Almond Blossom

Scarecrow's Log: 19:07:2009:

Temperatures this week:

Lowest Min 0.1C
Lowest Max 10C
Highest Max 16C
13.5mm Rainfall

What's happening in the garden?

The Almond tree has burst into flower!

Propagation:
Seeds:
With the ground damp from rain I've been scattering seeds around the edge beds...Calendulas, Anise Hyssop, Italian Parsley, while Dandelion seed heads have been dispatched to the chicken runs where any new seedlings will be gobbled up before the have a chance to get very big!

The first of the newly planted peas are popping up...here the Dwarf Blue Bantam Peas in the wicking tub (C) are just popping up so too are the Angela's Blue Climbing Peas on the fenceline.

Potting up and Planting out:
Divided and put into a container, some newly sprouting Lemon Balm from the Tank Bed by the Main Veg Garden chookrun gate.

Planted the two Blackcurrant bushes in the Almond area.
See Here for info on
Planting Bare Rooted Fruit Trees and Plants

New in the Garden This week:
Apart from the first of the Almond Blossom...there are Cauliflowers and Broccoli ready for picking!

Violet Sicilian Cauliflower, Green Goliath Broccoli
and Mini Cauliflower ready to pick!

Weekly Harvest Tally:
Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks on a daily basis or herbs picked for use in the kitchen for cooking or tea making.
Cauliflower Violet Sicilian***1040g

Plus a yummy mix of greens for soups/stirfries/salads...Kale, Lettuce, Watercress, Chives, Parsley, Sea Parsley, Soup Celery, Beetroot, Turnip and Swede Greens.

Plus 18 Eggs from the girls.

A Chilly Week

Scarecrow's Log: 12:07:2009:

This little fellow decided it was too cold out in the garden
so he moved inside near the fire
...don't blame him really.

Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min -2.1C
Lowest Max 10C
Highest Max 15C
6mm Rainfall

What's happening in the garden?

We had a couple of frosty mornings this week...

I threw a row cover over the nasturtiums in the Kitchen Garden...

just as well look what happened to the one I didn't cover.

I also covered the newly planted daisy bushes

but the frost still got to them a little!

Propagation:

Seeds:
I've planted some seeds of Acacia dealbata that Tully (from ALS) sent to me.
This plant is on the Acacia Study Groups list of "Wattle we plant for Scavenging Chooks: Permaculture Poultry using Acacias" from their newsletter number 98 available here as a pdf
So they should be a great asset in the chicken forage areas.
Tully also sent me some seeds (and some others) of the Native Passionfruit Capparis spinosa var nummularia to try in spring...she often sends me bush tucker seeds from her area out in the desert in NT.
Thank you Tully!

Seeds of Red Clover Trifolium pratense, Lucerne Medicago sativa (summer and winter active), Clover Dalkeith Trifolium repens have been scattered over the chook run area of the fruit garden. These legume plants are for a cover crop, mulch and nitrogen fixing in the soil.
With rain predicted for this weekend I spent some time spreading seeds around the garden, mainly, Calendula Calendula officinalis and Alyssum Lobularia maritima.

Planting out: around the new plantings in the chicken run.
Garden Sorrel Rumex acetosa
Lotus ‘Sunrise’ Lotus pedunculatus

New in the Garden This week:
My seed order arrived for spring planting...already!

Weekly Harvest Tally:
Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks on a daily basis or herbs picked for use in the kitchen for cooking or tea making.
Carrots Purple Dragon***125g
Jerusalem Artichoke***200g
Duck Potatoes***500g

Plus a yummy mix of greens for soups/stirfries/salads...Kale, Lettuce, Watercress, Chives, Parsley, Sea Parsley, Soup Celery, Beetroot, Turnip and Swede Greens.

Plus 18 Eggs from the girls.

Spring Seeds 09

The choice is made
Here is the list of seeds I've bought from Eden Seeds for spring planting.
I do have quite a stash of seeds from last year plus some friends have sent to try (Thank you Muzzy for some bean seeds) plus those I've saved but I'm trying to show restraint here!

Seed order 09:
Amaranth - Grain Amaranthus hypochondriacus
Amaranth - Leaf Amaranthus gongeticus
Beans - Climbing Blue Lake Phaseolus vulgaris
Beans - Soy Glycine max
Beans - Red Lima Climbing Phaseolus lunatus
Capsicum - Hungarian Yellow Wax Capsicum annum
Carrot - Chantenay Red-cored Daucas carota
Cucumber - Green Gem Cucumis sativa
Cucumber - Marketmore Cucumis sativa
Eggplant - Casper Solanum melongena
Parsnip - Hollow Crown Pastinaca sativa
Pumpkin - Baby Blue Cucurbita maxima
Spinach - Ceylon Basella rubra
Tomato - Grosse Lisse Lycopersicon esculentum
Tomato - Silvery Fir Tree Lycopersicon esculentum
Watermelon - Sugarbaby Citrullus vulgaris
Zucchini - Golden Cucurbita pepo

Some flowers and herbs for the edgebeds:
Coreopsis - Sunburst Coreopsis grandiflora
Zinnia - Mixed colours Zinnia elegans
Caraway Carum cavi
Chicory - Coffee Stetorium intybus magdeburg
Evening Primrose Oenothera biennis
Valerian Valerian officinalis

And some different gourds for Doc:
Gourd - Dancing or Spinning Cucurbita pepo
Gourd - Speckled Swan Cucurbita pepo