Garden Share Collective - October 2013

Wow, what a month. I've started some pretty big projects thanks to the motivation from Liz from Strayed from the Table and my fellow bloggers in The Garden Share Collective - thanks guys.

Firstly, I have to say that today is a really really really hot day so most of the photos that I had planned to take have sad, wilting plants in them which was really sad so I haven't posted too many.

What I'm planting
I've started planting heritage seeds again, which is not going too well for me. I think the primary reason is neglect on my part. I need to do more nurturing of the little ones.

What I've harvested
Chillis - dozens and dozens chillis. MOTH (Man of the House) has made some of this famous 100 chilli chutney and he'll have to do it again next weekend - more will be ripe by then.

Lemons and oranges are continuing to come good and picking and I've just looked out the window and spied a paw paw that will be my breakfast tomorrow.

I bought these from a garden shop but now that they're flowering, I can't remember what they are - some sort of mini pumpkin I think.

Not everything is going well - something loves my broccoli more than I do.

Jobs for the month
I'm still working on getting my new garden bed ready. A last minute decision to rip out a huge golden cane has presented me with a large garden bed. 8 metres of soil was delivered last weekend and I just need to level it out and then work on irrigation. Then it'll be planning and planting and fencing to keep the chooker moles out. They are spending a lot of time in it at the moment, which can only be good.

Shit - a crow just got my paw paw.

I've also been wanting a water fountain for the past few years. This project is now a work in progress.

I'm using a cow trough (ignore the water tank in it) and a wrought iron fountain that I've had my eye on for ages. Given it's so big, I'm going to try my hand at raising some silver perch in it for the dinner plate. Lots of water plants and a brick retaining wall should help keep the dogues and wildlife out of it. The biggest risk will be heat so I'm going to try and insulate it somehow. I'm going to start to bricking, electrical work (the sparky not me) and installation next weekend. Wish me luck!

Wysteria flowering around the donkey stall

Irwin had a haircut yesterday

Oh, and I'm getting a cow... a steer to be exact. Sir Loin of Clear Mountain is a miniature galloway and will be with us for about a year before he goes in the freezer. He arrives next weekend so I've been busy checking fences and setting up a storm paddock to keep them in when the weather get hairy. Problem is he's going to look like this: