November 2017 Blog Posts (8)

It is the time of abundance.  I am getting WAY too many trombonccinos, eggplants, cucumbers, beans and eggs at the moment so every Friday lately, I am taking in a basket load of goodies for people in my school to grab.  It means I am keeping on top of the harvests and not letting things go to waste which I absolutely hate. 

I've started harvesting peaches but my poor tree is almost laying on the ground it is that overladen with fruit. …

Just a few pics to show some of my garden.  We are planning to move some of the citrus so they can be together in same location. They need watching, and spraying with oil wash for bugs. Easier to do in one area. The persimmons are holding on to a few fruit but this rain is upsetting them now.  The red Shahtoot are giving me lovely long fingers of fruit.  The white Shahtoot has been potted up.   The Lamb Hass avocado should keep good company with the Dwarf Wurtz.  My order of little bananas…

Some years back we bought a small electric mulcher. Of oriental persuasion, the mulcher has whirred on ... and on ...

Through a change of blades - thoughtfully provided with double-sided blades, a strong arm and some know-how allows the blade life to be extended without the hassle of sharpening the blade.

The machine comes with a pusher. Another two indispensible tools are a device to poke choked-up material from the discharge chute and a whisk to clean out the cutting…

There's a way to extend the cutting season for Asparagus. Prune the plants after they flower, top up the nutrients to encourage them to re-grow and cut again for the pot.

This system can deliver fresh shoots three times in the course of the summer.

This year I have left some young stems which so far are not showing signs of flowering. Usually I clear fell, but observation suggests not all stems are going to flower.…

Of late I've been investing energy 'renovating' the school garden while 'maintaining' my own. That doesn't mean I've been neglecting my own patch.

Indeed the effort has served to offer me a comparison.

When I look at my own outback it keeps changing each year, each season, each month.If I didn't keep an inventory and map in my head I'd lose my gardening…

Since we had a Community Day yesterday I used the excuse to renovate the school garden.

This is a primary school project I've been engaged in for a few years now. Each week we take almost all classes through the gardening program. At other times it is deployed as a chill out or distraction zone for problem -- as in acting out --students.…

October 2017 Harvest

- 3.6kg winged yam (exciting!)

- 4 passionfruits

- 150g Madagascar beans

- 4 little black eggplants

- 600g Sweet potato (1 tuber..I tripped on it haha)

I don't know what to think - on one hand I am loving the rain for the garden, on the other I am itching to spend more time in the garden - but then there's a heat wave! I hope this summer will be ok...

Was away for the start of Oct but starting to…

Finally finished renovating the old chook shed. The first new ladies have moved in. We have named them Queenie, Princess, Duchess and Lady. They will eventually have the run of the orchard once they have settled in. Hopeful soon have some "real" eggs. Also got two chicks, Buffy and Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam) for our granddaughter to grow up with.…