Sunday here was simply beautiful - clear blue skies, no wind, and a warmth to the sun which hinted at Spring, though we have August tempests to get through yet. I managed a whole day of work in the garden as I write on this rainy Monday, I'm suprisingly not paralysed, signifying, hopefully, that this six week onslaught of covid may be drawing to a close, and it's time to gather strength for the rest of the year and all that needs to be done.
I love winter in the garden for the hard landscaping - the fencing, the compost, the mulching, the borders and boundaries, the shaping of trees, the planning and building. Spring is for filling them in with the softness of plants and flowers. Both seasons work together - thank goodness for the rest of Winter for doing the jobs to prepare for what's to come.
Sunday, then, was rethinking the 'secondary' chook run. As you can see in the photo below, the high fence surrounds the coop, making it fox proof for when we aren't around, but in front there's a second lower fence which gives them room to roam during the day when I don't want them in the garden proper. In the below photo you'll see a run of fence that is quite a narrow area for them to hang out in, but is also used to grow plants for them to eat or, in Spring, food for the table. However, it felt a bit 'bitsy' for me - a clutter of fences, and besides, the rabbits kept getting in there and starting holes. I must have stared at this area for hours last week wondering how I could restructure it. It also contained an apple crate I'm using for growing wine cap mushrooms. The whole area is behind the compost bins and behind the larger vegetable patch which is just outside the backdoor. Phew. Are you geographically located in my garden yet?
Anyhoo, with the help of the husband, we figured out where to put a few posts and fences to expand the garden to include the mushroom box and the blackcurrants so the chickens have more space. I was more than pleased to get rid of a LOT of random fencing and tidy it up a lot, as well as (hopefully) wabbit proof it, although if you're Australia, you know that a 'rabbit proof fence' is nigh on an impossibility. The shot below also shows the progress of of my garlic patches, a mulberry and quince, the remaining ashwangandwa - I had to dig up two to fit the fences, but now have the roots to process for powder and medicine which is exciting.
I also cleaned up along the side of the chook coop which was a huge mess of tools, chicken wire and stakes and buckets. Much neater. I transplanted some iris near the bird bath alongside some sage, so I'm sure it'll look really pretty come Spring. In the last couple of years I've been planting more flowers for the sake of flowers - it's new to me, but their value is clear.
Can you see the loop of wire on the left below? I've had to make a few of these to get plants going away from blackbirds who are making an incredible mess. They do their job getting bugs but are no good for young seedlings.
Last but not least my compost area got neatened up. I have three bays - the one you're looking at below on the left is the third bay - and they've always been a bit of a jumble. The corrugated iron is meant to be a kind of barrier or fence but even though I push stakes into the ground they always fall down and look awful. Anyway, it's funny how it can take years sometimes to work out a solution. On the right you'll see we moved the middle barrier and instead put corrugated iron down the side, meaning all I need to do is put a bit of cage down the middle and can easily access both bays, left and right, and very easily get a wheelbarrow in there or simply walk in with a mulching fork to turn it. Honestly it's the small things - I can't tell you how much this fix has made me happy as a worm in compost!
And on such a warm day, the compost was nice and hot and steamy on the inside, and full of worms - exactly how we like it, right?
Oh, and one last thing. Why is there a cage over some of my garlic? BECAUSE DANDELION. Would you believe I've never had dandelions grow in my garden? Devastating. These seeds were a gift from a Hive friend so it's extra special they actually seeeded in my garden. Absolutely NO WAY will I lead wabbits or chookies eat my dandelion!
After such a hard day of fencing and moving compost and so on, it was time to relax a little - Jamie grabbed a couple of beers and I grabbed my book and a fire cider. This one was a local brew from Torquay - Blackman's Brewery, and was humorously named 'Juicy Banger'. Not his fave, but it did the job nicely. It was deliciously warm. The chooks were happy because they could stare at us through the fence instead of being so far away from us. Of course I let them range further but I need to control it a little bit otherwise my garden will be a mess of manure and mulch. Grr. Sometimes gardening is half pest control.
Only another week before I write another #gardenjournal post - the challenge starts on the 1st. Oh, and if you're a garden journaller but haven't got the Peakd badge, let me know so I can fix that.
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