Update, at last!

OK so I have been a little absent recently. Seems to be a common apology, but I do mean it. I have loved writing this, so would hate for anyone (if I am vain enough to presume anyone is reading this) to lose interest. As I have loved sharing our experiences... no matter how minor, inexperienced or some times graphic, but this is the reality.

I shouldn't make excuses, however I have been away for work for a few days. So Matt was left looking after everything solo.  So I guess you would think I would have little to report, but you would be wrong.

We are yet again a few more birds down. Since we stated around Christmas we wanted to down size our flock, the numbers have been tumbling! Something we need to rectify.

Unfortunately we had to have our resident drake, Patta-duck put down on 7^th; after he had been 'not himself' for a few days. It sounds strange to complain a duck was waddling, but he was not standing up right, but shuffling. He was eating and drinking, as I was making sure he did (and his appetite was still good) so we made a last ditch attempt to save our pet drake. Unfortunately he was not well at all. He had definitely lost weight, as well as being lethargic and not walking properly. The vet also said he was dehydrated and had limited strength in his lower limbs and even his tail. She believed it was a bacterial toxic poisoning; probably something he had ate, as ducks are natural foragers, and with the wet weather we have had he could easily had found something that had begun to rot. So Pat, being a very sick duck didn't come back home. I stayed with him, as I didn't want him to be alone. Might sound strange from someone who raises birds as livestock, however Pat was very much a pet, and could win anyone over with his personality.

Whilst I was away, our remaining hybrid hen; who had earned herself a reprieve, by laying whenever the freezer threat was spoken. Became dog food whilst I was away... and Ffion was very pleased with herself. An expression I witnessed again yesterday, after I went out for an early morning run. Only this time it was one of our your pullets, who we have been waiting to start laying. So for future reference they will be staying in bed, if I head out early and not helping herself to breakfast.

On the subject or our young pullets, we are still waiting for them to begin lay... Only the one (of the two remaining) Old English Game cross has laid, and had done so for a few weeks, prior to the last batch of rain.  Though they are a few weeks older than the others. Our Rhode Island Red crosses and Light Sussex and Sussex cross should have all begun by now, as they are over 6 months old. So I am hopeful it has just been the heat and rain that has postponed their starting. As we have had to buy eggs for the first time in years- free range, of course. I know patience is key, but I would be grateful if anyone had any suggestions.

In more happy poultry news, our Indian game and OEG x Indian game chicks are doing really well. And are in that awkward, not quite cute stage now, where they are developing their adult feathers... I think it safe to say the older 3 are all roosters! And Lucky-Lu (Lucy) is doing really well. She responds to us, and comes (generally) when called. As, as only surviving Light Sussex from the chicks hatched over Christmas, where the others surcome to the wet. She battled on and survived! So is still housed in the shed, claiming the one side of the brooder box as her own. Something that will have to change once the turkeys hatch I guess. But we take her out and place her in the run every day, and bring her in at night, or poor weather.  She actually looks for us in the evenings and happily sits on our hand or shoulder... although this has resulted in a few clothes changes! She even managed to aim for the Madog's head one evening too.

This evening I planted out a few herbs, zucchinis and cucumbers to fast track my garden. As, as you may have noticed we have been a little busy and I am so far behind with starting this year's garden! I also sown my first batch of seeds... so fingers crossed for a good start. I do not tend to have a great history with propagating from seeds. I think I get too enthusiastic and plant them out too early. Ironically one of my best propagation strategies has been separating off section of the pig pen. So if I collect seeds; from garden or claimed from veg from the grocers, I generally feed some to the pigs, particularly if I am planning on allowing part of the pen some recovery time. As they appear to have a higher success rate than I do!  -

So gardening tip, should you wish to start some veg for minimum cost. If you buy your vegetables from a grocer, local produce store or farmers market, they are less likely to be produce from hybrid plant- unlike most supermarket stuff. So if you collect the seeds, they should propagate. Also if you can buy them locally, they are more likely to be successful in your environment. So stuff like tomatoes (you just need one from a punnet), seeds from a capsicum/pepper, chillies, eggplant/aubergines, pumpkins, melons, avocado (though these can be tricky, and be aware the tree and avocado skins are poisonous to almost everything, animal wise). Pretty much anything that would have seeds that you generally discard. I am also told you can place the stems of herbs (such as basil) in water and they will develop roots- this is something I plan on trying shortly... so will document and share. Also celery ends (the root bit) can be placed in water and should begin to grow again- but this is useless in the tropics. Another one that I am planning this winter is potatoes and sweet potatoes that are 'over' in the eating sense. So have eyes on them. Plant that in a barrel and 1 kg should produce up to 7kg! So again, this is another one I will keep you up to date on.  

