Patch Update for 12/5/2010 05/12/2010
Plantings We have nearly finished the plantings for our winter crops. So far we have planted onions, cabbages, parsnips, carrots, broad beans, peas, broccoli (although this has been severely eaten by caterpillars), beetroot, spinach, silverbeet, garlic, lettuce, tomatoes (still growing) and lots more. The weather is magnificent at the moment.....not too hot or too cold...a lovely time for volunteers to come and help with the plantings. For some reason we only have a couple of regulars helping at the moment and it is taking a long time to get the patch finished. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. There is always someone at the TGPatch Wednesdays and Sundays from 3pm. Trees The wind break/screen is growing beautifully. We tried a small experiment where we completely sheet-mulched the ground surrounding the majority of the trees ( killing the grass at the same time. Some of the trees were only mulched around their base and about half a dozen had no mulch. The difference in growth, size, health and survival rate was huge. Although extra work to start with, the thorough mulching was worth the effort. If you are driving past, have a look and you can see the difference in growth etc. We have now mulched all the trees and replanted the ones that died (where there wasn't any mulch). There was also very little weeding required and no watering was needed - even through the hot summer months. The general beneficial insect and bird attracting garden is also growing well. It is particularly pretty at the moment because some of the annuals are in full flower. Again the sheet mulching has meant that we didn't have to do much weeding or watering ( see photos).  Windbreak  Winter Crops CommentsLeave a Reply |
