Well, recent activity hasn't been so active.
We have started emptying the 'soil' from this year's pots and my front 'deck' (it's not really a deck, just a large slab of concrete added on the front of the house) is looking rather barren without the plants/weeds! Though, we have left the strawberries alone because we've already resoiled those plants.
We've left it up to our 3.5 year old to empty the 2 remaining pots - she enjoys being allowed to dig with her gardening tools, so whenever we have some sun she gets out there and digs out the soil a bit for us. It's a bit of fun for her, and I do try to sneakily get her doing things she enjoys that are actually 'housework'.
Now we're just waiting on a new batch of horse poo before refilling the empty/ing pots.
We've also been reading up on self sufficiency (not that this is our plan, we don't have room for a cow or two...) just to get an idea of what we can actually produce. I really do wish that more NZ based people would consider writing these books in some detail rather than reading a book from the UK and working out the seasonal thing because, they don't say "at the start of spring", no, they say "March is a good time to plant...", working out which plants we have here, etc, etc.
I'm almost finished one NZ based Self Sufficiency book. It's been a bundle of laughs and I take my hat off to the lady who wrote it. But, it's more about her journey, not what she actually plants, how she rotates the crops, etc, etc. I'll edit later and add the name of the book and author later, I don't have it handy right now.
So, that's what we've been doing. Which isn't much. *sigh* Not much you can do when waiting around for shit (how often do you get to say that line and mean it literally!) AND the season to change. Seems May-September is going to be a good time to learn more about growing techniques, companion growing (oh, the terms I'm learning already!), home made remedies (pesticides and fertilisers, etc.)
It'll also be the time when we purchase another bath-tub and hopefully start filling that! :o)
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Monday 25 April 2011
Il Grande Disegno
The Great Design!
I guess I should describe our backyard.
Our backyard is divided into two main sections by small concrete walls which raises the 'back' portion by about 4-5 inches. In fact, this concrete 'wall' completely surrounds the back portion. This is the part with the main contamination from the previous owner.
The front portion has our laundry line on it and room for a 12 person tent. We are quite keen to keep the front portion as it is, with perhaps some landscaping done.
The house sits lower than the backyard. Apparently the yard sloped and the original owner/developer dug out a fair bit of soil. So, directly behind the house is a tiled area, then the yard starts, just under 3 feet above it.
The back portion of the yard is the one we intend to use for vegetables. Typical, huh? Contaminated soil and it's the part that makes sense to use!
We'd like a few raised growing beds built once the contaminated soil is removed. Ideally, we'd like them made of wood - pipe-dream there!
There's a triangle behind our garage that has had gooseberries and other vegetables growing in there. Unfortunately, the last tenant of the previous owner removed the gooseberry bush. Once we've cleaned that area out and finished the 'back portion' of the yard, then we'll plant in this triangle as well. :o)
There's 2 patches in the front yard that I wouldn't mind growing edibles in. One bit would be ideal for pumpkins I believe - and who wouldn't love to have their own pumpkins growing and home-made pumpkin soup during the dark winter months made from pumpkin (butternut squash for you Americans) you grew, chopped, blanched and froze all yourself?
The other patch is right against the front of the house. I'd like a raised bed here as well and to perhaps grow some herbs and spices in there.
So, that's the Grand Design. One day it'll be actual. For now most of it is a pipe dream - and we'll achieve it, I am sure.
I guess I should describe our backyard.
Our backyard is divided into two main sections by small concrete walls which raises the 'back' portion by about 4-5 inches. In fact, this concrete 'wall' completely surrounds the back portion. This is the part with the main contamination from the previous owner.
The front portion has our laundry line on it and room for a 12 person tent. We are quite keen to keep the front portion as it is, with perhaps some landscaping done.
The house sits lower than the backyard. Apparently the yard sloped and the original owner/developer dug out a fair bit of soil. So, directly behind the house is a tiled area, then the yard starts, just under 3 feet above it.
The back portion of the yard is the one we intend to use for vegetables. Typical, huh? Contaminated soil and it's the part that makes sense to use!
We'd like a few raised growing beds built once the contaminated soil is removed. Ideally, we'd like them made of wood - pipe-dream there!
There's a triangle behind our garage that has had gooseberries and other vegetables growing in there. Unfortunately, the last tenant of the previous owner removed the gooseberry bush. Once we've cleaned that area out and finished the 'back portion' of the yard, then we'll plant in this triangle as well. :o)
There's 2 patches in the front yard that I wouldn't mind growing edibles in. One bit would be ideal for pumpkins I believe - and who wouldn't love to have their own pumpkins growing and home-made pumpkin soup during the dark winter months made from pumpkin (butternut squash for you Americans) you grew, chopped, blanched and froze all yourself?
The other patch is right against the front of the house. I'd like a raised bed here as well and to perhaps grow some herbs and spices in there.
So, that's the Grand Design. One day it'll be actual. For now most of it is a pipe dream - and we'll achieve it, I am sure.
Introduction, I guess?
Hi, I'm Bug. Well, it's a nickname, really.
I'm in my 30s. My husband's in his 40s. And, our daughter, is at an annoyingly cute 3 and a half years. (Annoyingly cute, because she know's she's cute and just a cute smile will get me to melt!)
