Back to the Grindstone
05/06/2012 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izmeinaThe serpent’s week of sanity is over. Back two days at the mad house. Have not mentioned the infernal place for a whole month. Not because it’s become all pink, fluffy and utterly cuddly but rather because so much has been going on that it is hard to know where to start. And now will not be the time or place. No point in ruining a good day by thinking about filthy stinking goblins
They are using next week’s public holiday over east as an excuse to pay us late. Surprise surprise. Had only been thinking how lucky we were that yesterday’s public holiday was in the middle of the pay cycle. Thought too soon. If there is a public holiday in outer Mongolia or some crater on Venus this lot will use it as an excuse to hold onto our silver sickles for yet another day.
Used the public holiday as an excuse to spend some time doing some proper gardening. Finished work at 1pm, hopped on the broomstick and was pottering around with the wheelbarrow by 1.30pm. Figured that it would be best to resist the temptation for a serpent snooze since it now gets dark just after 5pm.
Five barrow loads of piggy poo was sufficient to cover the macadamia grave and to make a decent sized mound. Cannot quite decide whether or not to make it a square metre patch (more like 1.5 on each side) or to go for a serpent circle. Guess it will depend on what sort of stuff can be found to make a proper border
Until that matter is settled decided to plant the edges with alfalfa seeds, kosher soya beans and lupins. It’s not like a huge pile of pig shit needs a fix of nitrogen but those critters grow quickly, produce lots of leaf mass or long deep roots and will basically prevent erosion now that the rainy season is around the corner.
The stuff is surprisingly water repellent which is a bit of a worry. All the more reason to have some green border to catch any run off of soil or water.
Will wait until the winter solstice before doing any proper planting. That will give the worms time to move in and the serpent to find some inspired ideas for suitable plants. So far Tuscan kale and other curly brassicas seem the most likely. It is probably a bit too late for caulis and broccoli by now.
Really must get around to sorting out the two big boxes with packets of seed. Most of them are for spring planting but now is the time to find the winter and autumn critters.
For the first time have managed to keep a specimen of rue not just alive for longer than six months but positively thriving. The shape of the leaves is so elegant and the fragrance of the plant is quite intoxicating. It is apparently a love or hate thing. Izzie loves it and considers it an essential ingredient in a proper witch’s garden. It is apparently related to boronia which is one of the local weeds highly prized in the perfume industry.
Been over Petunia’s place on Sunday and made a point of counting her banana and avocado trees. The things just spring up like weeds. There are around 20 of each, three or four which are producing fruit. Been out and about snooping for avocado stones but only the Hass variety seems to be in season at the moment. Planted out two today in little holes topped up with piggie poo.
She says she will bring over some treelings in pots once we prove we can look after them properly. Banana plants are somewhat less fussy so she is happy to let us have some of those right now. Just planted one with four leaves last week. This is the time of year to get stuff growing and to turn those brown fingers green.
Here’s hoping that the days of dilettante dabbling are over. There’s been too many failed serpent garden experiments. Petunia is right when she says you got to be out there every day watching, watering and feeding the weeds and not just when you feel like it. Her other excellent advice is to do a small patch at a time and get that right rather than being too ambitious. The results speak for themselves.
The new 3 year plan is the start of the serpent aim to turn over a new leaf and to finally master the dark art of gardening instead of just being a caretaker in a plant graveyard.
They are using next week’s public holiday over east as an excuse to pay us late. Surprise surprise. Had only been thinking how lucky we were that yesterday’s public holiday was in the middle of the pay cycle. Thought too soon. If there is a public holiday in outer Mongolia or some crater on Venus this lot will use it as an excuse to hold onto our silver sickles for yet another day.
Used the public holiday as an excuse to spend some time doing some proper gardening. Finished work at 1pm, hopped on the broomstick and was pottering around with the wheelbarrow by 1.30pm. Figured that it would be best to resist the temptation for a serpent snooze since it now gets dark just after 5pm.
Five barrow loads of piggy poo was sufficient to cover the macadamia grave and to make a decent sized mound. Cannot quite decide whether or not to make it a square metre patch (more like 1.5 on each side) or to go for a serpent circle. Guess it will depend on what sort of stuff can be found to make a proper border
Until that matter is settled decided to plant the edges with alfalfa seeds, kosher soya beans and lupins. It’s not like a huge pile of pig shit needs a fix of nitrogen but those critters grow quickly, produce lots of leaf mass or long deep roots and will basically prevent erosion now that the rainy season is around the corner.
The stuff is surprisingly water repellent which is a bit of a worry. All the more reason to have some green border to catch any run off of soil or water.
Will wait until the winter solstice before doing any proper planting. That will give the worms time to move in and the serpent to find some inspired ideas for suitable plants. So far Tuscan kale and other curly brassicas seem the most likely. It is probably a bit too late for caulis and broccoli by now.
Really must get around to sorting out the two big boxes with packets of seed. Most of them are for spring planting but now is the time to find the winter and autumn critters.
For the first time have managed to keep a specimen of rue not just alive for longer than six months but positively thriving. The shape of the leaves is so elegant and the fragrance of the plant is quite intoxicating. It is apparently a love or hate thing. Izzie loves it and considers it an essential ingredient in a proper witch’s garden. It is apparently related to boronia which is one of the local weeds highly prized in the perfume industry.
Been over Petunia’s place on Sunday and made a point of counting her banana and avocado trees. The things just spring up like weeds. There are around 20 of each, three or four which are producing fruit. Been out and about snooping for avocado stones but only the Hass variety seems to be in season at the moment. Planted out two today in little holes topped up with piggie poo.
She says she will bring over some treelings in pots once we prove we can look after them properly. Banana plants are somewhat less fussy so she is happy to let us have some of those right now. Just planted one with four leaves last week. This is the time of year to get stuff growing and to turn those brown fingers green.
Here’s hoping that the days of dilettante dabbling are over. There’s been too many failed serpent garden experiments. Petunia is right when she says you got to be out there every day watching, watering and feeding the weeds and not just when you feel like it. Her other excellent advice is to do a small patch at a time and get that right rather than being too ambitious. The results speak for themselves.
The new 3 year plan is the start of the serpent aim to turn over a new leaf and to finally master the dark art of gardening instead of just being a caretaker in a plant graveyard.
