Dear Diary: 7th August

OBSERVATIONS

Sunny weather, mostly dry - some sprinkles, a day or two of rain, warmer days (7-20C)

Stone fruit is in full bloom, Golden Dorsett branch is in full blossom, two apples still growing (two had holes in them, I pulled them)

Acerola Cherry looks dry and possibly drying out.
Trees in pots look to be drying out. Need to put
Avo tree is still in blossom, not sure enough bees to do the job, also not sure that the flowers on their own are sufficient. Plenty of flowers, guess we'll see.

CHOOKS

Shan has an implant now; only Goong and Siyao will be laying going forward. Hainan has been a little quiet this week - B2 says she's not as energetic as before, even if she's not feeling swollen. Need to consider more chickens, also disposition of the old ones.

Still on the APRICOT-AVO.

PRUNING & PREPARING

Chipper hired for last weekend, ended up chipping mostly on Saturday afternoon - woodchips have been distributed around the garden, including backyard paths, some pruning of ACEROLA CHERRY, LYCHEE, KUMQUAT, and BLACK SAPOTE might be indicated to reduce the amount of branches/leaves to be supported.

Compost is slowly being sieved, need to be sure the use the chooks to pick out the grass seeds.

PLANTING

FRONT PICKET BED: wildflower seeds sowed around and about, also DAHLIAS (from Filipa O) and LILIES (from Seed Collective)

POTATO-PUMPKIN BED: more mustard seeds in the section the chooks have whittled down; covered the quarter with a proper wire box.

HEXABED: mustard seeds - but the chooks got in and may have raked it all about. Also: HEXABED shouldn't be used for food growing - high lead levels. A shady meadowflower space?

CREPE-APRICOT: 3 'Newspaper peas' from PDC planted - another 4 planted under the two apples in the TRIANGLE ORCHARD

Plans: Tomatoes, sweet corn, zucchini, cucumber - some in the APPLE-DUAL STONE bed in the TRIANGLE ORCHARD, some up the back for after the equinox.

GARLIC: 4 cloves of Spanish Roja in amidst the LOUNGE ROOM WICKING bed.

RIPENING & HARVEST

Oranges, still. (Leaving them on the tree until they pretty much fall off.)

Sweet potato from the front bed. Need to gather up and dry off, then clean and probably freeze for soup-making.

Fennel from bathtub bed. Maybe to go with a cabbage slaw? Otherwise...will need to look for a recipe! May need to look at swapping with someone...

Coriander from bathtub bed.

NOTES