April 2019

The first frost of the season hit us on April 13^th, by surprise having missed the weather forecast (an unusual omission for us, but we had happily wiled away the previous evening hours at a barbecue with our Airbnb guests).  The photo shows the sun bursting through, and if you look closely, you can see small icicles hanging from the shade sail.  There was a second and lesser frost the next morning and none since.  The citrus received their first spray of frost coating, and seem to have been spared any frost damage. 

Not so the pumpkins – leaves too tender to tolerate that frost.  The single huge pumpkin (offspring, via a saved seed, of the 25kg Atlantic Giant of 2017) is triumphant.  It's posing with a matchbox to get the perspective.  I'll attempt to weigh it when it's finally harvested.  It had munted the hedge into which it grew, so was shifted (with Peter’s help) back into the vegetable bed and onto a wooden beehive base.  Hopefully that’ll stop it from rotting on the ground.  It will be gifted to a local kindergarten after the Easter holidays.  The crown and butternut pumpkins are ready, and - with much joy and celebration - so are the gourds!  Finally I’ve grown gorgeous gourds, and luckily they were not affected by the frost.  Not sure what I’ll do with them, just hope it'll be magnificent.

Wine production continues, with the addition of a further 23 litres of pear wine in the massive demi-john.  The birch sap wine that had done a secondary ferment with some blackcurrants has been bottled.  One batch was made with sugar, and the other with honey.  The latter is definitely mead-like, but unfortunately, neither batch is especially tantalising.  Maybe they’ll improve with age.  The other wines (greengage, elderberry and pear) were racked and definitely taste more promising.  12 litres of Apple Cider Vinegar has been strained and is now lurking in the back of the cupboard, peacefully developing its ‘mother’.   

Flowers are still plentiful, as are the bees that forage from them.  Bumbles and honey bees are a constant source of joy.  They're always out in force when the sun shines, along with butterflies and birds and numerous other critters.  Despite my prejudices (vegetables not flowers every time), I've grown quite fond of the flowers this year and watching the bees has certainly added to their endearment factor.  The chocolate cosmos was a 99c rescue bargain from Mitre 10.  I'm looking forward to finding plants to fill the developing bed next to the pizza oven in spring.  It's now mounded up with weeds, awaiting horse manure and pea straw to kick start and retain the heat in the composting process.

Green manure seeds have been sown in all the vege beds.  The bed next to the pump shed was planted with broad beans when the lupin/oat/wheat/barley mix ran out.  They all germinated within a few days, and have now created a beautiful green flush over the bare soil.  The keyhole beds low hedges have been trimmed, so they're all ready for winter.  Few vegetables remain - carrots. leeks and beetroot.  The horse arena herb beds and paths have been weeded for the last time before spring.  Some gifted strawberry runners are planted in the lemon verbena bed.  They were given by someone who visited the garden during the tour in exchange for my pink-flowered strawberries.  I'm trying to keep them away from other strawberries so they don't cross-pollinate.  The pink strawberries are very pretty but the fruit isn't so big or tasty.  And there are zillions of them.  Something different is well worth a try.  

One horrifying day, the cows broke into the vege garden.  I first spotted Erebus and Poseidon wandering along the grape vines.  I managed to get Erebus out, but Poseidon scooted through the horse arena into the woodlot zone.  Then I realised that Hera and Athena were in there too.  Luckily Billy was home and he helped evict them and secure the breach.  I hardly dared survey the damage.  Those infant trees, painstakingly watered and weeded, now nibbled or trampled.  At a later check (Karyn made me), it turned out that the damage was much less than I'd believed.  Trampling and nibbling had definitely happened, but the trees were in autumn mode anyway and there were buds on the most-nibbled.  Fingers crossed they come away again in spring.

Kronos had been separated from the herd when this happened - maybe they were trying to get back together.  He's still got his Grass Staggers, though very slowly improving, and we've abandoned the idea of trying to keep him separate.  There's nothing wrong with his appetite and he's filling out, but he still suits his nick-name 'Noddy'.  He and Poseidon are quite suspicious of us and keep their distance, but Erebus enjoys a scratch and a stroke, especially when it comes with a side of hay.

The feijoa fruit is nearly ripe.  The bigger tree next to the gin palace is sporting large fruit, whereas the 3 trees in the horse arena are much smaller, as is their fruit.  Maybe their youth is limiting them, or maybe they are struggling to get their roots through the hardcore.  They can have one more year to prove themselves before a transplant option comes up.  In the meantime, feijoa wine is calling me...

The usual dog walk route, down the forestry track next to our place, takes us past several 'exotic' trees.  We've watched the acorns on the oak trees grow from tiny buds, and now they have ripened we have several planted in a pot on the deck.  Far too many trees if they all germinate, though quite a pleasant problem if that does eventuate.  Cuttings are yet to be taken from the hebes that will replace the lavender hedges, but it is next on the priority list.  

Madame Cholet is mostly closed down.  All the tomatoes have cropped and the plants dug up for compost.  There was a wow moment when the ginger and turmeric were dug up - very fine root chunks were revealed.  Yes, that is the total crop in the photo.  On the back of this very small success, lots more ginger and turmeric will be planted into the main tunnel house beds next year.

The new lime in the half barrel under the eaves also survived the frost.  It looks luxuriously green and healthy.  Its roots are being protected by a deep layer of pea straw.  Another half barrel holds the plant that was a Christmas gift from Sam and Molly (can't remember its name, hope it comes to me).  Greens for salads and smoothies are in the other terracotta planters on the deck - it's handy having them close to the house.

Our crappy old ute has finally been replaced by a much more up-market Mazda flat deck.  It's a single cab that technically seats 3, but only if you're a sardine.  It has heating and aircon, and windows that open, so immediately quite a luxury ride.  The deck is huge and will come in handy for lots of farm jobs.  Peter almost looks like a dude next to it.  Eh Peter?

The autumn colours are cheering up the outdoor palette, and fallen leaves need regular sweeping.  Those ethereal autumn mornings are also upon us - a chill in the air, low hanging mist penetrated by bright rays of sunshine, bejewelled spiders' webs and the sounds of nature.  Truly soul-filling.  The fire has been occasionally lit and some damp days have obliged us to get some indoor tasks completed.  Mostly housework alas, but had to happen sometime.   Soon be time to plan the spring garden from the comfort of the sofa.  Stretch and yawn.