Planting
Spring Veg
07 June 2008 20:33
The main vege beds are full and spring veges are
assured! As well as leaving in the last of the
current carrots and silverbeet they have:
- spinach
- red onions
- broad beans (two varieties)
- peas (tall ones this year)
- potatoes
- lettuces
- silverbeet (more bright lights :)
- garlic (elephant garlic this year)
- shallots
- pak choi
- red cabbages
- cilantro
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The vege garden is chocka again
13 January 2008 13:55
Once again my weekend vege gardening effort has been
finishing a harvest and squeezing something else in.
I don't know how people manage proper crop rotation, I'm forever squeezing something into the gap left when I harvest something else, so big planning just doesn't seem to happen. I do try to rotate in a general way, so the dwarf beans went where there had been brassicas, the potatoes went where the broad beans were, the next crop of broad beans will go where there are currently alliums.
I have given up on the original place I put the sweetcorn, so I've moved it into the main vege garden, half replaces the end of the last crop of silver beet, half is in the next section squeezed in between lettuces than only have a fortnight or so to live. The new crop of silverbeet is now harvestable, although the ones the chooks got at are probably a week away, so the very end of the previous crop is in the kitchen waiting to be made into quiche.
I also harvested the garlic, washed it (using the washing water on the pear tree) and started it drying. It's been replaced with four more lots of florence fennel seeds (the previous planting is doing well).
The plantings of bush beans are now flowering, so beans shouldn't be far away either.
I'm still not sure how heavily I should be fertilising the vege garden. As the soil is new and good I didn't fertilise the first crops, and now I'm just adding a couple of centimetres of compost each time I replant. I use a seaweed foliar feed once a fortnight or so, but nothing else. I don't know if I should be adding something like blood-and-bone, but at the moment everything's doing ok.
I don't know how people manage proper crop rotation, I'm forever squeezing something into the gap left when I harvest something else, so big planning just doesn't seem to happen. I do try to rotate in a general way, so the dwarf beans went where there had been brassicas, the potatoes went where the broad beans were, the next crop of broad beans will go where there are currently alliums.
I have given up on the original place I put the sweetcorn, so I've moved it into the main vege garden, half replaces the end of the last crop of silver beet, half is in the next section squeezed in between lettuces than only have a fortnight or so to live. The new crop of silverbeet is now harvestable, although the ones the chooks got at are probably a week away, so the very end of the previous crop is in the kitchen waiting to be made into quiche.
I also harvested the garlic, washed it (using the washing water on the pear tree) and started it drying. It's been replaced with four more lots of florence fennel seeds (the previous planting is doing well).
The plantings of bush beans are now flowering, so beans shouldn't be far away either.
I'm still not sure how heavily I should be fertilising the vege garden. As the soil is new and good I didn't fertilise the first crops, and now I'm just adding a couple of centimetres of compost each time I replant. I use a seaweed foliar feed once a fortnight or so, but nothing else. I don't know if I should be adding something like blood-and-bone, but at the moment everything's doing ok.
Replanting the vege gardens in midsummer
29 December 2007 14:47
The replanting is done, well for now anyway :)
I'd already taken out the peas and broad beans, and reduced the silverbeet, mesclun, carrots and lettuces by eating them. A couple of days ago a new row of peas went in and I bought a couple of punnets of plants, so I was ready to go!
Today I took out almost all of the rest of the gone-to-seed silverbeet, the last of the carrots, and the last two lettuces in one row. So with all the space I planted:
In general I'm pretty pleased with how it's go so far. The rotation is mostly working – once the broad beans go in each section will have had a legume season. What I'm not managing so well is constant production, I'll have a couple of weeks of total glut of one kind or another, weeks like this one where there are relatively limited options (leafy green things and the last of the carrots), and then the occasional well balanced fortnight.
And before I forget, the tomatoes are fascinating me. Clearly the ones in the lemon garden are much happier than the ones in the front garden. The lemon garden ones are huge happy plants and I expect to start seeing tomatoes soon. The front garden ones get solid morning sun but not so much in the afternoon, and it shows.
I'd already taken out the peas and broad beans, and reduced the silverbeet, mesclun, carrots and lettuces by eating them. A couple of days ago a new row of peas went in and I bought a couple of punnets of plants, so I was ready to go!
