Dear Diary: 28th December

OBSERVATIONS

Still have rats - have worked out how the buggers get into the feed stations for the chooks, am blocking them off. They still try during the day, though. Might need to reposition the rat baits (none of which apparently were touched from last time, which is not actually very encouraging).

It's crazy hot around here which makes ti difficult to do anything in the garden (or anywhere else, in fact): the weather has been steadily 30C since before Christmas and we're so very not used to it after two La Nina summers. I keep on going out and doing tasks at 10:30am in the morning when the heat of the day is the worst.

CHOOKS

We have two new girls - Quambys, presently nicknamed B1 and B2. They're coop-ready, but not laying yet. "Pullets" is the term. They're very cute and I am accustoming them to me, although I don't know how successful I will be. It takes a lot of patience, and the twins don't have any when approaching chickens.

I hand-feed them, and they're getting used to me coming and going, although they're not entirely sanguine about me standing up and doing things.

Need to move the tractor on to the AVO-SHED, but want the girls to do a proper scratch-through at some point. Might need to fill it with the pre-pecked grass clippings from the chook yard, along with a zine page or two of poop from the night coop.

PRUNING & PREPARING

It's a job right now, cutting down all the things that are seeding. I should probably have saved the mustards, but I just pretty much tossed them back into the chook tractor. I feel like I need to throw a few more things in there that are compostable, but the problem is that the rats will eat anything that's still vaguely edible, and the chooks are not exactly reliable about eating everything (or even processing them).

PLANTING

I need to start planting for late autumn/early winter things. I'm going to try brassicas again, but I'm going to plant them out by the time they're 10cm tall. (Actually, if I can keep the last few alive over the remainder of the summer, then I might be able to just plant those ones out!)

Today, though, I discovered a collection of seeds that's been sitting around since February! Dang. I could have planted these out! I might still try a couple of seeds each, and see if I can't coax something out of them before the end of the season. We should have gotten past the worst of the heatwaves.

I also accidentally dug up what I think are the DAHLIA tubers, and had to replant them. Hopefully they've survived today's heatwave (of course I had to dig them up in the heatwave), and the next few days should be slightly cooler. "Should".

Planted in PICKET FENCE BED: LOOFAH, MARIGOLDS (African, French), HONEY BEE AND POLLINATOR mix, Ladybird POPPY.
Plant out: BEANS, CAPSICUM, (EGGPLANT?) Pretty much anywhere.

RIPENING

Corn silks are happening, I'm collecting the pollen for fertilising the next couple of days, but there'll be a break over New Year when I won't be home.

HARVEST

RASPBERRIES - a handful every couple of days. Some of the branches with fruit have dried out, though, I think because they weren't sufficiently watered. Also: some of the canes aren't fruiting and I'm not sure why.

Unless you count the POPPY seeds from the HEXABED which I started collecting.

NOTES

WATERING SYSTEMS: hook up to the tanks, work out seals and pressure.

ASPARAGUS: 1. plant out second step bed with asparagus ferns. 2. Dig out female plants, leave only male ones.