Introducing...my girls

Today I'd like to introduce you to my girls:

We've had chooks on and off for a number of years. I love being able to eat fresh eggs whenever I want to*, and even better share them with my friends and family.

* Except when it's winter and their laying cycles are all out of whack. Or when it's really hot and they get broody. Or when the crows come in and steal them...

At the moment, we have 8 chooks. Most of them are rescued; mostly from people who decided it wasn't worth the effort. I love 'em. I love the way they run to meet me at the gate, the way they carry on when the dog gets too close, the way they can spot (and catch) a bug at 5 metres, and of course the way they give me yummy eggs. 

Sometimes they make me cranky, like when they got out recently and dug up half my garlic, but mostly, I love 'em.

What chooks do to plants if you let them - a blackberry bush in their yard

But they do require some work. They eat a heap, so you've gotta make sure they've got seed and plenty of green pick (luckily our weeds do that job most of the time, we just pull them out and give them to the girls). You've gotta keep their nest boxes clean and comfy, and you've gotta watch out for their health.

Then, there are the other problems. For a long time, we has ravens coming in regularly to steal eggs from the nesting boxes. I mean they went right into the shed, stole them out of the boxes (whole!), and flew off with them (whole!). We tried plastic owls, CDs, scarecrows, roofing and all sorts of things, but nothing deterred them. Until we put in this special door that the chooks have to go under to go to bed.

But all of this is worth it. Because when you want to make a nice meringue, cake or a delicious breakfast, you know you've got the most important ingredient sorted.

And they're fascinating! Here are some interesting things I've found out about chooks in my time as a chook owner:

• A group of chickens will always have a dominant one and one right at the bottom of the pecking order. The dominant one gets the best sleeping spot and eats first. The other? Last...
• A chicken's reproductive cycle is influenced by the number of daylight hours. That's why they don't lay as often in winter.
• Chickens will eat just about anything. And they love mice! Ewwwwwww!
• The colour of egg yolks is related to what chooks eat. Dark yellow usually means there are greens in the diet, light yellow usually indicates a grain-based diet. 
• Egg shell colour is usually related to the colour of the chicken.
• Eggs are one of the best sources of protein.
• Chickens wake at dawn and go to sleep at dusk. In fact, in times past, people used chickens to turn the street lights on and off!

War of the Weeds

Weeds are nature's graffiti. ~Janice Maeditere

We've always struggled a little with weeds. In the beginning it was because I wasn't as focused on the garden as I am now, but since Anthony (my partner) starting breeding parrots, it's gotten harder and harder. Because of course parrots spread their seed around, and it grows. Into weeds. For a while he encouraged it because the birds ate them (and I wasn't as focused on the garden), but after a while he didn't need to encourage it, if you know what I mean...

Beautiful things sometimes like weeds.

And then about a year ago I broke my knee. Not too bad, but it put me out of action for a significant period. In the springtime, when everything is growing, including weeds!
By the time I had enough mobility and confidence to get back to the garden, it was late summer and the weeds had taken over! Then winter hit and I think I've mentioned that I don't do so well in winter.

So when spring arrived again this year and I was feeling much more like gardening, I had an enormous task ahead of me. To get rid of the weeds and get my garden back. To give you an idea of what I was facing, here are some before and after shots of what I've managed so far. But believe me, there is still a loooooong way to go!

Beside the driveway...

and after.

Eek! Front yard.

And from another angle.

And now.

A little better...

What happens to your garden when you're busy?

Did you notice I'm a sometimes blogger too?

It's not for lack of trying; I'm just one of those people that likes to do lots of things.
To give you a bit of an idea of the many things that keep me busy (apart from my garden): I have a gorgeous 11 year old son Oliver that I completely dote on (spoiled yes, brat no!). Those of you that have seen me in my previous blog will know how important family is to me). I am a music buff, and spend a bit of time talking to other tragic Foo Fighters fans. I'm quite involved in the Canberra Lego community, and am quickly becoming an AFOL in my own right. I am a keen (but extremely amateur) photographer, and a Sh'Bam instructor, with three classes a week that I team-teach to keep me busy.

