We woke to a foggy morning, but then that isn’t out of the ordinary down here on the swamp. But to our surprise it cleared to be the most incredible day ever! …well in a long while. It was one of those blue sky days without a cloud, without a breath of wind. But what made it special was it was warm. There wasn’t a hint of winter in the day. So there was only one thing to do with a day like this and that is to make the most of it – and make the most of it we did!
I finally got around to spraying the orchard to prevent fungal and bacterial diseases and hopefully will sort out the peach leaf curl. And it wasn’t a moment too soon. The buds are swelling and the Billington Plum looks like it is days away from breaking into blossom.
While I was in a spraying mood I dealt to the white flies in the greenhouse. Since I repaired it the other week I have had to look at it through a fresh pair of eyes. I can no longer see it as a crushed dream, but a keeper of dreams. Very soon it will hold the beginnings of new life in my garden – the hopes of a full and bountiful harvest come summers end. So I turned a blind eye to all the repairs and set about washing the walls with disinfectant and evicting forcibly any snails overwintering in what they thought was an ideal location, and yanked up any weeds that had sprung up in the cracks of the paving stones on the floor. I have re-arranged the shelves several times but suspect it will all go back to last year’s layout as it did work well. So with the impending sowing – the white fly had to go, after all spring is only three weeks away.
The next project for the day was to repair the chicken coop fence, not just because the chickens keep escaping, but it needs to be strong enough to temporarily house a couple of new tenants that arrive tomorrow. So I pulled Hubby the Un-Gardener away from his usual position behind a spade and got him to give me a hand. Originally we were just going to do our usual patch job, that – let’s face it – it’s ugly and doesn’t actually hold anyone within the coop for very long, until we struck upon a really cool idea. We had some old pailings lying about and not only did the holes get covered over, but the look of the coop is much improved. The only problem is the chickens are still getting out – there must be a hole somewhere else. I think I need to spy on the chickens.
The job Hubby the Un-Gardener was up to was just below repairing the coop on the list of things to do before spring. He was topping up my improved raised beds. I’ve been putting up with soggy sodden raised beds that weren’t raised enough for quite a while but I’d run out of wood to sort it out as we had already pulled down all the fences that we could on the property. So I took the bull by the horns and ordered some new wood to lift the low beds enough to give them a much needed lift. Hubby the Un-Gardener doesn’t mind doing my digging – but he has been objecting bitterly to being forced to use a one handled wheelbarrow with a flat tire on ground so soft that the water is lying on the surface. Maybe I should get a new wheelbarrow so I don’t lose my star digger.
The other exciting news is some of the chillies have come up. While it is exciting it is rather problematic. I can’t leave the tray in the dark cosy spot in the hot water cupboard because the emerged seedlings need the light. So I rigged up a new home in the sun. For the all essential warmth I grabbed my wine making heat pad – but it’s a bit too warm so I lifted the seed tray up a bit, and positioned the tray in a window that gets the best north facing all day sun. To stop the seedlings bended towards the light I read something somewhere that suggests putting a mirror on the other side so it evens it the light out. I couldn’t find a mirror, so I put aluminium foil in an old picture frame and popped it at the back of the tray. Time will tell if my seedlings grow straight.
Come again soon – I have the cutest surprise – but for now the rain has come back…
Sarah the Gardener : o )
We had exactly the same day as you did! Lovely and frosty and then still, calm and sunny. The dogs unglued themselves from their chairs around the wood burning stove and gravitated towards the glass sliding door and into the first real sunbeam of the season. Nothing like dogs laying in sunbeams to remind you that spring is just about here and you did just that with this post…3 weeks! AAARRRRGGGGHHH! I have SO MUCH TO DO…I don’t think I can even afford the time to finish this comment. It’s dark but I think I had better race out to the shed and get started with planting seeds ready for spring and I completely forgot about the spray for the peach leaf curl! Thank goodness we are a bit slower than you are and our fruit trees have just started to bud up. Cheers for the reminder!
Hi there. I have also begun to develop that “AAARRRRGGGGHHH! I have SO MUCH TO DO….” state of mind. Time seems to be zooming by especially fast this year. I try to make each day count for something, but sometimes one zips by unnoticed! Cheers Sarah : o )
I think I might hide under the bed with the dog today. Its sunny, its cold and there are a million things out there that are clambering for me to get stuck into on our run down ramshackle little patch of earth. I should take my own advice and just put my head down and do a bit each day. I guess that’s how things get done. At least there is someone else out there in the same state of mind as me 🙂 Cheers for the cameraderie…sometimes its good just to know that you are not alone with your attitude lol 😉
I had a mental picture of you spying on chickens from behind a leafy bush, doing a Steve Irwin imitation, exclaiming Cricky! and Aren’t they beaut’s! 🙂
Hope you find their escape route.
Hi Heidi. Chickens can actually be quite sneaky. I’ve been led all over the place before, covertly following a chicken to a secret nest – only to watch her head straight to a nest somewhere under my nose when she thinks I’ve stopped following! Cheers Sarah : o )
I meant crikey, but my auto correct got to it first..
North facing window? Oh, I always forget that things are different on the other side of the planet. To keep seedlings straight, I’m forever turning their trays.
Hi there. I thought the north facing comment might throw people. We are all upside down and back to front down here in NZ. So far so good – the seedlings don’t seem to be leaning – and no turning required – but it is early days, so we shall see. Cheers Sarah : o )
good idea on the aluminium foil/mirror thing, do update if it works cause I am in the same boat.
Hi Justin. So far so good. The seedlings that are up are standing up straight. I’ll keep you posted. I think a mirror to reflect the light coming from the window is better, but you can only work with what you have. Cheers Sarah : o )
I never thought of a mirror or aluminum foil – what a great idea! I just rotate the tray every day or three. They don’t grow super straight, but it works out ok once they go outside.
Hi There. Its the first time I have tried this method with the mirror and the plants seem to love it, they are all strong compacted seedlings and don’t look leggy at all.
Cheers Sarah : o )