Freebie e-book!

Just a quick one tonight, we’re still in party mode here.  Two down and one to go.  All I’m asking is please, please universe let the rain hold off;  I cannot contain 10 boys in this tiny house.  Oh no!

……………….

Do you have an online business that needs some help or you have an idea, but need help to make it… work?  Leonie, from Goddess Guide book is offering for FREE her “How To Be A Biz + Blog Star e-book”

Full of brilliant advice and tips to get your business flowing.  So click away cause this baby is free!

Encouraging Wildlife

The raised beds here at Little Farm are completely enclosed.   see here for more details  Because of this Worms cannot enter the gardens.  In the first years, worms numbers were low.  A few came within the soil from here, but numbers weren’t enough to sustain a healthy soil.  But I’ve since managed to increase the number of worms in the gardens!

Soil is worm food, a good soil means good worm food.  To create this ‘good food’ I began by only using organic products.  Blood and bone, organic dynamic lifter, compost and my ‘homemade’ chicken poo.  It’s dug in, to get as much ‘organic matter’ into the soil.  Soil Microbes are found within all soils and they will begin the breaking down process, but add worms to the mix and it will happen faster.

With the soil fed, it’s time to look to the worms.  How exactly did I get worms?  Anytime we dug in the ground, it rained or lifted rocks and garden edging, we found worms.  These worms went straight into the gardens.  Instant worm number boost.

This happened over a period of a few years.  And now there are worms in abundance.   Another way to encourage worm wildlife is to use compost worms.  Normally these worms are kept within a wormfarm system.  I’ve had varied rates of success with worm farms, most end with the death of worms as I’ve forgotten to feed them!  One method I’ve wanted to try is worm farming within the garden beds.  Inserting a tube, with holes drilled into it, in the ground, add worms along with a few good handfuls of worm ‘food’.  A bucket with a lid and the bottom cut off works a treat.  The idea behind this method is the worms will leave the tube dispersing their casting within the soil and will return to the tube to feed.  Has anyone had any experience with this method?

Happy Worm Farming!

Pumpkin time again

After our massive haul of pumpkins last year, I was buzzing with excitement to discover self-seeded seedlings popping up early last summer.

As last years pumpkins, these seedlings were growing in a blue pot = portable.  Great as I really didn’t want them taking over the yard again.  So off the pot went across the yard (via a bag trolley) hopefully to grow us many pumpkins….  under the clothes line.

Under the clothes line really is dead space.  For years now I’ve meant to dig out the garden, erm yes there was a garden there oh about 5 years ago.  And in this garden I would plant a great drift of lavender, the washing would gently brush over the bushes and smell delicious.  Yeah, It’s on my list.

Instead of lovely lavender, my washing has been drying daily over the pumpkin vine.  Over the grass, up the fence and the neighbours shed the vine grew, Oh I had high hopes of a bumper crop similar to last years.

Fast-forward to May 2012 the nightly chill has set in and the soil is rapidly cooling.  The vine is slowly dying back to show her bounty of 3 pumpkins.  What only 3/  Let’s have a closer look….  Yep just 3 of the buggers.  I cannot express how disappointed I am.  10 maybe 15, not to be greedy.  But 3?

These babies shall be rationed out s.l.o.w.l.y I tell you.

under construction

Things are looking a little funky at the moment, please stick with me for the next few days, as outside blogland things are going to be crazy (I’m turning into party central!)

So between parties and a fabulous dinner with girlfriends, I will be enjoying the lovely chilly weather that has rolled in and wish you all

Happy Gardening!

 

In the Garden

Out In the garden …

::  I’m Love, Loving the very late season cucumbers.  It’s always surprising how far I can push plants into the next ‘season.’  With frost expected early next week, I will pick the last of the cucumbers later  today.  Along with the basil and lettuce.

::  Lots of volunteer lettuce have popped up in my carrot rows.  These tiny lettuce will be eaten whole.  With the last of the cucumber, the last 6 cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar it can be a  ’Last hurrah to summer salad…’

::  Finally the Calendulas are flowering.  Once there is sufficient blooms I will be making this lotion/ salve.  I.can.not.wait!

::  The back verandah and herb garden are looking miserable. *Sigh*  Some days I need to split myself into 2.  But with a few spare hours this weekend, I will be sweeping, scrubbing, weeding and planning.  Oh the plans I have for this little area!  A Big white table, water feature, rock edging and flowers for winter colour.

::  And finally here is Max sporting a Mama made PJ top (that he refused to take off for a whole day) and his version of smiling for the camera!  It still surprises me he is 26 months old already, how time flies.

{this moment}

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  www.soulemama.com

A Newly Hatched Praying Mantis Baby about to be released into the garden!  This is our almost-9yr-old proudly showing it off after waiting 3 weeks for them to hatch!

papergirl Toowoomba

Gosh how did I miss this?  How much fun would it be to be involved in this project?  I think it maybe time to dust off my brushes and whip up a work….   You can find more information about papergirl Toowomba here or try a search engine to see if there is a papergirl project near you!

Paper Girl is participatory, analogue, non-commercial and impulsive.  It is a worldwide art initiative that can involve anyone – including you!  It’s about bringing art to the public, surprising people in their daily lives.  
Paper Girl is an art project that was started in Berlinby Aisha Ronniger and is now initiated worldwide.  It consists of exhibitions, workshops and a distribution campaign where works donated by artists are handed out to the public at random in the style of a paperboy run.

  • Anyone can be involved by either submitting artwork or writing, or helping to distribute the works via bicycle.
  • Paper Girl is distributed like a newspaper, but not edited or printed.  The works are artistic originals, which are rolled up. Contributions can be submitted by mail or in person to the host of that project.  Each work is unique, whether it be originals, prints, photographs, copies or writing – as long as it can be rolled up.
  • The distribution of the works is an integral part of the project.  Works must be delivered by volunteers riding on bicycles, who ride through the designated route and throw the works out at random to people in the street.  The receiver is left up to chance, as there is no time for stereotyped thinking in selecting the recipients.

*Information taken from http://www.madecreativespace.com/papergirl-twmba.html

Planting Garlic

It seems it was only  a few months ago I was pulling my bumper crop of garlic.  Yet it is that time again for sowing garlic.  This year I feel that I’m planting late, but with such wacky weather lately I decided it was best to wait until the autumn chill rolled in.  (We were having 28C days!) 

Last week the weather finally begin to feel right and I noticed a few of the garlic bulbs beginning to shoot – a sure sign it was time.  This year I’ve decided 3 square metres of garlic maybe a bit too much.  Instead I am planting out 1m for our use and 1m for selling or gifting.

A few garlic planting tips:  Don’t try to grow foreign grown garlic it’s been treated and won’t grow.  Try farmers markets or look for ‘Australian Grown’   Select the biggest fattest cloves in the bulb, the tiny centre ones will grow, however they won’t produce lovely fat bulbs.  Check your pH garlic likes a fairly neutral soil of 6.5.   Plant the pointy bit up and if you have children helping check the bulbs before you cover them.  Finally full sun, water and wait

Happy Gardening

Chill in the Air

Oh finally the balmy evenings are slipping into the cooler nights of winter!  Hurrah.  Out in the garden rather late garlic has gone in, along with peas, snow peas, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflowers and more carrots.  The gardens are filling up with winter plants.  And the trees are beginning to cover the yard with leaves.  It won’t be long until the oak tree looks like this.

And in slightly more exciting news my laptop is fixed!   YAY!

Happy Gardening!