Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Still pottering along.

Another beautiful Spring day here in my backyard.   I will need to quickly get my inside jobs done so I can get out there and do my half hour.   A half hour stint usually turns into way longer just pottering about but it's so good for the soul, the mind, the whole body health thing.  I'm so pleased that the weather is now nice enough to be outside most of the day.

A couple of weeks ago a daughter helped me with getting a pile of seedlings planted, looks like I will have more Kale than I know what to do with!   All the seedlings are growing great but the seeds that I planted, not doing too well at all.  For once I was going to do the plant some now, plant some later thing so as not to end up with too much of one thing at the same time.  Looks like I am just 2 weeks behind with the growing though as most haven't even emerged.

I tried carrots, again.  Even covered them to keep them moist until they started, still nothing.   Corn that should have been poking it's head up last week, nope, not even a bit of dirt pushed out of the way.  Lettuce seeds, again, can't see any where I sprinkled them but the self-sown ones are coming up in a few places so they will keep us going for a bit.  I will get more of everything in this week and see how that lot does.  Even the Luffa seeds haven't come up and they are usually pretty reliable.

Chooks are laying.   I have more than 10 doz eggs in the fridge now so will take some down to Vinnies later and see if any of the vollies want some.  In the meantime, eggs for breakfast but there is only so many eggs 1 person can eat.  Husband is home tonight so he will get a couple with his tea.   But 2 eggs from all the dozens we have...Hmmm, if my maths is right we'll still have lots left!

I have started riding the pushbike again, will go for a ride before breakfast then will start the daily list.  

Saturday, September 12, 2015

New Challenge.

Soooo, I still haven't made a list, still haven't planted much, still haven't weeded and prepared enough gardens for when I do plant...

I started a discussion on our local haveachat FB page and other people are doing what I should be.  What I want to.  What I will do.  I wanted to hear what others were doing so that I would be inspired and get motivated again, I think it's working.  One woman lives out the back of me, she has already started preparing, planting...she probably never stopped!   I will use her as my inspiration, Thanks N.  

It's raining here and it has brought out the snails.  I have had a walk around and collected what I saw and thrown them to the chooks.  More slugs out there this year than before, I wonder why.  Slaters are still in huge numbers but I am going to juice some Oranges today so will use the half peels and see if that attracts them and makes it easier to collect them to feed to the chooks.

I planted a few Kale seedlings a week or 2 ago, thanks to daughter Lee giving them to me.  They are looking OK but the other Kale that I have needs to be chopped right back so I will give the chooks a feed later on.  What I should do, and might, is make some Kale chips.  I have done that before and they weren't half bad.  If I do I will let you all know how they turn out.  I also need to, again, ask Lee what type of Kale it is so that I can make a sign so I don't keep forgetting.  I forget, I ask her, she tells me, I forget so I ask her...I sign should stop all that.

Out there growing and ready to eat at the moment?   Lettuce, cabbages, capsicum, a few sad looking chillies, I could dig up potatoes and sweet potatoes if I wanted to.  There is Silverbeet and I think spinach, onions but not enough to keep me going more than a month or so.  Hmmm, doesn't look to abundant does it.  There are still plenty of Oranges and we have 10 dozen eggs in the fridge with more cackling happening out there as I type.  Oh, I picked a tomato yesterday!  and 2 last week.  There are plenty of greens ones and we have plants with flowers so I hope they take off when it warms up a bit.  The broccoli all went to seed when I was housesitting a while back and not here to keep picking it and the caulies didn't do too well at all.  I think I managed to get 2 from a dozen plants.   The bees are liking the broccoli flowers though and I will collect some seeds when they are ready.

What I need to do is get some more potatoes in, figure out where to plant some corn and melons.  This year I WILL!! grow a decent watermelon!  Well I need to just get out there and make a start, even 1/2 an hour every day, regardless, will see us eating better with yummy homegrown produce.  And I have fruit trees to get in the ground.  It's going to be a wet weekend so the perfect time for it...just need to work out where they are going, dig the hole, plonk them in...job done.  So why haven't I yet?   After today there will be at least 3 more trees planted!

And there be a challenge to myself.  Half an hour in the garden doing *something*  Something productive that will get things growing not half an hour wondering around or sitting and reading a book!   

Anyone growing lots of stuff that I can read about to keep the motivation going?    Though once I start I'm usually pretty good with it but reading about your gardens is fun too.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Must Do's


Really must get back into writing here.  I have no idea what I have done, what needs doing, what I planted when or where...I need to start another list of things to do and I think getting back into this on a regular basis will be near the top. Yep, blogging is a mustdo.