We had to wait a long time for the soil to be ready to plant, this year. It continued very dry well into May. Then it went cold. Chilly. Bleak. Wet. Luckily the actual planting days were clear and sunny, which means morning frost. On the first day, the frost crystals were still visible in... Continue Reading →
Garden on Fire
Back in May, our Chinese pistachio tree in the front garden was lighting up the house, with its fluorescent red and yellow leaves spreading above and below. It was gorgeous. A bright, flaming tree was also a reminder that I need to do more to prepare the house and garden for a bad fire season. ... Continue Reading →
WASHING DAY
At the start of the planting season, I'm so excited to see my new young plants. I spend a lot of time sorting them, checking them out, figuring out where exactly I'm going to put them, and admiring them fondly. At the end of the season, I'm equally excited to see my piles of empty... Continue Reading →
WASHING AWAY PART TWO – STICKS AND STONES
One way to stop topsoil from disappearing from under our feet is to use loose vegetation. Anything from grass and weeds to big logs will help catch it as it flows past. The Southern ACT Catchment Group ran a workshop recently with Cam Wilson from Earth Integral as the expert advisor on how to make... Continue Reading →
NEXT YEAR’S SEEDLINGS
Seeds are such hopeful things. The propagation days have started for the season at Murrumbateman Landcare. I usually go on the Thursday evenings, but this time I went on a Wednesday morning. The seeds all look so enticing in their carefully marked plastic jars. I love the fact that there are neatly printed label for... Continue Reading →