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.

dear diary: 24th September

OBSERVATIONS

NASTURTIUMS are everywhere in the backyard.

FRONT PICKET BED is going beserk and in a bad way; probably going to need to poison the mugwort and the red salvia is seriously worrying me with its tendency to sprout from just about anything... But the little bulb garden I put together is now flowering ANEMONES after the JONQUILS and PAPERWHITE (also jonquils) have finished. There appear to be some DAHLIA crowns coming through, but the only thing from the meadow mix that seems to be sticking is the ALYSSUM.

GALA apple is flowering, so is BRAEBURN.

CHOOKS

Hainan had to be put down back around the middle of the month. The peritonitis wasn't getting any better in spite of the draining and antibiotics, and in the end it was better to end her suffering. She's buried under the peach-nectarine tree in the triangle garden.

Goong is broody again, and somewhat grumpy at being left out right now.

PRUNING & PREPARING

Planning to take off a giant chunk of the four-apple two very productive branches. They're not going to fruit this year - I think the rats ate all the buds. Give the other two grafts a chance to shine, maybe...

Planning to put the chooks into the dining room VEGEPOD at some point to clear it out. Don't know how well it will go; they like a bit of shelter - not too exposed. Could maybe put a few sacks or green shadecloth over it to give them some protection.

Planning to plant the snapdragons out in the PICKET FENCE BED.

PLANTING

Planted out the CORN (country gentleman) in APPLE-CREPE

Planted out the BUSH BEANS (cherokee wax) in the APPLE-CREPE, and CREPE-APRICOT, and PLUM-STONE

White BEANS (might be blue mountain), ebisu PUMPKIN, popping CORN, and maybe one EGGPLANT and one CAPSICUM coming up?

Blue CHILLI from Margaret by way of Cecelia.

RIPENING

ASPARAGUS: purple in the polybox, green in the ASPIE BED

MUSTARDS in the CREPE-APRICOT

MUSTARD in the VEGEPOD

SILVERBEET in the garage MINIPOD

RADISHES/LETTUCES in the dining MINIPOD

HARVEST

RHUBARB stems: both the green in the APRICOT bed and the red in polybox.

BRASSICAS in lounge room window, CABBAGE in pot on VEGEPOD, FENNEL in bathtub bed, CORIANDER in bathtub bed

NOTES

FRUIT TREES in triangle garden got netted (TWO-STONE and DUAL-STONE)

GOLDEN DORSETT graft has flowered and is fruiting; have started covering it over but not very thoroughly. Going to need to evaluate how that branch is managed.

Things need to be in the ground before I go away on holiday - all of October, pretty much; that, or they need to be in something that has a water reservoir...

NATIVE BEEHIVE: Opened it up with Sue, found the structure there but just no bees. Looks like the colony simply didn't manage to re-queen, and just died. Now I have to trim out all the mouldy/pollen/honeysacs in the hive and prep it for probably an October/November split.

house windows

Spoke to some asbestos removalists this morning: they'd take both the cladding and the asbestos off.

Got the quote for double-glazed windows with thermally broken frames.

It's interesting. I know that my version of 'affordable' is vastly different to most other people's versions. But I was expecting the windows would be more expensive than they are quoted as being. I do wonder what the price of uPVC windows would be though. But getting anyone to quote them will be an effort; everyone is crazy busy with building right now.

Also wondering: how can I retain the glass in my current windows for re-use (as, say, a greenhouse) instead of just having them tossed into the bin and taken to landfill? Is there anyone who would be willing to take them for other use?

I guess there goes the dream of installing a stained glass window in my street-facing floor-to-nearly-ceiling lounge room...

dear diary - 4th September

OBSERVATIONS

Rain with occcasional sunny spaces. La Nina is predicted for the summer, third time unlucky. Not sure we're going to make a fourth one in some areas of Australia.

CHOOKS

Hainan likely on her last legs. Drained of fluids last visit, seemed okay afterwards, but has slowed down in the last weeks. At this point, if things are failing and the only option is surgery, I'm going to cut the cord. Then it'll be a case of getting another two chickens. I'd like another Sussex (mille flora!) for the pretty, and maybe a Quamby. IDK. Or we might go another of the nicer heritage breeds - Australorp, perhaps?

PRUNING & PREPARING

Roughly (and badly) pruned the frangipani. Put the cuttings aside to dry and maybe be chipped.

Dug out the last of the lower compost bay and sieved it. Covered everything up so it wouldn't get too wet, and luckily did so just before the rain turned up. Need to refill several beds:
- lounge room bed
- back wicking bed
- assorted pots and the plants in them

PLANTING

No planting today. But should really plant a few more things for the Crop Swap on the 25th September...

Beans, tomatoes,

GROWING

Tomatoes in the heat aquarium have sprouted but only the seed leaves, no real leaves yet. They're a bit leggy too. Should probably move them into more sunny spaces...

Peas in Apple Espalier are coming along well and fruiting some.

HARVEST

None today, although peas are looking pretty ready, there aren't a lot of them.