Winter: Day One

DSC_5675
Stickybeak chooks looking for more food
DSC_5679
Pip doesn’t actually like the wheel barrow.

Well… winter started today and it was a good one. Sun was out & I was working in the garden in a t-shirt again!

DSC_5676
Warm(ish) day

Since it just turned into June, I thought I should start to prepare my garlic patch. The rogue dahlias had finished so I could pull them up plus any spare potatoes that had started growing

DSC_5650
Time to do some proper work!

Since garlic likes a more alkaline soil, I gave it a reasonable dusting of lime

DSC_5652
Looks like icing sugar

Time to dig it all in

DSC_5653
Nice! In a few days I will add blood and bone – then plant my garlic cloves

What fascinates me is the fact this plot has been dug over several times since digging up our potatoes. Not to mention wallowing about in the dirt sifting it through my fingers!  How the hell did I miss these?

DSC_5654
Potatoes are good at hiding. I have also transplanted three that had grown rather well… who knows what they will do? Produce winter potatoes?

I have a good lot of dahlia tubers to relocate

DSC_5655

My self seeded lettuce are half-heartedly growing!

DSC_5656
Lots of teeny-tiny weeds to get back to

I figured it was time to replant the broccoli that a certain chicken made a salad bar out of…

DSC_5657
Look at them all milling about eyeing off the greens!!

 

DSC_5660
Stakes in with high-tech pot barriers so the netting doesn’t slip through

And no – the end result is not pretty. But I think it will do as a chook-deterrent until they can get established.

DSC_5661
Safety net!

Picked what broccoli/broccolini I could see that was ready

DSC_5664
several small pieces – not nearly as impressive as Ruby’s!

Next task was the coop! I found half a bag of chopped hay, so I was able to half clean the coop. Scraping off all the poo and putting new hay in nesting boxes

DSC_5665
The finishing touches – herbs!

Since I have plenty of herbs around the place, it doesn’t hurt to pick a bundle and chuck a bit in the nesting boxes and around the coop. Have no idea if its especially beneficial, but it makes the whole place smell a bit nicer – and I am sure the chickens appreciate the lengths I am willing to go to, to keep them happy!

DSC_5668
Mostly Rosemary & Oregano
DSC_5672
Rosemary
DSC_5670
Lemon balm, mint, oregano..

I considered some of the curry-plant, then thought better of it!! 😀

Hope your day was great too!

Cheers

 

 

Author: Lisa

A happy traveller through life! Right now living in NW Tasmania with a gorgeous Nurse-Husband, a fool of a Siamese Cat and several chickens. We love our fairly simple lifestyle of growing a lot of what we eat and enjoying the stunning surrounds of our little patch.

2 thoughts on “Winter: Day One”

  1. Hi Lisa, I so enjoy reading about life in Tasmania, you should work
    for the tourism board. Also your photos are amazing. Just a quick
    question, what do you use on Pip to tether him ? We have two indoor
    cats and I thought it would be great to let them out sometimes.
    Just reading your blog and seeing your photos makes me want to
    visit, it seems like a beautiful, peaceful place. Please say hi to Ruby
    from a “Canadian ” reader ” what an amazing women, you are so
    blessed to have her in your life.

    1. Hi Shirley! Thanks for writing and so glad you are enjoying the bits and pieces I post about our life in Tasmania.
      I have a couple of harnesses for Pip (The black one is hiding somewhere.) I think they may have been harnesses for small dogs. The rope is one we have had forever – its reasonably light and really long. He does tie Siamese Knots in it and needs to be untangled a bit, but at least he can enjoy the outside without me worrying about ‘squash’. We also had him on a lead from a kitten. My other cat, who I put on a lead as an older cat simply fell down and acted like a tea-bag until the lead came off! lol – Siamese are so dramatic!
      I hope you do make it to Tasmania one day! Although I know its a killer trip from Canada! It seems when we have visited family there, you just cant go any further around the world before you are actually starting to come back!!
      I’ll say hello to Ruby for you next visit! 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This should help me catch spam *