Reclaiming veggie patch... but burned in the process

So this morning I am very sore and very uncomfortable... I am ridiculously sun burned. And yes I know it was cloudy, so I covered up, with t-shirt t, ¾ jeans and a hat, applied sunscreen before heading out, and once during the day. Cleary this was not enough as now I can hold my head with pride that my veggie patch, especially my vine garden actually resembles a well cared for, productive veggie patch. I can also say today I can barely even sit, lie down or move. As whilst I gallantly tackled my rainforest of a veggie patch, which was pretty much cultivating grass! Much to the pleasure of the pigs and birds, who benefited from the gardens invasion; or stripped invader.

Today however, I am afraid, holding my head up, involves standing up right, which also hurts! I am not expecting any sympathy, the complete opposite. I am sure many of us have been there, at one time or another.. and we all know how stupid it is. But it just goes to show how strong the UV is in this part of the world... even when over cast. And even those who are generally conscientious about being sun smart can get caught out.

Back to the plants; to my amazement the eggplant (aubergine) plants had thrived in amongst the thick grass.  I guess these hardy plants, that thrive in the tropical humidity were able to grow strong and tall, and with nobody picking their fruit continued to propagate new plants.

My tomatoes did not fare so well. But with a number of fallen fruit in the soil, I am sure these will flourish now they have the space to do so.

What hasn’t done so well since I cleared the raised beds last week is my capsicum (pepper) plant. I am hoping some plant food and mulch over the coming week will help it recover. Other than that I have a few capsicums (peppers) in the fridge that are a little over. I have held onto them, as I want to keep and dry the seeds, for future plantings.  

I hope to begin sowing seeds again after our interstate trip. As I can’t expect a house/animal sitter to look after my veggies too. But I do want to get the existing garden in top shape, so it also doesn’t need a lot of TLC in our absence. But I don’t want to have to put our garden on hold either, after all its just a few days.

So this week I have a few things still to plant out from the plants I bought last week; a punnet of zucchini and a punnet of cucumbers, which require construction of a new frame to climb. Along with a few cuts of 2 sweet potatoes that I got from a friend, that had begun sprouting. I intend to cut sections around the shoots and plant these in the lower part of the vine garden. Just goes to show, there are alot of fruit/ veggies out there that are in your cupboards/ fridge that will propagate and produce more.

Pigs, Roosters, Chicken day... what a weekend

What a busy weekend! Highs, lows and everything in between.

From the intended downsizing of our flock, resulting in a tasty chicken dinner Sunday night, but I will come back to “Chicken Day” separately.   We did also have a few unintended losses, but on the whole the weekend was productive.

Firstly, on the piggy front. Our “Berky” is doing really well. So Friday we separated him from Mum, to the relief of Mum. Berky has been reasonably calm during the process, though he has been following Mum from inside the pen as best he can. I am looking forward to being able to reunite them next week. I am hoping this is long enough and that he is big enough. As we intend to swap the bore over- so Smokey is to be penned for a few days, so Berky can settle a bit. And hopefully his separation will increase his interest in our other girl, who is due for season in the following few days.



Berky



Absencemakes the heart grow fonder...

as the case may be. I just think the familiarity between the two and her dominance over him appears to be interfering with our Berkshire breeding. So I guess this is my last attempt to save Streaky’s bacon! As after this, I (or she) is running out of options.

Mum enjoying her freedom

Given the success of our first litter I have updated our Pig page. I have also updated our bird related pages. So whilst I have left a ‘Poultry’ page, it is mainly in reference to how our flock expanded and generally how to get started. You may notice that there is now a Chicken, Duck, Goose and Turkey page. This seemed a little more appropriate to address the individual bird species, as our flock has

now expanded... again. Somehow, poultry seemed a little general, and the page would have gone on and on, if I had discussed our progression into each species and our intentions/ aspirations for each.

So back to  the past weekend, Friday was also the day we lost our resident Sussex rooster “Rocky”. Now in the grand scheme, Rocky was not in the list or downsizing; but vital to retain for future restocking and production... and he was more of a pet.

Unfortunately we don’t know what was wrong with him as such. He hadn’t really been himself for a few weeks; looking dirty and a little soggy. Pretty much since our first round of rain a few weeks back. But we mostly put this down to the lack of dry areas for him to dust bath. Though the girls all looked perfectly clean, though they sleep inside the hutches and sheds where Rocky roosts outside the door- almost like a guard, but asleep on duty!

