31 October, 2014

veggie tales

Added another set of layers to the compost heap and achieved hot composting! YAY!

Planted corn, carrots, and spring onions, tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, and cucumber. Corn, carrots, and spring onions germinated - YAY!

On the upside of the whole house deal, I'm growing corn!

Forgot to water during a hot day (and the gardening calender advised against watering) and all but three of the corn died. BOO.

Moved into the house. Brought all my fruit trees and several planter boxes (wish I'd asked them to bring all the garden things over - now I'll have to get them over in my car, getting my car dirty in the process).

Everything has survived, although I think the citrus are in a little shock right now - they're getting a full day's sun after years of mostly shady afternoon sun. I have to remember to water them rather more regularly than I used to. One more thing to do.

I'm filling a planter box with 'salad vegies' - lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers. Added oregano to the planter box with sage growing in it. And tried to sprout some more asparagus in the passionfruit planter box.

On the 28th, planted more corn, tomatoes, cucumber, melons, pumpkins in the compost heap which has now cooled down (it was hot for nearly two weeks). It doesn't quite look like it's fully composted - at least not on the outer levels - lots of white mould-ish looking things, and a mushroom that decided to grow out of the side of the compost - but otherwise we'll hope. And keep it watered this time.

Must remember to get to the North Shore Permaculture meeting.

Have to contact gardener about mowing the lawn and helping sort out the garden beds. I want the underlayer pulled up and the woodchips mulched. That will take some major deliveries of manure and straw, I think. And working out where is good to grow the cherry, doughnut peach, and fuyu persimmon my mother is giving me. I know where the raspberry canes are going.

So much to do, so little time. But the small garden bed is the first priority. That, and working out where the fruit trees should go.

I hope the seeds I planted on the 28th do better...

09 October, 2014

Garden start - the first no-dig bed

No-dig garden started:

No dig garden, day 1

Newspaper, cow manure, sugar cane mulch, woodchips, cow manure, shredded paper, cow manure, sugar cane mulch

Needs another five or so layers I think: chook poo, lucerne, cow manure, woodchips, chook poo, sugar cane mulch

Then planting on top:
- ccrn seeds, capsicum, eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin, onion tops, cucumber seedlings

Seed raising mixture:
- coir fibre, perlite (vermiculite?), mushroom compost?

I was going to grow corn up against the fence, but I think I'll go for beans, or maybe a passionfruit in that spot. Corn in the centre of the no-dig bed, so I don't have to reach in to grab things.

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From Hargreaves Nursery:
SEEDLINGS TO PLANT NOW

Flowers: Alyssum, Amaranthus, Aster, Begonias, California Poppy, Coleus, Cosmos, Dahlia, Dianthus, Gerbera, Gypsophila, Impatiens, Lobelia, Marigold, Nasturtium, Petunia, Salvia, Snapdragon, Verbena, Vinca, Zinnia.

Vegies: Beans, Beetroot, Cabbage, Capsicum, Carrots, Celery, Chinese Cabbage, Chilli, Cucumber, Eggplant, Endive, Leek, Lettuce, Melons, Onions, Peas, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Rhubarb, Silverbeet, Spinach, Squash, Sweet corn, Tomato, Zucchini.

Growing ong-choi