Last year I decided to make more of the land we have, rather than hankering for a bigger patch. We have a new problem in the backyard with a neighbourhood subdivision causing a boggy marsh right on our boundary (dont get me started). The green belt that we used to mow ourselves and our neighbours enjoyed on mass became a boggy marsh with never before seen marsh grasses growing 1.5 meters tall. The frogs moved in (lovely). What eats frogs? It was a constant source of anguish. So we decided to fence our backyard and just worry about our patch. On the bright side there was no shortage of moisture!
Stage 1
Developing our patch - our new rear fence. One of the important features of my vegies patch is that it uses pre-used materials - except for the star pickets. You can just see the spuds coming through. I used the non-dig method. First put down newspaper, then the spuds, then the straw, manure, straw, manure until 50 cm deep. Water in and leave. I planted straight onto the marsh. I am amazed at what's coming out of the spud patch - I would have thought more spuds whould have rotted. But so far they havent, although the stems are starting to rot so I am lifting them much earlier than expected. This photo is around October 2011.
new plantings
Following a wonderful crop of green feast peas, today I have planted lettuce and broccoli in this now nitrogren rich patch. The roots of the peas have little white balls on then, if you are careful when you remove the roots those wite balls stay in the soil - they are little balls of nitrogen.
I'm trialling a dwarf variety of broccoli this year. Why? Because they were the healthier looking seedings at the shop today! Iceberg lettuce - cos the kids prefer it!
controlling the weeds
Today I had a free day to potter in the garden - nothing specific to do, just potter around. Two major jobs tackled - weeding out the grass thats grown between some losely paved bricks. I've got a beaut little tool that is really thin and kind of like a sharp flat hook - you can easily pull up weeds by putting in between the bricks and under the weeds - just hook them out, it didnt take long.
Also I've got one rather boggy part of the garden and I've planted some arum lillies and other marsh loving plants in this spot. They're doing well but had lots of weeds around them - now mulched. The plan is after summer to put in a hothouse at this spot. We'll see.
Early Feb 2012
Its the beginning of Feb and I would usually call it quits in the garden in terms of growing summer stuff, but the seasons are a little crazy so heres what's in ATM:
mini broccoli and lettuce - planted a few weeks ago
lettuce seeds and radish seeds - also planted a few weeks ago and the radishes are almost ready!
cucumber seedlings in (brave I know)
also leeks (they should do well)
beets - seeds - with boron added, a tip from garden guru Peter Cundall!
The corn is yet to be harvested - I've never been good at growing corn and this year is no exception. Tomatoes are starting to ripen and the zuchinis are doing very well. Spuds - I'll be digging them up shortly.
What's happening in the garden
Well the spuds have completely died down so I am lifting them before they rot in the ground. Spuds should not be left in the ground. When they are removed put them in a dry box, damp soil removed, and sick or damaged ones removed. Cover them completely so no light can get in.
This is the patch of garden that was a useless piece of grass 8 months ago. Water logged and full of swamp weeds and squelchy mud I used the no dig method to transform it. That is - layers of newspaper, spuds layed out, heaps of straw, manure, seaweed turned into a fertile patch full of worms with rich organic matter throughout. It will be interesting to see if it becomes unproductive over winter as the rain increases. It's been planted out with broccoli and spring onion and has wire around it to keep the chooks out (who are desperate to get their beak around every worm they can see!). It smells healthy (not dank and swampy) so I am optomistic. Please post any experiences you've had with overly wet patches. Dont get me started on why its overly wet
5 Essential Autumn jobs in the garden
Hardly anything is producing food for me at the moment, but with the colder nights and days and a healthy dose of rain the garden is in need of a bit of a clean up. Its an easy job with warm days and moist soil. We are getting ready for the dormant months.
Job 1 - peas are up and doing well - its the first time in this eastward facing garden so if they werent doing well I'd dig them in at some point as 'green manure'. They needed staking so I've used some old plastic covered wire, and you will see in the photo, a large collection of oven racks from our oven that's heading to the tip
Job 3 - harvest - unexpectedly whilst weeding I found 2 cumcumbers - both small but they were eaten today and they were so juicy! I wish I'd left them there another week - with the rain they'd have doubled in size. Tomatoes can be bought inside even if green - dont leave them on a hot window sill or they will cook. Mum used to say put a banana in a paper bag with an unripe tomato and it will help it ripen - something to do with the acids in the banana skin - apparently this technique has merit! You can pull the tomato plant and all out of the ground and hang it in the garage - most will ripen this way. Pumpkins should be left outside on a bench to dry and harden. Try not to pull the stalk off - they are more likely to rot without it.
Job 4 - if you cant make a compost heap because you've got too much carbon like material I usually store it somewhere until I have anough manure to make it hot enough to break down. I currently have 3 carbon storage areas
How to create a 'no dig' potato patch
June 18 2012 (that's winter where we are)
Today I put the spuds in, they'll be ready by xmas, perhaps a bit before! We are still eating last years spuds - they are all out of the ground and stored in a dark dry box in the kitchen.
