Helen's garden, January 2014

 click on any photo to enlarge all

Helen's garden has become luxuriant this summer.

• In part because the garden reaches towards maturity, more complex, more edge, diverse light and shade.
• In part because more work, more feed, more water. Water supply assisted by installation of water tanks and pipes and taps to distribute rain water from the roof.
• In part because more design work, more shaping of the earth with swales, which get water into the ground rather than running away off the sloping block. 

This is an urban engineer's view of swale building. Ours are simpler, simply troughs along a contour, more or less, above a garden or potential garden, to catch water running downhill and put it down where roots can hurry down to find it.

There is one departure from organic principles which will be evident in photos: limited use of glyphosate to control kikuyu at lawn edges. Seven years ago the garden was an even slope entirely covered in kikuyu, which constantly sends runners more than a metre ahead, underground, in seeking to dominate territory. Surface weeding of it of little value, also spreading seed. You will see the grassed area, the kikuyu area, much diminished.

Here are some photos taken on 7 January. Also a couple of photos 15 November with WWOOFer Tatsuyasan, who did lots of work on the swales.

Also, at the end, an accidental movie in the front yard 7 January. Taken ay 8am, this also includes the voices of rainbow laurikeets, feasting on Callistemon [bottle brush] flowers.

Here photos with captions:

This is the view from front steps, away westerly to hills and towards Kangaroo Valley. Callistemon trees with red flowers on left, hear rainbow laurikeets feasting there in movie below.

This is virtually the same photo, exposure to show foreground of garden, shadow line of house roof, sun behind house behind camera, 8am

This from the same step. looking to right. The chip on ground is area of slope levelled three years ago. The mulberry tree throws new branches up two or three metres each year, is pruned and placed in traction to provide increasingly more recreational afternoon shade in this garden area.

This slope beside the front driveway, facing west, has a history of being dry and killing anything planted in it. With great assistance from Tatsuyasan, we built a very simple swale, incorporated peat moss and compost into soil and added lots of seed from old seed packets. Into the swale we chopped nutritious trunks of banana from the backyard.  This photo 15 November, 8 weeks ago.

Approximately same location, see chook, photo 7 January. The sunflower population much increased this year by purchase of 5kg sunflower as bird seed for $8. Many of the plants potentially food productive, many as living or choppable mulch. New growth to citrus not so evident as have been pruned recently.

Actually a view from the backyard down the drive. With that huge passionfruit vine doing well now on north facing fence, it's possible to get out of the car and pick half a dozen passionfruit from the ground any day. Passionfruit are best picked up off the ground daily, rather than picked from vine. Nearer the camera a loganberry grows on the same netting, but is making a slower start, more in shade of house.

A garden is constantly developing. These mosaic steps have been in development for three years now!

In a busy garden there is a constant search for niches. To the right is a swale-aided garden bed, end of cauliflower crop evident, to the left three tamarillo trees, seedlings from Dennis's garden, which will do better when they get out of the shade of the fence. Very resilient and productive in this climate, likely to produce thousands of fruit over a few years of life.

from near point of last photo, looking back to house, via the Queen of Freedom as named by Hong Kong WWOOFer Julie, summer-swimmer clad by Helen, past one of the three paulownia slab gates, timber from former property at Reedy Creek, to work and front veranda.

Potting up these seedling papayas, seed from very tasty fruit eaten several weeks ago. Started in a mix of peat moss and the wonderful compost from zoo near Dennis's place. Note the bush basil seedling which has emerged from a hole at the bottom of the big planter. Wonderful herb which even grows from concrete cracks here, no doubt the seed was in the trough when I put the soil in it. The new pots contain peat moss, wetted and watered afterwards with a watering can soup of a couple of tablespoons of aged, composted horse manure in water, the manure from roadside purchase, left in bag for a long time in the sun, moist with seed hopefully long digested.

Mosaic work on table in shade of mulberry. Note goose in cage, one of the traction devices hung in tree to make branches stoop to provide shade. Helen's turtle mosaics middle of this photo and in last photo, Dennis's on sides in this photo. Every element in a permaculture garden serves multiple functions. The mulberry prunings are great as garden stakes. And–noting again the mosaics and other frivolous elements–it becomes worth doing if you pay attention to the aesthetics of fun.

Before we leave the front garden, tour again in the accidental movie! Click on the arrow doover between HD and vimeo for full screen viewing. Take carsick tablets if necessary  :-)

 

 ... and now to the luxuriant back garden.

This photo taken by the giraffe (photo above) looking uphill and east.