Then in the week although he was still first to the gate and eating well, but he looked a little unsteady on his feet, and not quite his assertive self. So we separated him. Tried worming, just in case; though the flock had, had their water treated not that long ago. We tried sprays for respiratory infections, anything and everything we could. But he deteriorated and finally gave up, with us there Friday afternoon.

So Sunday afternoon; against the trend, we collected a young bird from another bloodline that we had enquired about over the weekend. A little quick I guess, but at the moment he is a nice looking bird. Not “working” as yet, but appears to be settling in with the hens far easier than Rocky did- at least they are letting him eat! So I haven’t had to stand guard and protect this one. So hopefully by the time he is ready, so will we be.

Sunday was also a tidy up day and rearranging of a few things.  

The reduced size Indian games and honorary member (our Old English Game cross hen- thinking a cross may produce meat birds? Either way she’s a better layer) moved into the small poultry shed, with the addition of the enclosed run (more for the OEG cross). This we placed on the currently empty (well weed ridden) raised garden bed.... this is my idea of weeding and fertilising!

This freed up the small hutch, so our young chicks that we incubated and hatched for my nephew moved from the brooder box to the small hutch outside.

So with the brooder box vacant we tidied the shed and yard... Which any shed owner would understand is not a small task.

As well as making headway with the garden, pruning the various fruit trees that we had planted last year- the surviving ones are flourishing. As is the grass, so we mowed- yet again! And made a start by clearing the veg patch, ready for replanting.

3 weeks til Christmas, 3 days til family arrives

OK so it has been pretty hectic here, though we haven’t got around to half of the things I had hoped to blog about! We have had a ‘heat wave’ it officially reached 34 degrees (here on the coast, it was higher inland). Which doesn’t sound that hot, but when you consider the humidity is about 90%... it hot! So many of the jobs I had intended to get done are less than appealing during the day. And morning and evenings are very short. And as for rain, we had a thunder storm Tuesday, that was more of a light show than anything- 1mm of rain!

I have begun weeding, I at least have the path done and looking neat, just the herb garden, landscape gardens and veggie patch to do (probably early tomorrow). I did however start some seedlings, and they are doing quite well in the shed. I just hope I have more success when transferring them, than I have in the past.

Today is actually my last day at work for 2012, though Matt doesn’t break up for a few weeks. I must admit it feels weird, but as my family arrive in 3 days, I will be grateful for the extra time to get all the things done that I had hoped to in the past few weeks- nothing like organisation! I haven’t even posted my cards and gifts for those who are not coming... just hope the make it in time!

My family actually leave their homes tomorrow, even though they arrive here Sunday. I admit it’s a long trip- not something I look forward to. But I am looking forward to seeing them!

For those who have been following, we have been counting down to another arrival, due shortly. So penning off the pregnant sow, was not a job we could put off any further. So last night we built  a pen around their main shed.  I am just wondering how much trouble she will be, as she has never been an easy animal. And pigs are social, we wouldn’t have done it unless we felt it was necessary- we penned her off for her own health and that of her impending litter. We had hoped she would have started farrowing and we would have just built the pen around her chosen nest. But as with everything else since we have had this one, nothing come naturally. So we have used the main shed, and she has her own water tank... but she was not happy. See whether it is all still standing by the time I get home from work! 

Another issue we had prior to my family’s arrival, was our ever increasing flock. We did process our roosters and a few ducks last weekend, so our freezer is looking rather full now; in preparation for the extra mouths. Although we also acquired 2 more Rhode Island crosses from a friend of a friend. They were from the batch we hatched for the initial friend.

Unfortunately we have also ‘lost’ a few others. I found one duckling tangled in some of the fencing- as they wander where veer they feel. It couldn’t have been there long, but apparently it was long enough for it to die- think it broke its neck. Another just vanished last week, so we are now down to 8.  I know we had intension of reducing our numbers, but this was not what we had in mind.

On the opposite vein, we had limited success with crossing our Indian Game rooster without laying stock. After a week we candled the eggs in the incubator all of the other rooster over the few hens appear fertile; whereas Ronnie only appears to have had success with one. I just don’t think he has the dominance or the speed and agility. So we have put in another batch from Rocky (our Sussex rooster), now he is back with his girls. Mainly as I wanted chicks whilst my nephew was here, we also had a few duck eggs, so they went in too... so we will check them this weekend. 

