Spring has sprung!

Discussion in 'Members' Systems' started by mouseinthehouse, Oct 7, 2012.

  1. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    Just feeling great about spring and the sense of new beginnings it brings. :)
    I have been so busy planting frost sensitive vegie seeds in the greenhouse and others out in the vegie patch. We have also been doing a lot of slashing of long grass and it is then used as mulch on our native plant banks, and on some new garden beds in the developing food forest. Our transplanted and newly planted fruit trees look fantastic with lots of flowers and have been fertilised with my composted dog poo and a bit of potash and mulched heavily. Have also converted a large aviary to a duck yard (after our rescued galah got killed by a hawk through the wire :( ) Now to source some ducks :think:
    Next weekend I am building a large guinea pig cage to put in the new orchard for grass mowing/fertilising. The chooks are going gangbusters and haven't stopped laying throughout winter.
    Saving to buy a campervan to replace a clapped out vehicle and then we can take the odd weekend off just to camp out at the beach or other semi-local spots at low cost - can't wait. :D
    Our priorities for the coming spring, summer and into the new year are: more rainwater storage, solar power system and trialling selling produce at our local markets and at our property gate using an honesty system. Willing to give that a go and see what happens - people around here are an honest lot :y:
    Anyhow, feeling so blessed and lucky to be able to live this life - best spring wishes to all - here's to a great spring/summer season - raises glass......;)
     
  2. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    Forgot to add that I am about to embark on beekeeping - want to try natural bee keeping but building a top bar or Warre hive is beyond our skills and can't seem to find any in South Oz so my son's boss who is an experienced amateur apiarist will give me a standard hive and help me get started after which I hope to convert to a natural method and hive design (my uncle is a carpenter/builder, so some bartering may be in order!).
    Also, I am going to get into mushroom growing if possible - that is this weeks internet research project!

    Any hints, tips, encouragement appreciated!!!

    Now I need to stop drinking brandy and eat something LOL! Cheers!
     
  3. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    I'm blown away by your happiness for Spring. This Brisbane spring is quite disappointing, barely any rain in 60 days, 30+ degree temps with hot, blustery winds. Tanks empty, most plants are wilting and dropping significant leaves.

    There is no life in this Spring. If only I had a dam...
     
  4. Grasshopper

    Grasshopper Senior Member

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    True subtropical springs are pretty dry, everything looks half dead,except wicking beds have lettuces and tomatoes are still going mad
    Autumn and Winter were excellent warm and wet everything was jumping
    I need another tank or more wicking beds just to cope with spring
     
  5. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    I've been planting trees for the past 5 years for employment, watering through the droughts, don't remember it being this dry, or hot. That wind today seemed unseasonably warm.

    My native garden, 3 years established, the trees are looking good, younger understory showing signs.

    Shame my fruit-producers are only 8 months in the ground, that's what bothers me the most.

    I need at least another 10-15KL, and more ideas on how to irrigate.
     
  6. annette

    annette Junior Member

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    Wow I can feel your enthusiasm! You go girl!!:)

    I do love spring and this time of year. But as SOP says around here it has been dry, hot and windy. I thought the trees were going to fall on the house yesterday it was so windy. I just got another 7500 litre tank and no rain to fill it. My other big tank is nearly empty and so using greywater from the washing machine to water.

    I love the idea of the gate honesty system. There used to be a lot of that but not so much now. Train the bees to attack if they don't pay! lol
     
  7. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    yep spring has sprung, and so has the dry, fingers crossed but may not be a lot of rain about until feb' if we are lucky. we have 2 X 22.5k/l tanks one down low and now out of use, might have to buy water dunno? made sure all collection pipes and things secure, no leaks of any sort, sealed off diverters so they hold water, will empty as need be, but need water in tanks. also set up our 3 X 44 gal(imp) plastic drums at tank overflow, that will give us another about 1k/l of water for clothes washing and plants. would like 3rd tank but off the budget.

    teh gate honesty system collapsed in this secular world, more like gate dishonesty, from mushroom compost to pumpkins and potatos no roadsides anymore, just the remains of their stands. some sell from their house, but that is the sad state of our culture. first hand couple had potatos for sale 2 grades, put shopping bag in bucket and then the full bucket either $1 or $2, just south of mary-b, we were there filling bucket to rules of the cheapies (get more to the bucket) when along trundles a sparky from near centre took a bag filled bag (no bucket) with the premium spuds, then dropped $1 dollar in honour box not $2 but he had nearly 2 buckets of spuds, just looked at us and grinned then 'U' turned back toward near centre. the mushroom bloke even had strong steel money box firmly cemented in place because they used to steel that then he put camera up because they were not paying for all the compost they took, in the end he gave up.

    for me as much as we could use a few shillings, wouldn't entertain the idea, we give our excess away least we know where it is going. the stuff people pinch probably ends up in fruit and veg stalls at weekend markets.

    len
     
  8. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    Hi all, thanks for the replies! Really sorry to hear that the rain has been too scarce on parts of the eastern seaboard. We are having quite a good season this year and are really thankful. Also, we have very good bore water too which we use mostly but would like to reduce reliance on that.
    I will have to report back in a few months re the gate honesty system, but I am quite hopeful. Our crime rate here whilst not non-existent is very low. Can't remember the last house burglary or car theft and no-one ever locks their homes around here. Stealing from an unmanned produce stand is very 'easy' if one has the slightest inclination to do so but I think my bigger challenge will be that living out on a country road lots of the passing motorists already grow their own! Will have to wait and see. We will also give some surplus away to friends and family. My dear other informs me that next year we are going olive picking for a weekend on a farm owned by our sister-in-law's brother in exchange for a good supply of olive oil! Sounds like fun! I love bartering/swapping stuff, we need to do a lot more of that.
     
