May 2011 - The Veggie Garden-Cottage Garden

Well finally after carting over tons of Horse manure from a neighbour, adding gypsum and cow manure and a dash of rabbit poo and then letting the rain do it's job, more turning and breaking down the horse manure - someone please remind me to mow the darn stuff first to make it little more fine and workable next time I do this!!!
It's ready! One more rake over with he metal rake and ready for planting, all aligned with the moon planting guide all set!

Ive planted some red onions a couple of weeks ago for this season as they did well last year, Carrots, Turnips a special thin sort though more like a Carrot, a red Turnip also long and thin, Broccoli, loads of it, Rocket, Cress, gourmet Lettuce and some White Pak Choy and snow pea's. Many have been planted as seeds so won't see much action for awhile in this cold weather.

Also planted a few Polyunthus flowers for the front and need to plant up some pansies in some hanging baskets, and that's pretty much my Winter planting done.

I brought some Daffodils to plant after being thoroughly sure I planted and entire 2 beds last year after being really impressed with a friends Daffodils she grows in wine barrels. They never came up, Jordan my eldest son tells me my free ranging rabbit went around and systematically ate every single one as they came up and the tuber!!!! So this year he is I am desperately hoping he will stay in the back paddock to do his free ranging and I can actually grow some! Otherwise I may have to invest in some small wine barrels myself that are too tall for bunnies to raid!

News From the Rabbi try - we had 8 about 9 weeks ago some lovely kits born as Ive mentioned they are all in loving new homes now, which is fantastic, Siam is looking to mate again, I am fairly sure I will be only be breeding twice a year from the Does so she's going to have to wait awhile.

Soon I need to go and poach some leaves from the gutter, sounds awful but we have massive old street trees here in Ballarat and although I live in a very old street this was the miners cottage part of Ballarat and we don't have the lovely large old trees so I need to travel to central Ballarat and find a nice old large tree to rake and take - I always ask the owner first - they generally look at me like I am nuts, can live with that, lol, then the kids and I all help to get at least 4 large garbage bags of leaves for the compost bins. I have this feeling that oak leaves are the best for composting but its something I learnt during Horticulture and I can't remember why that was - maybe some research to do prior to collecting! A subject for the next blog!!