Veggie delights (or lack of)

Like many in the tropics my veggie patch is looking quite sorrowful at the moment. It is coming toward the end of the dry season and the hot, humid climate is intolerable to many plants. To be honest the garden, lawn and paddock are looking brown and is desperate for actual rainfall. A storm had been prodicted over the weekend but until last night we were still waiting. We did have a light show and a shower last night, but this morning the rain guage read 1.5mm. Barely enough to dampen the paddock. Which suprisingly is looking greener than anything- though this may not last now our cows are restricted to just our plot (the neighbour has separated his to worm and feed up).

But the veg patch beside being brown, is looking tired and bare. The last batch of lettuces bolted, and has taken weeks to seed. The basil has finally seeded, so these will all be pulled and dried this weekend, leaving a few ‘pre-eaten’ cabbages along with a waning brussel sprout plant in the basilica garden. I have a few bean seedlings sprouting and the odd ripening strawberry, along with the last of the beetroot and fennel bulbs  in between the bamboo supports of the bean garden. Whilst the third raised patch is bare. The pallet gardens have barely been started- since none od the seeds sown came to anything. The most vibirant area is the the ‘vine garden’, which is largely self propagated plants such as pumpkins, tomatoes and eggplants (aubergines).

Seems strange to see the garden looking lack luster through the summer, as I always remember my grandparents gardens (Bamp on my Mam’s side and Nan on my Dad’s) gardens flourishing through this time of year...And we reaped the rewards come autumn. But then we don’t really have 4 seasons here either. So I just have to learn to adapt and grow what will sustain the heat and in a few weeks the wet too.

So, having had little success from planting seeds direct last month. I returned to planting seeds in trays last night; in the hope that these maybe transplanted in a few weeks. Though I think I may need to sow the next months before transplanting these out. So will need to source some more seedling trays and bases to stand them in (for water). I had read something recently about using toilet roll tubes as starter trays. I think I will look into this, as with a full house over Christmas (us and 7 guests) we may go through a few. Am guessing that either the roll would decompose, or could be cut off, so the transplanting process would be less stressful to the seedling- Something that I haven’t had the greatest success with to date. So can only be worth a try.

Well, as I explained the warm and humid, wet conditions of the Queensland summer does limit what plants will survive. But it doesn’t mean my garden has to look as for lone as it does. Pretty much, as my ‘vine garden’ is testament to; anything vine based will thrive. So pumpkins, zucchinis/courgettes, tomatoes, eggplant/aubergines, chillies, capsicums/peppers. I also planted a few summer lettuces (not all varieties will thrive at this time of year but a few can), a few containers of Asian vegetables, as these should with stand the conditions. A few heirloom carrots and radishes, so hopefully they will produce. But also a couple of unknown, they will apparently grow through these summer months, but as I haven’t eaten either Ceylon spinach (a vine variety) or okra, let alone grown them. It maybe interesting to see the results.

Spoiler Alert! Jimmy and The Giant Supermarket

Tomorrow night is the Australian (free tv) screening of Jimmy and the Giant Supermarket on SBS. 8:35 Jimmy And The Giant Supermarket "Meatballs - Rare breed pig farmer Jimmy Doherty goes inside Britain's biggest supermarket, Tesco, to come up with innovative ideas to produce equally cheap but higher-welfare alternatives to their best-selling meat products. In the first episode, Jimmy tries to transform Tesco's own brand meatballs. In doing so, he spots an opportunity to tackle one of dairy farming's biggest secrets - the killing each year of tens of thousands of male dairy calves because there's no market for them. (From the UK) (Documentary Series) (Part 1 of 3) PG CC" This guy has had a number of shows back in the UK… and as he is a ‘celebrity’ rare breed pig farmer, I am keen to see how he is as a host. (www.jimmysfarm.co.uk)

As for the subject, the idea that the supermarkets own brand products can be ethically produced for the same price is AWESOME! I’m not saying it wouldn’t be a challenge, but Tesco has agreed that it will adopt these if it can be done. Now Tesco have been involved with a few innovative products /TV series- good PR, yes. But why not? To be fair the UK market is far more competitive than here (well Nth QLD at least). So I guess the saying any publicity is good publicity works. As Tesco remain the UK’s largest market share. I have to admit, I have read what this ‘opportunity’ is that they have mentioned. And its not a new concept and he’s not the first celebrity foodie to promote it. Personally I use the same sort of principle at our place when it come to producing chickens for laying and then chickens for consumption… meat. There are many out there that fail to realise that to produce milk, a cow need to have a calf. Much like any other mammal.