Step 1 - find a patch - it can be lawn, or weedy, or in this case I let the chooks get into it and they have scratched most of the weeds away.
You will also need sheep poo, and cardboard or newspaper to lay across the weeds, and a few bails of hay (and seed potatoes). My cardboard is party broken down as its been sitting out side for months. If it isnt its not the best thing to use as it wont drain as well as newspaper. This will probably result in rotten spuds - not your intention! I had a bag of seaweed collected ages ago, and some half composted garden refuse that has been heaped against the rear fence for about a month. I am ready - first I cleared the half broken down garden waste that was against the fence.
Now lay down the cardboard (saved since xmas - everything gets used . . . eventually), and wet it down and spread the spuds about 60 cm apart - this patch is almost 3m x 3m.
Cover with straw - it drains well - I used 2 bails and they were fairly sodden (forgot to cover them when we bought them). It ended up about 40 cm tall - at this point I added 1 bag of sheep poo and the sea weed, and then the half mulched garden refuse. I put old sleepers around 2 sides and the fence and some wire around the other sides - to keep it contained (should the chooks get it). Then I added a second bag of sheep poo. Much of the garden waste had horse poo mixed into it. Hose poo isnt a great manure for the garden - but if its on offer it's one of the many things I add to the mix.
It should be watered in - but rain is no doubt only days away so I'll wait.
You can see how high the straw is by looking at the rear fence - its quite deep. Now there's nothing to do but wait until they grow - they dont need extra watering or they are likely to rot. Once they have been dug up (Feb / March) this patch will be loaded with earth worms and the soil will be magnificent and ready for the next crop. Here's what the patch looked like after last years no dig potato patch - just loaded with worms
Today I put the spuds in, they'll be ready by xmas, perhaps a bit before! We are still eating last years spuds - they are all out of the ground and stored in a dark dry box in the kitchen.
Step 1 - find a patch - it can be lawn, or weedy, or in this case I let the chooks get into it and they have scratched most of the weeds away.
Now lay down the cardboard (saved since xmas - everything gets used . . . eventually), and wet it down and spread the spuds about 60 cm apart - this patch is almost 3m x 3m.
It should be watered in - but rain is no doubt only days away so I'll wait.
You can see how high the straw is by looking at the rear fence - its quite deep. Now there's nothing to do but wait until they grow - they dont need extra watering or they are likely to rot. Once they have been dug up (Feb / March) this patch will be loaded with earth worms and the soil will be magnificent and ready for the next crop. Here's what the patch looked like after last years no dig potato patch - just loaded with worms
I will post a hot manure formula in a future post!
July 2012
Bring on the spring - chicken pie and pea shoots for tea?
Well I'm bang on for timing, but a little late given I'm heading off in 4 weeks for an extended break. Today I popped some seeds into seed raising mix and they are now ready to germinate under a plastic shopping bag that is operating as a frost resistant hothouse.
I've used seed gathered from broccoli that went to seed. Unfortunately I dont know the type of broccoli so I have not idea if the plants will be true to plant I got them from, or revert to some spindly species that is quite simply a waste of time and space.
There was a lot of varience in the quality of the seed. I'd left them to dry in their pods and some had dried and obviously had no life in them. Others were black and firm and 'plump', as plump as a broccoli seed can be anyway.
So its a bit of an experiment. They've got 4 weeks to germinate and then I'll pop them in the ground (under glass for the lucky ones). I will dig over their patch in the next week or 2 as I have green manure plants in them. I'm probably a little early, but hey, the seasons are pretty screwed up and this is seeming to be a mild winter.
Iceburg lettuce have also gone in as seeds, but not seed I've collected. I have to say I am totally experimental in the seed saving business - as I learn more I'll write more.
Happy gardening!!
BTW - its pretty heart breaking to get all the timing right, the plants are growing beautifully (my peas), and the chooks get in and rip it all to shreds!! Chicken pie for tea??
I've used seed gathered from broccoli that went to seed. Unfortunately I dont know the type of broccoli so I have not idea if the plants will be true to plant I got them from, or revert to some spindly species that is quite simply a waste of time and space.
There was a lot of varience in the quality of the seed. I'd left them to dry in their pods and some had dried and obviously had no life in them. Others were black and firm and 'plump', as plump as a broccoli seed can be anyway.
So its a bit of an experiment. They've got 4 weeks to germinate and then I'll pop them in the ground (under glass for the lucky ones). I will dig over their patch in the next week or 2 as I have green manure plants in them. I'm probably a little early, but hey, the seasons are pretty screwed up and this is seeming to be a mild winter.
Iceburg lettuce have also gone in as seeds, but not seed I've collected. I have to say I am totally experimental in the seed saving business - as I learn more I'll write more.
Happy gardening!!
BTW - its pretty heart breaking to get all the timing right, the plants are growing beautifully (my peas), and the chooks get in and rip it all to shreds!! Chicken pie for tea??
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