Passionfruit Vines: A Bumper Harvest

This is the original passionfruit vine that was here when we arrived in March 07. It is growing on the wall of the potting shed (the wall on the left of it is the chicken shed) and this year we have had a bumper crop out of it.

I am trying to train it across the main chicken fence but I think I poorly timed the move with the start of Winter and most of the luxurious green vines I trailed across have died off.

There is a second vine which we transplanted to right against the chicken fence but again, the onset of winter may not have been the best time and there is little apparent life left in it. Perhaps spring will bring it back to life for us. I have no photo of it to post as it is pretty much just a stick which is not very photogenic unfortunately.

Jayson

Chickens: The Great Perch Dilemma

Now chickens aren't the brightest of animals but I had thought that given the choice between a flat plank of wood and a nice cosy perch high up the back of the shed, nicely sheltered, the choice would be a no brainer.

The perches have been set up like a ladder, sloping back to the wall with enough space between each perch to keep the chickens roosting above from dropping poo on the chickens below. There is plenty of room for the birds to roost without being too crowded. Sounds ideal....right...?

Unfortunately our chickens decided that the flat plank of wood we placed above the feeder and waterer (originally put there so they could sit on the window sill during the day without dirtying their resources) was also an ideal perch and there they slept, three fat ladies bustled together on an ever increasingly sloped board.

The solution then appeared to be to simply remove the board and close off the window. Anticipating our reclacitrant ladies would simply sit on the L shaped shelf supports directly above the food and water (they needed to stay as they held up the water and food) we placed two large diameter PVC pipes there to dissuade them.

This was all in vain as my next nightly visit found two chooks perched on the PVC pipe (feet splayed out in the most uncomfortable of fashion) and one cold chook out in the yard who obviously missed the opportunity of a PVC perch and failed to notice the state of the art ladder of perches lovingly constructed at the back of the shed.

At least they lay well!

Jayson

Vege Patch: The Extension Project

Stage 2 of the vege patch has now entered the formal planning stage. To the left are some photos of the existing gardens with the new ones in sight and for those not suffering from any eye issues, the string for the new fence is vaguely visible around the edges.

We currently have 21m² of vege garden space. This doesn't take into account the sandy loam garden at the end of the chicken coop as it is only really suitable for watermelons at the moment.

We are adding an additional 12m² of gardens in. We are also putting rabbit/hare/fox/overly diggy chocolate labrador proof fencing around the whole area and river pebbling the areas between the gardens to try to get on top of the grass which incessently marches, leaps and underscores the gardens themselves.

We are going to put thin gardens in around the fencing itself which will add an additional 5m² of vege space bringing our grand total to 38m² of deliciously abundant soil. This is a little over 409 sq ft for you imperials out there. In “How To Grow More Vegetables”, intensive gardening guru, John Jeavons, says you’ll need about 100 sq ft. per person, to grow enough vegetables to feed them for the whole year. With a family of five we need 500 sq ft, but as the boys are all under 8 I think we have time to add that critical 91sq ft or 8.5m² at a later stage.

FYI - The bottom picture shows our Asian vegetables coming through - there are a couple of Bok Choys, a couple of asian lettuces and an as yet unidentified one (Im hoping not some form of triffid).

Jayson

Mango Tree: One Year

Mangoes.... need I say more... We weren't sure of the sensibility of planting this one out on its own in the middle of the field but it has flourished. Thanks to Amy's constant and dedicated watering I'm sure but there he sits... contented.

Jayson

Strawberry Patch: Soft Gooey & Delicious

Our strawberry patch has grown well from day one. The only real hurdle with it is teaching the kids to eat them as they are far softer than the commercially produced ones from the supermarket though far more delicious in my opinion. But they are so used to the commercial ones now that ours come across as well... wrong I guess.

We are contemplating moving the strawberries to a larger patch as they grow well and once fully accepted by the chillens will be well eaten in great numbers.

We think the softness may be caused by the strawberries lying on the soil in the pot so we think that when we do move them we may create some low trellissing for them to grow on.

Its a work in progress but they are happy enough where they currently are.

Jayson

Citrus Grove: Lemonaids Galore

This little grove was struggling when we first arrived but we (by which I mean Amy) has been rigorous in watering, mulching and generally maintaining these trees. We put in an additional Mandarin tree at the end of last year which is doing well.

We have 3 Orange Trees, 2 Mandarin Trees and 1 Lemonaid Tree. The Lemonaid Tree is almost overburdened with fruit which is great but we are not sure what to do with our tart bounty. We get the odd Orange as well (if we can beat the wildlife to them!) and the Mandarins are still too young to bear anything.

Jayson

Wildlife: Molly the Labrador

Introducing Molly, our 3 year old Chocolate Labrador. She is our fully automated home defence system leaping into action to attack any dog biscuit, leftover casserole or brand new shoes that invade her space.

We are currently in the process of 'training' Molly out of some of her bad habits.

Chewing shoes - Fail!

Digging up Vege Gardens - Fail!

Sleeping in kennel instead of Outdoor couch - Success!

Knocking over Wheelie Bin to steal food - Fail!

Slobbering on guests - Fail!

Stealing food from table when said guests aren't looking - Partial Success!

Staying inside Property - Partial Success!

Dragging off toys, shoes, hand tools, hard drives - Fail!

Molly is a much loved addition to our family. We bought her in Sep 2007 from a professional breeder up north. She was 18 months old and little did we know - on heat! We just thought the neighbourhood dogs were just being really friendly...until Molly got fatter and fatter...and then the penny dropped. Here are some photos of her brood which have all found new homes now.

Jayson

Chilli Bush: Big Red & Hot

Chillies like a warm, sunny spot, well drained soil and regular watering during dry weather so we have ours in a pot on the northern side of the deck. It loves it! As Amy said though "It produces well but geez it looks daggy". It is a scrappy looking bush but is happy to plump up some big juicy and bloody hot chillies for us.

As it can get pretty cool where we are, growing it in a pot means that we can bring it well under cover if we expect frost as well.

Jayson

Macadamia Tree: One year

Macadamia Trees will pretty much grow anywhere so I'm told. It's just that the crop varies with the climate it's in and our little serrated leaved trooper is soldiering forth with nary a setback. It is a grafted one from the nursery and as they can reach 20m in height it is planted well away from the homestead along the fenceline.

I looove macadamias but it will be a few years yet before I have any to roast!

Jayson

Water Harvesting: The New Tank is in!

Thanks to Col Major of Major Sheds and Tanks in Ipswich we have our new 5,000 gallon water tank installed. Their website is Here.

Added to the existing inground Concrete tank we now have 10,000 gallon clean drinkable water holding capacity. They say an adult drinks about 200 gallons a year so I think we have plenty to get by on.

The main house roof of over 200 sqm pours into the old tank. Its overflow plus the water harvested from the Carport (approx 30 sqm) pours into the new tank. The new tank's overflow joins the pipe carrying the water from the BBQ area (approx 30 sqm) and the double shed (approx 30 sqm) down to the dam. With all the rainfall we have had lately they (tanks and dam) are all pretty much full.

We are on trickle town water here but we have not had to use much of that all over the last 12 months. With the new tank we are banking on not having to use it all again.

Jayson