Now female calves, being girls, will obviously be of use to a dairy farmer in their future years. Or be viable resource for sale, so are raised as such. Males on the other hand, are not useful to a dairy farmer; who in all honesty is paid to produce a product. A product that they are required to share with the caves. So to achieve the greatest output possible male calves are culled. They offer no value to the farmer, for sale or stock and deplete the milk stores. Similar process happens in many hatcheries (producing laying birds). Roosters (cockerels) are not of use and therefore would decrease profits to feed. So most are killed, once sorted from day old.

We made a decision when we begun breeding our flock that males would be grown for meat or sale, regardless of their breed. Obviously certain breeds make better table stock than others, but chicken is chicken. I have often wondered how much ‘potential meat’ is lost through modern practices. I mean raising produced based on type, species or breed of animal for its ideal purpose makes sense. But on the other hand, what about anything that is produced as a subsequence that doesn’t quite fit the brief. I mean the potentials such as ‘pink veal’ of dairy billy calves (told you this was a spoiler) and the roosters from hen hatcheries. But can we go further? What about the chickens produced for meat sales that do not make their weight targets? It is common practices for birds that are below weight, by a set time scale to be culled… I have often thought that whilst they will not make the desired weight for roast chickens or whole chickens on the supermarket self. Surely they could serve some viable purpose. I understand whilst the farmer may not wish to feed it further, as it would be literally eating into its profits. But that bird still carries a food source suitable for other chicken products or uses. Just discarding that life as it doesn’t meet a standard and timescale appears pointless! The issue with my theory that these deaths should be utilised is that the farmer may not have a contact for such produce. And as this source is based on stock not meeting a standard, you can not guarantee supply, how could they? They may not be able to provide to another buyer, contractually. Furthermore, they have to transport that animal to slaughter, separate it and transport it elsewhere. So I am far from blaming the farmer for making a living. I guess I am merely pointing out that there are flaws in many of today’s practices, other than the obvious animal welfare conditions that often get discussed. Many farmer would like to farm more ‘ethically’, but it is’t financially viable. And not many have an ‘innovative’ foodie, backed by a large supermarket chain offering cash for diversifying into their bi-products. But there are ‘opportunities’ out there. I guess much of the problem is our expectations and preconceptions as consumers. I often get frustrated with people who will only eat certain cuts of meat; the popular ones, such as chicken breasts or certain chops or ‘the best steaks’… Well guess what? An animal was killed for that particular part. So by all means appreciate the cut and enjoy it, but have the decency to appreciate an animal was responsible for producing that. So subsequently it also produced less popular cuts. How many people turn their noses up at offal? It was a standard meal to my grandparents. Don’t get me wrong there are bits I have tried, which I have little interest in eating again. Like chicken feet and pig’s ears. But they are viable protein sources and should not be knocked. I admit with our birds, chicken feet are either fed to the dogs (as a treats for days to come), or I was delighted when a work colleague asked Matt if we could save the feet for his father in future. I was happy to oblige and he apparently serves up an awesome Yum cha. And I am not necessarily just discussing meat. Does it not strike you as strange that an apple or a capsicum (pepper) in Woolworths or Coles (Asda or Tesco) look significantly more pristine than those at your local greengrocer, farmers market or local veg stall. I am not saying they are inferior, quite the reverse. I mean the stuff I grow in my garden has far more lumps and bumps than the supermarket produce does. And I know this is not that they are far more competent growers than I am (even if that is probably true). Also I have far more exciting varieties of fruit and veg, that you just don’t see on the supermarket shelves. It seems ridiculous that so many people are struggling to put food on the table and farmers are struggling to get a decent price for their stock, when perfectly good potential food is going to waste. Am still looking forward to watching the show. How about you?

Weekend of bikes, chicken poop, bean poles, cider and roast duck

Saturday was our local charity bike ride. It's in its 3rd year now and was great to see 1100 riders dust of the bikes and tackle 4 different distances all for a good cause.
We also when about sourcing another bed. Not for ourselves, but in preparation of our visitors in December. So I am pleased to say, no one should be sleeping on the floor in our house this Christmas... except maybe the dogs.

