Blaze of Fire
Savory Summer
Savory Winter
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed
Sticky Hop Bush
Tomato Black Cherry
Watermelon Golden Midget
Zinnia Lilliput

Potting up New Purchases:
Sweet Potato Hawaiian Sunshine (Purple)
Current White Ribes glandulosum
Gooseberries Ribes uva-crispa
All from Goodman Seeds

Planting out:
Lettuce Red Coral, Black Seeded Simpson from seeds sown 2 Jul 2011
Miner's Lettuce from seeds sown 4 Jun 2011
- as Companion Plants in the Strawberry Wicking Bed
Cosmos White Purity from seeds sown 31 Aug 2011
Cosmos Mixed from seeds sown 5 Aug 2011
Ivy Pelargonium Pink that had been living in it's pot way too long!

Potato Nicola form The Lost Seed
Planted into a re-worked Wicking Box

The Hot House is just about full,
especially on these days
when it is so windy I can't put the
boxes of Tomatoes outside!!

I have set the Mini Hot House up again to take some of the overflow! The 5 litre containers of water help provide warmth at night and also help to weigh the flimsy structure down!

With hot, windy weather on the forecast already I have attached some temporary shade to Main Veg Garden Bed 3 where the Celery continues to provide us with a handful of stems and leaves for our morning juice each day. Just as it has done right through winter, surviving many frosty mornings, even a couple of -5C.

The Scarlet Cambridge Broad Beans
in Main Veg Garden Bed 7
are beginning to produce
some of their lovely red seeded beans!

While the Crimson Flowering Broad Beans
are struggling against earwig attack
in Kitchen Garden Bed 2

So far so good with the Apricots and Plums.
New fruit is appearing
and the Plum tree is Aphid Free this year!!!

With the Spring Equinox due next week we are expecting some more nasty windy days.

September First Week

2011-09-09T10:00:00.004+09:30

The stone fruits have all blossomed,

the Pears are beginning to flower
and the Loganberries are close behind!
The frosts may mean no Apricots again this year
but we hope for a few.

After needing sunscreen at the Sunday Markets we were plunged back into winter yet again. Windy, freezing weather followed, with a morning frost of -3.9C on Wednesday and a hailstorm on Thursday!!

As if that wasn't enough the earth beneath our feet has been quietly rumbling away...since Sunday nights 4.1 magnitude Earthquake (just a little a tremor really, I know). Not many houses up this way to sustain much damage but it leaves you with an uneasy feeling...will the next tremor lead to a stronger quake???

Propagation:
Seeds:
Beetroot Bulls Blood from New Gippsland Seeds
Beetroot Golden Detroit from 4 Seasons Seeds
Radish French Breakfast from DT Brown
Radish Saxa 2 from Mr Fothergill's Organic Seeds

Potting on/up:
Cucumber:
Bushy
Suyo Long
Green Gem
Melon:
Early Hanover
Tomato:
Ida Gold

The Ginger from Green Harvest was divided up, put into pots of sandy mix and now sits in the heated propagation unit.

Around the Garden this Week:

The Cranberry Red Potatoes are growing quickly
in their warm, black Wicking Pots!

The Carrots have all germinated
and so far are safe in their newly build bed...
...the earwigs haven't found them yet.

The Wormcast Brew seems to bubble stronger
with the warmer day temperatures.

I've covered the Yacon with a plastic bottle
to keep the frosts off the emerging shoots.

The Comfrey and Rhubarb I planted have sprouted leaves. They are living in an old leaky pond that I have turned into a Wicking Bed. So far this is surviving on rainfall alone but it may be subject to occasional flooding during heavy downpours.

The Tomato seedlings are moved out into the sun each morning
and taken back into the hothouse overnight!

Those comical Faverolles are looking very healthy
and laying lots of cackleberries!!

Folded Seed Pots

2011-09-05T08:08:00.004+09:30

As I look at my list of Squashes and Pumpkins for this year I wonder how I will fit them all in. I am growing extras for the community garden this year. We want to cover the place with pumpkins!

I need to give these a good start and usually use cut down milk containers for the purpose. I don't have enough this year and have found an alternative. Newspaper pots have been around for some time but I never really considered using them until I found this tutorial on making origami pots!!! They are easy to make and I hope will be suitable for planting completely into the soil.

This is the link for the tutorial. There is even a video for those who can't follow written instructions very well. Like me!!

When making them they stack in groups of ten - nine inside another one!!

I can comfortably fit 18 in a foam fruit box (with plenty of drainage holes) and I have filled them right up so they can be planted with the paper below the surface.

Now I shall see how they stand up to roughly six weeks of watering before planting out!!

Scarecrow's Garden Journal Notes: August 2011

2011-09-01T10:00:00.003+09:30

Tagasaste Chamaecytisus palmensis
in full bloom and full of bees!

Temperatures/Rainfall this month:
Lowest Min -5C
Highest Min 9.3C
Lowest Max 11.5C
Highest Max 24.6C
36mm Rain

Weather Highlights:
I thought we would have had more than average rainfall this month but we missed it by 1mm. What started off as a warm, sunny month with almost spring like weather quickly turned cold. With a return to winter we had wet, cold weather and when that cleared it was back to frosty mornings which included the lowest for the year at -5C.

Rain comparison with other years:
August average is 37mm.
2011 36mm
2010 49.3mm
2009 19.6mm
2008 23mm
2007 7mm

The local Acacias are blooming for the bees!

Propagation:
In addition to the earlier lists in the posts on 6/8/11; 12/8/11 and 26/8/11

Seeds:
Cucumber Cucumis sativus:
Bushy from The Lost Seed
Revel from New Gippsland Seeds
Pumpkin:
Triamble Cucurbita maxima from The Lost Seed
Whangaparaoa Crown Cucurbita maxima from The Lost Seed
Trombone Gramma Cucurbita moschate from Eden Seeds
Zucchini/Squash Cucurbita pepo:
Rondo de Nice from The Lost Seed
Yellow Bush Scallop from Eden Seeds
Squash Acorn Table Queen from Eden Seeds
Gourd Spinning Top or Dancing from Eden Seeds

Seedlings planted out:
Phacelia tanacetifolia Planted in the Old Chook Run and edge plantings in the Main Veg Garden and Kitchen Garden
Clucker Tucker mixture
Planted under bread trays for protection like this in the Almond Area and the old chook run (where the Barnevelders still have occasional access)

Planting:
Potato Bismark from The Lost Seed

Violet Sicilian Cauliflower

Monthly 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. The Celery continues to provide a handful of stems/leaves for our morning juice each day.
Cabbage Verona Purple Savoy 2514g
Cauliflower Violet Sicilian 330g
Celery American Stringless/Pink/Celeriac stems/leaves 3873g
Lemons 565g
Radish French Breakfast 150g
Silverbeet 1660g
Turnip Snowball 50g (a baby one!!)

Eggs: (total for month)
66 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
20 From the 2 Barnevelders we lost another during the cold snap!
67 From the 5 Faverolles

The early warm days has brought the Ladybirds
out of their winter hiding places.

August of Previous Years:
2010
2009
2008
2007

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

For more information on seed raising go Here for the beginner's Guide:

Getting your seeds to grow.

Check out the latest Moon Planting Guide for September from The Cosmic Gardener...thank you Linda for posting this helpful guide.

Fortnightly update: 26:08:2011

2011-08-28T09:45:00.001+09:30

"Small Hail" the weatherman said!!!

Weather highlights
The weather had been cold and miserable for the first week (13-19 August) so nothing was sown, potted on or planted out!

We did get 21mm of rain and even a quick downpour of Hail!!!

Last weekend it brightened up and we were outside working in the garden!!!
The end of the rain brought warm, sunny days but frosty mornings, not severe frosts but enough to put ice on the cars.

