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.

dear diary - 6th Dec

OBSERVATIONS: The rodents have basically destroyed all the fruit in the backyard, and are working on the fruit trees. They haven't hit the avocados yet (so far as I can tell) and they may not be able to get to them on account of the avos hanging. Depends on how smart they are - whether they realise they can gnaw the things off and then eat them.

Got pest managers in to set traps and baits, and the rats have reduced around our lawn, but are still in and out of the chicken yard, and along the neighbour's fence. I think they have them under their house, too. Wondering if I should move the rat bait boxes into the chook yard...

In the front picket fence bed, the elderbush is shooting everywhere. So is the mugwort. The mugwort I still have a half-hope of digging out, but the elders put out roots all over the place. And when you dig up one, then another just keeps going! Not sure if mowing them will do the job. Am hiring a local company to do the lawn as often as needed - next one in the week before Christmas.

CHOOKS: Shantung has gone back for another implant - she had a swollen belly. Si-si has also been sitting down a fair bit; I found her just parked on the grass this morning. Might be a leg injury. I'll bring her water and some food later. A day or two later, she's recovered and seems to be in good spirits. But while Shantung is pretty spirited, she's not all that spry anymore and her abdomen still feels swollen even after they took out the fluids from it. Basically, there's another pathology going on, and the vet may not be able to do anything short of surgery. And I'm not really willing to pay for another surgery.

The chooks are being allowed to run pretty much across the front yard. They make whining noises when they're confined to the yard; there's not much there to eat or play in there, and they like nesting in the triangle bed under the citrus. It's low enough to give them cover, and thick enough that they don't feel exposed.

PRUNING & PREPARING: I put the chook tractor back on the Crepe-Apricot bed, but nothing much is happening in there - the girls don't seem to much like going in there right now. Might be the open-airness of it? Need to cover it with one of my new sacks.

I'm going to severely prune down all the backyard trees next year. Especially the Flavor Supreme plum, which doesn't produce anything at all. Or maybe I should do that now? Let them spring back over the summer/autumn, then maybe fruit in winter/spring next year? Need to think about that.

I've decided to cut down/dig out the front nectarine in the triangle garden, because it never produces edible nectarines - they go mouldy far too easily and don't grow to a decent size. If I cut it down, I could use the stump for grafting. But if I dig it out, I could put an apricot in its place. But I wonder if it's never done well because it's sharing the space with the golden peach... Also, if I could dig up the golden peach and reorient it so it's more upright, that would be excellent.

PLANTING: I'm not really in a planting mood, tbh. Should toss some stuff down - lettuces, radishes, beets, etc. Green mulches, etc. anything that will grow in the coming weeks/months. (Coriander? Needs/wants cooler weather.)

Put tiny baby potatoes in the SMALL VEGEPOD 2 (King Edwards). Trying to decide where to plant out the peanuts.

Planted out the various pumpkins into spaces where they have a chance to grow and spread (I hope), we'll see how they do! I should put something under the apple trees, but I'm still trying to kill off the grass weeds underneath, I think...

RIPENING: Peaches now, very rapidly. Lots of the potatoes in the triangle garden potato bed.

HARVEST: NECTARINES. I'm pretty much asking everyone to come by and get nectarines. Done with preserving - did that last year, still had crazy numbers, now mostly looking to give away fresh. Including making local connections if I can.

NOTES: Sydney Edible Garden Trail is next November - 4th and 5th. Before then, I would like to:
- change the chicken tunnels from the plastic wire to metal tunnels. Also make them a little wider than they were.
- change the Apricot-Avo bed to a seating space (not enough sun in summer) Maybe also consider the Avo-Shed, although that could be perennially leafy greens and maybe some green shallots which don't need all that much sun.

diary: 1st December

OBSERVATIONS: The rodents have basically destroyed all the fruit in the backyard, and are working on the fruit trees. They haven't hit the avocados yet (so far as I can tell) and they may not be able to get to them on account of the avos hanging. Depends on how smart they are - whether they realise they can gnaw the things off and then eat them. I'm getting pest managers in to set traps and baits. 

The elder is shooting everywhere. So is the mugwort. But mugwort I still have a half-hope of digging out, but the elders put out roots all over the place. And when you dig up one, then another just keeps going!

CHOOKS: Shantung has gone back for another implant - she had a swollen belly. Si-si has also been sitting down a fair bit; I found her just parked on the grass this morning. Might be a leg injury. I'll bring her water and some food later. 

PRUNING & PREPARING: I put the chook tractor back on the Crepe-Apricot bed, but nothing much is happening in there - the girls don't seem to much like going in there right now. Might be the open-airness of it.

I'm going to severely prune down all the backyard trees next year. Especially the Flavor Supreme plum, which doesn't produce anything at all. Or maybe I should do that now? Let them spring back over the summer/autumn, then maybe fruit in winter/spring next year?

