Child of the Planet

When I planted it, I didn’t know that bay trees got real big, and this one was planted too close to the driveway. I’ve moved it to a spot with more room and sun. Dug another hole. This hole will probably have stone fruit trees planted in it.     Friends give me their green waste so I always have something to compost.

One of the reasons that I keep a blog is to track activity in the garden. Looks like as they mature, they are settling for August for budding. 2016 2017 2018 2019  

Alternative title: Sitting down at the computer to type blog, holy shit snack what is that smell? Oh crap it’s me! I’ve been dissolving seaweed in a bin.    I pour it straight through the cover. The week has been very wet and mushrooms have sprouted amongst the garlic. Threw some mustard seed and ash onto the first raised garden. Dumped liquid seaweed, some ash, and horse manure onto the lemons. The pomegranate also got some TLC.

This is the worst weed infestation I’ve ever had in the garlic patch. All that goodness that the weeds sucked out of the garden won't be wasted. I’ve dumped them in a bin to make fertiliser tea.

Glad I got the nut trees out of their pots last week. The hazels have started sending out leaves. The weather during the day over the last week has been clear and sunny. Unfortunately that means frosty mornings, so I’m wrapping the hazels up in frost proof blankets. Usually I clip the tops of the bamboo stakes, but I’ve left them on this time to help break up the spring winds that should hit soon.    

All the trees on the property need some sort of wind mitigation. I got some ideas for semi permanent protection from a previous pallet windbreak ( read here ) This walnut gets a lot of cover from some self sown visitors and a row of banksia.  I’ve screwed two pallets together to form a self supporting shield that slow the wind and lets a bit of light through. The pallets on their own are a bit low, so for all the other nut trees, I’ve been stuffing the cavities with bamboo cuttings. This is one of the hazelnuts. The first walnut needs protection from the north and the south. I’ve been planting windbreaks for a few years now ( read here ) The banksia are now a good height and the diagonal planting slows both the salt laden westerly and the chilly winds from down south. I’ve had some luck with several self seeded visitors… The tree in the background behind the first walnut showed up last spring. I’ve been told that it might be a marshmallow? The palm like tree and this bush also appear

Finished the planting. This is my third and final post on the planting of nuts at the beach. Went fishing last Tuesday so every tree gets a fish starter in the bottom of the hole. All tucked in tight. I’ve planted them all a bit proud of the surrounding soil as these ‘plugs’ will probably sink a bit over time. This is what’s left of my ‘soil cache’. There is a ‘before photo’ posted here . A trailer full of horse manure also disappeared into the holes They all get a leaf blanket