OK folks – Hit the arrow just below and let’s get started. We got us some work to do… I picked up three IBCs recently, two of which are going into an aquaponics setup. The third one is going to … Continue reading ![]()
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1000 Litre IBC Container for Water Storage
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Fig Tree First Fruit
In June 2011, this was the closest I came to eating the first fruit off my Fig Black Genoa. But those hopes were dashed you see. Winter stopped them growing any further, and then some bloody rodent came along and … Continue reading ![]()
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5 Plants That Love Acidic Soil
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for most plants, which is why it is in most non-organic fertilizers. If you keep an organic garden, however, you have to find other ways to add nitrogen. A couple of plants, like beans, are … Continue reading ![]()
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Aquaponics – Growing Plants from Seed
I had heard about aquaponics from some gardening friends and the idea stayed with me long enough to do something about. This long cold Melbourne Winter has been an opportune time to assemble a wonderful collection of posts about my … Continue reading ![]()
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The Pumpkin of 2012
A tribute to the pumpkin of 2012 - fun to grow, more fun to eat! Continue reading ![]()
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Keeping it growing: the most environmentally-sound choices of wood
What, wood? For the younger generations, wood is that somewhat archaic substance that comes from trees. It is what things used to be made of before the world got its act together and started producing plastic… for everything… For older … Continue reading ![]()
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What Quail Eat
Food According to Coturnix Quail I’d rather be writing about what quail eat than what eat quail! Poor little guys don’t have much luck out in the wild. They die quick, mate quick, live quick, eat quick. Quack quick. This … Continue reading ![]()
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Jerusalem Artichoke – Ultimate Perennial
One Perennial to Rule Them All! Do you have a favourite plant? Something that you just couldn’t do without? For me, that is the Jerusalem Artichoke. Those first shoots appear just after the thaw of Spring. If you are in a … Continue reading ![]()
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Autumn Leaves – Summer Soil
Late Autumn in Melbourne is a delight. A glorious smattering of oak, maple, beech, and elm trees throughout the city and surrounds. The full figure of a deciduous tree is turned as the weather cools and the days grow short. Even before Winter arrives, … Continue reading ![]()
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Big Spider, Small House
Do you think he moved in a while back, and then just couldn’t be bothered moving again? I know some people like that Do you think I should tell him it is time to upscale? Related articles Along came a … Continue reading ![]()
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The Last Harvest of Autumn
There was something sad about the passing of Autumn this year. Maybe just because I now notice the change of seasons; those last warm days of sunlight. And how everything just seems to slow down, then stop and wait. Then … Continue reading ![]()
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Quail Hutch Hotel
What more could a little quail ask for? A triple room residence with room to move, plenty of sunshine, and a place safe from harm. Tagged: housing, hutch, Japanese Quail, Quail![]()
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Ant Colony on the Move!
Such an amazing Spring day in Melbourne today. One activity on the list of things to do was to restock the compost heap – with bags of previously collected dried leaves. Seems that some ants setup a home over Autumn. Sorry ants! Hope the compost stack is just as good… Tagged: Ants, leaves, Spring Continue reading »![]()
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First Broad Beans of Spring
See them! Broad bean pods replacing white with black stained flowers, surrounded by lavender and nasturtium, in the morning shadow of a lemon tree. Tagged: beans, broad beans, lavender, nasturtiums, Spring Continue reading »![]()
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Garden Planning
This is as detailed a tactical plan required to get ready for a Summer and Autumn harvest. Corn and sunflowers go here, bush beans and tomatoes go there. And so on, and so forth… Tagged: garden, gardening, planning Continue reading »![]()
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How to Build a Pond from Tires
Build a pond for frogs or fish or fun If you want to get the most from your garden, then find a place for a pond or two. Not only can you use a pond to attract frogs and beneficial insects; water is a very effective place to grow food, and according to those involved … Continue reading »![]()
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Spider on Nettle
Stinging Nettle is a glorious plant, and it took me a couple of years to create an environment that would make it thrive. Tagged: spider, stinging nettle Continue reading »![]()
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Lemon Tree First Fruit
This seems to be a recurring theme…
I plant a fruit tree, then some time later, it grows fruit.
What else was to be expected?
Well you see, I was one of those kids that didn’t get outside much, let alone tending trees.
Still surprised they grow so well in my care.
So the latest member of the fruit bearers is the Lemon – a Lisbon to be exact.
And here is the next batch growing right now – this time from a Lemonade Lemon tree!
Tagged: Fruit, fruit trees, Lemon, lemon tree
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Flowers and Sunshine
Cornflowers and Nasturtiums self seeded this year, in much larger numbers than was to be expected.
About a tonne of horse manure was added to the front yard last Autumn, so how any seeds got through that pile is a welcome mystery.
Those cornflowers have just started, give it another few weeks and there will be scores of baby blue flowers calling out to the insect world – Here we are!!
Such contrast between the flower’s blue folds and the silvery green foliage.
Faded cherry rose flowers will hold this color through the Summer.
Oranges and Reds, all self seeding around the lemon tree.
Messy for some – just right for me.
A corn poppy welcoming a new day.
And the California poppy.
What color flowers are brightening your day?
Tagged: flowers
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Coffee Grounds are Worm Crack!
Not sure what else to call it really – coffee grounds are crack for worms.
If you add coffee grounds into a worm farm they will go nuts for it, reducing the whole pile into luscious vermicast in no time.
Heh even better because it only does them good.
And now via the power of digital images, I bring you my earthworm drug of choice…
Plenty of fat worms, baby worms, and eggs.
One of my YouTube videos on the combination of worms and coffee.
Now look at the condition of these large, flat bodied compost worms. In this case the worms were trying to escape the compost bin on a hot day, which had just been filled with coffee grounds and some quail manure. A case of them just saying no to drugs?
Go collect some coffee grounds. On behalf of the worms I thank you!
Related articles
- How to Make and Use Worm Tea (groundtoground.org)
- Day 88 – Worm Composting from The Soulsby Farm (yearofhealthierliving.wordpress.com)
- Vermicomposting – Composting With Worms (tinyoklahomagarden.wordpress.com)
Tagged: coffee grounds, crack, drugs, Earthworm, worms
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