Also going to cut down/dig out the front nectarine, either grafting other stone fruit on it, or else planting the spare apricot.

PLANTING: I'm not really in a planting mood, tbh. Should toss some stuff down - lettuces, radishes, beets, etc. Green mulches, etc. anything that will grow in the coming weeks/months. (Coriander?)

RIPENING:

HARVEST: NECTARINES. I'm pretty much asking everyone to come by and get nectarines. Done with preserving - did that last year, still had crazy numbers, now 

NOTES: Sydney Edible Garden Trail is next November - 4th and 5th. Before then, I would like to:
- change the chicken tunnels from the plastic wire to metal tunnels
- change the Apricot-Avo bed to a seating space (not enough sun in summer)

Dear Diary - 21st November

OBSERVATIONS

The grass is long and the lawn mower from the last couple of goes hasn't been by, although he said he'd be here on Monday, and then this weekend. I don't think he's going to turn up - I don't like our chances. I just wish people would say they're not going to instead of setting expectations and then failing them.

Contacting a local gardening guy, but might just farm this out to AirTasker.

CHOOKS

We ended up giving away 'Baby' - a.k.a. our unexpected windfall of a chicken who turned up on the street at B1's friend's place, and who was given into our care. We didn't end up finding her owners, but we couldn't keep her - she was too much of a free spirit to fit in with our flock (who have a routine down) and so we gave her to someone in Turramurra. She's got three chickens already, they get to free range a lot, and she'll be pretty happy.

PRUNING & PREPARING

I'm down to hand-picking out the seedy weeds where I can, but I think a session or two out on the front verge may be necessary. Not that I want the grass, mind you, but that's what I have to work with...

PLANTING

Nothing. Haven't planted anything new in the last few weeks, which is stupid; should have at least planted some lettuces, or the coriander in something that's able to be kept cool.

RIPENING

Nectarines and Peaches

HARVEST

POTATOES: King Edwards, some Nicola (long oval), some Dutch Cream (round), maybe some Bintje? (long and a bit knobbly).

RASPBERRIES: getting a handful every couple of days

NOTES

None of the backyard trees are producing this year, except for the AVOCADO. I think the end of this season is going to have to be some major pruning and rethinking. Year 3-4 was the good year, when things bloomed, blossomed, and produced. This year - the last few - have been tricksy. CHERRY isn't producing, APRICOTs aren't, PLUM barely is (only the Mariposa, the Flavor Supreme doesn't).

I could dig the backyard trees out, clover up the ground, and rebuild the chicken tunnels. That's the two year plan, I think, after the windows.

Sydney Edible Garden Trail is set for November next year, so there's going to be a fair bit of interest in the fruit trees, I thihnk.

dear diary: 31st October

OBSERVATIONS

Well, everything's gone kinda beserk. Warming weather and sufficient rain to set things off. Downside: a lot of the weedy grasses have started taking over in the front yard. This is not ideal, and I don't know how to deal with them - other than dedicated pulling out, or else poisoning. Don't want to do too much poisoning - prefer not to do any at all.

CHOOKS

We've gained a friendly little refugee - a mysterious and missing miss who was found on a street in Warrawee and hasn't been claimed. Guess she's going to end up part of our flock... Not sure if we should check her for any diseases or such.

Unfortunately, we have a lot of rats and mice right now, too. I'm contemplating one of the treadle feeders, but debating between those and the Dine-A-Chook ones that seem otherwise pretty good for keeping rats off and away...

PRUNING & PREPARING

Everything in the backyard. Probably will have to go to the chickens for best scrappage.

PLANTING

All the stuff I didn't get around to before I left.

TOMATOES need planting out.

CUCUMBERS

RIPENING

peaches and nekos are growing, as are the apples - some donut peaches, some plums...

HARVEST

Potatoes, purple-podded peas, artichokes, leeks, all the leafy greens, cruciferous brassicas (mostly the leaves, but possibly not even those: I think they got hit by the bug)...

NOTES

I have to start facing that I'm not going to be able to deal with the entire property. Everything's growing right now and it's more than a little bit crazy. It's also spread all over the property, which is a reasonable size, and the grass weeds are a big problem right now - not to mention the issue with things being warm and wet and therefore growing. I need to find another lawn guy.

dear diary: 8th October

Last garden post for a while. I'm going for a round-the-world trip on Sunday, won't be back until November! There's someone to look after the cats and the chooks on a day-to-day basis, but hopefully the rain will keep everything humming while I'm away...

OBSERVATIONS

During the week's crazy rain, the gutters started leaking again - downspouts were blocked with jacaranda leaves. During October (Sept school hols) need to climb up on the roof and clear the gutters, preferably when the weather is clear and not in the middle of crazy rain while home alone!