We want to grow our own vegetables and maybe some fruit.
We've kinda been half arsed about growing vegetables/fruit the last 3 years. But, I want us to pull finger and get serious about it.
The benefits completely out-weigh the negatives. Healthier life-style, fresh vegetables, exercise, family-activity and fresh-air. What negatives are there in that? Cost & the wait.
And, yeah, a small savings would be great. The cost of supermarket vegetables is getting out of hand and gods only know what's been used on them.
We've already tried: capiscums (FAIL! big-time, too), brussel sprouts (grew, flowered, doh!), strawberries (last year got a dozen from 3 plants, one died, replaced it, got about 6 fruit this year), tomatoes & cherry tomatoes (last year about a dozen, this year easily 5-6 dozen), beans (FAIL!), potatoes (fail-ish), courgettes (fail) and 2 lemon trees (slow drawn out fail.)
Aside from not putting in as much effort as we should've, we know where we went wrong with all of the above, except the lemon trees. :o(
Biggest reason for failure: Soil. We used the "Just" brand compost. In a word, it's: CRAP. So, we mixed a bit of Yates' compost before planting this year and got considerably more veggies with minimum care.
Having proved to ourselves that it was soil quality, we decided to dump all the pot contents at the end of the growing season (basically now) and will start afresh for the next growing season. (We went with pots for reasons discussed later, and because we just wanted to see how we went and felt about growing our own.)
We have a few hurdles to clamber over - just like anything in life.
Hurdle number one: I don't trust the soil in this place due to the previous owner and their incinerator in the back yard. Right now we can not afford to have the top soil out there dug up (about 6 inches removed should do it) AND replace it just yet - so, we've gotta work around that.
Hurdle number two: Physically disabled. We both (hubby and me) have stuffed knees. The joys. So, raised beds would be ideal... Partial reason behind us using pots - already raised and the pots are sitting on bricks.
Hurdle number three: We're lazy sods. I work full time and come home to spend time with my daughter before her bedtime and then spend time with hubby after that. Having stuffed knees and being overweight (you knew that would come up, right?) is just something we will have to deal with and get on with it. Partial reason as well behind us using pots - less work, set-up was easy and weeding so simple.
Hurdle number four: We don't have any budget which lead me to the name of this blog and even the idea behind the blog. How to get raised beds on the cheap? How to get decent soil without resorting to theft? How can a regular Jo/Joe do this? Can a regular Jo/Joe do this?
Hurdle number five: We don't have a large working knowledge of gardening. Aside from reading the info on the packets and knowing that seeds need water, soil, sun and some protection, there's a truck load of knowledge to be learned to ensure a decent crop.
All of these hurdles are easily over-come. We've already started on a few things. :o)
The point of this blog is for me to record my lessons and out-comes and share my successes and my failures and to learn. I don't promise to blog daily or even weekly - I'll only blog if I've learned something, done something or put plans in motion. Hell, I can't even promise that this will be interesting or highly-intelligent, but if you want to come along for the ride, then by all means, please take a seat and read along.
Aside from not putting in as much effort as we should've, we know where we went wrong with all of the above, except the lemon trees. :o(
Biggest reason for failure: Soil. We used the "Just" brand compost. In a word, it's: CRAP. So, we mixed a bit of Yates' compost before planting this year and got considerably more veggies with minimum care.
Having proved to ourselves that it was soil quality, we decided to dump all the pot contents at the end of the growing season (basically now) and will start afresh for the next growing season. (We went with pots for reasons discussed later, and because we just wanted to see how we went and felt about growing our own.)
We have a few hurdles to clamber over - just like anything in life.
Hurdle number one: I don't trust the soil in this place due to the previous owner and their incinerator in the back yard. Right now we can not afford to have the top soil out there dug up (about 6 inches removed should do it) AND replace it just yet - so, we've gotta work around that.
Hurdle number two: Physically disabled. We both (hubby and me) have stuffed knees. The joys. So, raised beds would be ideal... Partial reason behind us using pots - already raised and the pots are sitting on bricks.
Hurdle number three: We're lazy sods. I work full time and come home to spend time with my daughter before her bedtime and then spend time with hubby after that. Having stuffed knees and being overweight (you knew that would come up, right?) is just something we will have to deal with and get on with it. Partial reason as well behind us using pots - less work, set-up was easy and weeding so simple.
Hurdle number four: We don't have any budget which lead me to the name of this blog and even the idea behind the blog. How to get raised beds on the cheap? How to get decent soil without resorting to theft? How can a regular Jo/Joe do this? Can a regular Jo/Joe do this?
Hurdle number five: We don't have a large working knowledge of gardening. Aside from reading the info on the packets and knowing that seeds need water, soil, sun and some protection, there's a truck load of knowledge to be learned to ensure a decent crop.
All of these hurdles are easily over-come. We've already started on a few things. :o)
The point of this blog is for me to record my lessons and out-comes and share my successes and my failures and to learn. I don't promise to blog daily or even weekly - I'll only blog if I've learned something, done something or put plans in motion. Hell, I can't even promise that this will be interesting or highly-intelligent, but if you want to come along for the ride, then by all means, please take a seat and read along.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)