Daisy

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
391
Reaction score
842
Points
120
Location
Australia
We got 2 inches of rain yesterday! It was glorious! It is sticky and humid today but the flowers have come out in force and the garden is very happy.

I put the ducklings out the back again. The drake is in with them today as he is much happier when he is with the flock, and hasnt been aggressive with the babies. I found one big snail this morning and chucked it to mumma duck, so I hope it gets her in a snail hunting mood! I am sure there will be a few on the move today. None of the birds have been interested in their pellets so I hope that means they are filling up on bugs and slugs.

I trimmed a section of the hedges and a bit of the path around the carport. Took a bucket of rubbish out, a lot of the plastic garden edging has degraded so I pick it up as I see it. I am also rather near a highway so a lot of rubbish blows in to the yard. I can only pick up things off the ground when my neck and hips are co-operating and I have been working hard on my exercises to manage a clean up before winter.

A bunch more apples and nashis had dropped, they would have only dropped over night so I brought them in and am yet to wash them. I *may* make a nashi chutney but I have so much else to do. The apples are beautiful, much better than from the shop. I will have to see if I can make some room in the fridge so they keep a bit longer. I dont want to waste ANY!
 

frustratedearthmother

Sustainability Master
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
20,999
Reaction score
24,427
Points
453
Location
USDA 9a
Congrats on the rain! You did more than I did today. I walked past my raised beds and made sure the gate was shut to keep the dogs out - that's about it! One more cool front coming next week and I hope that's the last one. Then the gardening can really begin!
 

Lazy Gardener

Super Self-Sufficient
Joined
May 14, 2017
Messages
4,626
Reaction score
5,880
Points
292
Location
Central Maine, Zone 4B
I can only pick up things off the ground when my neck and hips are co-operating and I have been working hard on my exercises to manage a clean up before winter.

A bunch more apples and nashis had dropped, they would have only dropped over night so I brought them in and am yet to wash them. I *may* make a nashi chutney but I have so much else to do. The apples are beautiful, much better than from the shop. I will have to see if I can make some room in the fridge so they keep a bit longer. I dont want to waste ANY!

Can you improvise to make a "picker upper tool" to help you with some of that yard trash? Perhaps a stick with a nail cemented into the end? Or, one of these? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUKZN...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl


And, what, do tell... is a nashi?
 

Daisy

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
391
Reaction score
842
Points
120
Location
Australia
Can you improvise to make a "picker upper tool" to help you with some of that yard trash? Perhaps a stick with a nail cemented into the end? Or, one of these? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUKZN...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl


And, what, do tell... is a nashi?

I had a picker upper thingo but it broke last year. Amazon and the like do not deliver where I am, so I asked mum to get me one from the city. She'll be visiting in a few weeks so I am just going to wait it out til then. Its good motivation to keep doing the bendy exercises haha. Although I miss horseriding SO much because it kept me so strong. I feel so weak now days. Its awful. Even my hands struggled with the last one I had cos it had a squeeze trigger mechanism.

A nashi is an type of Asian pear. I loved eating them as a kid and knew they didnt grow huge here but mine are still on the tiny side, yet a little overripe when they drop from the tree. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrus_pyrifolia
I think I might have to go and pick whats left on the trees, with this rain they are all dropping anyway. I just wanted to have some left for mum, and its really unlikely I will have enough room in the fridge to store that long :( I think chutney might be the way to go for some, but I do not have good jar storage either. I am not planning another trip to the shops til she gets here so I cant buy any. Plus, the window on my car got stuck down after a random police breath test the other day, just in time for the rain!

Its only just gone 5am here, and the sun isnt up yet but todays plans are to trim a bit more from the hedge, move some stuff off the patio to the shed, chop a couple of those spikey berry bush branches down and move the bird food out to their coop.

Hope you all have a lovey day :)
 

more_frosting

Power Conserver
Joined
Feb 22, 2020
Messages
10
Reaction score
30
Points
48
Location
UK
We've had a lot of rain today, so everything is covered in mud. I only fed the chickens and topped up their water. Good news though, they've started to lay again. I was lucky to get 2-3 eggs a day a couple of weeks ago. Now I'm up to 5-7 eggs daily.
 

YourRabbitGirl

Lovin' The Homestead
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Messages
431
Reaction score
178
Points
80
Picked and ate some juicy rhubarb, scuffed up some weed seedlings out of the wood chips, fashioned a new garden gate out of an old section of picket fence.

It frosted heavy here last night and supposed to do it all again tonight, but nothing looks the worse for wear out there. The lettuce and other greens seem to love this cold weather, of course.
It's raining here so it actually helped me on the watering part. the flowers seem in bloom and the plants are sparkling, birds seem hiding because of the rain. so it's a little dull...
 

Daisy

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
391
Reaction score
842
Points
120
Location
Australia
Sunflowers are coming up all over the place. The ducklings are big enough to go into the open paddock now and I chucked the chooks out the front. I advertised the ducklings for sale online cos this property isnt big enough for 12 full grown pekins! Jenshen and Crowly the chickens are really getting on in age so I will be able to keep 2 of the ducklings to replace them.

I picked most of the apples, only a couple littleies left on the tree now. The pears will be ready very soon. I took a bag of fruit and limes to the pub last night but still have a lot of apples and nashis to deal with. I had to cut a little new holland honey eater out of the fruit nets. It flew away to nearby shelter so I hope it is ok. There is certainly plenty of feed in the garden for them.

I repotted some apple chamomile which was looking sad and chopped another section of the hedge. Im trying to destroy the marshmellow root and thistle seedlings as they appear. That rain brought everything up!

Later tonight I will pick some parsley and sunflower shoots for the bunnies dinner.
 

YourRabbitGirl

Lovin' The Homestead
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Messages
431
Reaction score
178
Points
80
Picked and ate some juicy rhubarb, scuffed up some weed seedlings out of the wood chips, fashioned a new garden gate out of an old section of picket fence.

It frosted heavy here last night and supposed to do it all again tonight, but nothing looks the worse for wear out there. The lettuce and other greens seem to love this cold weather, of course.
I noticed a lot of aloe vera plants almost dead, so I moved the others, and for those that have no way to be revived, I dumped them in the compost bin.
 
Top