an update .... of sorts!

i really had hoped that i would have a bigger yield from my veg patch by now.  things are coming up .... but nothing is ready.  the only thing i am harvesting is parsley and oregano .... and heaps of that mind you!

the broad beans are blooming .... both my crimson and white.  so check .... beans are coming!
asparagus is bedded in well .... but nothing there until spring
peas are looking great.... both the front patch and the back patch .... but no blooms yet.
same with the snow peas .... they look amazing .... but no flowers yet
garlic is coming up nicely .... thinking about a last minute additional plant there.
kipfler potatos are in ... waiting for a second batch which should come shortly.
lots of seedlings coming up well .... celeriac, beets, cabbage, cauliflower, herbs galore, comfrey, leeks, onions
i even have some early season borlotti beans seeding  ....

but alas .... nothing is ready to eat.  all that can mean is that spring is gonna be bountiful!

hubby went to a DIY aquaponics course last weekend through Milkwood.  had a blast and learned heaps.  has already purchased his first bathtub off ebay for $20 (brand new).  the beauty of the course was that the guy teaches how to make it out of what you have and what you can source, vs. "i have a kit and make it from this."  so hubby is happy and itchin to get going .... just a few more keyhole beds and things to build for me first <g> ....... and of course i am off to a mushroom workshop this weekend through the same mob .... can't wait!
maggie
backwardssimply.blogspot.com

Birth of A Perpetual Garden and Goings on In the Vege Patch

I am a dreadful procrastinator...and one of my favourite sayings is of course, 'yes, I am going to do it...' while all evidence is that I have got sidetracked onto something else.
Perpetual farmstay garden is  doing nothing but sitting there.With a great big pile of building materials around it. It is cold and the fire is so inviting to sit near instead of going outside .I need to get out there and do something.
Solution is to go and plant the seedlings for it!! Now I have to by the end of  the long weekend , have the bed ready.

I have some different types of brassicas to plant and

winter lettuces as well. They will need have at least two weeks growing time and then in they will go. This will give the new bed time to settle and be ready for planting too.

The perpetual garden will be different from my other beds as it is really a traditional garden bed . I normally use raised beds or chicken tractor beds. It is important for us to have lots of different gardening styles going here because different styles suit different people. The aim is to get as many people gardening as we can.

 This is the chicken tractor that David built for me. I might be a marvel in the garden, but this is the reason... I am married to this incredible person who can basically build anything and is happy to do it.
This chicken tractor is 'mark 3 ' of david's designs , since he always has to improve on things. It is really great , but it is also really heavy. He is thinking about doing a dome design in a lightweight aluminium frame (many years ago we did try poly pipe but it gets pretty windy on our hill and it just kept blowing away much to the consternation of the chickens ) . The bed shown here is just ready for planting.... these chickens are my best scratchers ever, but I am finding they are going faster than I can grow seedlings in the preparation of beds.

This is my other chicken tractor (mark 1 of david's designs) . It is the easiest to move but not quite the standard of  mark 2. . We have a very old breed of bantam in this one. ....silver duckwing  leghorn bantams ( bred in the 1800s ) . We bought them just to keep an old breed going..just have to find a duck wing rooster now.Also want lots of eggs to feed farmstay guests and make pasta!
They are at point of lay at the moment. We check for eggs everyday.

They are a bit flighty  , perhaps something to do with the older breeding. We love watching them roost at night because there is always one chicken who MUST be at the very top of the roost ...and they flutter and fuss till the pecking order is all set out in roosting order.
Today we are going to let them run around ...this will be their first outing in the yard. We are going to do it close to sunset , so that their roosting instinct sets in and they are happy to go back in the pen. Considering how flighty they are, I hope they go back in okay. I can just see myself at dusk lifting roosting chickens out of the mulberry tree or something.
We believe it is important to let our chicken tractor chickens have time outside. We have found that with set routines you can train them to be herded back to the pen on sunset. But...we always have to supervise. There is nothing more tempting to a chicken than a freshly mulched garden bed with seedlings in it. It is worth the time to see them racing around the yard excitedly telling each other when they have found something delicious like a snail!

More Beds!

So ... i'm putting in three more beds this weekend.  <g>  more broad beans to be sure! i've got my diggers order ready to go .... can't believe it's about time to start thinking about the seedlings that need to get planted for the spring planting!  makes a heart hope!

anyone know much about bush tucker?  i'm thinking about dedicating a small area of my front yard to that ... it could be very fun, and a great learning experience for us and the kids!  let me know if you guys know anything about that!