Bamboo Garden

I love bamboo. Its feather leaves, it's gorgeous stems, and the sound it makes in even a gentle breeze. Ever since they were very little, my boys loved the Chinese Scholars' Garden and its bamboo at the Hamilton Gardens. Later, they would play for hours in the bamboo forest at a friend's place.

When we bought our place in the country, from the beginning we talked of growing bamboo, but were always intimidated by stories of bamboo escaping and taking over.

Mac acquired a 'new' old tractor with a bucket, so we talked of digging a moat and building an island on which we could grow bamboo, but still we procrastinated.  Recently we've been talking to a friend who is a professional nurseryman. But even then we did nothing.

 Over a three week period we watched as Peter's bamboo produced big fat shoots and

grew

and grew.

Finally Peter gave us a root from his bamboo. And another. And a third.

Mac got the tractor going.

It mightn't look so great yet but we have the beginnings of a bamboo forest of our own.

Now I'm wondering where we might build a second island for another variety. Or a third. Or or fourth.

Hugelkultur 2 and Chooks

Today I went and got four new pullets to add to my flock. Last year I tried raising chicks from eggs, but it proved to be an expensive and heartbreaking business, so this year I went back to letting someone else do the hard stuff.

When we got home with them, I let the old ladies out of their run, which I've been doing a bit lately, and shut the four new chooks in the run to get to know their new home unmolested. It must have worked because two of them promptly laid eggs!

 The old ladies suddenly realised that their gate was shut, and that there were strangers in their run and kicked up quite a fuss. For the first time they were keen to get back into the run where they proceeded to argue among themselves for sometime, but nothing as vicious as past introductions, so I'm thinking that having the old hens return to the run after the new ones had made themselves at home may have made the difference.

Meanwhile, Mac got to play with the tractor and dug out a bit of a trench for the hugelkultur bed. We also found some suitable rotting logs to put into the bottom of the trench next. But mostly, Mac had fun.

Hugelkultur

After we accumulated a pile of tree prunings from around our place, and from a section clean-out that Mac helped his brother with, we thought about having a bonfire but really, these days there's no family around most of the time, and anyway, there's a total fire ban on at the moment.

So what to do? I mentioned an idea I had gathered a while back from an issue of  Permaculture Magazine and to my surprise Mac grabbed the idea and ran with it. Of course - ever since we got the new old tractor, he's been looking for an excuse to use the digger bucket.

We are going to build a hugelkultur raised bed. Hugelkultur means hill culture or hill mound. It is built up from a base of rotting wood placed in a trench, followed by branches and twigs. The logs and branches are then covered with the dug out turf and earth, and then - whatever!  Grass clippings, seaweed, compost, aged manure, straw, green leaves, mulch, etc... There's more about it here.


So today we went for a wander to chose a spot for our first hugelkultur bed. I got a little distracted admiring and picking some agapanthus.

 Then I admired the elders and looked forward to making some elderflower cordial next year.

With our spot chosen, we dumped the piles of branches.

The next job will be for Mac to play with his tractor to dig the trench. I'm looking forward to seeing how well this system works.

Life on the Land in June

It's nearly the shortest day, and I know that the worst of winter comes in July, but still, days like today are miraculous. It's great to be reminded of how lucky I am to live in such a lovely place.

 When my friend Susan and her family moved back to the States way back at the beginning of the century, she dug up her wedding anniversary rose and brought it to live with us. It hasn't grown well in our winds, but determinedly keeps on growing - and today I found one bloom, near the base of the plant.

 These bulbs came from my friend Margaret,and what a sweet reminder that spring will come round in its time.

 

 I first got pineapple sage from my mother, and have had it every since. She died nearly 25 years ago, so I guess I've had this lovely winter flowering herb for about 35 years. Can you see the bee? They can't get down into the flowers, so they nip a hole in the base, and steal the nectar.

 Gorse. A weed. Yet it has a delicate and delicious fragrance - and it is buzzing with bees at this time of the year - a staple of their winter diet.

 The other winter staple is tagasaste.

 You can see some of the bees with the pollen they have gathered in pollen sacks on their legs.

 

And the bumblebees make sure they get more than their fair share.

The one last ancient chook left. She's blind in one eye, and the other eye isn't so great either, but she can still find her way to the water bowl and the Grandpa's Feeder, and although she quite often falls asleep standing up, she still enjoys a bit of sun and a dust bath. She's served her time as a great layer, so I don't begrudge the old lady her retirement.

 It's pretty hard to tell the difference between the new chooks (hatched at the end of January) and the older girls. Of the six who have almost made it to adulthood, I still don't know how many are roosters - I think half, but still can't be sure.

 These are two of the young ones.

 The nashi leaves are still lying on the grass, and there's even a few clinging to the tree.

 

 Will our sugar cane make it through the winter? I've been out covering it with frost cloth, and we have planted lots of tagasaste around (see the electric fence standards used as markers.)

 The little grapefruit tree is promising a good batch of marmalade, as long as the pesky possums don't get to them - hence the trap.

 The lemons have suddenly started ripening up - we have gone from almost enough to too many in just a week.

 And way, way too many limes.

 The garlic, three types, is planted.

 Can't wait for spring peas - I've never grown them at this time of the year before, but they are looking good.

Assorted greens, which may or may not come to anything.

The broad beans are growing well and some have started to flower already - that garden will be alive with bumblebees shortly.

 We have chard,

 and carrots,

 and leeks,

 and parsley,

 and excessive amounts of New Zealand spinach,

 and rhubarb

 and Cape Gooseberries

 and Chilean guava. ( As well as the harvested onions, pumpkins and potatoes.)

 

 I have relocated some of the strawberry plants (and re-homed about a hundred and fifty so far.)

 

 But it's a glorious day, perfect for sitting in the sun.

 Morning tea: lemon and honey drink, gatherings from the garden, and a handful of almonds (not home-grown, but home soaked and dried.)

Life is good.

Mushrooming Intentions

Last weekend I went on a Tree Crops association visit to a local property where Lennart Prinz is growing mushrooms. You can buy mushrooms from Lennart at the Hamilton Framers' Market on Sunday mornings. I discovered that many mushrooms take a lot more energy, equipment and knowledge to grow than I have or want.

 

 

However, I am going to have a go at growing shiitake mushrooms as they seem much less labour intensive, at least once you get started.

All I have to do is chop down a couple of spare chestnut trees, cut into logs,

 

 drill holes all over the place, stuff spawn in the holes, seal the holes with wax

  - and wait.

 Better go get the chainsaw out.