|
|
Post by richardw on Mar 12, 2018 23:56:23 GMT -5
After 16 years of never mowing the orchard or having grazing animals a number of plants have come to dominate there own areas without any help from me White clover in some areas  Cocksford in others  Not sure what grass this is but its formed such a mound that you have to walk around them. I love it for the fact i'm growing soil while building fertility.  This corner is nearly all yarrow, so thick and soft to walk on too.  |
|
|
|
Post by diane on Mar 13, 2018 12:42:24 GMT -5
No grazing animals? When I worked in Wellington in the 1960s, I was impressed by the use of sheep
instead of lawnmowers on suburban lawns. Isn't that done anymore?
|
|
|
|
Post by richardw on Mar 13, 2018 13:39:26 GMT -5
Not in my orchard Diane but yes a lot of people who have land will often have one or two sheep. I cant be bothered fencing off all the young fruit tress, Feijoa and gooseberry bushes that are out there, its my wild area that helps maintain a good insect balance, this year there was hardly any codling moth in the apples compared to last year.
|
|
|
|
Post by steev on Mar 13, 2018 18:57:43 GMT -5
Good insect balance is why I don't mess with the weeds in my tree-lanes.
|
|
|
|
Post by richardw on Mar 14, 2018 0:05:45 GMT -5
Yes and it works well too.
|
|
|
|
Post by richardw on Mar 14, 2018 0:14:54 GMT -5
Started picking the first of the mature pop corn cobs today, its the early cobs that i'm selecting from for seed, any cobs that birds have started to eat are not selected. There's a wide range of maturity within this years patch with some plants only just sulking now   |
|
|
|
Post by richardw on Mar 16, 2018 2:41:57 GMT -5
Compost, i know some dont bother making it but i do because i garden with only 6 hand tools only so my garden needs to compact run under a biointensive system. Out in my paddock i have a water cause that flows through only during very wet weather, this low part of the paddock has lovely rich humus top soil so i use this to mix with the compost i make. Its bought back to my composting area as two separate piles, this top layer is mixed with compost and the deeper layer which is higher in clay is added to the start of the composting cycle  The aged rotten logs are smashed up and added along with the high clay/soil to the garden waste on the left.  A year later i dig up this material and most is then dug into my smaller 1metre wide beds, some of this material is used as screened seed raising mix and also non screened potting mix.  The five piles in this photo are, top right- screened humus soil/compost. Middle top pile - un-screened potting mix. Left top - clay soil for adding to compost. Two bottom piles are the humus rich soil and compost yet to be mixed. Apart from from the clay soil pile, these piles are turned a few times to germinate the weeds seed.  |
|
|
|
Post by reed on Mar 22, 2018 7:06:59 GMT -5
Looks like some rodent is about to die in that one photo.
I love your approach to gardening, I have done similar in the past and more each year. Bout ready to do away completely with that roaring stinking tiller. A shovel, a rake and a selection of hoes is all a feller really needs.
|
|
|
|
Post by richardw on Mar 22, 2018 23:06:49 GMT -5
Our 4 year old black&tan collie dog(Jay)loves killing mice, rats, wild cats, blackbirds etc but is totally trustworthy around the hens, house cats, sheep and lambs, with the sheep we have never taught her how to handle them, she's learnt by just watching us when we are bringing them into the yards, she always stands and stares about 10 metres or so back from them, any try and make a break she cuts them off without trying to bite.
Gardening without fossil fuel reed, apart from using the car and trailer to drive a km to get my logs. In time i wont have to bring in carbon as i'm planting lots of trees around our 5 hectare property
|
|
|
|
Post by steev on Mar 22, 2018 23:32:10 GMT -5
My white lab-mix mutt was good with everything except rats; she'd beat them to death against the sides of her head; I miss her; her name was Spot; my <two-year-old daughter, having been read books about a blond puppy named Spot, knew that was who our new puppy was, so that was that; Spot had none, but we never told her, so she was fine with that venerable name.
|
|
|
|
Post by richardw on Mar 23, 2018 13:36:38 GMT -5
And its interesting with dogs too, i dont know of any dog that eats rats, just leave them where you end up stepping on them, yuk. Rabbit kits on the other hand our dog eats them just about before the heart stops beating, must be tasty little morsels.
|
|
|
|
Post by reed on Mar 23, 2018 17:34:32 GMT -5
Must be universal, according to my dog, mice, moles, chipmunks and squirrels are toys but rabbits is some fine eatin. She's afraid of possums, raccoons, cats and deer. Don't think she's ever seen a rat, depending on size I suppose it would be either a toy or something to run from. She's always is always in a state of deciding, is this a bark chase situation or a squeal and run situation. I never saw anything like it and wouldn't have though it possible but she herds chickens.
|
|
|
|
Post by steev on Mar 23, 2018 19:14:23 GMT -5
Must be some sort of border collie/retriever mix.
|
|
|
|
Post by reed on Mar 24, 2018 3:55:40 GMT -5
Must be some sort of border collie/retriever mix. The vet said she's English Shepard, which I had never heard of. I guess they have a need to herd something and the neighbors cows being uncooperative, they just ignore her, she's left with chickens. She thinks it's her job and is always so proud to be asked "where are the chickens?" she dives off her chair and in a little bit her and the chickens are all in sight again. |
|
|
|
Post by richardw on Mar 24, 2018 13:53:51 GMT -5
Its the same with our dog, when it come to the chickens its head lower than the spine, stare straight at them while not moving a muscle, she'll do it a wee bit with the sheep but nothing like with the hens.
|
|