Sunday was a little more farm orientated. I had a list of chores- cleaning out all the chickens was top of my list. So all old bedding and manure collected and placed in the composter. All fresh hay, shredded paper and saw dust laid for comfy roosts. Even if our young Old English Game cross hens (recently introduced to the chicken run) insist on trying to roost upon the fences or in the garden. To which I have persisted with taking them to the hen house, in the hope they will learn.
We had hoped that crossing the Old English Game with a heavy layer (like our Australorps or Light Sussex) would have made them a little heavier- less agile and possibly more docile… Definitely not the case. We have 5 beautifully marked, lean and athletic pullets, determined to do their own thing.
I regularly find 2 in the front garden, around the small enclosed run; that I usually house the young chicks (before they are big enough to join the rest of the flock). Where they were initially housed, and where their rooster siblings are still. I am hoping once we move them out, they will not want to return there. Luckily the dogs have not been particularly bothered by them (so far). Matt even called the dogs in yesterday, so that we could catch the bird; only for the birds to follow quite happily behind.

So whilst I up to my elbows in poultry poop, Matt strimmed the edges and fence lines and then begun turning my pallets into an extra garden bed-  Something I had intended to do whilst he was away. However (as difficult as it is for me to admit) I just couldn’t get the boards off the pallets. So was grateful he did, so we filled them and begun transferring some of my quicker growing/producing veg over. Allowing more space in the other beds.

I weeded (for hours), flowing the few days of showers and constructed a few bean/ bean supports from bamboo and twine- In what will now be the bean bed. They look the part, so hopefully they work. As I also transplanted out the last of my snow peas, bortotti and butter beans and interplaced some strawberries and spinach. It sounds like an odd combination, but apparently they make good companion plants and should grow quite nicely on the ground, whilst the beans and peas grow up. So saves on space and hopefully less ground coverage should equal fewer weeds (fingers crossed).

So this week I will progressively reorganise my garden beds (again). I pulled out the over bearing coriander and mint plants ( as they had gone into flower and we now have some in the herb patch) along with the rocket; as it had also gone to flower and both Matt and myself decided that neither of us are actually fans. If you pick the young leaves they’re great, but these were established, mature plants (and quite bitter), but the pigs were grateful.

Matt also began his first batch of cider (well a blend of cider and perry). Now we have made cider from one of those tins, but this time he had use apple and pear juice.  Now we haven’t gone as far as crushing and pressing the fruit ourselves… especially being in the tropics as soft fruits do not grow too well. But this is a step closer, so I’ll let you know how it goes.

And for dinner last night we roasted or first hatched and raised duck. I have to admit I was wary, as we had skinned them and duck is renowned for being greasy. So I admit I had concerns as to whether it would be dry (without the fat). But it was delicious… well worth last weekend’s efforts.

How does your garden grow?

Well I guess the question should be what does your garden grow? And where?

At the moment I have a few seedlings germinating in the shed, so far we have a few lettuce shoots, brussel sprouts, pak chi (red & green), stripy beetroot, chinese kale, thai basil. I shall be sewing some more this weekend. The last of Augusts crops- I'm trying to sew a few every 2 weeks, so we have a continuous supply. But I do get impatient and love to see plants flourish, so try to hold back.

I took a trip to Bunnings last night and picked up a new sprinkler for my veg patch (one of those oscillating ones- apparently it can cover 70m² so then I can use my soaker hoses to water the trees, along the fence line- as with the now drier weather the grass, let alone the fruit trees Iplanted are not lookign so good. 



Wom bok



I also picked up a composting bin yesterday. So hopefully we should be generating our own fertiliser/compost soon enough.  Now I don’t have the greatest amount of kitchen scraps to fill it with- as the pigs, dogs and chickens do pretty well out of these. But am sure I won’t find it hard to fill; we do have a reasonably unlimited supply of green waste and manure, along with used animal bedding (hay, sawdust, paper etc). It has bugged me in the past, as I clean the animals out that all that potential fertiliser was going to waste- since you shouldn’t place animal manure directly onto plants, as it will burn them.  

Pak choi/ Red choi

So to the garen itself, we are beginning to see the fruits of our labour.

   

Capsicum plant



Radishes



Cos lettuce



I was really surprised to see that the Fennel seeds and beetroot has finally germinated, along with the Wom bok, Bok choi, leeks and radishes. We have some success with the one capsicum (pepper) plant and lettuce (this one has re-produced a few). Also the herbs (that should be moving to their own patch soon)- basil, coriander and parsley thriving. Fingers crossed this bay tree is doing well (this is our 3rd attempt) and the "Maltese mint" I had from my neighbour needs pruning to stop it taking over. To be honest I'm nto even sure what it is, Ihave been told by many its edible and it does smell nice. Will have to post a picture, see if anyone can identify it.



