Apologies for the relatively boring content, but I had some relatively boring garden tasks to complete, and I thought I would chronicle them anyway.
A previous post is also continued here, and the bed where I dug out the kitchen compost last time is finished with potting mix and a little commercial compost.
I mow a shamefully long lawn. But I make the most of the clippings as always and finish the base of the new compost with them.
A single bonsai and fruit photo are included at the end.
(Note: I have had some feedback that the caption for each image is easier to read if placed below the image. Previously it has always been above. I hope the post is more easy to read.)
Behold the shamefully unmown lawn. It has been getting this way forever because I have been spending too much time on Hive blog. That is only partially a joke. The lawnmower has a nice story though. The first Splinterlands card I ever sold for a profit bought the mower. Maybe I can mow other people's lawns if I ever need to.
Here is the empty compost bin with some geranium and grape in it from my previous post. That has settled down. I have a heap more scraps of geranium and other plants pulled to clear space in the flower garden.
The uncovered bed can be seen here. I will put some commercial-grade potting mix and compost on as the next layers. In the middle are a few seedlings that have sprung up from the compost. I will have to save them from burial.
The scraps from the flower garden will be covered in lawn clippings. Geraniums/pelargoniums are great plants in that they grow from cutting more readily than almost any other, but far too many of them are flourishing around the section.
Behold now! The lawn is has been mowed by magic! Actually, no. Some time has passed. But it looks remarkably better, and the front and sides of the house are done too. Thank you, lawnmower. If only you didn't flood when I stop and start you. I think I have figured out the trick though: turn the throttle off; pull the cord several times; pump the throttle exactly three times from off to on; pull cord. Let's hope this theory remains valid.
The compost is now covered in lawn clippings. I will water them with the hose. This creates a sealed layer over the top of the more woody cuttings at the bottom. They will literally melt under it at the first sun, forming the brown mulch you see in the other photo. A moderate amount of clean kitchen waste can be buried in the middle easily.
The dirt. Two brands of potting mix and a third brand of compost. I like to buy different kinds and mix them for better soil composition. I was tempted to add some sand, but it seemed a bit of a waste as I purchased it a while ago for another project, and it's not easy for me to replace.
I think they are either pumpkin or melon. They could be either. They could indeed be both. I have a small pot for them. I have a variety of soils on hand. My trowel. I will take these.
The seedlings have been transplanted along with a good handful of their familiar earth. I have sprinkled a final layer of potting mix on top. I will water these with my liquid fertiliser and then put them under a light spray (from a hole in the hose that I repurpose).
The watering can I use, and my bottles of liquid fertiliser. This is part organic and part commercial. The organic part is comfrey leaves steeping and fermenting in a bucket. The commercial is a yellow nutrient powder. I mix and dilute these into the bottle with the brown colour. Then for use, I dilute a second time around 10 parts to 1. This ensures that the concentration is always very low. I also try to leave my water standing for a while before use.
The seedlings have been watered and put in a friendly place where I can keep an eye on them. Also pictured here is a pair of loquat trees, a geranium, an aloe vera and a passionfruit. The slug damage on the passionfruit did not occur here. I moved it here to save it.
I have tipped the remaining soil onto the bed and smoothed it out with a garden fork. The next stage is to water it in. I will be interested to see what springs up. I also have a good variety of seeds that I plan to plant in an upcoming post.
In the act of watering in. Phone in one hand and hose in the other. I would have looked a bit silly had anyone been watching.
Here is the final growing medium and surface. I am pleased. It should be good for another winter, and then, with a little replenishment, the summer after.
I include this photo for anyone who has read my past posts. It is a bonsai experiment that is going much better than expected. I predicted a complete failure. I have been adding soil regularly to keep the roots covered. The tree has new growth. Best of all it survived a major storm with quite high winds - this is why it is in quite an ugly spot, for shelter.
Last but not least some fruit from previous posts. The limes are slowly growing. There would be more yellow guavas in this photo, but I was hungry from all the previous tasks and I ate quite a lot before I thought to take the picture.
Thank you. Another reminder for any regular followers that I am coming into the winter season here in the Southern Hemisphere, and as a consequence, my posts on gardening will be less regular and less colourful. I hope you enjoyed reading.
