It has been a while since my last post and I apologise for not uploading a post over the last few months.

Well the news with my veggie patch is dyer. Adelaide experienced seven days over 40 degrees in January, which wiped out a lot of my crops. The only crop which seemed to enjoy the heat was the cucumbers. I am now trying to resurrect my mint and parsley which look worse for wear and my potatoes which have produced about eight small potatoes however I have replanted half of those and now I have new plants breaking through the surface. The rest were killed by the sun, even with make-shift shade protection placed over them, during the heat wave.

Adelaide’s summer was a scorcher and with no rain from mid-December to March it was a struggle.

Many branches have fallen off trees and I know of two instances where peach trees full of fruit have broken and the branch has fallen onto the veggie patch. So it has been a struggle with hot weather and no rain.

However with a little rain in March, it brings back hope. The initial rains brought 5mm to my backyard which may not sound like much (lets face it, its not) but with no rain for almost three months it was just what we needed. Adelaide for the month of March has received some rain and hopefully April brings more.

I am however behind with my autumn planting but I am thoroughly looking forward too it. I have ordered some seeds from The Lost Seed company which have arrived.

I recently planted some snow peas seeds and they are doing really well. Snow peas need a trellis so the leaf tendrils can grab hold of the trellis and climb up. I think it is amazing how the leaf tendrils grab so strongly to the trellis given how wispy they look.

Snow peas are great for smaller gardens as they can be planted in pots or in the ground. The best aspect is that they grow vertically which dramatically reduces the horizontal space required, let’s face it in small areas planting vegies that grow up is a real space saver.

I also planted some carrot seeds a few weeks after the snow peas seeds and they are beginning to break through the surface. Carrots and beans are, meant to be good companion plants. I have never planted them together before so we will see how they go.

In Australian suburbs, most people live in detached dwellings with a front and rear yard. The front yard in the past has been, dedicated to a lawn, which soaked up a lot of water.

In recent years, many States in Australia have introduced some form of water restrictions given the drought Australia is currently experiencing. The water restrictions include in many States that you can no longer water your lawn, so in the summer months most lawns die.

A movement is growing here and overseas which replaces lawn with produce.

Instead of pumping water onto a lawn, people are beginning to use their front yard for food production turning the water they used to use on the lawn to food production for themselves. When you think about it many homes in Australia would have at least 40m2 of front yard area, which could be used for food production.

See the video below;

It is the first day of September, which for us in Australia means the first day of spring.

Spring is a great time to be in the garden, the weather is getting warmer and the garden is full of colour.

I think that is reason enough to get out into the garden.

One of the great aspects of working in the garden is the birdlife, which occupies the yard and surrounds. Watching them fly by and perched on branches as I, potter around the garden.

Indigenous Plants

A great way to attract birds and in particular native birds is by planting some native trees such as grevilleas, wattles, and banksias, the list goes on. These plants produce a wonderful flower, which attracts birds and makes for a very attractive plant in its own right.

The type of indigenous tree, grass, or shrub you grow will vary depending on what type of birds you want to attract and of course what birds are in your area. There are generally great resources available such as the local council or State Government environmental department such as the Natural Resource Management Board, which is in South Australia. The South Australian State Government has recently launched backyards for wildlife, which also provides excellent advice for those of us in South Australia.

Organic Garden

Having an organic garden will also, aid in attracting birds as there will be no chemicals in your garden.

An organic garden increases the amount of insects in your garden. Birds provide a great organic pest control measure. Birds love slugs and snails and will help keep a ecological balance in your garden.

Attracting birds can have its downside in the vegie garden. Some birds love to forage around in the dirt and eat those seeds you just planted but chicken wire placed over the plant bed is a good deterrent.

Water

There are a variety of birdbaths available at different nurseries, hardware stores etc that can be placed in the garden to attract birds. I think one of the most enjoyable aspects of having birds is watching them frolic in the water, splashing water all over themselves, it is rather amusing.

Nest Boxes

Nest boxes can be used to attract birds, which is something I have never done. I have heard though to be wary of the size you have as possums also like to use the boxes and you will soon know about it if they move in.

Safety

One of the most important aspects for attracting birds is to make a safe environment for birds. If you have a cat it would be best to make it an inside house cat. Any cat should be discouraged from the garden, if you want to attract birds. Dogs can also scare birds, so if you have a dog, which loves to chases birds, make the front yard a place to attract birds and allow your dog to roam freely in the backyard.

Having birdlife in your garden is one of the best aspects of having a garden. Planting trees and shrubs, which attract native birds, will help maintain the native bird population in your area and bring delight to your gardening experience as they whiz by you in the garden.

Vegie beds need to be prepared for coming seasons and one way to give back to the soil is through manure.

The nutrient value of manure varies greatly depending on what the animals are fed. Cows, sheep, horse, and chooks are all herbivores but while cows and sheep will graze on grass and hay, chooks and horses are often feed greater nutrient rich food thus it generally means their manure has a higher nutrient value.

One point of caution with horse manure is that horses do not process their food as finely as for example a cow they tend to have a lot more grain and so forth which is undigested which can lead to weeds popping up all over your vegie patch.

I have heard that rabbit manure is excellent for the soil, however obtaining a lot of rabbit manure can be difficult. One option I have heard is if you have a rabbit or know somebody with a rabbit take their droppings and make a watery manure juice. This could be done by placing the droppings in a hessian type bag or thin clothe and then placed in some water and allowed to dissolve and break down. This will be explored in a later post as I have access to rabbit droppings and we will see how good it is.

Sourcing Manure

It is always best to know what diet the animal has had when you buy their manure. It is great if you have your own animals or know the person you get the manure from this way you can have an idea of the amount of nutrients you are getting and what the animal has digested.

If you do not have direct access to manure some nurseries, have in stock different types of manure. The other option is to take a country drive, an expensive exercise with petrol prices now, I know, but you can usually find some type of manure for sale on the side of the road.

I am however cautious about using manures of animals I do not know what they have been fed. Whatever the animal eats ends up in the manure and as such, any medication given to animals will end up in the final product. I personally do not want any medication given to animals and passed through to their manure on my organic vegie garden.

Using Manure

Make sure the manure you buy is somewhat rotted if you wish to use it straight away as it will burn your plants if you place fresh manure directly on them. If manure is rotted, it should not smell foul and any hay or grass should not be recognisable, as it should be becoming part of the manure.

Once you get the manure home and pour it onto the vegie patch make, sure you work the manure into the soil and not let it sit on top of the existing soil, as nitrogen will be lost. Once the manure is worked into the soil, I usually leave it for a couple of months before I plant any vegies in the bed.

Manure can also be mixed with hay and allowed to decompose or added to the compost bin

Manure can be great for any vegie patch and provides plenty of nutrients for the soil.