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It will be winter in 3 weeks in Melbourne and there is still much to do in the garden. The bed in the photo is the last of my drip irrigated vegetable beds and it is being prepared for potatoes. I am growing 4 rows of vetch green manure to be incorporated into the soil with 60mm of compost and 20mm of sheep manure in about 6 weeks time. This will all be worked into the top 100 mm of soil, sprayed with aerated compost extract and covered with a layer of mulch. I will then leave it for about a month to get those microbes busy making plant nutrients, and conditioning the soil. The potatoes will be planted in August. The wire support in the foreground carries 3 blackberry plants. They were propagated from root cuttings taken last spring. I had to remove the original row of blackberries to make way for Ecobed 4 which will replace most of this bed when the potatoes are harvested in February. |
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| This dwarf
Hamlin orange deserves a new home. It has worked hard this year
delivering a handsome crop of oranges. I have kept the orange tree fed by adding chopped kitchen waste to the soil every week. A layer
of mulch and a piece of shadecloth protect the
earthworms and microbes in the soil against pests. I will build a larger (patio style) Ecobed in August to give the orange tree a bit more room for growth. |
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| I have dragged out the flatpack cold frame for winter duty. Its a bit tight in this position, but its the best I can do at the moment. |