Propagation
Seeds:
Beetroot Chioggia (Candy Stripe Beet) Beta vulgaris from Eden Seeds
Carrot Daucas carota:

Amsterdam Forcing (orange) from The Lost Seed
Lobbericher (golden yellow) From Southern Harvest Seeds
Lubyana (yellow) from The Lost Seed
St Valery (orange) from The Lost Seed

Chamomile German (Sweet False Chamomile) Matricaria chamomilla from New Gippsland Seeds
Savory Summer Satureja hortensis from New Gippsland Seeds
Savory Winter Satureja montana from New Gippsland Seeds
Zaatar Origanum syriaca from Green Harvest

Some flowers for companion planting:
Alyssum Carpet of Snow Lobularia maritima from DT Brown
Alyssum Royal Carpet Lobularia maritima from DT Brown
Cosmos Purity Cosmos bipinnatus from Mr Fothergill's Seeds
Salvia Blaze of Fire Salvia splendens from Mr Fothergill's Seeds
Zinnia Lilliput Zinnia elegans from DT Brown

Some Natives:
Black Coral Pea Kennedia nigricans from Southern Harvest Seeds
Sticky Hop Bush Dodonaea viscosa from Southern Harvest Seeds

Potting on/up:
Celery American Stringless (purchased seedlings)
Leeks Bulgarian Giant
Leeks Elephant
Lettuce Gloria
Silverbeet Green
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed
Raspberry Smooth from New Gippsland Seeds

Cuttings:
Double White Marguerite Daisy Argyranthemum frutescens
False Balm of Gilead Cedronella triphylla
Grape Ruby Red
Grape Thompson Seedless

Free from the garden:
Alyssum volunteers
Calendula seeds to spread around

Osteospermum volunteers,
it's always a surprise to see what colour they end up

Planting out:
Cabbage Early Jersey Wakefield
Cauliflower Mini
Celery American Stringless
Coriander
Kale Red Bor
Lettuces - Goldrush, Drunken Woman, Red Coral
Purple Mizuna
A couple of each went into a new Tank Wicking Bed
Potato Cranberry Red Home 2 large ones saved from last years crop
These were cut and two pieces went into each of 3 large Wicking Pots

The carrots have been planted into an old bathtub. The bed was made by filling the lower section with rocks and leafy weeds. It was then topped up with clean sandy soil. Dripper lines have been attached and the carrots sown. I hope the earwigs will leave the carrot seedlings alone this year!!

Two small tank Wicking Beds are now in place near the Cob Oven. One has been filled with compost, coir, some good garden soil and the lower tray of the worm farm which included a number of worms! Planted up with Brassicas, Celery, Coriander and Lettuces, mulched, then covered with a net curtain until a proper net cover can be attached.

I'll catch up with the Harvest Tally and Egg totals in the end of the month wrap up during the week.

Edited 28 Aug 11 because some seeds disappeared off the screen...

September Gardening Australia Magazine

2011-08-25T11:40:00.002+09:30

The September issue of the Gardening Australia Magazine heralds the beginning of Spring in Australia!

This issue is jam packed with Spring Gardening Tips, Ideas (350+ of them) and jobs to keep us all busy.

There is a great Vegetable Growing guide from Jerry Colbey-Williams. Even though Jerry now lives in sub-tropical Brisbane he has worked in colder climates (UK) so knows how to garden in all climates.

Maggie Beer has a special on growing Oranges and of course there are a couple of her recipes including an interesting Grilled Orange Asparagus and Witlof Salad, sounds yummy!!

I am pleased to see this magazine now includes quite a selection of practical articles on food growing and great photos of pests and beneficial insect each month. This month's article from Sophie Thomson on the Portuguese Millipede was a helpful read as these pests are increasing in numbers in my garden (and house) and are rivalling European Earwigs as my number one enemy lately!!

There is a step-by-step from Millie Ross on building her version of a Wicking Bed. It's useful to see a different way of doing things but I think I'll stick with my way as it has worked well for me for four years now and I like including worms in my systems!

Check out the Gardening Australia website Here

Or if you are into it, their Facebook page Here

Thanks to the people at Morey Media, who do the PR for Gardening Australia, for sending me a freebie copy of this latest magazine so that I could review it here for you.

Earwigs

2011-08-15T16:50:00.002+09:30

Looks like it might be a bad year for earwigs. As I turn rocks in the garden there are masses of tiny earwigs hatching already.

Earwigs have what is known as an incomplete metamorphosis. They have three life cycle stages. Egg, nymph and adult. In this group of insects the young look similar to but smaller than the adults.

These are the European Earwig (Forficula auricularia ) you can see in this photo that the babies are almost tiny versions of their parents...

there I zoomed in for a better look!

I have begun collecting earwigs for the chooks already but I always check which ones I'm catching!

This handsome fellow is an Australian Brown Earwig (Labidura truncata) which is actually a very good guy to have around the garden! I rescue any of these before giving the bucket to the chooks!!! I am seeing quite a few of these fellows this year too!

They are known to eat soft-bodies caterpillars, the main one in my garden is the larvae of the codling moth which attacks the fruit of my Apple and Pear trees.

I have seen quite a number of these out in the orchard where they are protected, from the chooks, by large rocks!

If I were to set out traps of oil to catch earwigs, as is often suggested, I could be guilty of murdering these helpful creatures...and that is not something I intend to do!

More about Earwigs Here

Friday Update: 12:08:2011

2011-08-12T18:12:00.004+09:30

Plum blossom...
...seems to be early but maybe not!

Weather highlights:
The cold snap arrived on Saturday with the overnight temps dropping to 2C and for the rest of the week day temperatures didn't go much above 14C. It was quite windy and rained too! Brrrr! It was back to winter! 15mm of rain this week.

Propagation:
Seeds:
Into spaces vacated by the rapidly germinating Cucumbers, Basil and Melons (Yah!) I have managed to squeeze in some more seeds.
Luffa Luffa aegyptica from The Lost Seed
Gourds Large Mix from Eden Seeds
Tomatoes Black Cherry from Home saved seeds

Potting on/up:
Tomato Stor Gul
Tomato Big Rainbow
Tomatoes Moneymaker

Freebies from the garden:
Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis (division)
Borage Borago officinalis seedlings

Planting out:
Borage seedlings

Carrot seedlings emerging in the loorolls

I first read about this on on Peggy's blog Organic Growing Pains when she mentioned Terry Walton** starting carrots in bottomless peat pots, so thought I'd try with loo rolls. I have since found this article by Linda Woodrow on sowing them in paper pots. I found that link via Jason's Blog Zucchini Island so it looks like a way to get the carrots a) germinating and b) past that crucial stage when the earwigs attack!!! I have started some carrots and they are just emerging. I ll see how they go once the roots hit the bottom of the roll. That will be the time to get them out in the garden.

I'm glad the Melons have germinated as fast as they have, I'm intending to grow some of them on trellises this year and have been encouraged by this post on Tend. Growing melon up off the ground should help with any mildew problems as it increases airflow around the plants. I intend to grow some up the Tomato frame we built into bed 6 last year.

The early fruit blossom isn't the only sign

that spring is just around the corner...
...new shoots from the winter dormant Valerian

and Lemon Balm, some of which I have divided up
for new plantings around the garden

and the Ladybirds are on the move!!

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.
The highlight this week has been the Verona Purple Savoy Cabbages that had begun to loosen to bolt to seed!! Argh! but they are still delicious.
Cabbage Verona Purple Savoy 2514g
Celery American Stringless/Pink/Celeriac leaves 680g
Lemons 565g made into some marmalade for Doc

Chooks:
Eggs:
21 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
3 From the 3 Barnevelders (only one is laying)
20 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

*Terry Walton is a long time allotment grower from Wales. He is a popular broadcaster and garden writer in the UK.
See Terry Walton's Allotment updates Here

Friday Update: 06:08:2011

2011-08-05T16:45:00.002+09:30

With sunny days this week the bees have been out

among the Almond Blossom!

Temperatures rose to 24C+ this week. With this the wind picked up and by Wednesday it was trying hard to rain. Thursday night saw 8mm of rain fall.

Propagation:
Seeds:
This week saw Greens planting dates from the Thomas Zimmer Moon Planting Chart...I noted that at the bottom of the chart it says that some seeds can be sown on either Green or Fruit days these include Cucumber, Melons, Leeks, Shallots and annual Flowers.

The following went into the heated propagation frame, replacing the recently vacated tomatoes, eggplants and capsicums that have germinated well enough that some have ventured out into their first "pot on pots" in the hot house!
Arnica Arnica chamissonis subsp. foliosa - Phoenix Seeds
Basil Large Italian Sweet Ocimum basilicum - The Lost Seed
Basil Mrs Burns Lemon Ocimum basilicum/americanum - The Lost Seed
Basil Purple Ocimum basilicum cv purpurascens - Phoenix Seeds
Basil Sweet Genovase Ocimum basilicum - DT Brown
Basil Thai Ocimum basilicum - Home saved seed
Cucumber Bushy Cucumis sativus - The Lost Seed
Cucumber Green Gem Cucumis sativus - Eden Seeds
Cucumber Suyo Long Cucumis sativus - The Lost Seed
Herb Robert Geranium robertianum - Eden Seeds
Honeydew Melon Early Hanover Cucumis melo - The Lost Seed
Honeydew Melon Tigger Cucumis melo - The Lost Seed
Korean Mint Agastache rugosa - Eden Seeds
Marigold Crackerjack Tagetes erecta - DT Brown
Mexican Hyssop Agastache mexicana 'Sangria' - Southern Harvest Seeds
Purslane Portulaca oleracea - Home Saved Seed
Rockmelon Hearts Of Gold Cucumis melo - Eden Seeds
Watermelon Golden Midget Citrullus lanatus - Diggers
Watermelon Sweet Siberian Citrullus lanatus - The Lost Seed

The following were sown into punnets, put into a styrofoam fruit box and wrapped in plastic outside as they are not as frost sensitive (well mostly)
Black Cumin Nigella sativa - The Lost Seed
Chives Allium schoenoprasum - DT Brown
Coriander Coriandrum sativum - Mr Fothergill's Organic Seeds
Leek Allium ampeloprasum King Richard - Diggers Seeds
Marigold Tagetes patula Oranges and Lemons - Grower's Pride
Parcel Apium graveolens var. Secalinum - Home Saved Seeds
Queen Anne's Lace Ammi majus - Cornucopia Seeds
Salad Burnet Sanguisorba minor - Home Saved Seeds
Silverbeet Beta vulgaris Rainbow Mixed - 4 Seasons Seeds
Valerian Valerian officinalis - Eden Seeds

Into a cell/seed tray went Cosmos Cosmos bipinnatus
A mixture of colours and forms from the seed box!
Pink/Candy Stripe from some home saved and from Mr Fothergill's seeds, Seashell Mix from 4 Seasons Seeds, Sensations Mixed from DT Brown, Yellow home saved seeds and a Mixture of home saved seeds.

