post-permabee thoughts

Things that weren't done:

• the chook yard roofed
• apple tree growing frame shored
• back hexagon garden cleared
• the northern wall cleared

Things to do now:

• plan the stripping of the house, asbestos removal, window replacement, insulation, wrapping, cladding
• plan the strengthening of the chicken run to something solid enough to set up sections as seating around the edges. (Future plans.)

The former bee bed needs rethinkng. The norhtern side is far too damp for the avocado, which was why it was slowly sinking. An alterantive would be to put something in there that doesn't mind exposure (west winds) and likes it warm (northern slab heating) and which also can take watering.

The area surrounding it needs thought as well: in part because the grass creeps in either way - the long runners that end up taking over the bed or sneaking in under it. When I made the compost for the bed, I didn't really dig up the grass and now I kind of regret that.

I could put in bulbs, but the grass would overrun those. Also, they make mowing the lawn edges tricky, because one doesn't wnat to whipper snip the bulbs, but one wants to get the grass. Probably the best option then, is to grow something that doesn't mind being cut down and which will bounce back.

TBH, ideally this would be comfrey edges. But I'd want them according to the layout of the Linda Woodrow chook dome (in the future, which is probably quite a way away right now).

Maybe the temp option is the bulbs and a meadow mix. Plant the bulbs now, staying back from the edging. Then plant alyssum and yarrow and other easily-mown plants along the edge, pulling back the grass wherever possible. Do marigolds repel grass, by any chance? Oh, there's the thick 'looks like violet' stuff that was growing thickly around the black sapote. That looks like it might do a decent job once transplanted: dig out a big chunk and lay it down?

Need to take a photo of that and ask people what they think it is.

Right, first half of this week is planting time for the bulbs. Also need to contact Steve-the-neighbour and ask if he's willing to help chop out chunks of the frangipani. May need to get the termite guy to look at this, too.