 The silverbeet has done well, as has the rocket… though I must admit, neither of us are particularly fond of it, so the pigs and bugs have had the majority of it. The bugs have mostly been munching on my cauliflower and brocolli plants! Need to keep spraying them, though am trying to use natural remedies... I may have to resort to chemicals soon, as I may lose the lot. 



Silverbeet



Cauli plant- already munched

The Bortolli and Cherokee beans have begun to flourish and we are harvesting the last of the snow peas- am hoping to plant more of these next year.

 







Welsh bunching onions



Beans



From last year’s crops the Welsh bunching onions have continued to thrive right through. I would advise anyone give these a try- regardless of your garden/ pot size. As they’re great. You just pull them up, split them; taking what you want, but placing an individual onion (and root) back in the ground/ pot and it will multiply all over again. Also the tomatoes and egg plant (aubergines) have come back on their own… so should have a good supply of these soon enough.





"Quiet Weekend"

I started writing last night and decided that I shouldn’t blog about a whole weekend on Sunday night/ Monday morning. Because what may have been a “quiet weekend”, means that we spent much of the weekend getting stuff done around the place and I have now realised there is quite a bit to say.

Friday was my RDO (Rostered Day Off), I love this concept- work and extra 45 minutes a day and get every other Friday off… would probably struggle to go back to working 5 days every week. We usually get so much done on these long weekends. This week I had no errands or appointments there was plenty to be getting on with. Especially when the last of the fruit trees I had ordered (Ebay: Rockies Nursery) arrived in the post.

It was like Christmas, I had hoped they would arrive, as the other had come earlier in the week and as they were “dry root” had been soaking in water since Thursday evening. These were delivered in perfect condition, in individually sealed bags- rootsm, soil the works. So Friday involved the finally planting plan and preparation and digging. In total I planted around 40 trees

The previous owners had planted a few palms at the front, a few unsuccessful evergreens at the back and a few citrus trees (2 dwarf orange, a lemon and a lime). In addition we had planted a lemon tree (for Griff) last year and a dwarf mango, which was a house warming gift, but had always planned to expand this. With the intentions to move the tanks and our visit from the local land care we decided more screening on the roadside would be nice. Particularly along the pig pen, as this could provide more shade. As well as expanding the “mini orchid” surrounding the Enviro tank- a soak away from recycled water. But we decided that if we planted there had to be a purpose, a benefit- shade, wind break, scent, FRUIT! Think this is what they call edible landscaping.

 So to add to the native varieties sourced from the Landcare- unfortunately some of these (35 originally) had not weathered too well in their tubes on the patio. This may or may not have had something to do with Madog’s insistence on marking them! I had ordered 5 Lychees, 3 Carob (yes the dog chocolate stuff), 2 Cumquat (which turned out to be 3- thanks Rockies Nursery), 2 Brazilian cherries, 2 Passion fruit, a Pomegranate, a Mulberry, a Macadamia nut, a Cardamom and a Ginger (well its not exactly a tree).

So I decided the Passion fruit and Coastal jasmines were to be potted temporarily (until they can be transferred to the fencing around the new chook pens)- these I am hoping to train as screening and eventually shade; whilst hopefully providing scent and fruit. I also potted temporarily was the ginger- to be planted in the herb garden (once its cleared) and the cardamom is to live permanently on the patio (as it requires shade).

The Cumquats, Cherries and Pomegranate were to add to the orchid, whilst the Mulberry and Macadamia were planted at the corner between the house garden and the pig pen- supplying shade and food. This I extended by planting the lychees and carob (being evergreen and quite large) were to go along the fence line near the pigs and carrying this on upon the inside of the fence. Then interplanting native Mangosteen (which are apparently edible), Wattle, Laurel, Frangipani’s and a smaller shrub that’s fruit is supposedly edible- and I can’t remember what it was called.

So plans made, to allow them to establish I got Matt to mow the relevant areas. So I have time to make tree protectors (since most are only 4- 45cm) and shouldn’t have to worry about them being mowed over or slashed on accident… The mower made it half way and stopped! We bought this ride on shortly after buying the house, and in its first 6 months it spent 3 in the shop! I rang the store, as its still under warranty, as the previous problem had been with the rear drive mechanism breaking in 2… this time the front has done exactly the same thing, only it had ripped out power plugs etc to boot. Now don’t get me wrong, when it running it’s a great machine, but for a 12 month old mower we’ve had nothing but problems with it. So its booked in for Friday- fingers crossed they can get the parts easily this time.