Also into a cell tray went some of Green Harvest's Clucker Tucker™ seed mix that came with the Kit I bought. This mix contains some unusual seeds to plant for chicken forage!! It will be interesting to see how some of these seeds grow here, maybe they will outgrow some of my weeds!! I am starting these in a seed tray so I will know what the seedlings will look like.

Potting on/up:
Tomatoes: Big Rainbow, Pineapple, Grosse Lisse
Root cuttings and rhizomes from Green Harvest these will be grown in wicking tubs/boxes or large pots around the garden this year. There is some Ginger Zingiber officinale too but that can stay inside for a while until things warm up a bit.

Chinese Artichokes Stachys affinis syn S. leboldii, S. tubifera
Chinese Keys or Krachai Boesenbergia rotunda syn B. pandurata

Comfrey Symphytum officinale
Queensland Arrowroot
Canna edulis syn C.esculenta C. achiras C. rubricaulis
These last two from their Clucker Tucker™ Kit.

Free from the garden:
Greek Oregano Origanum vulgare hirtum (by division)
Lemon Catnip Nepeta cataria spp. citriodora (by division)

Planting out:

Peas Dwarf Onward
Lemon Catnip Nepeta cataria spp. citriodora
Parcel Apium graveolens var. Secalinum
Into the Kitchen Garden Pathside Edge Bed which had become choked with Greek Oregano and Mint. These have now been removed and I hope this will once again become a useful picking bed.

With almost spring weather the garden has come alive...
...it won't last though the temperature
is set to drop for the weekend!!

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. The highlight this week continues to be the Celery which is providing a handful of leafy stalks for our morning juice!!
Celery American Stringless 470g
Celery Pink 150g
Radish French Breakfast 50g
Silverbeet 180g

Eggs:
12 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
3 From the 3 Barnevelders
8 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

Scarecrow's Garden Journal Notes: July 2011

2011-08-01T16:16:00.004+09:30

Freebie of the month!!!

Doc managed to grab a couple of huge bales
of clean straw for the garden.
They had been rotting out in the paddocks
and many more are going up to the Community Garden.

The chooks are happy!

Temperatures this month:
Lowest Min -4.9C
Highest Min 8.6C
Lowest Max 8.2C
Highest Max 20C
45mm Rain

Weather Highlights:

This Verona Purple Savoy Cabbage didn't mind the nearly -5C frost!

The month began with quite warm temperatures but a rainy change in the weather put a quick end to that! Over the next three weeks the daytime temperature hardly rose above 12C with quite a few chilly mornings below zero! In fact the cold weather had our state in the weather news!!!
See Here and Here
The month ended with almost spring weather! Except for the -2C frost!!!
Light rainfall and drizzly, damp mornings kept the rain gauge ticking over slowly.

Rain comparison with other years:
2011 45 mm
2010 28.5 mm
2009 35 mm
2008 26 mm
2007 16.5 mm

Propagation:
Seeds:
Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Black Seeded Simpson - The Lost Seed
Crispmint - Diggers Seeds
Drunken Woman - The Lost Seed
Gloria - Select Organic
Red Coral - Eden Seeds

Brassicas
Broccoli Brassica oleracea Nutri Bud - The Lost Seed
Cabbage Brassica oleracea Red Express - Southern Harvest Seeds
Cabbage Brassica oleracea Early Jersey Wakefield - The Lost Seed
Cauliflower Brassica oleracea Mini - Diggers Seeds
Kale Brassica oleracea Lacinato - The Lost Seed
Kale Brassica oleracea var acephala Red Bor F1 - Diggers Seeds

Leeks Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum
Bulgarian Giant - The Lost Seed
Elephant - Diggers

Carrots Daucas carota var. sativa
Lunar White - New Gippsland Seeds (white)
St Valery - The Lost Seed (orange)
Lobbericher - Southern Harvest (golden yellow)
Purple Dragon - Home saved seeds (purple)

Clover Trifolium pratense var sativum Red - Phoenix Seeds
Coriander Coriandrum sativum - Mr Fothergill's Organic Seeds
Peas Dwarf Pisum sativum Onward - DT Brown (germinated in hot house)
Phacelia tanacetifolia - Phoenix Seeds info link
Silverbeet Beta vulgaris Green Silver - Organic DT Brown
Willow Herb Epilobium parviflorum - Eden Seeds info link

Very early sowing of Spring Seeds into the heated propagation frame housed in the caravan See descriptions Here

Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum
Big Rainbow - Diggers
Black Russian -The Lost Seed
Grosse Lisse - Eden Seeds
Ida Gold - Home saved
Kotlas - The Lost Seed
Money Maker - The Lost Seed
Pineapple - The Lost Seed
Stor Gul - The Lost Seed

Eggplant Solanum melongena
Casper - Eden seeds
Long Purple - Diggers

Capsicum Capsicum annuum
California Wonder - New Gippsland Seeds
Hungarian Yellow Wax - Eden seeds

Beans Runner Phaseolus coccineus
Scarlet Emperor - The Lost Seed
Sunset Runner - Diggers

Cossack Pineapple Physalis pruinosa - Phoenix Seeds

Potting up/on:
Broccoli Nutri Bud
Cabbage Early Jersey Wakefield
Cabbage Red Express
Cauliflower Mini
Coriander
Kale Lacinato
Kale Red Bor
Lettuce:
Goldrush, Red Coral, Drunken Woman, Black Seeded Simpson, Crispmint
Miner's Lettuce
Phacelia
Purple Mizuna
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed
Spinach
Early Black Wattle Acacia decurrens
Tomatoes Black Russian, Ida Gold
Beans Scarlet Emperor, Sunset Runner
Sage Grandfather (cuttings)
Native Thyme Ocimum tenuiflorum see Here

Planting out:
African Bush Daisy Euryops chrysanthemoides (from cuttings) at the Community Garden
Almond Tree seedling that had grown too close to a cherry tree was transplanted into the chook run
Jostaberry Ribes nidigrolaria (from cuttings) into the perennial bed
Potatoes Solanum tuberosum - The Lost Seed into Bed 1 Main Vegetable Garden
Nicola
Brownell
Rhubarb Rheum rhaponticum crown Great Victoria
Taupata or Mirror Bush Coprosma repens (from cuttings) into the chook run

Seedlings planted out:
Broad Beans Crimson Flowering into Kitchen Garden Wicking Bed 1
Miner's Lettuce in the old chook run
Red Clover in the old chook run

Cuttings/Division: freebies from the garden!
Anise Hyssop Agastache foeniculum
Black Currant Ribes nigrum
Clary Sage Salvia sclarea
Evening Primrose Oenothera speciosa
Fig Tree cuttings from prunings
Garlic Chives Allium tuberosum
Jerusalem Artichokes - dug and replanted around the chook runs
NZ Spinach Tetragonia tetragonioides
Prostrate Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis Prostratus
Sage Grandfather Salivia apiana
Rock Rose Pink Cistus incanus

Around the Garden :

New Pumpkin Bed in the Old Chook Run area. Based on a Hugelkultur design but a lot like a compost bed with wood underneath. I've used Tagasaste and Acacia wood (from storm fallen trees) that was already beginning to rot. The theory is that this wood holds a lot of moisture and slowly releases it to the plants growing in the bed. I intend to grow some Trombone (Gramma) and let them sprawl over the area. More info on Hugelkultur Here

While I was weeding and clearing the Old Chook Run area
I dug up a few Sweet Potatoes!

Busy sowing lots of seeds, potting up seedlings
and even planting a few
with more going in up at the community garden.

The new straw meant mulching, mulching and more mulching.
The soil is still a bit cold for mulching
but in my climate now is the best time to mulch
to retain the soil moisture.

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. This month this has included Drunken Woman, Crispmint and Miners Lettuce, Parsley, Parcel, Gotu Kola, Shallot Greens, Coriander and Endive. Lots of Dandelions, Thistles, Winter Grasses, Kale and a few bolting Lettuces, Endive for the chooks.

