HI folks,
@Riverflows asked me to do a text version of my video posts so she can read them :-) rather than watching videos. I was going to do this anyway for those that want to "flick through" rather than watch a long video. Please follow my blog if you want to see the longer videos as i document our progress.
If you HAVE watched the video then this is mostly the same information as is in the video.
Today I will take you on a little tour of the spaces
talking about our compost progress...
Birds eating from my hand
clearing out the invasive herbs from the pots
going behind the shed for the first time
catching grasshoppers to feed the worms
update on our meal worms
So for those of you that know this... skip to the May Update section.
We have been in this house for 6 years now and it is a concrete wastleland of concrete and grass with a pool. we decided that this needs to change and are creating a little urban farm in.
We had a very GREEN back garden but it was just yukka plants. AND they planted this big rooted trees right on top of retaining walls. They are huge and are pushing on the walls. They needed to come out. Roots and all down into the earth we had to go...
You can see here the view when we moved in.,... green... but not "pretty and productive.."
Certainly no biodiversity. Not good for bees. Just green yick.
What are we creating
We are trying to create a little mini urban farm.
Fruit and vegetables
Chickens
worms
mealworms
flowers
bees
bee haven
biodiversity
pesticide free where possible
native plants as well. So not JUST food but also food for the insects that will live in the garden.
ok so here is the actual update for the month
Compost
so our main focus as been creating the soil for the garden beds. Using a great technique of filling the beds with wood and garden waste at the bottom. Over the top of this we can add soil and compost.
This is a fantastic technique that not only saves money and reduces garden waste, but it creates soil that will decompose overtime and leach nutrients back into the soil over time.
We have 4 beds. In the video you can see the beds in the different stages.
back right - the actual compost bin and it is garden scraps, law clippings, cardboard, straw... and its STEAMING hot and doing really well. Turning into beautiful black compost in about 8 weeks. we are very happy with the quality and amount we have produced in it. Will save us a bucket load in compost and soil.
The other three beds have had garden waste in the bottom and are slowly being filled with a bit ofn green and brown and soil from the areas of the garden we need to sift it out of. (see the stones section below)
here you can see the big change in the amount of compost in these bins from last month.
STONE CLEARING
So all the garden beds on the retaining walls needed to bed dug out. We needed to sift the stones out of the soil for two reasons. Retain and reuse the soil and clean the stones to put back. In a place they can be used. NOT IN MY GARDEN. They are expensive ornamental stones that should be cared for. (Not that we put them in the property)
This needs backbreaking work sifting the stones out. This month i am getting there with the ornamental area beside the pool. Unhappily a big storm is raging this week in QLD and i can't do much more as the soils is wet and doesn't sift from the stones.
stones slowly going back in this area. Decorative pots with plants will go in
The stones need a lot of washing so here they are being cleaned in the storm
as you can see the crystal white stones are brown and grey.
stones being washed my mother nature
Stones in the back garden
So we decided to put a retaining wall in the back garden and clear it out properly. BIG job. but one i think we will be please with. I fi do a 1/2 job i will regret it later. Chris is still designing this retaining wall. It means i will have two tiers to plant up here. Flowers, natives and some rambling pumpkins and melons are on the cards here.
so we are digging out all the stones washing and reusing them where we can... and using the soil. chopping out the stumps which are taking valuable space and keep reshooting. we can use the stumps in the garden beds to decompose.
its a huge job and has been set back with the storm.
some of the stones are somewhat clean...
here are the plants that keep reshooting and need to come out
here you can see how dirty the buried stones are
here you can see some progress in the back
BEHIND THE SHED
so i have NEVER been behind the shed... never seen a photo of it. I assumed it would be just nothing there. Just fence. I didn't know there was a space behind there. Now its NOT huge... but it is 12m long and about 3m wide... but very sloping. We would have to be careful what we plant. its not somewhere that i will be going often as i KNOW there are snakes... its a narrow area to run out of if i run into any and im not keen. so it will need to be carefully planned and maintained. BUT the waste from slashing it has filled a bin with green waste so im happy for now.
the narrow walk to get behind the shed. Was overgrown
the area behind the shed. its BIGGER THAN IT LOOKS 12m long and about 3m up...
This looks tiny and it is NOT tiny... it truely is 12m of space here ( the shed is a big 3 bay shed!!!)
for a suburban garden this is a huge space that could be used. It is bigger than the garden at my last house entirely.. lol
CLEARING INVASIVE HERBS FROM POTS
two herbs NEVER TO PLANT IN THE GARDEN
Oregano and Mint... lol
the Oregano has been worse than the mint i guess, its gone everywhere. and it just puts down these feeder roots and invades.
its is spreading everywhere
here you can see the feeder roots that have dug into the pot. Its really hard getting them out without destroying all the plants in the space.
Smothering anything in here. Stopping the other plants get nutrients. If you let this plant go it will go everywhere. I destroyed two baby coriander plants getting it out too...
FEEDING THE BIRDS THE GRUBS
I was digging the soil and trying not to kill them all, but the birds were very interested. Mum and baby came down and ate them out of my hand. How could i say no. In the video you see the bird come and eat this. Cant show this in blog though sorry. Go watch the video lol
Butcher bird eating from my hand
Fertilized the Chili plant
this plant was looking a little yellow. Chilis need food. They are very hungry plants. In growing season they need liquid fertilizer almost weekly. I gave it some... still not enough... then another batch of powerfeed and it greened back up and started shooting buds again.
more chili for me. IF it doesn't die as the temp starts dropping. Quite possible
Chicken coop in development
actually this ISN"t in the video...
but here you are as a bonus
Anyway thanks so much for stopping along and reading my posts I am just loving my HIVE experience so far. Such a fun platform for sure.
For those that don't know my i'm currently focusing on Daily painting and somewhat amusing my self and my family with Acrylic pouring.. lol.. i wish i had a separate studio for that as it is so messy.
My other HIVE interests are:
- cooking
sunset photography (i take photos of the sky every night)
Art
Graphic Design
Gardening (just a smidgion)
Ballet
Sewing - I make Tutus and ballet costumes too...
Here are a couple of snaps of some of the stuff i do outside what you see up in the posts above.