 The concrete living space behind the house lends itself to pots

... note the water tank down near the lion, some landscape work to come. Two tanks on this wall collect from roof; water pumped to tank at back fence, top of block, from where gravity fed to five outlets front and back yards. Also note the wall of herbs (and bush basil from concrete under table) and strawberries, also the Chinese elm, top right,  planted 1.5 years ago, needing constant shaping, providing increasing protection from harsh sun.

The arch, photo above, supports beans, passionfruit and pumpkin. Some shade and overwatering causing some leaf unhappiness on pumpkin, but if not set back a bit this plant might cover the house by next month!

View above the arch, looking north. As mentioned, some roundup used to control kikuyu. Nice slates from council tip, as also wire and steel supports for beans (and pumpkin)

view from the north. The fancy umbrella busted by Gerringong's notorious winds, function being overtaken by the Chinese elm. Fish cleaning sink in foreground. Back left is a self-sown shrubby wattle, behind the sunflowers. This is about to bloom, after which it will be cut back very hard, to make garden space, also because this is how we manage wattle in the garden. Like legumes, acacias fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, but where legumes lower pH, the wattles advantageously raise pH. And the prunings make good nitrogenous mulch, while the reduction of plant mass above ground causes death of comparable root mass below ground, adding to soil carbon and releasing much nitrogen deep in the soil the plant has ploughed.

Backyard swale, his labour produced it, obscured by Tatsuyasan, 15 November last, feeding water runoff to this new garden with some flowering annuals just planted. See wire mesh for beans, behind.

Approximately same location 7 January. Chicory went mad in swale, now about to flower, petunias thrive, lettuce finished; beans climbing, almost to 2 metres behind.

Still waiting for bananas to finish, compare 22 October. Slower ripening provides more taste than most commercial Queensland bananas, provided the season allows the ripening to finish. Well on track to good result this year.

...and finally, where's there's a niche, plant tamarillos en masse. Banana passionfruit to left.

Well, now we have a benchmark for the future. Gardens change, that's much of the fun, excitement from surprises and learning.

enforced idleness, time by the sea

We have been somewhat preoccupied with gardens but with bung shoulder I have to do nothing... and it's January, so it's time to drive over the hill from Helen's place to the pool, she to swim, while I cool feet and make a little movie.

You can click on the little four-arrow icon, bottom right, between HD and Vimeo, for full screen viewing (press ESC to return from full screen). I've chosen recently to post videos at Vimeo rather than YouTube, more pleasant place offering HD for a small fee.

Christmas morning roll call

I've been away and with one arm immobilised after shoulder operation.This disability will extend for another month or three, this will reinforce the development of the garden in a rampant direction, under its own steam, with some pulling of grass etc for chickens and some addition of water, though as canopy develops, the need for watering diminishes a bit.

Coming back to my garden, very recent rain has not hidden the impact of dry hot weeks, evident especially with raised beds.

So here is  run through the garden 25 December 2013, early morning 20c, high humidity.

Compare photos at commencement of this blog, eight months ago. Click on any photo to see enlarged gallery of all.

Still guardians at door. The mess is the work of the blackbird,always rootling for insects.

The blue flowers on crazy long stalks are from a saw toothed long leafed red chicory

The house hides behind this forest of azalea and more. The tamarillo is very much at home.

This little Indian guava tolerated mild winter and clearly thrives on the mix of wet and dry. Fruit formed and new buds visible.

The rhubard thrived in raised beds of compost but have been knocked down by dry weather, clearly not happy that I've been away for a month. This part of garden needs rebuilding when possible. Dutch eschallots, planted out supermarket items, doing very well, proliferating vigorously. I replaced banana with a sucker from Helen's very successful ladyfinger.

salad items in raised beds did well in winter but not so since, partly normal, partly failure of raised beds to hold moisture. This system has been defeated by the wild windy dry months of August–October. I plan to remove the raised bed structures, build beds on ground.

the espalliered lemon, at entry to back yard, is beginning to thrive and be productive... after years of struggle

ponds with water cress and water chestnuts; gingers and arrowroot

Finally making a start, after months: turmeric coming up in summer warmth, amidst parsley anf golden marjoram

asparagus: picking ended a month ago, now let go for leaves to gather energy for next year's spears

The bananas were not quite ripe a month ago. In the opinion of birds or bats, they ripened and tssted good!

Recent additions: custard apple (just fed with pond soil) and gordo muscatel grape vine

Waterfall and pond opens veranda to garden.  Azolla floating in pond would be menace if could run to waterway but will go to my compost or direct mulch here.

Tamarillo with fruit, this tree four years old, hard pruned, well watered.

