What Did You Do In The Garden?

[Gardening with Rabbits]

It is still cool here. Kind of a sorry garden I have. Lol. Freezing some kale and collards. I see holes in the cabbage and some collards so I want to get them froze. I have raspberries and a ton of blackberries will be coming. I have been helping DD with the baby and granddaughter #1 is being a real handful lol. She mostly wants to play outside, so she is keeping us busy.

 

[Trish Stretton]

Yesterday, it stopped raining,(we got a mean frost), so I decided instead of working on the frozen lawn, I would thin out the cabbage tree, which had too many trunks that were unstable.

The NZ Cabbage tree, isnt a member of the cabbage family, its called that because the Maori, traditionally ate the base of the shoots-where the shoots grow is a tube like thing that the tree then grows leaves from, so it looks more like a tuber when you go to eat it. It can be eaten raw, I have done so...meh its okay, or it can be cooked, which I havent (yet) tried. Europeans likened the taste of this to cabbage- hence its name.
I've certainly got enough to do so for the next week or so.

Nine branches later, truth be told they were more like trunks, I had had enough and realised that all but one stem was unstable.
I still have 4 more to cut out, but these ones need a bit of thought or things could turn to custard in a hurry. They are leaning in all the wrong directions and almost 20' tall with trunks that are just too thin. As it was I had to use a rope to pull over four to make sure they fell in the right direction.

I was really disappointed that so many had to come off, but at least there is one that will go onto produce another beautiful tree and I have all those resources to grow our native Oyster and Shiittake mushrooms on.

I'll post a some pics tomorrow.

 

[ducks4you]

Yesterday I attacked the "wildflower" bed east of my cistern tomato patch. I lost a few desirable annuals in digging up curly dock and...whatever that weed is that grows everywhere---I'll find it's name, but when small they pull out with a shallow root. I left 4 cosmos that were about 4 ft tall. I hope to sweep up in the barn and put down soiled hay and straw that has been attacked by humidity and isn't worth feeding anymore. Might be some hay/straw seeds in it. I will try aGAIN this fall to put in more flowers.
I strung clothesline and baling twine to support my tomatoes that are starting to sprawl.
Rain this PM, so I hope to plant more today.
NOTE: I want to encourage new gardeners. You are going through the successes and failures that the rest of us have or are also going through. You learn from your failures, but use your own senses and DON'T listen to your family/friends who tell you that you are wasting your time planting late, or REplanting. You never know what the season will bring! We had a "non-winter" several years ago. I had not dug up my spinach bed and I was harvesting big, fat spinach leaves in March!

 

[seedcorn]

@ducks4you good advice on not taking weather for granted. While I wouldn’t risk something very valuable, gambling in garden is OK. No risk, no gain. Besides, what are you out? Little money for seeds and you gained valuable outside time that improves your physical and mental state.

 

[flowerbug]

Yesterday, it stopped raining,(we got a mean frost), so I decided instead of working on the frozen lawn, I would thin out the cabbage tree, which had too many trunks that were unstable.

The NZ Cabbage tree, isnt a member of the cabbage family, its called that because the Maori, traditionally ate the base of the shoots-where the shoots grow is a tube like thing that the tree then grows leaves from, so it looks more like a tuber when you go to eat it. It can be eaten raw, I have done so...meh its okay, or it can be cooked, which I havent (yet) tried. Europeans likened the taste of this to cabbage- hence its name.
I've certainly got enough to do so for the next week or so.

Nine branches later, truth be told they were more like trunks, I had had enough and realised that all but one stem was unstable.
I still have 4 more to cut out, but these ones need a bit of thought or things could turn to custard in a hurry. They are leaning in all the wrong directions and almost 20' tall with trunks that are just too thin. As it was I had to use a rope to pull over four to make sure they fell in the right direction.

I was really disappointed that so many had to come off, but at least there is one that will go onto produce another beautiful tree and I have all those resources to grow our native Oyster and Shiittake mushrooms on.

I'll post a some pics tomorrow.

they won't be able to be used for rooting and growing new plants?

or perhaps not enough room for them ?

 

[flowerbug]

it really depends upon what type of wild flowers you want to get going, but in my experience the best results come from learning about the life-cycle of the particular flowers/plants and then working with that information.

i learned the hard way that it is much better to get some plants going in pots so they can be planted out after a few seasons and so i can evaluate whether or not i really want the plant wandering around the gardens or not.

pinks i can tolerate, mallow, speedwell, chickweed and morning glories, nope. four invasive plants that have been costing me many hours of weeding each year now all introduced in wild-flower seed mixes or in the case of the chickweed a gift of a package of seeds i used and regretted that ever since.

 

[Trish Stretton]

Well! the pics took a life of their own and decided to turn up everywhere.

These are the seriously tall ones that I didnt have the courage to tackle on Friday. If these were growing in a forest, there wouldnt be a problem,but in a back yard with no supporting trees, they are down right dangerous in heavy winds.

they won't be able to be used for rooting and growing new plants?

or perhaps not enough room for them ?

These stems are on a 45 degree angle. They then straightened up for another 2m but had not developed mature heads that branch out into smaller branches. If I had left them to do that, in high winds, these would come crashing down. The complete tree you see in the background is a different type and will never cause a problem-symetrical, straight trunk and in balance.

Yes, I can and have made other trees-for other people. This type grow huge, unlike the one next to it, which after 15 years is still only 4m high(12').

I was looking at the vegie garden today and decided that I would 'move' the tree somewhere else so the garden could benefit from all day winter sun. At the moment, there are a number of hours of daylight that are blocked out by the stems still standing.

If anyone has these...and I'm told they are do great in Spain, the trick is to let the cut stems dry out for at least a couple of weeks and then plant them where you want them. Dont plant next to a lawn area unless you are willing to constantly pick up the fallen leaves. If you dont, they will tie up the shaft of the lawn mower.

The upside- they are NZ natives, bees love the flowers which smell quite nice too. The dried leaves are great for starting the fire- no need for bought firestarters, they make a great mulch for the garden

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

Pulled weeds, harvested lots of peppers and zucchini. A cucumber volunteered and I let it grow and I harvested a small cucumber from it! Its thriving while my other cucs are struggling. A friend shared some small tomato plants which I planted in the greenhouse hoping for a harvest. We shall see!

 

[seedcorn]

Harvested parsnip seeds. Will plant some today. Save some for next year. More than this already fell to ground and about 2-3X more still to be harvested. Not sure what I’ll do with them.

 

[ducks4you]

Yesterday I sawed down the rest of the burdock, curly dock and small maples growing on the rest of the south fence of the north pasture, the part east of the training area, and the part I can see from my porch. There is a certain gratification in fixing the gardening problems that you are constantly looking at before the other problems, ALL a lot of work.
Didn't want to push a wheelbarrow all the way around to pick them up, so I made 8 trips dragging all of it and throwing it in the middle of my burn pile.
Then, we had 2 storms come in.
Today, I need to pick up storm debris and one small limb.