Sometimes Gardening is Hard to Do...

It's been a weird, weird start to the spring season up here.  Let's just say we have had lots of rain.  Yay! 


The challenge has been that the amount of overcast days we have had has been unusually high.  Even the days that didn't rain have tended to be grey, grey, grey.  On top of that the days above 16C have been unusually low, and the result is that the garden is 4 weeks behind and counting.  


The problem with that is.. up here we are normally 4 weeks behind Melbourne.  Thus now we are effectively 8 weeks behind.  Since up here in the hills we are still regularly getting days in the teens rather than the 20's I am rather fearing for the fate of Tomato Season.  



So what happens when your garden is 8 weeks behind?
Your broad beans just start getting to size a usable size just when you need to rip everything out to plant your puny little tomato seedlings.  


Needless to say I procrastinated about making a decision on how to handle this.  The tomato seedlings rather than the tall robust specimens I am used to planting out are just throwing out their first true leaves at 16 weeks.  Being kind a reasonably motivated snail could probably sneeze in their direction and they will fold like a house of cards but the reality is if I wait another 4 weeks to put them out I will then be effectively 12 weeks behind.  The last time that happened I was pulling out green tomatoes at the end of the season never having had a ripe one off the bush.  



So I did it.  I grabbed the secateurs and pulled out half the broad beans.  Doing it almost made me cry.  I really enjoy broad beans.  More importantly my hopes and dreams over winter, when everything just stops, sit with those pillars of green reaching for the sky.  When those hopes and dreams only amount to 700g of beans it makes you doubt yourself a little.  


I know there is nothing that I could feasibly have done this season to give me my desired result but it doesn't stop it stinging a little.  Farming sometimes presents you with only unpalatable options.  Living with the seasons means that sometimes things just aren't going to come out my way.   I have to let that crop go and focus my energy on the potential ahead of me.  Planting diversely means something will thrive, awesome lettuce this year, and through that experience I will learn a little more.  That knowledge will give me the ability to cope a little better when the next challenge rolls round.

Mud Brick Palace Back To Basics - Week 47, Year 2

Sowing seed or Planting -

Sowing 

• 16 Cherokee Wax bush bean
• 25 Canelli bush bean
• 40 Kidney bush bean

Planting out

• Planted out the non astringent Persimmon

Harvesting

• 1 kg Artichoke
• 50g Lettuce
• 400g Broad Beans

Observing

• Had to sacrificially kull one of the stands of broad beans
• The sunflowers planted out down the bottom are doing well
• The blueberries have even set a little bit of fruit this year
• We are getting slammed by snails.. thankfully the ducks think it's Christmas
• It looks like it's going to be a touch and go season for hot weather veg this year so things are going out this week ready or not.....

Planning for The Future -

• Redesigned my weekly work plan
• Menu Plan
• Got sewing machine repaired
• Getting Camera repaired

Working for the Future -

• Cooked and froze artichoke hearts 
• Made 3 batches of soap for Christmas
• Cut out the bags for the market stall
• Finalised the Seedling C.S.A. Catalogue for Autumn( www.cultivatingabundance.com )

Building Community -

• Organising to disseminate seconds cherries around half of vic :-)
• Hosting Mt Districts meeting here on Thursday

Learn a new Skill -

• Tensioning my overlocker to cope with real cotton rather than polyester thread

Participant Posts
Tracy at Sunny Corner Farm - Monday Nov 15th
Thank you for nudging me to get the beans in the ground

The Project "Of Anyway"

Sharon Astyk over at Chantelains Keys and Science Blogs - Casaubon's Book has set us a challenge.  Our aim is to slowly but surely redesign our lives to allow us to move toward greater resilience both for now and in a less than certain future.

For me moving forward in small steps is the key to not ending up overwhelmed so here it goes.

During the next month I am committing to 

Domestic Infrastructure - these are the realities of home life, including making your home work better with less, getting organized, dealing with domestic life, etc...

• 2 hours of Decluttering
• Getting back on board with our weekly Meal plans (often make them seldom cook to them)
• Writing a daily goal plan each evening for the next day

Household Economy: Financial goals, making ends meet, saving, barter etc...

• doing at least 30 minutes per day on setting up the Seedling C.S.A. Autumn Catalogue until finished
• Draw up a course design for the Community house classes I want to run first term next year
• Finalise business plant barter by delivering the final round of Seedlings

Resource Consumption : In which we use less of stuff, and strive to live in a way that has an actual future.

• Finish the Freezer conversion(Electricity)
• 2 meals per week in the retained heat cooker (Electricity/Gas)
• Finish second wicking bed(Water)

Cottage Industry and Subsistence:: The things we do that prevent us from needing to buy things, and the things we produce that go out into the world and provide for others. 

• Finish Christmas Gift Soaps
• Start Seedlings for Altona Makers Market
• Finish reusable shopping bags for the Makers Market
• Work out family Christmas Hamper Contents
• Complete Summer garden plan

Family and Community: Pretty much what it sounds like. How do we enable those to take the place of collapsing infrastructure?

• Host Mt Districts Permaculture November Meeting
• Ring MF
• Touch base with (K, F, S,D)

Outside Work: Finding a balance, doing good work, serving the larger community as much as we can, within our need to make a living.

• Contact G or J and see if the Melton Sustainability group would like to have fliers represented on my Altona Market Stall

Time and Happiness: Those things without which there's really no point.

• Spend at least 2 hours in the garden
• Find out what it will cost to fix my Camera

Mud Brick Palace Back To Basics - Week 45, Year 2

Sowing seed or Planting -
Potting Up

• 10 Basil Napolitano
• 10 Basil Genovese
• 5 Purple Tomatillo

Planting out

• A helped me move and split strawberry plants currently located in a bed we are deconstructing

Observing

• The artichokes are on the move
• The largest of the broad beans are starting to become worth harvesting
• Raspberries in the Terracotta pot are doing well
• Loganberry is flowering madly

Planning for The Future -

• Redesigned my weekly work plan
• Menu Plan

Working for the Future -

• Reorganise and Catalogued lg chest freezer

Building Community -

• Attended Ranges Organic Growers Meeting
• Sent the seedlings out into the big wide world with their owners
• Sold a single bed to a friend looking encourage their child sleep independantly

Learn a new Skill -

• N/A

Participant Posts

Linda at Remote Treechanger - Sunday Oct 31st


Tracy at Sunny Corner Farm - Monday Oct 27th