Autumn Planting

The last few days have been consumed (not entirely) with planting seeds and a few seedlings.

There were a few seedlings in the nursery that went out i.e a couple of Kale and some more Kohl Rabi (most of the previous planting were eaten).



Kale and Kohl Rabi seedlings

A punnet of Coriander we picked up last week and a punnet of tricolour Spinach from Aldi. The Spinach was a bit straggly but it was an opportunity to get a head start. As a backup a row of Spinach seeds also went into the ground.

Tricolour Spinach and Coriander

Climbing Snow peas are in and have emerged despite something digging in the bed. A few potatoes have gone into the area in front of the peas. An area next to the snow peas has been dug over to remove the Nut grass and a good stand of Broad Beans planted.

Broad Beans at the back, Potatoes on the right and the Snow Peas on the left with their climbing strings and protective mesh



Snow Peas Germinated

An attempt is being made to germinate onion seed in situ. Onion seed is a mystery to us and usually we end up buying advanced seedlings. They seem to be a touchy seed losing viability quickly and germination rates very poor but then that could just be our lack of knowledge on how to get the best out of them. We try every year. It didn't help when Belle the cat decided to use one of the onion plots as a toilet stop.

Belle (fully recovered from the tick bite) awoken from slumbers after digging up the Onion seeds

A row of Onion seeds fitted into a spare section

In went a row of shallot seeds, these are a good standby in place of onions. Some Radish seeds and a row of Pak Choi seeds.

Beetroot seed were soaked in Boron overnight and they've gone in as well as some Carrot seeds and a small stand of Rocket (Arugula).

Carrots covered in plastic to aid germination alongside Beetroot, Radish and Pak Choi

Finally, a large section of green manure crop has been chopped with the hedge trimmer and dug in with some well matured compost and lime. When Jean returns next week from Benalla she will want to plant out the annual Garlic crop.

The Garlic bed prepared and in the top right just barely visible is the Peacock inspecting the workmanship

Autumn on the way

There is something about Autumn (and Spring for that matter) that gladdens the heart.

With Autumn it is the prospect of the cooler days that make working outside more attractive and pleasant. Today after the rain it was reasonably pleasant outside. The weeding program continued with the weeds going straight into the almost complete NZ compost. By the end of the day it was brimming and a warm coat of mulch hay was placed over the top. The central hole was drilled clear and that is it for 6 weeks.

A couple of beds were prepared for planting. In this case we have Cabbage and Broccoli which need a rich base full of good compost. Jean will slip those into the ground tomorrow. We also have a punnet of early onions to plant. There is a nice section of the garden weeded recently that will not be too rich for these.

While typing this I'm looking out over the Williams Valley which is misted up and looking lovely. No wonder it is worth getting up early. A chance to write the blog in that early morning quiet with the scenery developing as the light starts to filter into the valley.

Over the river the irrigation is turned off, the grass has already leaped out of the ground although it will be a couple of weeks before we stop hand feeding. The cows are on Lucerne and some Oats. The boss wants to replace some fencing and suggested we find some one to get stuck into it. That someone is the youngest son of a family in a nearby village. He is just starting out and very keen. He was shown the extent of the section to be replaced and didn't seem daunted by the use of non standard recycled plastic posts and has some spare time right now to get started. It was left up to the boss to negotiate rates and initiate the work. Our role will be to supervise and keep up the material supply. This will suit us well as we would like to spend more time on HHF and transition gradually away from paid work.

Brassica Progress



 

 

We have always had problems with Brussels Sprouts except this year. Previously the sprouts were small useless marbles but finally we have had success. But still we don't know what contributed to the success - was it a more fertile soil or just a better seedling? These little beauties are delightful halved and steamed served with a creamy cheese sauce.

 

 

 

 As usual the Cabbages continue to mature. This one is destined to be eaten in various dishes including a stir fry. Last week another dozen seedling were planted out to ensure we have plenty of product to make more Kim Chi and Sauerkraut.

 

This is one of the many Broccoli plants that were put into our partially shaded Summer bed. The heads weren't all that big but still we got something. The smaller heads were probably a result of running out of compost when these were ready to transplant and only blood and bone was used with a small amount of green manure. Some of the other plants located in a sunnier bed and well fed which have already had heads harvested have commenced getting side shoots. There will now be broccoli for months to come.

This is the only Purple Cauliflower planted. Not all that large. Probably due to insufficient nutrition. We don't plant a lot of Cauliflower mainly because it seems to take longer than Broccoli to produce a head and there are no follow on shoots. Still it is important to have variety in vegetable types and colours.

As usual all the morning checking of herds occurred and then after morning tea we went across the river and spent the rest of the day fencing and performing odd jobs such as mowing lawns. Although mowing lawns and trimming edges is not something either of us enjoy it is good PR. I'm sure the owner would rather be doing something else with his weekender than maintaining lawns. We remind ourselves how lucky we are to be both employed in a job as flexible as this i.e. come and go as and when you please, choose the work you want to perform and get paid. And we work together.