OBSERVATIONS:
I came back from holidays and discovered that the garden had essentially gone
beserk. Not entirely surprising given the weather was hot and rainy - a
combination we haven't seen for a number of years.
It's better than mild-and-rainy which is the summers we've had for the last
three years, and also better than the hot-and-dry which was the prediction for
this summer and which is bushfire-danger. I mean, there's always bushfire
danger here in summer, but it's particularly bad in the El Nino years. That
said, 1.48C degrees warming, and Antarctic glaciers melting is bad news for
all of us.
CHOOKS:
Chooks have gone through another major mite incident. We ended up having to
spray the coop with coopex (industrial strength) because the rest of it wasn't
cutting the mustard. I blame the rats. Also, B1 (my sister) did a good job of
it, but I'm always a bit anxious about mites transferring. They creep me out,
and they stick around forever and it's an absolute PITA.
I tried to get predatory mites, but although we ordered them (along with
alphamite solution), they never turned up. *grr* The thing about the predatory
mites is that they could be spread through the garden and the compost.
Goongbao is broody again. Pretty as, but broody. Never getting a
Wyandotte again. Great mothers, okay layers, but ugh the broody is a PITA.
I've come to realise that the four chooks we own are not "scratchers". Unlike
the previous four that we had who would make short work of a green patch,
eating every green leaf in sight and digging up the ground quite thoroughly,
these four actually prefer the chook pellets we feed them.
Although admittedly they have scratched the APPLE-CREPE down to bare ground,
and it's probably ready for something else to grow there (late corn, perhaps
this year?) Unfortunately, they also got out several times, scratched up
everything I'd planted in the CREPE-APRICOT so there's nothing left there now,
and tend to decimate the edible leaves around the place (SILVERBEET in
particular). Why can't they like the grass, dammit? Why must they like the
human food?
COMPOST:
Last compost I made before leaving is just sitting there. I haven't turned it. I haven't really dared - that way lies mites. I used the chook manures from before B1 sprayed, but it's probably not enough to kill off the mite eggs. Another reason I wanted the predatory mites to deal with the blood mites. (Haven't heard back from the people who were supposed to send the mites but it's still holiday season so no surprise there.) Plenty of COMFREY and I need to make some more weed teas for fertilising things. I haven't dared open the lid of the weed tea I made from the cooch grass. Too many mozzies. *shudder*
PREPARING:
So there are several beds I want to prepare for the wintering crops: primarily GARLIC and POTATOES. They both want rich soil and lots of nutrients, and the beds they're going in (which I still need to decide) are going to need more work.
SEEDING:
Going to plant out a bed tomorrow (before it gets too hot or too rainy, I hope) with a lot of leafy greens, hopefully to be pickable in six weeks. Weather for the next month is likely to be hot and rainy so lots of growing. (Chinese broccoli, green summer cabbage, kale plants, carrots, beetroots, salad greens, Asian greens.)
PLANTING OUT:
Don't think I have anything much to plant out right now - haven't been growing anything while I'm away.
HARVEST:
Starting on the TOMATOES, but a fairly small harvest right now. Still RASPBERRIES, some SILVERBEET (but the chooks got out and decimated it), always the RHUBARB, lots of BASIL right now - the stuff I planted out is going great guns.
FEEDING:
Feed AVO-SHED, feed TOMATOES, feed PUMPKINS (especially the ones under the big leaves). MELONS in lounge room vegepod. MANGO tree!
PRUNING:
EVERYTHING needs pruning. I've already pruned down the vegepod TOMATOES, a lot of the PLUM tree, plenty of the others that are sticking out. But a fairly serious trim is going to be a must in the coming weeks.
Trim down the big-leaved PUMPKIN so the smaller ones can get some sun.
THOUGHTS:
The 'Turfan Depression' PUMPKINS appear to be working - we have at least one very large pumpkin vine, not sure about any pumpkins its producing (or not). There are a number of smaller ones but they're all being crowded out by the big vine! I might have to trim a few leaves to make some space for them. They defiintely need some feeding.
Melons in the vegepod are growing well, so we'll hope for good things there - must feed and fertilise them decently.
I need to work out how to make the sweet potatoes do better - Lolo Houbein suggests manures, mix well with the soil, mulch thickly, and keep moist. That might also do well under the MANGO tree.
Found some advice on how to grow apricots so I'm going to have to start work on that pretty soon.