Apples Golden Delicious 4800g
Apples Jonathon 2300g
Celery American Stringless 3080g
Celery Pink 50g
Pea Snow Roi de Carouby 55g
Radish French Breakfast 88g
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed 170g
Spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing 175g
Sweet Potatoes 1382g

Eggs
60 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
7 From the 3 Barnevelders
34 From the 5 Faverolles who have been hiding their eggs in bushes/straw!!!

The Favorelles love the straw so much
they are laying in it (everywhere but in the nest box!!)

July of Previous Years:
2010
2009
2008
2007

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

For links to the Seed Suppliers go here

Compost 2011

2011-07-28T15:15:00.001+09:30

Winter is a great time to get stuck into some compost building.

My latest heap has a variety of ingredients:

A base layer of chopped Asparagus fronds that had died back for the winter this is to allow plenty of air beneath the heap.
Shredded paper that had been bedding in the chook house so it was mixed with lots of old chooky poop
A bale of Certified Organic Sugar Cane Mulch
Cow Manure from our farmer friends
Nettles and Dandelions from the chook runs
Wattle and fruit tree leaf litter
Azolla from an overgrown pond!
Chopped Broad Bean foliage from Bed1

It is watered at each turning (if needed) with rainwater mixed with worm juice from the worm farm. Each time I brew up worm castings (see how Here) I give the heap a sprinkling too!!

More Information on Compost Making HERE

Early Spring Seeds

2011-07-25T15:27:00.002+09:30

I like to get an early start on spring seeds. After researching the Optimal Germinating Temperatures of Seeds I decided to use a heated propagation frame as the soil in my area is still extremely cold. This unit has been set up in an old, storage caravan which has enough natural light for seed germination.

This will allow the planting out of advanced seedlings during October. These seedlings when correctly "hardened off" tend to be able to withstand pest attack more readily.
Your climate may suit direct sowing of seeds into the soil at warm times of the year. This way works for me. As soon as they are big enough I shall pot them on and tuck them up in the hot house.
Last year our last frost date was Nov 1.

Other ways of providing warmth are:
Building and Using Hotbeds and Coldframes see here
Keep Your Plants All Winter with a Cold Frame see here
Seed Starter Box see here on a sunny window sill inside
How to build a manure heated hot frame see here
Build A Real Simple Hot Frame see here
Or you could start seeds on top of a warm heat source like a hot water storage unit or even on top of your fridge, just be very careful how you water the seedlings!!

A description of the varieties I have chosen for this year:

TOMATO Lycopersicon esculentum

**STOR GUL The Lost Seed

golden fruit
medium sized fruit
smooth skin
to 10cm across
vigorous to 2.1m in height
78-85 days

**PINEAPPLE The Lost Seed

yellow fruit
large, beefsteak fruit over 500g
sturdy vines with good leaf coverage
smooth, mild flavour with low acid
High yields
85-90 days

**MONEY MAKER The Lost Seed

scarlet red fruit
round, smooth fruits
thin skin & solid flesh to 115g
vigorous, open bush.
high yields
sets well in all types of weather
Old English heirloom dating back prior to the 1920's
75-80 days

**BIG RAINBOW Diggers

flesh changing from green to yellow, red and pink
18kg per plant
transplant >20 C soil temperature
118 days

GROSSE LISSE Eden seeds

red colour
globe-shaped smooth fruit
produces abundantly over a long time
best staked
success in all states
80-105 days

BLACK RUSSIAN The Lost Seed

Russian heirloom
reddish-black fruit
medium sized fruit 4-6cm across
smooth skin and dark flesh
beefstake type
69-100 days

KOTLAS The Lost Seed

Soviet Union heirloom
red fruit
small round fruit
sparsely foliaged bush
best croppers last year!
59 days

**IDA GOLD Home saved originally from seed savers network

golden sweet fruit
small fruit on dwarf plant
ideal for edging or containers

**COSSACK PINEAPPLE Physalis pruinosa Phoenix Seeds

50 cm ground covering plant
native to Eastern North America
1.5cm golden sweet edible fruits
space plants 30cm apart
seeds need light to germinate
preferred soil temperature of 27C
closely related to Cape Gooseberries also known as Ground Cherry

EGGPLANT Solanum melongena

CASPER Eden seeds

white heirloom eggplant
quick to produce
fruits approx 5cm x 15cm.
90 days

LONG PURPLE Diggers

deep purple fruit
yield 3.5kg per plant
sow 18C

CAPSICUM Capsicum annuum

**CALIFORNIA WONDER New Gippsland Seeds

bell type
red and green fruit

**HUNGARIAN YELLOW WAX Eden seeds

light yellow fruit changing to orange red
thin tapered cylindrical fruit to 13cm
sweet (mild heat)

BEAN Runner Phaseolus coccineus A few of these seeds have been planted.

**SUNSET RUNNER Diggers

salmon-pink flowers
lives up to 7 yrs

**SCARLET EMPEROR The Lost Seed

perennial
also known as 'Seven Year Bean'
scarlet coloured flowers
first introduced in 1600's
70-90 days

Most of this information comes from the seed packets! For links to the Seed Suppliers go here

** varieties grown for my garden, leftovers and the rest are grown for sharing with friends and the Community Garden Plotters (I may keep one of the Eggplants but we really don't eat many of these.)

More info on starting from seeds:
Growing From Seed
The Horticultural Channel It's an English site so don't go by their planting dates but contains useful information (on video) for beginners.
Emma Cooper (also in UK) has a series of useful seed raising tips using peat free mixes on her Blog Here

Seed Germination Temperatures

2011-07-15T17:36:00.002+09:30

"For every species of seed,
there is an optimal soil temperature for germination,
and at that temperature,
the maximum number of seeds will germinate
and in less time than at any other temperature."

Tom Clothier's Garden Walk and Talk

As I contemplate the early sowing of seeds for Spring planting I have noted the optimal soil temperature for germination and growth. It becomes clear why summer crops need added heat to germinate and grow early in the season.

Optimal soil temperatures for seed germination and preferred growing range:
Amaranth Amaranthus gangeticus 28C; range 16C-30C
Artichoke Globe Cynara scolymus 20C; range 15C-18C
Asparagus Asparagus officinalis 25C; range 16C-30C
Basil Ocimum basilicum 30C; range 18C-35C
Bean Runner Phaseolus coccineus 25C; range 16C-30C
Beans Broad Vicia faba 17C; range 6C-24C
Beans Bush Phaseolus nanus 25C; range 16C-30C
Beetroot Beta vulgaris 25C; range 8C-30C
Broccoli Brassica oleracea var. italica 20C; range 7C-30C
Cabbage Brassica oleracea var. capitata 25C; range 10C -35C
Capsicum Capsicum annuum 20C; range 18C-35C
Carrots Daucas carota 25C; range 10C-30C
Cauliflower Brassica oleracea 25C; range 10C-30C
Celery Apium graveolens var. dulce 20C; range 12C-21C
Chillies Capsicum annuum 20C; range 18C-35C
Clover Red Trifolium pratense 25C; range 20C-25C#
Corn Sweet Zea mays 25C; range 16C-35C
Cossack Pineapple Physalis pruinosa 27C; range 10C-24C ****
Cucumber Cucumis sativus 35C; range 16C-35C
Eggplant Solanum melongena 30C; range 24C-32C
Kale Brassica oleracea var acephala 20C; range 8C-30C
Kohl Rabi Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes 15C; range 8C-30C
Leeks Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum 20C; range 8C-30C
Lettuce Lactuca sativa 23C; range range 8C-27C
Luffa Luffa aegyptica 35C; range 20C-30C
Melon Cucumis melo 32C; range 20C-32C
Onion Allium cepa 23C; range 8C-30C
Parsnip Pastinaca sativa 17C; range 6C-21C
Peas Pisum sativum 23C; range 8C-23C
Pumpkin Cucurbita species 35C; range range 20C-35C
Radish Raphanus sativus 30C; range range 8C-30C
Silverbeet Beta vulgaris 25C; rangerange 10C-30C
Spinach English Spinacia oleracea 21C; range 10C-25C
Sunflower Helianthus annuus 30C; range 15C-30C
Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum 30C; range 16C-35C
Watermelon Citrullus lanatus 35C; range 21C-35C
Zucchini/Squash Cucurbita pepo 35C; range 21C-35C

This is not a complete listing.
It contains many of the seeds I grow, more information is available on the links below.

Further reading/sources:
Information has been sourced from the Phoenix Seed catalogue and Eden Seeds Growing Chart variations may occur.

Locally sourced seed will have adapted to local climatic conditions and would have a wider variation of tolerated temperatures.

****information for Cossack Pineapple from This Site
# and for the Clovers Here

Information also available on individual plant listings on the Gardenate site

The article When to Plant on this link contains a chart with more “realistic” soil temperatures for germination. (In Fahrenheit)

Phoenix Seed Catalogue 2011/2012

2011-07-10T11:00:00.001+09:30

The latest Phoenix catalogue is now available.