Today I took out almost all of the rest of the gone-to-seed silverbeet, the last of the carrots, and the last two lettuces in one row. So with all the space I planted:
- Beans – Roquefort (the last fornight of the progressive planting I started a little over a month ago).
- Red onions – California red
- Potatoes – unlabelled well sprouted ones from the cupboard :)
- Kohlrabi – Early Purple Vienna
- Carrots – Mini sweet, the same as the ones I'll eat the last of this weekend
- Coriander – Indian Summer
- Parsley – Flat leaved, this time in the blueberry garden as the ones in the herb garden were replaced by the summer basil crop last week
- Dill – Bouquet
- Lettuce – a mixture
In general I'm pretty pleased with how it's go so far. The rotation is mostly working – once the broad beans go in each section will have had a legume season. What I'm not managing so well is constant production, I'll have a couple of weeks of total glut of one kind or another, weeks like this one where there are relatively limited options (leafy green things and the last of the carrots), and then the occasional well balanced fortnight.
And before I forget, the tomatoes are fascinating me. Clearly the ones in the lemon garden are much happier than the ones in the front garden. The lemon garden ones are huge happy plants and I expect to start seeing tomatoes soon. The front garden ones get solid morning sun but not so much in the afternoon, and it shows.
Renovation
23 December 2007 20:41
After finishing up the pond today's game has been renovation, pulling out spent plants and putting new ones. The gone-to-seed parsley has been replaced by basil (fino verde, Genovese giant, red rubin and cinnamon), the peas are out and shared with the chooks, and so on.
The chooks have turned into lovely friendly birds, with an occasional streak of insane panic – strangely reminiscent of Seb actually. They enjoy pottering around their section of the garden; scratching, eat and snoozing. Their combs are starting to fill out and they're starting to make grown up chook noises, so eggs can't be far away.
I'm enjoying working out what to feed the chooks. Every morning they get homemade mash, a variety of leftovers and often (their absolute favourite) cooked whole grains mixed with yoghurt and kelp powder. Interestingly they like that mixture way more than its component bits (which are still pretty special) so I guess there's something about the texture of the combination which works for them. They also get greens, sometimes weeds, sometimes some of the gone-to-seed silverbeet. Then I throw down mixed whole grains last thing so they have something exciting to scratch up the next morning.
Finishing up the pond
23 December 2007 09:01
It's nearly finished! The liner has been replaced (was 0.25mm PVC, now EPDM) and the water loss has slowed right down, and I've just about finished the planting.
As well as the original pond plants (except the Papyrus which didn't make it) I added a Black Taro, so there is now:
- Oioi – Leptocarpus similis, a native reed
- Baumea articulata, native jointed twig rush
- Sweet flag – Acorus calamus
- Ludwigia repens
- Myriophyllum propinquum, native milfoil
- Waoriki – Ranunculus amphitricus, native buttercup
- Black taro – Colocasia esculenta
- Carex dissita, native forest sedge
- Phormium 'Emerald Gem', dwarf native flax
- Leopard plant – Ligularia tussilagenea
- Ligularia renformis (which arrived in the place of one of the L. tussilagenea)
- Ornamental rhubarb – Rheum australis
- Ajuga reptans 'Caitlins Giant'
- Purple angelica – Angelica gigas
- Canna 'King City Gold'
- Elderberry 'Adam' – Sambucus nigra
- Arum lily – Zantedeschia 'White Mischief'
- Heuchera 'Amethyst'
- Louisiana irises
- Red Root – Wachendorfia thyrsiflora
Then I slept :)
Highs and Lows
02 December 2007 18:21
The weekend started up a ladder, then on top of the pergola rearranging the female chinese gooseberry. I've disentangled her from the willow and now she's now draped across the supports, so if the willow branch goes she'll survive. Next week I'll feed her; which will mean pulling back the decaying branches around her roots, putting a bag of zoodoo, some blood and bone, and a couple of grow tabs down, before putting the branches back.
I've never really understood why the female was planted at the shady end, but with a little bit of spoiling she should start doing as well as the male.
In the photo as well as the pond and the chinese gooseberry there are the squash (planted by the base of the male), three Guinée roses, and the two Adam elderberries planted last year. The elderberries have survived remarkably well given the earth moving equipment that hung out there for a while.