So the outside trees were planted in the slightly thick (but not yet untidy) grass… I found most of them yesterday when I was watering- better not leave it too long with the protectors. By the way, as we are moving the water tanks as they were on the neighbours, we found out the fence is not our boundary either; we own up to 2.5 meters outside- so guess where ½ the fence line trees are going?

The others being inside, so I tried to space them evenly only to find a bald or obvious circle in the grass every few meters (where I was planning to plant). It was in keeping with the alignment of existing palms along the front of the house, whilst allowing the mower to run between it and the fence (when it is working). So I begun to dig, was clearly a previous planting spot… one or two still had pots in them! No wonder the few remaining trees at the far end of the garden didn’t survive. The previous owners had planted trees all the way along, just they hadn’t grown as they had left rubbish and plastic in the holes, so the roots didn’t stand a chance!

I know it is going to take a few years before we see the benefits of these trees, but the sooner we plant them the better.

I did manage some other gardening on Sunday. Since the rain appears to have stopped I took the opportunity some weeding and transplanting done. Best time is before it dries out, as the weeds tend to come out easier and new plants/seedlings don’t seem to get so stressed, as they have nice moist soil.

I focused mostly on my more “organic” patch. Now not as in sold in the shop labeling, more because its contents appeared more naturally…. To be honest this half of what was my waterlogged attempt at a patch last year I have ear marked for vines, potatoes etc. and so far have made little effort with. Everything in it has either germinated itself (mostly coriander and parsley so far) from last year’s crops or there are a few tomatoes and pumpkins I have attempted transplanted (from the recovering section of the pig pen) and I have sown a few watermelon and cucumber seeds (which we aer yet to see any signs from).  But I had noticed a few Eggplants (Aubergines), they just needed weeding around.  These I had great success with last year, but thought they had been lost when the garden was waterlogged. So I began weeding and to my surprise there were over 20 different plants coming. As some were clumped together I have thinned and transplanted them, in the hope that they will survive. This is great since the Eggplant seeds I purchased have yet to be successful!

This weekend I also harvested my first capsicum (pepper) and lettuce for 2012. As well as another kilo of zucchini’s (courgettes) [so more Zucchini recipes to come ;)], spinach, rocket, some silver beat (though most went to the pigs as the bugs had had their share first) and 2 dozen Welsh bunching onions- I just pulled the largest, as they were becoming too big, so I can split and replant some smaller ones.
I was excited to see my first Butterbean and Snow peas growing. Actually the bean vines are doing quite well, although I am yet to pick any. There are also signs of radishes and cabbages and the broccoli and cauliflowers are coming along nicely (though it will be a while before I can pick these).

 

As for the animals; the chicks and the ducks are doing well. The chicks are developing some of their feathers already, and they’re quite unusual- so we’ll hopefully get to keep some pretty hens (sorry boys)- though I suspect the prettiest are probably all males.

I cleaned the little ones out Saturday (which isn’t something I would normally comment on) other than our area there appears to be a shortage of sawdust in the area at the moment. We have always used sawdust for our birds, although they will nest in other things. So the older birds currently have a combination of hay and some of the ½ bag of sawdust we have left. Whilst for the little ones I’ve used old news papers and shredded paper. These are just as affective and the birds are not as likely to get paper in their water- Which has been a recent problem and the sawdust soaks up the water. I do still like to line the brooder box first (using old livestock bags- woven plastic), as it makes it easier to clean them out and stop so much moisture from seeping into the wooden box… so all round effective recycling! And when I’m done I will still be able to compost it as paper breaks down quicker than sawdust… So just have to make the composter. This is something I’ve been putting off, as I’m wary about the rain and humidity here for composting, but as it’s the dry season (excluding the past months weather) I have no excuse. And another note to add to the to-do list- bring shredded paper home from work.

 

Other than that we did venture into town for our social bike ride Saturday morning with the intention of hanging around for a look at the local food and wine festival. This allowed for a browse of the electrical stores!

I’ve been chasing a mixer, for my sourdough and I had scoured the internet, so time to have a look locally… We came home (expectedly) unimpressed by the festival but with a Sunbeam Mixmaster compact! So shopping was bit more successful than the festival.

 

As you can see we have been a little busy this weekend trying it out. Matt made a few cakes and it definitely made this week’s sourdough much easier. You just place all the ingredients in and turn it on. Then tip it out on to a floured surface, mold it into a round, then put it back in and whack on the lid- it even has its own lid. So if you have a mixer with dough hooks there’s really no excuse!!
I also found a few more sourdough recipes on another blog- Simply Self Sufficiency… am looking forward to trying out the pizza dough soon.