Email Me for a PDF copy of their latest catalogue. Scanned with permission. Or email Phoenix direct.
They offer prompt service and a very wide range of unusual vegetable, herb and tree seeds.
This new catalogue includes their bank details for direct deposit for orders via email.

Their contact details are:
Phoenix Seeds
PO Box 207
SNUG
Tas 7054
email: phnxseed@ozemail.com.au

Scarecrow's Garden Journal Notes: June 2011

2011-07-07T10:54:00.003+09:30

The Grandtwins turned 1 this month

with a Party in the Park!!

Temperatures this month:
Lowest Min -4.1C
Highest Min 8C
Lowest Max 9.4C
Highest Max 19C
Rain 14.5mm

Weather Highlights
The month began with almost spring temperatures of around 20C but the second week brought colder days. Around the middle of the month we had our lowest frost so far this year at -4.1C. The coldest day, saw the most rain fall and the strongest winds which coincided with the winter solstice!

Rain comparison with other years:
June 2010 13.5mm
June 2009 53mm
June 2008 27mm
June 2007 7.5mm

Propagation: Seeds:
Growth of seeds has slowed this month so I've planted up some punnets in the hot house to give them a start. I would not have planted these in the cold ground at this time of year.
Mizuna Purple Brassica rapa Japonica Group Southern Harvest
Lettuce Miner's Montia perfoliata Phoenix Seeds
Lettuce Goldrush Lactuca sativa Home Saved Seeds
Spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinacea oleracea Eden Seeds
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed Beta vulgaris 4Seasons Seeds
The following Broad Beans were planted in loo rolls for a head start and to stop them rotting in the cold, damp soil.
Broad Beans Crimson Flowering Vicia faba Southern Harvest
The following were started for green manure crops
Broad Beans Coles Early Dwarf Vicia faba DT Brown
Broad Beans Early Long Pod Vicia faba DT Brown

Potting up/on:
Mizuna Purple
Lettuce Goldrush
Spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing
Strawberries Pink Flowering
Violet Purple Leaved Wood Viola labradorica

Seedlings planted out:

Onion Domenica Sweet
Onion Stuttgart
Onion Red Rossa
Into Wicking Bed 2 Main Veg Garden
Broad Beans Coles Early Dwarf into the Old Chook Run Wicking Bed 1 as green manure
Broad Beans Early Long Pod into the Chook House Wicking Bed as green manure

Broad beans started in loo rolls which were buried
with the seedlings so they will decay completely
- any exposed cardboard will cause evaporation of moisture.

Cuttings/Division:
Tansy Tanacetum vulgare
Grapevines un-named
Loganberry self "tip-layered" pieces, rescued when pruning
Strawberry runners collected when tidying the patch

Plant/Seed Purchases:
Strawberries Pink Flowering
Violet Purple Leaved Wood Viola labradorica
Spring Seed orders from Eden Seeds, The Lost Seed (included Potatoes) and Diggers details to follow

Around the Garden This Month:

The Trees For Life seedlings
have been collected by their local landholder.

Compost has been made and is tucked up to keep warm

The Loganberries have been pruned
and the Strawberries at their base thinned/fed.
A box of runners removed for planting elsewhere later.

OK so not in the garden but....The highlight of the month was the Grandtwins birthday. These little people have been walking for 2 months now so are really getting into everything!!!!

We took them home made gifts - some of Poppy Doc's wonderful wooden toys/puzzles and Nanny Scarecrow made them some tops and trackpants.

Little Mr Blue Eyes puts everything straight into his mouth and loves rough play with Dad while Little Ms Brown Eyes closely studies everything and loves to dance.

Harvest Tally:

Miner's Lettuce Montia perfoliata

Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks on a daily basis or greens and herbs picked for use in the kitchen for salads/cooking or tea making. This month this has included Drunken Woman, Crispmint and Miners Lettuces, Parsley, Parcel, Gotu Kola, Shallot Greens, Coriander and Endive. Lots of Dandelions, Thistles, Winter Grasses, Kale and a few bolting Lettuces for the chooks.

Apples Golden Delicious 6656g
Apples Jonathon 509g
Apples Pink Lady 535g
Beetroot Forono 1346g
Celery American Stringless 1805g
Pea Snow Roi de Carouby 40g
Potatoes Bintji 350g
Radish French Breakfast 40g
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed 175g
Spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing 50g

Eggs
57 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
27 From the 3 Barnevelders
11 From the 5 Faverolles

June of Previous Years:
2010
2009
2008
2007

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

Fog

2011-06-18T13:15:00.001+09:30

Wednesday's foggy morning followed an overnight low of -4.1C

It showed up lots of spider webs on the Rosemary

and this 'net' in the Plumbago.

Slow Down

2011-06-12T11:45:00.002+09:30

Winter has hit and we are faced with grey, dreary days...and leafless trees.

Growth has slowed to an almost stop...
...but hidden away there are small signs of life.

The snow peas have bravely flowered
and produced a few lonely pods.

The Fennel is bulbing up nicely...

...since I added it's plastic protection!!!

No seeds will germinate outside now until August
so into the hothouse goes punnets of greens
to start life away from the frosts
that keep on coming.

Scarecrow's Garden Journal Notes: May 2011

2011-06-01T08:10:00.002+09:30

The Sunflower seeds planted at the community garden
back in January have survived locusts,
birds and caterpillar attack and have started to flower.

Temperatures this month:
Lowest Min -3C
Highest Min 12C
Lowest Max 10.5C
Highest Max 22.1C
40mm Rain

Weather Highlights
The first icy frost occurred on Tuesday 10 May which was 2 days earlier than in 2010.
The following week saw more frosty mornings and it was clear that the warm growing season had come to a close.
After the Full Moon we had a wet and windy week followed by the final week of frost again.

Rain Comparison
May 2010 55.8mm
May 2009 11.5mm
May 2008 43mm
May 2007 30.2mm

Propagation:
Seeds:
Pea Climbing Sugar Snap Pisum sativum 4Seasons Seeds in Bed 6 MVG*
Broad Bean Coles Early Dwarf Vicia faba DT Brown in Bed 4 MVG
Broad Beans Scarlett Cambridge Vicia faba Southern Harvest Seeds in New Wicking Bed 7 MVG

Potting up/on:
Jasmine White Jasminum officinale - cuttings taken in Jan
Golden Daisy Bush Euryops pectinatus - cuttings taken in April
Pink Flowering Strawberries (new purchase)
Primula - seedlings (purchased)
Polyanthus - seedlings (purchased)
Cineraria - seedlings (purchased)
Sweet William - seedlings started in February

Seedlings/Plants planted out:
Broccoli Nutri bud
Broccoli Purple Sprouting
Parcel
Tree Onions
Daisies
Pigface
Rosemary
Lavender
Melaleuca
Acacia
At the Community Garden
Parcel
Broccoli Nutri bud into Wicking Bed 2 in the Old Chook Run
Strawberries in Tank d MVG*
Cabbage Early Jersey Wakefield into re-built Wicking Bed 7 MVG
Cauliflower Purple Sicilian
Parsley Affro
Primula
into and around the base of Wicking Bed 6 MVG
Sweet William Mixed Dianthus barbatus around the base of Wicking Bed 7 MVG

Cuttings/Division:
Lavender
False Mallow Anisodontea capensis
Pig Face Carpobrotus glaucescens info link
Grandfather Sage Salivia apiana

Around the Garden

The Green's Bed in the Kitchen Garden Wicking Bed 2
is very productive
for our salads.

Doc fixed up my old plant bench...
...just before the legs rotted away completely.

I managed to tidy up the hot house just in time
to put the frost sensitive plants away
for the coming cold season.

The shade cloth covers are off for this year

Harvest Tally:
Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks and our salads on a daily basis or herbs picked for use in the kitchen for cooking or tea making.
Apples Golden Delicious 3574g
Apples Jonathon 991g
Apples Red Fuji 750g
Beetroot 121g
Capsicum California Wonder 398g
Kohl Rabi Purple Vienna 148g
Perpetual Spinach 146g
Potatoes Bintji 269g
Spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing 175g
Strawberries not weighed
Tomato Red Cherry 306g
Watermelon Blacktail Mountain 875g

Eggs
39 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
18 From the 3 Barnevelders
2 From the 5 Faverolles

May of Previous Years:
2010
2009
2008
2007

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

* MVG = The Main Vegetable Garden

Autumn Colour 2011

2011-05-23T17:58:00.001+09:30

Autumn is a second spring
when every leaf is a flower.
~Albert Camus~

First Frost 2011

2011-05-10T16:00:00.001+09:30

This morning we had our first icy frost.
The temperature dropped to -3C.

The chook's were not impressed
with a layer of ice on their water bucket!!!!