Grass is super damp in the ridge running parallel to the triangle orchard on the south side. Superdamp and squishy.

Definitely some 'soft spots' under the backyard woodchip. Going to need a refill when I get back.

CHOOKS

B1 took Coldie to the vet because she was concerned that Coldie was gaining weight and her comb was starting to grow and go floppy again. Apparently she's fine, but the implant that keeps Coldie from laying might have expired. It's only been 3 months, and they usually last 6-12 months so...she got another implant. Dear heavens but that chook is expensive.

The chooks now have a roof over the west end of their yard thanks to Mike of Let's Grow Shopping, so they can still go outside in the rain a little, rather than being stuck in the triangle coop.

PRUNING & PREPARING

Covered several beds with sugarcane mulch.

Got the trellis up for the BACKYARD APRICOT espalier, but the arms aren't tied down (yet).

Dug up the driveway vegepod weeds and then covered with damp paper and cardboard, and sugarcane mulch. See if it manages to cut down the weeds by the time I come back. (Wish I'd put down a layer of comfrey.)

PUMPKIN-POTATO bed:

PLANTING

QLD Sunrise, Rosewood, and Argentina Phoenix PUMPKINS in a black recycling box full of compost down by the picketfence bed. Literally tossed in clumps of seed, covered with sugarcane mulch we'll see what's up by the time I get back.

FLOWERING & RIPENING

The Berry Wall behind the washing line is flowering. Avocado is in full flower but not many avos are being pollinated (damn) - may need to consider a second avo tree for better cross-pollination.

HARVEST

Asparagus, various leafies. Broccoli leaves? Fennel! CRAAAAAP. So many things to eat and not enough time to eat them! Or even prep them. (Frankly, I'd love some of Margaret's delicately flavoured sauerkraut.)

NOTES

We're going with the uPVC double-glazed windows, sometime over the course of the summer. Going to have to start moving things away from the windows so the installation can take place. That's going to be fun getting organised/tidied for that.

Dear Diary - 3rd October

Trying to plant out everything that will need to be in the ground for the next three weeks while I'm away. While it's another La Nina year, and there'll be plenty of rain, I don't want to leave it to that, so pretty much everything is either going into self-watering pots, in the shallow rain-tray, or it'll be planted out.
At least that's the plan.

OBSERVATIONS

found what looks like some baby wandering trad in front of the chook coop - have found Wandering Trad before in the coop, pulled it out, binned it. I think that the chooks might have eaten seed and pooped it out, resulting in patches of tiny leaves (that give me creepy feelings). I dug up the patches I could find and am going to drown them in water for a long time. Downside: mosquito breeding, UGH.

CHOOKS

before I leave, they're spending every day in lounge-dining-kitchen stretch of yard, to trim down the grass; not sure how successful this will be since they like the young tips, not the older weedy stuff. Still, good for digging things up, it just takes them a while. May end up having to mow the grass in any case, but wanted them to give it a go first.

PRUNING

Pruned the FOUR-APPLE in the backyard: the two strongest grafts have been severely trimmed down to give the two weaker grafts a chance to catch on.

PREPARING

Netted NECTARINE branch of backyard FOUR-STONE, am not going to net the PLUMS at all.

Got the espalier frame up around the APRICOT, will tie the branches in the coming days. Will aim for a fan espalier with this one.

PLANTING

POTATOES: one in a poly planterbox.

Have a POTATO and a SWEET POTATO with some potential for growing but nowhere to put it. Maybe in the DINING VEGEPOD once the chooks have cleared it...

Although I should probably plant some more lettuces and silverbeet...

PLANTING OUT

SNAPDRAGONS went under the FOUR-STONE, along with the TREE LETTUCE, and three AFRICAN MARIGOLDS.

CROPSWAPPED NASTURTIUM (probably Empress of India or something) went out in the FRONT PICKET FENCE.

RIPENING & FLOWERING

Stone fruit under netting, all ripening.

Still no apricots this year, not a one. *sigh*

HARVEST

the WASABI LETTUCE and the KALE are both going great guns, so are SILVERBEET all over the garden, and the CORIANDER has gone to seed. I cut one of the SHALLOTS for a stir-fry and it was great.

PURPLE ASPARAGUS in planter box.

NOTES

I feel like noxious weeds have gotten out of control in the garden - the mugwort, the salvias, the wandering trad, even some of the comfrey is worrying me - and it's a bit distressing, tbh. Also, the backyard garden is lovely through 8 months of the year, but cold and miserable and non-productive in winter. Which it would still be if it was grass, but I wouldn't care except to mow it. *sigh*

Need to arrange windows - looking at a company that does uPVC double-glazing windows, but I would really like to see the quality of work before purchasing. And it's really annoying that the guy who does the metal-framed double-glazing hasn't contacted us back at all with a formal quote.