The chooks kept me busy, having worked out how to get over the low fences on the raspberry and blueberry beds, so there was quite a lot of chasing followed by some fencing improvements. I'm trying to work out what is enough for them, I've added a couple of strings to the top of the 65cm fence around the raspberry bed taking the total height to more like 85cm.The chooks can definitely fly that high, but they don't seem to like the fact they can't land on the string so it's working so far.
I also took out the last of the spinach and corn salad, and shortened the row of carrots (carrot soup!) which left me enough room to put in a punnet of spinach and another of silverbeet. There'll also be room for a few more rows of beans, which I'm planning to plant fortnightly. The last bit of planting was a punnet of cornflowers in the blueberry bed to replace some pansies.
Watering everything is turning into a bit of a mission, particularly as I haven't found the energy this weekend to put in as many watering lines as I'd hoped. The squash, tomatoes, and black-, boysen- and goose- berries are still being watered by hand. The rest are either on watering lines or can be reached by the sprinkler. So quite a lot of hose dragging. I did manage watering lines for the herb garden and blueberry bed though, both of which seem to be working well.
On the down side I'm anaemic and overworked and spent a lot of the weekend napping, so not as much progress as I'd've hoped. I have the next two days off work, so I should be able to make a little more progress, perhaps even get more of the front path weeded!
And the tomatoes are in
25 November 2007 18:37
More mad activity today!
The last of the tomatoes went in first thing this morning, and were visited by the chooks almost straight away due to a small fencing issue. The boysenberries (Mapua and McNichol's Choice) and blackberries (Black Satin) were next, followed by the final gooseberry (Pax) which is next to the two transplanted Invictas from last year.
Later, after an interlude with some hedge trimming, brownie baking (more cocoa than flour is the secret!) and visitors I planted the sweetcorn (Honeysweet) and put a higher roost in the chook house.
I'm looking forward to next weekend! :)
The last of the tomatoes went in first thing this morning, and were visited by the chooks almost straight away due to a small fencing issue. The boysenberries (Mapua and McNichol's Choice) and blackberries (Black Satin) were next, followed by the final gooseberry (Pax) which is next to the two transplanted Invictas from last year.
Later, after an interlude with some hedge trimming, brownie baking (more cocoa than flour is the secret!) and visitors I planted the sweetcorn (Honeysweet) and put a higher roost in the chook house.
I'm looking forward to next weekend! :)
The chooks are out
24 November 2007 17:45
The chooks left the chookery for the first time
today, very very cautiously. It's been a really hot
day so they spent a lot of time hanging out under the
trees, but now it's cooled down are exploring the
bank under the plums.
Sometimes the way they move in a group reminds me of fish; it's not just that they stick near each other it's the way they move in sync.
As well as running plastic mesh around the garden to keep the plants safe, I got heaps of planting done:
Sometimes the way they move in a group reminds me of fish; it's not just that they stick near each other it's the way they move in sync.
As well as running plastic mesh around the garden to keep the plants safe, I got heaps of planting done:
- Grapes – Golden Chasselas, Albany Surprise, Iona and Steuben
- Squash – Rampicante
- Beetroot – Bulls' Blood seeds
- Bush Beans – Roquefort seeds
- Florence Fennel – Orion F1
- Melons – Tigger Moon and French Charentais (inside)
- Watermelons – Moon and Stars (also).
The veges are in
09 June 2007 21:57
Today I planted the vege gardens; the soil is in,
they're pretty safe from harm, so K's agreed I can
plant them this weekend.
As you can see the stepping stones haven't arrived, so there's spare macrocarpa standing in. The seat and handrails are also still to come, but the seeds and seedlings are in! I enjoyed all the measuring and counting and lining things up – I'm sure they'll get messy over time but right now they're very precise.
I planted:
As you can see the stepping stones haven't arrived, so there's spare macrocarpa standing in. The seat and handrails are also still to come, but the seeds and seedlings are in! I enjoyed all the measuring and counting and lining things up – I'm sure they'll get messy over time but right now they're very precise.
I planted:
- Silverbeet – Rainbow Chard
- Peas – Petit Provençal
- Mesclun – Italian
- Broad Beans – Dwarf Early Green
- Lettuces
- Carrots – Mini Sweet
- Onion – Stuttgart Longkeeper
- Shallots – French Red
- Leeks
- Garlic
- Radishes
- Spinach
- Corn Salad – Verte de Cambrai
- Cress – Broadleaf
Mud puddle
03 June 2007 17:32
Today has definitely been pond readiness day, sadly
pond day looks a fortnight away, but it's been good
fun.