The weather forecasters got it right again!!! Well they actually said it would fall to zero!
Let's hope they are as close with their prediction of rain for the rest of the week...

Garden Journal Notes: April 2011

2011-05-03T09:00:00.002+09:30

A favourite in the garden right now

is the Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus

Temperatures this month:
Lowest Min 1.6C
Highest Min 12C
Lowest Max 15.1C
Highest Max 27.9C
3mm Rain

Weather:
The weather has been typically autumnal. Chilly mornings, windy cool days and beautiful sunny warm days. Very little rain has fallen.
Rain comparison with other years:
2011 3mm
2010 18mm
2009 31mm
2008 23mm
2007 30mm

Propagation:
Seeds:
Onion Allium cepa Domenica Sweet Southern Harvest
Onion Allium cepa Stuttgart The Lost Seed
Onion Allium cepa Ailsa Craig Eden Seed
Onion Allium cepa Creamgod Eden Seed
Onion Allium cepa Red Rossa Grower's Pride Seeds
These went into punnets - 2 of each variety
Radish Raphanus sativus Nero Tondo Southern Harvest
Radish Raphanus sativus French Breakfast DT Brown Seeds
These went into wicking boxes
I'm looking forward to tasting the Nero Tondo Radish. The Southern Harvest Seed listing describes it as:

"This stunning, zesty, radish has black skin and crisp white flesh. Offering large, round roots, it is more uniform, cold tolerant and bolt resistant than most other radishes. As it can be stored for up to 6 months in the soil over the cold months it is commonly used as a winter radish."

Seedlings planted out:
Cauliflower Violet Sicilian
Parsley
into MVG Bed 6
Sweet Peas Dwarf
on bottom edge of MVG Bed 3

Greens seedlings planted in KG Bed 2

Lettuce Crispmint
Lettuce Drunken Woman
Endive Salad King Cichorium endiva
Lettuce Miners Montia perfoliata
Mustard Asian
Parcel
Spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing
into Kitchen Garden wicking bed 2
Parcel
Alyssum
into the Kitchen Garden

Cuttings/Division:
Coprosma repens

Around the Garden:

In the Kitchen Garden the pathway to Ninja's house was getting very overgrown. The Rosemary hedge has been pruned back and the Perennial Sunflowers removed.

In the Main Veg Garden in Bed 5 the Cabbages
are looking healthy and pest free...

...Thanks to their Vege Net cover they are safe
from Cabbage moths and butterflies,
Grasshoppers and Aphids!

In Tank Bed f the Kale remains pest free too
possibly protected
by the Lemon Basil that remains in the bed
until the frosts will kill it. Read more here

Bed 3 Celery and Celeriac have taken off

and the Climbing Peas have settled in,
being trained up the wire mesh with twigs.

So far so good with the trial of bulb Fennel in Autumn!

The early Garlic is looking good!

Harvest:
Apples Cox's Orange Pippin 700g
Apples Golden Delicious 4317g
Apples Jonathon 2385g
Apples Red Fuji 666g
Beetroot 71g
Potatoes Bintji 2690g
Pears William 3944g
Nashi 1190g
Tomato Golden Sunrise 288g
Tomato Kotlas 1086g
Watermelon Golden Midget 670g

The egg count has dropped dramatically as we head into winter with only one of the brave little Farmyard Ferals still laying!
Egg Tally for April 29 Eggs.

April of Previous Years:
2010
2009
2008
2007

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

2011 Tomato Review

2011-04-28T08:44:00.003+09:30

Overall, the best Tomato harvest for some years!

The varieties of Tomatoes I grew this year were:

Black Russian: yield 275g (2plants)
*Golden Sunrise: yield 5359g (2plants)
Green Zebra: yield 138g (2plants)
Tommy Toe Yellow: yield 266g (2plants)
*Kotlas: yield 12976g (4plants)
Red Oxheart: yield 529g (3plants)
Red Cherry: yield 573g (3plants)
Ida Gold: eaten outside without weighing (3plants)
*Silvery Fir Tree: yield 8812g (3plants)

*Best Yield

Oxhearts planted 14 Oct 2010

Notes:
Were planted in a shallow wicking bed next to the chookrun fence
No pruning but tied to wire of fence
Problems:
This wicking bed needs rebuilding the growing area is much too shallow
The wire moved in strong winds this weakened the plants roots
50% white shadecloth overhead but the 70% shadecloth on the eastern side of (supporting) fence meant no direct sun reached the tomatoes at all
End of season:
They grew slowly and only started to set small fruit in mid January
Were removed in April to allow the wicking bed to be re-built.

Red Cherry planted 14 Oct 2010

Notes:
Grew up an old trellis on the eastern side of the house
Had little pruning but were tied to the trellis
Were not grown in a wicking bed but were on drippers
Received morning sun for only 2-3 hours
70% shadecloth directly above
End of season:
Have produced an adequate crop, still producing (end April)
Intend giving some extra TLC (pruning and feeding) to prolong harvest

Red Cherry Tomatoes suffered minor sunburn

Golden Sunrise planted 14 Oct 2010

Notes:
Planted in bed 6 Main Veg Garden - new wicking bed.
Grew within a wire cage 2 metres tall, placed as wicking bed filled
No pruning or tying for more details go HERE
Holes in wire cage were large enough for hands to reach in for harvest
Hose was attached to top of wire when shadecloth added
The tops of plants pinched were out as they neared the top of cage
Suffered minor burning to leaves from hot wire during extreme heat

End of season:
Growth has been excellent with little work or extra feeding.
Still producing until mid April

Kotlas and Silvery Fir Tree
planted 24 Oct 2010

Notes:
Planted in old chook run in a new wicking bed
Minimal pruning or tying
Weldmesh** (1 metre high) placed in centre of bed when plants were young
Plants trained to this by weaving shoots through (Kotlas)
Outgrew mesh but were not damaged by this
50% white shadecloth thrown over on sunny days and loosely attached
Both varieties produced well
End of season:
Growth was good with little attention and no extra feeding.
Kotlas still producing fruit (end April)

Green Zebra, Black Russian and Tommy Toe Yellow
planted 23 Nov 2010

Notes:
Planted in bed 5 wicking bed in Main Veg Garden
Weldmesh** support added for climbing - only 1 metre high
No pruning but tied to mesh support (this was needed)
50% shade cloth over bed
Tommy Toe developed yellowing leaves and did not produce well
Green Zebra and Black Russian put on moderate leaf growth at the expense of fruit
End of season:
Produced a small harvest until March when they were removed to make room for brassica planting.
Should have been better controlled - on higher support with regular pruning and tying - my bad

Ida Gold

Notes:
Where planted in Tank Bed f (non wicking)
Grew slowly
Produced an adequate crop for grazing/nibbling while gardening or while feeding the chooks!
End of season:
Were removed during March to allow Kale to be planted.

Our favourite eat of the bush tomato this year was
Golden Sunrise!

Further Reading:
A review of the South Australian tomato growing year from ABC (radio) Adelaide Saturday Talkback Gardening.

Jon Lamb's 2011 Tomato Review

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

For a detailed look at the Tomato Support
**Weldmesh is used to reinforce concrete, available in sheets and cut using bolt cutters.

Garden Journal Notes: March 2011

2011-04-13T12:56:00.008+09:30

The Broad Beans that have been planted early for green manure
(see here) have grown rapidly this month.

Temperatures this month:
Lowest Min 7C
Highest Min 22C
Lowest Max 14.4C
Highest Max 32C
49.8mm Rain

Weather:
Temperatures were much cooler in the second half of the month from 30.5C on the 15th. Overnight temperatures remain mild, mostly in the mid teens (C).
The Autumn Equinox (equal day and night length) occurred on the 21st after which the winds picked up in strength for a while.
Sadly the "Super" Full Moon on the 20th was hidden from view by heavy cloud.

Rain comparison with other years:
2011 49.8mm
2010 7mm
2009 13mm
2008 23mm
2007 21.7mm

Propagation:
See this post and this one for full list.

Harvest:
See Totals Here
Listing Here

March in Previous Years:
2010
2009
2008
2007

I am so busy at the moment that I have given my Community Garden plot/bed to a newcomer. I will still be involved with community plots and garden beds but my own garden is keeping me occupied for now.

March Harvest

2011-04-10T10:38:00.001+09:30

Tomatoes:
Golden Sunrise 150g
Green Zebra 486g
Kotlas 1233g
Red Cherry 500g
Red Oxheart 529g
Tommy Toe Gold 785g

Potato Cranberry Red 1567g
Potato Bintji 137g

Zucchini Cocozelle 9526g
Zucchini Unnamed 707g

Basil Purple 250g
Basil Sweet 300g
Beetroot Forono 120g
Capsicum California Wonder 25g
Kohlrabi Purple Vienna 250g
Watermelon Sugarbaby 635g

Fruit trees/vines:
Apple Cox's Orange Pippin 6297g
Apple Jonathon 500g
Grapes Black Sultana 7242g
Nashi 737g
Pear William 797g
Plums 5063g

Totals:
Vegetables 17.2kgs
Fruit 20.6kgs
Eggs 81

See monthly Totals Here

March Propagation continued....