Nesrby, tamarillo same age... less care, not much pruning, dead

The fig is laden with an exciting hundred or so fruit. ... and none more excited than the frugivorous bowerbird. If I should want some fruit, I'll have to sit out there every day, shouting it away. Or get a replacement and watchful dog! A sophisticated and assertive dog, not given to yelling, but with authority to make strong bowerbirds run home hungry

tamarillo: seedling from last summer, grown in place, fed with shovels of pond soil.

pond with lotus which may need more feed to do well ... but soil from pond life valuable (as above)

tamarillo, indigofera, sunflower, unproductive brussels sprouts (planted too late?)

this patch behind the house is showing much life having benefited from a load of mixed aged compost from the local zoo

the rainforest corner behind the house is thriving, including with rufous whistler which seems worked up to only be able to see other birds (in mirrors) when in flight. Up off the tree, shout in circular flight, sit back down bewildered.

another view from same spot, herbs etc, and young quince tree

and again from that spot, back to chooks (3)

note for WWOOFers

This note is for WWOOFers who may be interested in coming to our places.

We are not a farm needing to sell every week. We are not able to provide documentation for 'second year working visa'.

We host because we need some help to make changes to our home food gardens and for artistic projects. We host because we enjoy meeting people and hearing their languages and ideas.

See the WWOOF guidelines about how much work is expected of you. In hot weather we prefer to work early and rest during the hot part of the day; young people may prefer to sleep in but it's not practical in hot weather. We do not work the same length of time every day. Time depends on project and weather. There are always jobs like weeding and other maintenance, but we try to focus work on projects and get ideas from WWOOFers. Helen works in an office Monday to Friday so we will do some garden work with her on the weekend. There will be days off, after you've been here a few days, and there will be end-of-day short tourist drives.

You will have privacy and wireless internet. You will be a part of our family while here, we ask you to respect that and contribute to basic things like kitchen work. Happy cooks welcome. We often go straight to the supermarket when WWOOFers arrive, to discuss food interests and concerns.

WWOOFers need to have the WWOOF book and should show that to their host on arrival. Also their passport. This is important to keep the WWOOF organisation safe and working and also means we have information about you in case of any injury or illness. WWOOFers should have health insurance.

WWOOFers need to have sensible practical clothes. Strong shoes or boots are important for safety and good work. You need practical work clothes (two sets at least). Working clothes get dirty and are damaged — we can take you to a charity shop where you can get good items for $5 a piece if you don't have suitable clothes. If you are a visitor to Australia,  you can throw away old work clothes when you leave the country. You need a hat, especially in summer and whatever skin colour.

You need to be aware of the seasons and weather where you are going. This is the page for weather in my area, you can use that site to check on other places.

You can travel to our place on the Sydney suburban train network, Sydney Trains. Look on here for South Coast line, we meet WWOOFers at the last station, Bomaderry. Three hours on the train, no food for sale on the train, but there is a toilet. View of the ocean from left side seats.

We expect WWOOFers to arrive clean, happy and positive. If we meet someone at the train who does not look right, we will interview in the time before the train leaves to go back to Sydney to establish whether you are OK. I write this because there a very small number of bad people travelling as WWOOFers. We will be able to identify a bad person before taking that person home.

This recent happy photo was possible as two WWOOFers were arriving just as two were leaving. Thanks for everything Julie, Nico, Florie and David!

and with wwoofers Julie and Flori from Hong Kong and France

Some more magic in Helen's front yard, not finished yet!!

WWOOFers 2

Part of the business of being good WWOOF hosts is finding time to show the WWOOFers some nice places. The request was for pelicans and kangaroos yesterday. At the tourist information centre, getting maps, we also learned that there were whales in Jervis Bay the day before. We went looking for them late in the afternoon but saw no whale. We saw one pelican, not this one, which I photographed years ago:

We found two large mobs of kangaroos, at least thirty in each.

Here is a little film of one kangaroo mob. filmed roughly from the car:

WWOOFers

We have had two French WWOOFers, David and Nicolas, for a few days.

After a day of mulching and tidying at Dennis's garden, we had a weekend at Helen's garden installing three tall narrow water tanks, two to collect from the roof of the house, the third up the hill - pumping up to it to provide gravity delivery to the whole garden: a kitchen sink in the back garden for cleaning fish, a Porcelaine de Paris basin in the front yard and three ordinary garden taps.

We had a lot of fun. Here we celebrate the work:

 

In the front garden, the French workers, the French porcelain, the happy clients!

... a little more artistic and structural work to be done! And the tap will be lower!

The proud expert installer!!!

The Adoration of the Banana

The view from the front - highway construction

and we had time to go to the sea, five minutes away

and more fortunate in these days than the people in the Blue Mountains, from where David and Nicolas arrived Thursday.