Gardening with help from Roto and Vater.

There’s an old saying that if a man (or woman) doesn’t have a pig, they need to do the work of a pig.  Well I don’t have a pig but I’ve got a lot of roosters. Those of you with chooks - and by that I mean chooks and a rooster - will know that when there are chickens, the law of probability is almost always in favour of most of them being roosters. But you won’t know that for several weeks as you enjoy and feed and nurture the cute little blighters. The day will come when you start to realise the legs are looking particularly strong, the little ruff around the neck starts to become more pronounced and then like young’uns everywhere – they start little playfights with each other.  Then of course the final straw is when you hear this dreadful broken sounding screech as they start to practice their crowing and you realise that yes: definitely roosters. 

Last autumn I rescued 7 gorgeous chicks and along with their mum, took them to my mother’s where they were safe from the predators on our land.   They did all of the above and sure enough, out of 7 chickens?  Five roosters.  And they’ve got to go. This year I decided to put them to work as, I’m sure you will be aware when they do manage to get into your garden, they are very efficient at a spot of rotovating.   Those big rooster feet would be just right to help dig over my garden beds. 

I don’t get much time in the garden these days now I have a “proper job” but it is still the thing I love to do the most.  With limited time on my hands and determined not to use weed killer it can be a bit frustrating not having the time to do what I need to do.  We also made this garden straight from paddock. In hindsight I would have done my best to get rid of the grass first as I find grass is the worst weed.   So I am dealing with big paddock weeds still such as couch grass and California thistle and doing my best to get it all out by the roots. I reckon if I keep going year after year in each bed I”ll get there in the end. Time to get those pesky roosters on the job. 

Now that's a particularly nice crop of weeds. With some help from a strong man we got most most of the worst of the weeds pulled out and then onto the fire. Then to finish it off, I let the roosters do the work. 

We got one of the little hutches and shut 3 young roosters in, making a run within the garden bed.  They did and have been doing a great job of cleaning up.  Get that chicken tractor going I say! Keep an eye on them though as the two black ones ganged up on the pretty coloured one, so out he came and popped back in with the original mob. So two lovely big black chooks, now named Roto and Vater are happily digging up garden beds for me.  I find that once they have dug it over an eaten everything green, I can then go in and dig it over and it is such a headstart on what was otherwise a very daunting overgrown garden bed.   

 This bed has been particularly bad and I haven’t been able to properly garden in it.  Once they boys got it down and have been moved onto the next patch, I have followed on with a heavy garden fork and getting out tons of long racemes of couch root.  Its very dry at the moment so I can do this even though it is the middle of winter. As always, if the bed is wet, don’t work it. So here is a before and after. 

Early spring in the Crop Rotation Calendar

(September in the Southern Hemisphere and March in the Northern)

As we come into September, early spring here in New Zealand, it’s time to get the first of our main plantings in the ground.  It’s a good time to rotate your garden beds – if you use the Crop Rotation Poster then follow the plan and it will keep you on track with where everything should go but you don’t have to necessarily build a garden exactly like this.  It doesn’t suit everyone – but the principles of rotating families of plants will be the same.  

For me, and my garden at Bellbird Hill, I am finally getting raised beds and paths.  I have been making do for the past few years as we have not been living on the property and have not been able to pay full attention to it, but its all coming together now.  In fact the garden is going in before the house – priorities sorted.  My 4 central beds are 4x3m and that is quite big. You could easily keep the proportions but take the size down to fit what you have – say 3x2m.  That’s the beauty of creating gardens. Each one will be unique to fit in with the space you have plus all the other variables that go into making a garden.   I also definitely recommend paved paths rather than grass.  It just reduces the amount of work needed and you want to be spending your time on growing food for the family – not mowing paths.

Year 1. Bed 1. 

I have now done a full 4-year cycle. So back to Year 1!   Which means in Bed 1, the top left bed, I have sown peas, broad beans and left a patch for sweetcorn.  The other space will be French beans, both dwarf and standard which won’t go in until November when the soil has warmed up.  Runner beans will go in the border where they can climb up the fence. Peas and Broad beans prefer cooler temperatures to grow in so as we lifted carrots, beetroot and parsnip (root crops previously grown in this bed) I got the legume seed in.  And of course the nitrogen fixing qualities of the beans will enliven the soil ready for the following years crop of leafy greens.

