Dear Diary: 14th March 2024

OBSERVATIONS & WEATHER:

A few rainy days going forth, I was planning to get a bunch of seedlings in but didn't manage to do so.
Edit: I put a bunch more in just this afternoon in 10-minute spaces of time.

CHOOKS:

Goong is broody. Again. Everyone is laying, just a little irregularly. The chooks are about due for another alpha-miting so they're not putting all their energy into fighting the little buggers off.
Edit: alpha-mited the water

COMPOST:

Sieved about a black box of compost, dumped on the LOWER TRIANGLE bed.

PREPARING:

LOWER TRIANGLE has been covered with chopped bits, bought-compost, and home-compost. This is in prep for...GARLIC, I think. I hope! (I thought I ordered some, but I can't find a record of it and nothing seems to be arriving.)

FRANGIPANI GRASS needs slasher weedkiller on it. Should have done before the rain. (Should have done everything before the rain. ARGH.)

SEEDS:

I received a bunch of winter leafy greens from Digger, haven't planted them out. I planted out a bunch of BEETROOT, SPRING ONION, SPINACH, and I think even KALE seeds the other week, and most of them have germinated and are little sprouty things.

Have the seeds from the Giant Pumpkin Of Longlast and will be sowing them next summer.

PLANTING OUT:

BEETROOT, ONION, SPRING ONION, SPINACH – planting some of these out in the APPLE-CREPE (and I think some in the CREPE-APRICOT, but I think those have died).

WASABI – into a small self-watering pot, I think, at least at first

LOTUS – various pots without holes so they can grow.

HARVEST:

Too late to get the last of the BASIL, but it was purchased, not grown from seed. It lasted all summer and gave us a solid crop, and a supply of BASIL, so I'll say it was a success.

FEEDING:

Should feed the CORN in the CREPE-APRICOT. I'm sure I have some chook manure somwhere.

PRUNING:

Once again, it is late summer/early autumn, and everything needs pruning. It's such a pain. I need to look into a chainsaw or lopper.

The cliveas between the CHERRY and the DONUT PEACH need thinning out. They're beautiful and huge but rather too much.

THOUGHTS:

Need to work out how to manage the chook yard. Needs something that can take a bit of extra nitrogen, particularly along the northern line of the fence. The fig tree isn't doing well because it has too much TO DO

• clear out the pond
• pull TOMATOES and hang in shed
• sow random BRASSICAS (leafy greens) in AVO-SHED
• slasher weedkiller on the Frangipani grass
• pH test the new soil (due to go in the persimmon/dual stone bed) for the GARLIC
• plant FAKE GALANGALalong gutterline in front of house