For a start I trekked across town to buy planting baskets so I could pot all the bare-rooted pond plants today, and get everything else potted eventually. So starting with 17 pieces of sweet flag I separated them into five huge planting baskets
Potted them with garden mix and then put a layer of black gravel over the top. Then (and this is where I get to the cunning/odd bit) I put them in sets into the bath, then gradually filled the bath with water so they were completely submerged, left them for an hour, let them drain slowly and put them out on the deck.
My theory is that this has both proven that there's enough gravel to stop everything escaping once they go on the pond and given everything a proper soaking after potting.
For a start I trekked across town to buy planting baskets so I could pot all the bare-rooted pond plants today, and get everything else potted eventually. So starting with 17 pieces of sweet flag I separated them into five huge planting baskets
Potted them with garden mix and then put a layer of black gravel over the top. Then (and this is where I get to the cunning/odd bit) I put them in sets into the bath, then gradually filled the bath with water so they were completely submerged, left them for an hour, let them drain slowly and put them out on the deck.
My theory is that this has both proven that there's enough gravel to stop everything escaping once they go on the pond and given everything a proper soaking after potting.
Marginal plants
02 June 2007 18:13
On a more cheerful note, once I made it to the house
I found several boxes of plants had arrived, so I've
spent the day sorting and checking.
There were a smallish group of herbs from Dellawood destined for the kitchen herb and gold and purple beds. The bulk were from Nikau Hill and mean that the plants for the pond are all here.
The sorting took a little effort as some of the plants weren't labelled, but all but three plants were easily sorted. They, however, are a bit of puzzle; three identical plants, one labelled Baumea articulata, one labelled Restio tetraphyllus, and one unlabelled. I'm pretty sure they are B. articulata, which I ordered, but as they're a little yellower than I expected I've emailed off for confirmation.
As well as the B. articulata, a native sedge, there as some other marginals waiting patiently for the pond:
There were a smallish group of herbs from Dellawood destined for the kitchen herb and gold and purple beds. The bulk were from Nikau Hill and mean that the plants for the pond are all here.
The sorting took a little effort as some of the plants weren't labelled, but all but three plants were easily sorted. They, however, are a bit of puzzle; three identical plants, one labelled Baumea articulata, one labelled Restio tetraphyllus, and one unlabelled. I'm pretty sure they are B. articulata, which I ordered, but as they're a little yellower than I expected I've emailed off for confirmation.
As well as the B. articulata, a native sedge, there as some other marginals waiting patiently for the pond:
- Oioi – Leptocarpus similis – a native reed
- Papyrus – Cyperus papyrus – which will screen between the bridge and the waterfall,
- Sweet flag – Acorus calamus – a whole pile of root cuttings for me to pot up, intended to keep the nitrogen levels down.
This is box week
24 May 2007 20:44
Collections
03 May 2007 07:31
As expected work is keeping me too busy to do much
during the week, although the dreadful weather and
getting home in the dark every night isn’t helping
either. Opening the front door yesterday was a bit
nerve-wracking; after half the normal monthly
rainfall the post holes were full to the brim.
The collection of plants in the house is slowly building, there are camellias in the hall (six in that box), bulbs in the sewing room and seeds waiting patiently; hopefully some to be planted thisweekend.
One of the unexpected challenges is the free extra plants/seeds/bulbs that get slipped into orders. I’m still trying to work out where ten blue irises will go, not to mention the Camellia transnokoensis.
The retaining walls are slowly taking shape, tho the weather is slowing everything down and the guys are talking about working on Saturday if it’s dry. The amount of mud is just astounding, and it will be interesting talking progress through with K tomorrow
The collection of plants in the house is slowly building, there are camellias in the hall (six in that box), bulbs in the sewing room and seeds waiting patiently; hopefully some to be planted thisweekend.
One of the unexpected challenges is the free extra plants/seeds/bulbs that get slipped into orders. I’m still trying to work out where ten blue irises will go, not to mention the Camellia transnokoensis.