Year 1. Bed 2,

Bottom left, is for green leafy vegetables that follow on from where we grew legumes last year.   You probably will still have silverbeet (Chard) growing in another bed from the previous season so time to get some more in in your newly prepared bed.  We grew some gorgeous rainbow silverbeet from which we collected seed in autumn so will be getting that sown into punnets this month. I will also be popping some seedlings in to get a head start. Spinach can go in as well. The hens are starting to lay and there is nothing like poached eggs and freshly picked spinach for breakfast. The joys of growing your own!  Succession sowing and planting of brassicas can go in now for autumn and winter eating.  The traditional spacing of brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower or kale is to make the space between the rows as wide as the plants will grow in height. As they will be in the ground for a long time, this means that you have these big gaps of bare ground that you have to keep weeded or mulched for that time.  A good idea is to interplant with quicker growing crops such as lettuces and other salad greens.  They don’t take as long to grow and actually lettuces appreciate a little shade, as they tend to bolt if too hot. 

Year 1. Bed 3. 

 This bed is where the heat loving Mediterranean vegetables will be going so too early to plant anything yet but keep getting the soil ready. No lime where you are planning on planting tomatoes but plenty of well-rotted manure, compost etc.  Pumpkins and courgettes are heavy feeders and like plenty of moisture so lots of humus and carbon in the soil will hold the moisture.  If the bed is empty, turn a corner into a compost area and cover with black cloth to heat it up.  If you sowed a green crop get it dug in now to give the soil time to be ready for late October planting.  Sow seed for these crops now but they will have to be in a hothouse or inside where its warm. 

Year 1, Bed 4.  

Make sure this garden is well dug over for root crops – no bulky manures where you want to plant tap roots such as carrots or parsnips.  You can divide the beds up into areas and give each one a bit of special treatment.  The allium family does like lots of feeding and compost so put them on one side (onions, leeks, celery) and the other root crops on the other. Plant a row of new potatoes if you have room – or plant them in the side border.  Get your earlies in now if you want to eat them at Christmas time. Cliff Kidney, Jersey Bennes, Rocket etc.

Perennial Beds.

Rhubarb will need to be fed, mulched up with plenty of manure and water if the weather is not bucketing down like it was in Auckland when I was up there over winter.  Which reminds me to remind you – if your soil is sodden – don’t even bother working it.  Occupy yourself with sowing seeds indoors so you will be ready once conditions are more suitable.  If you must do something put a plank down to walk on and keep any disturbance to a minimum.  Strawberries will need to be weed free and have fresh straw down. I have my first asparagus spear up already!  It seems early but it might be because we put down a good mulch of beautiful black compost that warmed the soil up.  So exciting.  Who needs to go out when you can stay home and watch your asparagus spears growing? 

So, lots to do and as the days get longer and the weather warmer and more settled, nature sees to it that you will want to be out in the garden.  Enjoy spring and the promise it brings.

September in the Backyard Vege Patch.

Ah – the promise of Spring! The 1^st of September is always a day I look forward to. Even though the spring equinox is not technically until around the 20^th of the month, we now definitely notice the longer days, the warmer temperatures and the movement of sap in both plants and ourselves. We find our green fingers itching to get into the garden.  And how wonderful that those early harbingers of spring, the narcissus family and its friends have such bright and beautiful flower. So joyful after the bare bleak grey of winter days. Spring however can still have a wintery sting in its tail so while there will be warm mild days – don’t be fooled into planting delicate crops too early.

As the soil warms up you can start sowing more robust crops direct into the ground but others will have to be sown in trays indoors or under a cloche.  Broad beans and peas for example can go in the ground, as can root crops such as carrots, parsnips, swedes, turnips and beetroot.  Potatoes can be started off indoors in a warm spot to “chit” or sprout – or you can plant them straight into the ground as long as you have a cloche or protection from the frost. They won’t grow till the conditions are right anyway but get them in as soon as you can if you want new potatoes for Christmas.  It’s too early in the cooler parts of the country for the heat -loving summer crops such as tomatoes, courgettes, pumpkins, sweetcorn etc but you can start them off in trays indoors to get a head start.

Plants to grow in early spring. 

Sow direct into ground: Brussel Sprouts, broad beans, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, potatoes, onions, lettuce, peas, parsley, Garlic, shallots, swedes

Sow indoors in trays for planting out later: leeks, lettuce, celery, sweetcorn, beans, pumpkin, marrow, cucumber and tomatoes, chillies, capsicum, courgettes.

Plant: Brussel Sprouts, cabbage, caulis, lettuce, parsley, silverbeet, spinach, asparagus. Remember to harden off seeds grown indoors before you put them into the garden.

Garden Notes for the Family Vegetable Garden - February

Delicious month in the garden.

Its been a mixed season weather wise so far this summer so unless you were able to keep water up to your garden you may notice differences from previous years in harvesting. My potatoes were later this year due to the cold snap in November but they are still going and still delicious!  Harvest your early potatoes and keep mounding up main-crop ones giving them a good mulch to keep protected from the burning sun.  As you harvest your potatoes, dig over the ground and sow a crop of onions.