2011-04-09T11:58:00.005+09:30

...16th-31st March 2011

Seeds:
Turnip Snowball Brassica rapa The Lost Seed direct sown-Wicking Tank c
Onion Domenica Sweet Allium cepa Southern Harvest early direct sowing-Wicking bed 2

Planting Out:
Celeriac White Alabaster seedlings-Wicking Bed 3 **
Celery American Stringless seedlings-Wicking Bed 3 **
Celery Pink seedlings-Wicking Bed 3 **
Florence Fennel seedlings-Wicking Tank a **
Parcel one seedling-Wicking Tank c with the Turnips
Pea Snow Roi de Carouby seedlings-in Wicking Bed 3
Radicchio Rossa di Treviso seedlings-Wicking Tank c with the Turnips
Silverbeet Green Organic seedlings-the Wicking Bed in Almond Area

Cuttings/Division:
Emu Bush: info here
Eremophila glabra (orange)
Eremophila maculata (pink)
Eremophila weldii (deep mauve)
Golden Daisy Bush Euryops pectinatus info here
Wild Fuchsia Info here Correa "Dusty Bells"
Rock Rose White Cistus ladanifer
A Yellow flowering Groundcover (???name)

** Out-of-season Plantings
The plants marked ** are trial autumn plantings as these plants did not grow well over summer. The beds will be covered with some fleece to keep out some frost but hopefully the early start for these seedlings will mean they put on good growth before the really cold weather sets in.

To see the Garden Layout of our half acre block check out the (newly updated) Map of our place HERE

Propagation Notes March 7 -15 2011

2011-03-16T11:30:00.003+10:30

Cabbage - Red Choi

Seeds Sown:
Just a few seeds in punnets.
Cabbage Red Choi Brassica rapa var chinensis Green Harvest
Cabbage Red Express Brassica oleracea (capitata group) Southern Harvest Seeds
Coriander Coriandrum sativum Mr Fothergill's Organic
Lettuce Black Seeded Simpson Lactuca sativa The Lost Seed
Lettuce Drunken Woman Lactuca sativa The Lost Seed
Mizuna Purple Brassica rapa Japonica Group Southern Harvest Seeds
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed Beta vulgaris 4Season Seeds
Spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinacia oleracea Eden Seeds
Tatsoi Brassica narinosa Diggers Seeds
Pea Snow Roi de Carouby Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon Home Saved Seeds planted into cardboard loo roll insides to act as root trainers. As soon as the roots appear at the base they will be planted out into the Wicking Beds.

Seedlings Planted:
Cabbage Verona Purple Savoy into Bed 5 Main Veg Garden
Kale Vates Blue Curled into Tank f Main Veg Garden
Lettuce Drunken Woman into Tank f Main Veg Garden
Alyssum White
Hollyhocks some of the volunteers
Lovage Levisticum officinale
Strawberry Guava Psidium littorale var. longipes
Last 4 were planted in the Perennial Bed at the end of potting bench to be watered by run-off.

Potted on/up:
Celery American Stringless from a purchased punnet

For the Garden Layout of our half acre block to see What's Growing Where? check out the Map of our place HERE

For seed supplier links see this page HERE

Garlic Border

2011-03-14T10:50:00.001+10:30

White flowered Garlic Chives Allium tuberosum
and purple Society Garlic Tulbaghia violacea.
When the Chives die back in winter
the Society Garlic remains to mark the border edge.

Weeds...or are they?

2011-03-10T19:50:00.001+10:30

Weeds...or are they????

February's rain total of over 150mm has spurred the early growth of weeds around the garden.
Taking a closer look has revealed some interesting volunteers...

Hollyhocks Alcea rosea

and to think I've sown some seeds

Nettles Urtica dioica
very early this year
and much too useful to call a weed!

New Zealand Spinach Tetragonia tetragonioides
or Warrigal Greens

a useful edible native

Calendula Calendula officinalis
ever present, ever welcome!

Acacia sp
but which one???

Red Kale Brassica oleracea
I didn't have any seeds of these to plant this year
and I notice these are free from pest attack

I have potted up some of the Hollyhocks, NZ Spinach and Kale plants. You might like to click on those photos to get a bigger view.

Bed 1: Green Manure

2011-03-04T13:00:00.002+10:30

Bed 1 was cleared earlier in January (when it was clear I wasn't going to get any carrots from the second planting either!)
Some home grown chicken manure/bedding, that had been standing for a couple of months, was added and mixed in
A light dusting of dolomite and crushed rock minerals added
The bed was kept moist (with the help of 151mm of rain in February!!!!!)

It has now been thickly planted with Broad Beans - 4 packets and some are already up!
This will be a Green Manure crop...cut down before it flowers...to provide some compost greens and mulch/worm food in the Wicking Bed.

Hopefully to leave behind pink root nodules full of nitrogen like these from last years planting in Bed 2.
To help this process I will 'inoculate' the bed with soil from Bed 2 where these grew so well last year.
This involves mixing a couple of handfuls of bed 2 soil with rainwater, I'll include some worm tea and molasses to encourage the microbial growth!

March To Do List

2011-03-02T10:10:00.005+10:30

Weeds Everywhere!!

Plan autumn/winter planting chart Done see here
Make netted area for the Brassica seedlings to live in Done
Keep sowing seeds for autumn/winter planting/eating
Clear beds as crops finish started
Check Wicking Beds: top up with compost/manure or rebuild as necessary
Prepare beds for green manure crops started
Pick fruit as it ripens continues
Keep on top of weed growth accelerated by recent rain!!!!
Trim/prune shrubs as weather cools
Clear all pathways and make safe/level
Begin front garden redesign as weather permits
Help Doc with concrete slab for new storage shed Done

At least I've made a start already!

Last Summer Log.

2011-02-28T13:10:00.002+10:30

Scarecrow's Garden Log: Fortnight 15:01:2011 to 27:02:2011

Carob pods drying on the tree!

Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min 8.2C
Lowest Max 21.7C
Highest Max 35C
5mm Rain

What's the weather been like in the garden?
Mild days, cool nights, a little rain then temperatures rising to mid 30's at the end of the fortnight.

Propagation:
Seeds:
Broad Beans Early Long Pod DT Brown
Wallflowers (seeds from garden)

Potting up:

Alyssum White
Fennel Florence
Hollyhocks
Perpetual Spinach
Sweet Peas

Volunteers:
Hollyhocks
Red Kale
Warrigal Greens

Cuttings/Division:
Chives Allium schoenoprasum
Ginger Mint Mentha arvensis syn. M. gentilis
Oregano variegated Oreganum vulgare 'Variegata'
Pineapple top
Society Garlic Tulbaghia violacea
Tarragon French Artemisia dracunculus sativa
Thyme Russian Thymus nitidus
Yarrow White Achillea millefolium

In the Garden This week:

We spent some time in Adelaide with Doc's Mum last week so I prepared all the seedlings for a few days without water.
Cat trays come in handy to hold seedling trays and small pots and allow you to leave just enough water to keep the moisture level up without drowning young seedlings.

Lining other trays with plastic helps with larger pots.
That is as long as it doesn't rain in which case you wouldn't need the trays.
I relied on our trusty 7 day weather forecast which was for once correct in predicting no rain and fortunately no high temperatures either.

Recently we purchased a pineapple with a leafy top! Seems rare these days most of them have their tops chopped off. I cut the top off with approx 2.5cms attached and left it to dry in a sheltered spot. This week I potted it up. It will live in the shadehouse with three others I've planted this summer. They will move to the hot house for winter. Pineapples are not a locally grown food so I'm attempting to grow some here. Might work, Might not!

I dug up a small clump of Society Garlic,
divided the plants and potted them up.

At The Community Garden

The Sunflower seeds I sowed around the base of the tank bed are starting to grow and so far seem to be surviving Locust/Snail attack!

As we walked to the garden on the 16th we could barely see it from the road due to thick fog!
We harvested (and ate on the walk home) the first Yellow Baby Pear Tomatoes...yum!

Fortnight 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.
Or veg grown in the Community Garden bed.
Beetroot Greens***86g
Kohlrabi Purple Vienna***50g
Shallots Red***56g
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed***380g
Sweet Potato Leaves***50g
Tomato Kotlas***405g
Tomato Red Cherry***54g
Tomato Yellow Tommy Toe***170g
Zucchini (?)***2892g
Zucchini Cocozelle***3011g

Apples Cox's Orange Pippin***6157g
Apples Golden Delicious***11742g windfalls for drying and cooking!
Blackberry Thornless***242g
Grapes Black Sultana***5204g
We have also been grazing (eating outside without weighing!) on:
more Grapes, Ida Gold Tomatoes, Figs, Plums...