The retaining walls are slowly taking shape, tho the weather is slowing everything down and the guys are talking about working on Saturday if it’s dry. The amount of mud is just astounding, and it will be interesting talking progress through with K tomorrow
Busy
29 April 2007 17:29
Doesn’t the peony look completely alien? :)
Despite the peony needing to be planted I actually spent the day painting the chook house – my excuse is that the ground is still completely sodden. Believe it or not the post holes are still full of water 24 hours after the rain stuff.
The painting was fun, I started feeling quite competent after a while, which is a good feeling. The trim was a pain because it’s enamel paint - the only way I could match the colour to the house trim. But it’s done – well except for one bit I can’t do until the trim and shutter dry so I can lift them out of the way – and it looks good!
The only down side to the whole thing was that I fell off the deck and into the pineapple sage, so I now have a grazed elbow and bruises on my arse and knee. Oh and the other down side was that I can’t get to the basement which is where the turps lives – well unless I climb under the deck past the bricks and the roof tiles.
So next should be a long bath to get the last of the paint off
Despite the peony needing to be planted I actually spent the day painting the chook house – my excuse is that the ground is still completely sodden. Believe it or not the post holes are still full of water 24 hours after the rain stuff.
The painting was fun, I started feeling quite competent after a while, which is a good feeling. The trim was a pain because it’s enamel paint - the only way I could match the colour to the house trim. But it’s done – well except for one bit I can’t do until the trim and shutter dry so I can lift them out of the way – and it looks good!
The only down side to the whole thing was that I fell off the deck and into the pineapple sage, so I now have a grazed elbow and bruises on my arse and knee. Oh and the other down side was that I can’t get to the basement which is where the turps lives – well unless I climb under the deck past the bricks and the roof tiles.
So next should be a long bath to get the last of the paint off
Selecting Seeds
25 April 2007 21:15
I think the autumn seed orders are done. I just sent
off orders to Kings Seeds and Select Seeds; so I
should be able to spend the weekend planting inside.
This has all been based on my having (finally) sorted out a plan for the vege beds. The challenge has, as is so often the case, been one of restraint. While I want to fill them up straight away I’m going to plan one with a green manure crop for the winter (lupin), then hopefully do the same for the other next winter.
In other news it turns out that the guys took out one of the plums, so I’ve ordered a replacement. J and I have found a couple of possibly acceptable waterfall options. I’ve also made some decisions about where some of the berry bushes go and what I want to plant inside the chookery.
Even more importantly I can now get into the basement!!
This has all been based on my having (finally) sorted out a plan for the vege beds. The challenge has, as is so often the case, been one of restraint. While I want to fill them up straight away I’m going to plan one with a green manure crop for the winter (lupin), then hopefully do the same for the other next winter.
In other news it turns out that the guys took out one of the plums, so I’ve ordered a replacement. J and I have found a couple of possibly acceptable waterfall options. I’ve also made some decisions about where some of the berry bushes go and what I want to plant inside the chookery.
Even more importantly I can now get into the basement!!
The Beginning of the Flood
21 April 2007 16:59
I came home yesterday to find a box on the doorstep;
full of bulbs to go in as soon as possible. In
practice that is likely to be early June, which is a
bit late but... so they’re sitting on my sewing
table.
As well as a the daffodils, freesias, irises, crocuses and hyacinths I’d ordered, they’ve thrown in some blue dutch irises I need to find a home for. I think they’ll fit in the front border by the salvia, but there’ll be wind problems I fear.
So the stack of plants, bulbs and seeds has begun, I’ve also sorted out a space on the deck to hold plants until they can go in. Hopefully out of the way of the people cutting back the deck but still accessible. It’s all go here!
I’m currently planning a week off in early June to plant as much as possible, although I’m unlikely to have the fruit trees or roses by then.
As well as a the daffodils, freesias, irises, crocuses and hyacinths I’d ordered, they’ve thrown in some blue dutch irises I need to find a home for. I think they’ll fit in the front border by the salvia, but there’ll be wind problems I fear.
So the stack of plants, bulbs and seeds has begun, I’ve also sorted out a space on the deck to hold plants until they can go in. Hopefully out of the way of the people cutting back the deck but still accessible. It’s all go here!
I’m currently planning a week off in early June to plant as much as possible, although I’m unlikely to have the fruit trees or roses by then.