 

Get your garlic out of the ground as well if you haven’t already.  By now it won’t be growing anymore and leaving it in the ground will reduce quality and the likelihood that it will store well. Dry off somewhere handy for a few weeks then brush off any leftover dirt, trim the roots, braid and store in a dry spot.  I harvested my garlic in January as I planted it all on the shortest day and dug it up not long after the longest day.  I was wondering what to follow it with so as it is still my root crop rotation bed so I am experimenting to see if I can get another crop of potatoes out of it before winter.  This is the great thing about the backyard vege patch – try things out and record what you have done. Each patch is different – you just need to learn what works in yours. You can also sow flowers or other quick growing crops in any bare patches. Keeps away the weeds and provides another harvest before winter.

Talking about weeds – the old adage about “one years seeds equals seven years weeds” is true – especially when it comes to dock etc.  If you don’t have time to dig them out by the roots then at least snip off the seed head and put into a bag for burning.

Jobs for this Month

Sow.  Beetroot, bok choy, winter brassicas, carrots, radishes, silver beet, swedes, turnips, onions. 

Plant: Punnets of winter brassicas, celery, leeks, lettuces, silverbeet, spinach.

Cultivate: Keep hoeing when you can and mulching, knowing that the mulch will be dug in over winter to build up your soil for the next season.

Harvest: Lots to eat in February with all your fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes, beans, courgettes, peppers, cucumbers, sweetcorn, potatoes and then pumpkins coming into their own. Keep picking to extend the season.  Then get busy preserving your harvest for later use

Save: Save seed also – select a really good plant, including herbs, and leave to go to seed.  Harvest on a warm dry day.

In the Christmas Kitchen with The Professional Countrywoman.

 "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

At this time of the year the thoughts of professional countrywomen the world over turn to Christmas and if you haven’t already make your plans now is the time to do so. Make them now and make sure everyone knows what they are! As you will see below, the Sunday before Advent is a traditional Pudding-making day so why not make it our own day where we check where we are with our Christmas planning.  The fifth Sunday before Christmas is a great day to make lists, tick them off, check that bookings have been made, menu decided, turkey ordered, hair dresser booked, everyone given a job etc etc.  Get your journal out and make your own list and have a more tranquil enjoyable festive season. 

Stir Up Sunday

This coming Sunday is the Sunday before the traditional season of Advent and that means it’s Stir Up Sunday. Traditions are those rituals that bring meaning and depth to our lives and for us modern busy human doings it is wise to bring some of that back into our family life. Stir up Sunday is a very old Christian tradition that takes its name from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer where the prayer for the Sunday before Advent starts with the above words.  The cooks or mothers in the congregation would immediately say to themselves “Goodness Gracious – that reminds me – time to stir up the Christmas Pudding!” So off home they would go to get the pudding on.  

It was always the day that the family got together to make the pudding; and was an opportunity to show the children how to prepare it and to take turns at stirring the mix and making a wish.  That’s when coins were added too –which is another tradition you may have heard of. I don’t know how many teeth have been broken over the years by crunching on a thruppence but I think I will give this one a miss. Unless you put a $2 coin in, no modern child is going to be that interested and really if you put those in there would be no room for the actual pudding

I have been the pudding queen of the family since taking over that role from my Grandmother and also made them for the markets for years. They don’t take long to actually put together but it does take a long time to steam – a 2 kg one takes at least 5 hours so you need to be around for that.  You can make smaller size ones for gifts especially for older folk who may be on their own. Pop the pudding into an oven bag (one without holes) and wrap in calico. Add a red bow and it turns into something very special. 

Elderflower Champagne

This week is also the last week that you are going to get a decent brew of bubbles from the beautiful elderflowers blooming in our hedgerows right now if you want some of this special drink for Christmas. Mine is brewing in buckets in the kitchen and it is quick and easy to make. I have republished the recipe below.  I am making extra this year as it is a really refreshing drink and we fought over the 6 month old bottles of it we found recently. Delicious and so the taste of summer.

For this recipe you will need 7 large Elderflower heads –about the size of a lunch plate or saucer, a clean plastic bucket and some bottles. Start with recycled small sized fizzy drink bottles and lids.  (750ml or less).  I have also been valiantly working my way through those small bottles of  Lindaur and saving them  because they are a good size and useful for those drinks that ferment in the bottle.

Dissolve 500g sugar in 2 litres of hot water in your clean plastic bucket.

Add another 2 and a half litres of cold water.

Add 2 tablespoons of white or cider vinegar plus the juice of 2 lemons.

Add flowers

Leave in a covered container for 24 hours. The timing is important – try to be exact.

After the 24 hours is up, strain and bottle.  We strain through a muslin cloth.

Bottle.

Leave in a cool dark place for 6 weeks.

Chill before serving. Enjoy.