Eggs
13 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
0 From the 3 Barnevelders
9 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

As I seem to have trouble keeping up with weekly log postings lately I will now post a monthly journal update and try to post a few interesting items and photos in between as things happen.

Growth from the Rain

2011-02-14T18:10:00.001+10:30

Scarecrow's Garden Log: 14:02:2011:

Leaf Amaranth in flower.

Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min 10.6C
Lowest Max 16.2C
Highest Max 36C
21mm Rain

What's the weather been like in the garden?
The temperature was much milder this week but the humidity levels are high for this time of the year. More rain on Friday night and all day Saturday. These conditions after our heatwave has put an end to many summer crops but the rain will help in the preparation for autumn plantings!

Propagation:
Seeds:
Senna artemisiodes from seed collected at the community garden for planting there.

Potting up:
Beetroot Detroit Red Globe
Beetroot Forono
Beetroot Golden Detroit
Broccoli Nutri Bud
Broccoli Royal Dome
Cabbage Early Jersey Wakefield
Cabbage Verona Purple Savoy
Celeriac
Celery Pink
Coriander
Endive
Gotu Kola
Kale Lacinato
Kale Tuscan Black
Kale Vates Blue Curled
Kholrabi Super Schmeltz
Lettuce Drunken Woman
Lettuce Miners
Mustard Asian
Spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing
Tatsoi

Potting on:
Silverbeet
Rocket
Parcel

Planting out:
Lettuce Drunken Woman in the salad pots out the back.

Cuttings/Division:

Strawberry Runners from the plants I purchased last year.

In the Garden This week:

With lots of seedlings to pot up and on I had to scrub a mountain of pots and punnets first. Once clean these get dipped in a mild household bleach solution to make sure no diseases are carried on the pots to the young seedlings.
I have had to make netted shelters for the brassica seedlings as the butterflies are still lurking!

The rain has resulted in many split tomatoes...
...the chooks enjoy these as treats!!!

I was doubtful of having anything to harvest from the Tomatillo Bed but I recently found these and others growing! Not to sure what to do with these fellows though...

While I was at that bed I noticed that the Seven Year Bean has taken off...over and into the old chook house!!! It is amazing as all that growth has come from just one surviving plant!

I took a chance and planted out some good sized, late season seedlings of Grain Amaranth. The rain has encouraged it's growth since planting!

The rain fell lightly on Saturday and there was little wind...a recipe for fungal attack! Between the showers I removed the shade cloth cover from the Zucchini Bed. Sunday was windy, sunny and cool so the large leaves had a chance to dry completely.

With the recent rain the Garden Mint at the backdoor has sprung to life! Just in time for a local lamb roast!
Mint sauce: Two teaspoons of chopped mint, two teaspoons of sugar, two teaspoons of boiling water and one and a half teaspoons of cider vinegar! You can increase the amounts, just keep the ratio the same (ish).

Those babies in the Gotu Kola tub were being smothered by the mother plant's vigorous growth (it liked the rain too) so I've potted them up.

In The Community Garden
Two withered (cooked in the heat!) Lettuces were replaced by two new Silverbeet seedlings!!

It is interesting to note that anything planted in the soil at the base of the tank beds has been eaten by Locust/Grasshoppers but little damage has occurred up in the beds themselves.

I harvested a big armful of Leaf Amaranth and cooked it up in a quiche to share at our committee meeting last week! No, I didn't weigh that harvest!

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.
Potatoes Pink Fir Apple***1154g
Potatoes Dutch Cream***2577g
Zucchini Cocozelle***823g
Kohlrabi Purple Vienna***235g
Silverbeet Rainbow Mixed***228g
Jerusalem Artichoke***120g
Grapes Black Sultana***500g (we've also been grazing on grapes!)

Eggs
13 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
0 From the 3 Barnevelders (who don't like this weather!)
1 From the 5 Faverolles (who had a fright on the weekend!)

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

Cocozelle Zucchini

2011-02-10T17:00:00.002+10:30

A late December planting of Zucchini provides vigorous growing plants by the end of January and the heatwaves of February.

While the Golden Zucchini has withered away in the heat these new plants (Cocozelle) are growing strongly and producing curious but delicious zucchinis!

Planted under 50% shadecloth their flowers have been hand pollinated as not many bees will venture under the cloth. The shadecloth is set low over this bed to protect the plants from the hot western sun of the afternoon.

The mottling on the leaves is not mildew
but just the silvery pattern they produce.

Any leaf that strays out of the cover is scorched by the sun.

Seed from The Lost Seed where it is described as:
"Italian heirloom. Bush. Pale green, long, cylindrical fruit with dark green stripes."

Heat and Flooding Rain!

2011-02-07T19:10:00.003+10:30

Scarecrow's Garden Log: Fortnight 24:01:2011 to 07:02:11

After the heat came rain...
...a lot of rain!
It filled the birdbath!

Temperatures:
Lowest Min 10.4C
Lowest Max 18C
Highest Max 43C
125mm Rain
(that is not a typo!!!!)

What's the weather been like in the garden?
Monday 32.7C, Tuesday 43C, Wednesday 36.1C, Thursday 35.4C, Friday 36.3C, Saturday 38.8C, Sunday 42.5C.
Monday 41C, Tuesday 39C, Wednesday 40C, Thursday 37C, Friday 34.5C, Saturday 21.1C, Sunday 18C
(37.8C=100F)
The heat ended on Friday with torrential rain from moisture fed from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Yasi!

Propagation:
Seeds:
Beetroot Detroit Red Globe Beta vulgaris DT Brown
Beetroot Forono Beta vulgaris DT Brown
Beetroot Golden Detroit Beta vulgaris 4 Seasons Seeds
Broccoli Purple Sprouting Brassica oleracea 4Seasons Seeds
Broccoli Romanesco Brassica oleracea Cornucopia Seeds
Cabbage Early Jersey Wakefield Brassica oleracea
Cabbage Red Choi Brassica rapa var. chinensis Green Harvest
Cabbage Purple Flowered Choy Brassica rapa var. purpuree Green Harvest
Cabbage Verona Purple Savoy Brassica oleracea The Lost Seed
Cauliflower Self Blanche Brassica oleracea var. botryis The Lost Seed
Cauliflower Violet Sicilian Brassica oleracea Green Harvest
Coriander Coriandrum sativum Mr Fothergill
Corn Salad Valerianella locusta Phoenix Seeds
Cumin Black Nigella sativa The Lost Seed
Florence Fennel Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum Phoenix Seeds
Lettuce Crispmint Lactuca sativa Diggers
Perpetual Spinach Beta vulgaris Phoenix Seed
Radicchio Rossa di Treviso 2 Cichorium intybus Franchi Seeds (from a swap)
Red Clover Trifolium pratense Phoenix Seeds
Rocket Eruca sativa DT Brown
Spinach English Medania Spinacea oleracea DT Brown
Spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinacea oleracea Eden Seeds

Felica amelliodes Home saved seed
Hollyhock Pink Alcea rosea Friends seed
Larkspur Giant Imperial Consolida ambigua Mr Fothergill's
Sweet Pea Dwarf Bijou Lathyrus odoratus Home Saved seed
Sweet William Mixed Dianthus barbatus Friends seed
Viola Large Flowered Mixed Viola cornuta Mr Fothergill's

In the Garden This Fortnight:

Watering to keep things alive,
shading to keep the sun off
and netting the fruit trees
to keep the birds off.

Gotu Kola thriving in it's Wicking Box
and even has some seedlings popping up.

Sweet Potatoes growing at the base of a wicking bed
to catch the (deliberate at times) overflow.

The heat has accelerated the ripening of the grapes
outside the backdoor.

Monday of the second week we had a visit
from our son and his growing family!

Then anxious times as our daughter and son-in-law spent a terrifying night in the "bunker" beneath their house in Far North Queensland while cyclone Yasi raged outside!!!! Fortunately their damage was minor compared to those further north but the water supply has been slow to come back as has the power!

Friday's weather radar (from this site) showing how far the remnants of Cyclone Yasi had moved to the centre of Australia and fed moisture down to us in SA.

A lot of moisture!!!
(our driveway!)

Of course the Black Ninja was not amused...
...she doesn't like rain!

At The Community Garden:

The rain caused only minor puddling
and all drained well soon after!

Weekly Harvest Tally: Figures for the fortnight!
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.
Squash Winter Delicata***244g
Squash Sweet Meat***5500g
Tomato Golden Sunrise***1781g
Tomato Kotlas***4119g
Tomato Silvery Fir Tree***1683g
Tomato Yellow Tommy Toe***29g
Tomato Red Cherry***214g
Zucchini Gold***294g
Zucchini Cocozelle***1020g
Strawberries***96g
Blackberries***751g

Eggs
19 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals
4 From the 3 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

You will need to click on the photos to view them.