What a weekend!

I spend a lot of time over at a forum called Aussies Living Simply and on the weekend there was a 'Get Together'. I've never met anyone that I know online in real life so I was nervous as. There was no need to worry, everyone was so lovely! It took me a long time to get there....51/2 hours! the round trip was 1149kms. It was really worth the trip!

It felt great to be amongst like minded people for a change. I didn't feel like a freak lol. The lady who organised the GTG, Gerri, has Alpacas and I was surprised to learn that they poo in the same spot. It would make it so easy to shovel up for the garden! Now I want an alpaca!

I really enjoyed the ongoing conversations on the weekend, lots of talk of preserving, veggie growing and natural alternatives. One of the alternatives that I've been pondering for a while is using Bi-carb and Vinegar in place of shampoo and conditioner. When I got home I set about putting this change in place. Here is a pic of the finished products, I also made some toothpowder to use as a replacement for commercial toothpaste.

The Attack of the Asparagus Knappers!

As I was typing up my last post I looked out the window and saw a young boy in my back yard! It is hockey day here on the recreation reserve so I thought he might be retrieving a hockey ball. When I opened the back door I realised that it wasn't just one boy but two and they had bought their own wheel barrow! Now I'm not sure who was more shocked, them or me? But by the look on their faces I'm guessing them! They couldn't be older than about twelve. Each one had one of my shovels in their hands and were about to dig in to my asparagus bed. I wasn't sure what to say so I went with

"Hi guy's, whats up?"

They quickly explained that they were looking for the horse manure. As I had top dressed my asparagus bed with horse poo it could well have looked like a big pile of manure. It was underneath my clothesline which was full of freshly laundered clothes so you would imagine they could have assumed that the house was occupied. I'm not sure why they didn't just knock on the door? Any way I pointed to a big pile of horse poo in an adjacent vacant block and off they went!

Crazy Chickens!

I left the back door open on Tuesday while Jamie and I searched for my cat which had gotten out. We searched and searched and finally found her under the house. As we went back inside we heard a commotion in the kitchen. Jamie stood in the kitchen door and started to laugh, laugh so much I thought he was going to fall over!
While we were out side my little Golden Sebrights had decided to investigate the kitchen! Seven tiny chooks running around the kitchen slipping on the vinyl floor, flying up and landing on my clean dishes draining by the sink. Poor little things! We backed away to where they couldn't see us and let them calm down. Slowly, one by one they crept out of the kitchen and quickly out the back door. Once the kitchen was empty we ventured in to see if any thing was broken. What did we find?..........Poo! Yes the little darlings had pooped all over the floor and my sink and my benches, everywhere!
But they are just so adorable I couldn't stay mad at them for long! Just like I was able to stay mad at Paul and Kelly, the sheep. They both have collars now, Paul has a blue one and Kelly has a pink one. I was worried they may get out and I thought if they have collars then if they are found someone will know they are pets. I had to go to a meeting in the local hall on Monday and I thought I would let the farmers know about the collars and if they do ever get out that they live with me. But Paul and Kelly were already the topic of conversation as all of the local farmers had seen them parading around in their flash collars! The farmers thought it was a great laugh! I'm not sure what they will think when I start taking them for walks on the leads that I have bought them! I'm not worried as I'm pretty sure they all think I'm a bit crazy anyway

The Good Dirt!

What you are able to produce from your garden is directly related to the soil. If your soil isn't any good your plants will struggle, if you want your plants to strive (and who doesn't?) you need an optimal growing medium. The good news is that even if you have poor soil (sandy, clay etc.) you can improve them! Yay! The dirt here where I live was in such bad shape when I got here that it actually hurt my skin, that's not good.

I am lucky to have access to a number of things I can use to improve my soil.

-Duck poo (I work on an industrial duck farm so there is always lots of poo)
- Horse poo ( My neighbours bred horses!)
-Grass clippings
-Green waste ( the local supermarket gives me 3 larges boxes of spoilt fruit and
veggies every two days. )
-Turkey bedding (my turkeys provide me with heaps of used straw full of beneficial poo)
-Leaf litter


If I added all this poo straight onto my gardens it would burn the plants, so I need to compost it first. My favourite way of doing this is by using my raised garden beds. I just pile everything into my frame work (old tank rings, railway sleepers etc.) directly onto the existing soil. A layer of poo then a layer of grass clippings then a layer of straw then some more poo then fallen leaves then green waste then more poo. Every couple of layers I water it to keep it moist and as if by magic it starts to heat up. This is a good way of killing off weed seeds as the heat makes them un-viable. I love to stick the spade in every few days and really stir it up! This shot shows what the mix looks like after about two or three weeks. Notice that some of the 'ingredients' are starting to brake down, there are still some large particle's like the cabbage leaves.



At this point I sometimes throw in a good few hand fulls of organic canola seed. I sprouts and grows quite quickly and when its about 10cm high or more I just hoe it back in. This adds heaps to the soil and gives me some much needed exercise!

By placing all this good stuff directly on the ground the worms get an opportunity to move in. Worms are a good sign that you are on the right track with your soil. When I moved here I really thought that there were no worms! they had just temporarily moved out, as soon as the soil improved they came back! I love worms! When I was younger I was scared of them but now I wouldn't be with out them. I love this photo ! How good does the dirt look? I just want to eat it. All the large things have been broken down into a fine moist yummy mix (well the worm thinks so). Now my seedlings will grow like mad!

I have found that once a year I just need to top up these beds with a bit more straw, poo and green waste.

I'm lucky that my mum lives by the sea and whenever I visit I try to collect some seaweed to bring home. This is amazing stuff and really gets things moving! With seaweed though I am always careful to wash it thoroughly as it comes with heaps of salt! Salt is excellent on your chips but not on your gardens. My grandmother always used to say "everything in moderation dear" and this is something I try to keep in mind when I'm in the garden!