October 2017

Just a relatively small and quick blog this month.  Since the last blog, we’ve returned from an Australia holiday with Mum and Nick, spring has sprung and the garden is nearly planted up.  Port Douglas, north of Cairns was our destination, and many happy hours were spent exploring the rainforest and the barrier reef.  I could skite more of course, but that would be getting too far from the smallholding concept.  Suffice to say that the photo of the reef was taken from a chopper.

We’re surrounded by glorious trees, plants, flowers, birds and bees.  Truly we are blessed to live here.  The pink of the wild strawberries and the Poached Egg flowers (with resident bee) are some of many vivid colours.  The fresh new growth of the oak trees is breathtaking against a blue sky backdrop.

The fruiting plants are either in blossom or already plumping up their fruits.  Particularly gob-smacking are the old heritage apple trees – both cider trees and the Peasgood Nonsuch are smothered in delicate and beautifully scented pink blossom.  The photos show pear-lets and tiny grapes.  Numerous currants and gooseberries are well on their way and being enjoyed in the meantime by bees.  I’ve managed to get round to kind of sorting out the orchard irrigation – though am not entirely sure it’s working as the hose has become deeply buried.  Hopefully the water will be able to penetrate through.  One Granny Smith apple tree has joined the Black Doris plum that was planted there last month.  Another (they were hard to find this year, so I wasn’t just going to get one, was I?) sits outside the sleep-out, which may end up being a temporary spot.

Peter was chopping a branch off one of the birch trees along the driveway and noticed that sap was pouring out.  He collected some in a glass and left it in the kitchen.  I thought it was some dodgy kombucha and chucked it down the sink.  When we tried again with a spile, the sap flow had already eased off.  Mental note to check a bit sooner next year (maybe early September).  I'm keen to try making birch sap wine.

We’ve just about run out of fresh veg, though some leeks have overwintered well, and the celery has very much enjoyed winter.  Finally, and for the first time I’m now eating homegrown asparagus.  It almost feels like a crime to cut them down.

The veg beds are filling nicely, as plans for developing solar-dehydrated produce are going ahead.  The tray in the photo is covered in raspberry leaves – the very first (hopefully) commercial product from my company-to-be: ‘Kai-Dri’.  It went straight into ‘Solly’ – the solar dehydrator.  The next photo shows some of the many garlic plants and the first batch of corn plants.  There are 300 plus onions fattening up, numerous beans in seed pots or in the ground, zillions more leeks, and enough carrot seed to feed the country.  I hate to admit this, but carrots haven’t yet shown up.  The first planting just didn’t come to anything, and about a month of carrot growth was therefore lost.  Not a good start to carrot triumph, eh Karyn? 

Herbs are also a-plenty.  The entire citrus stock (well, 4 plants) have been dug up and put into large planting bags.  They'll be re-inserted elsewhere in the garden - not sure where yet - so the space they've vacated can be used for the chamomile seedlings that are currently biding their time in Madame Cholet.  Rooting in the warm environment are about 40 chilli plants, which will eventually be a key ingredient of ‘hot salt’.

The bees nearly gave me a heart attack yesterday.  The 2 new hives from Derryn look to be thriving, though no brood yet.  Hope it’s just that the queen isn’t quite mature enough.  Hive 1 is looking fab, full of busy bees, loads of brood and already putting down honey supplies.  Hive 2, whose colony disappeared, was supposed to be housing a split from hive 1.  Several dead bees at the entrance alerted me to something amiss.  Inside were hundreds of dead bees at the base of the hive.  I’m guessing it was probably starvation that killed them – I just hadn’t left enough honey supplies.  A thorough check of the brood frames indicated a possible sign of American Foulbrood (AFB) – a dastardly and highly infectious disease that is reportable.  I sent photos to beekeeping friends who reassured me that wasn’t the case and confirmed the starvation theory.  Phew, major massive phew.  Had AFB been present I’d have had to dig a dirty great hole and burn hives 1 & 2. 

 All the boys managed to make it home to spend a bit of time with Grandma and Grandpa Nick. Some interesting height comparisons were made!  Also on the home front, Peter has managed to successfully raise a clutch of ‘Discus’ fry from a pair that has been unsuccessfully spawning for weeks. 

October rolls on and Christmas beckons.  Eeeek.  Hope to squeeze in at least a little time to ‘smell the roses’ between paid work and smallholding tasks.  Only enough time now to squeeze in a new word ‘Voorpret’ – Dutch for enjoying the anticipation of something exciting about to happen.