I also work full time at a local university, and have recently been a part of the Human Brochure campaign, with the culminating activity being one of the things that has kept me from my blog over the last week.

However, I have embarked on this endeavour because I want to document my garden. Something I wish I'd done from the start. But it's never too late.

So what does happen to your garden when you're too busy to look after it? Simple: Weeds. The bane of my life, and a story that will be told soon!

The Sometimes Gardener?

Why am I the Sometimes Gardener?

I'm one of those people that gets all excited and passionate about a project and throws absolutely everything I have into it, and then get distracted by...Oooh! Shiny thing!

It can be hard to concentrate on the garden when this is the view from your front door...

Seriously though, I do love to garden. I love the satisfaction that comes from seeing something that you've nurtured produce something beautiful or edible. I love the feel of soil between my fingers, the sun on my neck and I love that bone-tired feeling after a good day in the garden.

But there are a couple of problems. I have a lot going on in my life, with periods of intense busyness, I don't do well in winter (as I've mentioned previously), and sometimes I get discouraged or overwhelmed by the task ahead of me. Last October, I also broke my knee. Which set me back in many areas, but overwhelmingly so in my garden. The weeds grew tall and took over, the pruning didn't get done, and worst of all I didn't get to plant anything. It's taken me a year to get my mojo back, but I'm hoping I'm on the right track now.

...and this is the view from the back!

In the past I've been a bit of a set and forget gardener: plant the stuff and hope it will grow, occasionally water it, pull out the odd weed. I've had some success with this, but I want to get serious. I want to grow lots of food, share it with others, and become just that little bit more self-sufficient. Hopefully this blog will help me stay on track.

Coming up: tackling the weeds, my chooks, the grapevine.

October in the garden - planting!

Of course one of the big jobs in October is planting! Especially when you're growing vegies (and constantly finding fun new food plants to try...)

So in the bits that are already prepared, I've been planting.

I've planted lettuce twice, as the first lot was decimated when the chooks escaped from their yard (along with some of my precious garlic - aaaargggh!).

As well as some tomatoes, basil, eggplant and leeks. I had some little bits and pieces that I'd grown from seed (like some zucchini plants) but the chooks got those too. I'll put them in again this week. One of the pitfalls of having them I guess, but I wouldn't give them up. I love my yummy fresh eggs! I'll introduce you soon.

I've also put in some new raspberry plants from my dad (a very clever gardener along with my mum), planted some corn seeds, transplanted some strawberries and I thought I'd try a honeydew melon in a warm spot that I've got out the back. We'll see how it goes...

October in the garden - new growth!

Every spring I feel like I'm coming alive again. I've lived in Canberra my whole life, but I still struggle with the winters: the cold (though mostly beautiful and clear) days are tough, but the shorter daylight hours are what really get to me. By September I'm really down in the dumps and ready for things to warm up.

So in the spring, the garden and I come alive together. The wonderful thing about growing food is that in spring there are lots of blossoms. On the apple trees,

the berries,

and especially the weeds (I'll tell you about those another time!).

I grow really good weeds too. Sigh...

October is a great month for asparagus too (although in the last week or so, it's gone crazy with the warmer days!):

(I swear if you had a couple of hours to spare, you could actually watch asparagus spears grow!).

There's a lot of work in the garden in spring, but it pays off when you've got a big bunch of yummies straight out of the garden! 

October in the garden - preparation!

Early this month I gave the chook yard a good going over and in my garden beds put down chook poop and comfrey (good green manure) and 10 bales of pea straw (you should see all the pea plants that have sprouted now!); to keep the weeds down (ha!) and the moisture in. 

My 'orchard': apples, oranges and apricots

Comfrey

I also did lots and lots of weeding. In fact I'm still going with that, but I've got a whole other series of posts planned about my weed battles! 

I also had a go at tying down some branches from my pear tree, which I'm hoping to espalier (with no actual experience or knowledge of the process) along our new rumpus room/shed). 

And we created a new garden bed for my favourite berry - the raspberry! Of course, it has to be dog-proof!!!