  9. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    Have sourced some ducks - Indian Runners - a mature pair and some ducklings!! Very excited....picking up tomorrow arvo. :)
     
  10. annette

    annette Junior Member

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    Oh I love Indian runners! They are so funny to watch. Love their water too. Have fun with them. I miss my ducks.
     
  11. juhill

    juhill Junior Member

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    Spring may have sprung but I am worried that most of the things I've planted may be wiped out by frost later this week they are forecasting 3°C which makes for us about -2°. I'd like some rain about 5-10mm would be fine at least then I will be able to stay home not move to Brisbane to stay with the son, we probably have enough water for 5 days they forecast of rain Thursday. We have a dam here and we are using that water for flushing the loo and just keeping the garden alive but it is going down very fast.
     
  12. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    Hi juhill! Reading about others' water woes makes me realise how lucky we are here! I really hope you get some good rain soon.
    We get frosts here very late - we have had frost in December (although not common) and can also have scorching days then too which makes it very tricky. Can't plant frost tender stuff out 'til late Oct/Nov. Making use of the greenhouse as much as possible to get tomatoes, cucumbers, squash etc going.
    My other half just informed me after his vegie garden walk around this morning that the quinoa I sowed has germinated. First time trying it and just a test patch, but have high hopes!
     
  13. juhill

    juhill Junior Member

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    Water is a real pain... 2 years ago we thought it would never stop raining, after the January 2011 floods we were walking around for 6 months on soggy wet soil, all the flooding and damage caused has made everything so hard to do, we can't even buy in water as we can't get a tank to put it in, we've managed with 2500gal storage for several years have been saving like maniacs now that the 2000gal tank has split across the bottom we are down to what is left in the 500gal which isn't much.
     
  14. annette

    annette Junior Member

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    Hi juhill

    Could you get someone to weld it? It was supposed to rain here today but no sign of it. I'm on my last water too. If it doesn't rain by Friday, I'm donning the feathers and turquoise and doing a dance. Below is a link to a solitary rain dance.:) :giggle:

    https://www.mcpasd.k12.wi.us/kms/weiss/Semester2/pageskr04/index.html
     
  15. juhill

    juhill Junior Member

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    I wouldn't bother trying to weld it as it has rust half way up it but at least for a while it held about 1000gal, I'm waiting till DH gets some help and we are going to chop it up and make raised beds for out in the food forest. Just been looking at some tanks that we can get over the gully and put one where the old one was saves a lot of work with all the plumbing in place.
     
  16. pippimac

    pippimac Junior Member

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    mouseinthehouse, here's a thread I started about bees; there's some info in there about using Langstroth boxes as Warres: https://www.permies.com/t/12662/bees/top-bar-hives-questions#115123
    I just met a guy who catches swarms, which brings my bee fantasy closer to reality:clap:
    Varroa has pretty much wiped out wild and naturally-managed hives here, so a swarm from a good strong hive is vital.
    And spring is definitely springing over here!
    The spring Norwest gales have been driving me bonkers, but the still days are spectacular.
    My young fruit trees have decided this is the year to really get going; I hope the bumblebees are up to the task, because there's no honeybees until I get it together...
    The globe artichokes are...choking...and the soldier poppies are coming out and...
     
  17. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    So I picked up my ducks yesterday and they are settling in to their new home. I have never had ducks before so am a bit anxious that everything goes ok. Their pen which is actually an aviary is about 4m long x 2.5 wide and about 2m high. They have a sheltered area at one end which I put a little partition across to give a more enclosed, cosy space and put a couple of tyres there filled with hay. Also covered the whole sheltered part of the ground with hay. Gave them duck crumbles on a large terracotta saucer, a heavy water dish and they have a pond at one end. Was very worried that the 4 ducklings would have trouble in the pond as it has no shallow end, so put some bricks stacked up against one side and a heavy mesh seedling tray basket turned upside down against the other side to act like a ladder. So far so good. The ducklings are not tiny - stand about 20cm high. They are skittish at the moment and very nervous of me so just letting them settle and taking care to move very quietly about when in their enclosure. At this stage will probably leave them locked in for a couple of weeks before letting them out to free range.

    Spring has disappeared here these last two days. Yesterday, mid afternoon it was 8.8 degrees! This morning the wind is bitterly cold. Although warmer weather is on the horizon for the weekend - might actually get something done!
     
  18. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Up this way we skipped spring and went straight into hot summer days. It looks like it is trying to rain today.... Fingers crossed - not much water left in my tanks.
     
  19. juhill

    juhill Junior Member

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    I don't know where I am..... we've had temps in the mid to high 30's this week and today flat out making 20° and tonight forecast of 3°C which means a frost for us...... did I move to Melbourne?????
    We've had a bit of rain and the new tank has some water in it which means I wont have to move down to Brisbane for a while, we were down to about 3 days worth of water left.
     
  20. Grahame

    Grahame Senior Member

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    We had 31mm last week, after a dry period and some 30C days. Today we have had some serious downpours and it's cold. 45 minutes down the road had next to nothing today. It's very springlike here.
     

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