Today's Harvest - Friday 28th May 2010

It's definitely no longer summer. We have the ugg boots on (even during the day) and an extra quilt on the bed. It has rained for the last 3 weeks and the day time temperature is around the 20oC mark (or a bit below).


If it wasn't for the rain preventing me from getting into the garden more, I think we would still be really productive. Who would have thought I'd have tomatoes ripening on the vine at the end of May (this is my second crop planted at the end of summer).

Here is my harvest today:



3 x eggs
3 x beetroot
5 x radish (1 x purple and 4 x white)
Lots of tomatoes (I try to pick them as they start to ripen to prevent the bugs getting to them).
As well as some greens and herbs for lunch and dinner.

Accepting Nature into the Backyard - All of it.

We tidied an area along the side of the back yard on the weekend. We removed all the pots, swept and then re-arranged them to create a more open area of paving next to the BBQ area (which is on the right of the photo below).

We were hanging some wall pots to the lattice under the pergola and I look up and just above my head are two huge huntsman spiders.

After making a ridiculous noise and making sure I wasn't covered in spiders, Mr Berry and I move to the other side of the pergola and began to hang another pot. Just as Mr Berry lifts the pot up, an even bigger huntsman crawls up over the back of the pot and straight towards him.

To illustrate the magnitude of the situation, arrow 1 is pointing at the first huntsman incident. Arrow 2 is pointing at the pot involved in the second huntsman incident. I am sure you are not surprised that the second pot did not get hung.

Yep, ew.

I did not take photos, nor am I going to search the web for photos of a huntsman (you can do that yourself). I am still feeling all crawly just writing this. Seriously, they were huge. The one that came out of the pot must have been a girl spider. She was at least 50% bigger than the other two, especially in the body.

To lighten the mood and wait for the adrenaline rush to subside, Mr Berry and I discussed whether the two boy spiders were hanging around waiting for the girl spider to, you know..... Which then led to the question of whether girl huntsmans eat the boy huntsmans after doing the deed. Which then led to a series of other questions; are the boy huntsmans going to fight it out for mating privileges and if they do and she will eat the successful suitor, would the winner or the loser of the fight have to go forth and multiply? etc etc. Finally, we calmed down and the questions got a bit more mature. And we headed inside to our old faithful, Google.

We learnt that most web pages gloss over the actual mating ritual (who'd have thought?) but the girls are protective of not only the eggs but also the babies (how cute). Huntsman spiders will not kill you (contrary to our reaction, we did know this already) and won't usually bite, but if they do it will hurt like buggery but you'll be fine in a couple of days. Also, a lot of types of huntsman are pretty social and can hang out together.

The most important thing though, is the benefit huntsmans can have in your garden. They eat a lot of pests including cockroaches, and are eaten by lizards and birds. Which as much as my scalp is tingling at the thought of them, whether they are the eater or the eatee I win both ways.

In building our backyard, we hope to encourage local wildlife to visit. I love watching the little skinks, ladybirds, local birds and the many insects that are beginning to frequent our backyard, but I must admit that spiders were not on the list of things I wanted to encourage. But, without them there would be a gap in the food chain and one more reason for the birds and lizards to stay away. If I want the pretty feathered creatures than I must accept the horrible hairy ones too. Nature is both of those things and each is as important as the other.

So, before you get your fences sprayed and knock down every spider web in your yard. Think of the important role they can play and try to come to terms with accepting all of nature, not just the cute bits.

In the meantime, I am a long way off not panicking at the sight of a large spider and inside the house is still off limits to them. (Any found inside are met with a big, heavy shoe - although a shoe would've just bounced off these three.) And I am staying clear of that area of the yard for a while - perhaps till Christmas - who knows. It's one think to be accepting of nature, it's another to comfortably play alongside it.

This entire area is off limits until I no longer have the heebie-jeebies or unless someone is with me (Miss Berry doesn't count).

Before Shots - The Front Garden

I have just realised how long it's been since I last posted. I really need to get my butt back into gear. All our time is spent on the house and garden at the moment. There are so many things to get done but I am beginning to feel we are making some progress, even if the list grows longer each day.

Here are some before shots of our front yard.

This is from the footpath. We had started to clean up the front (hence the green bin and rake) when I remembered to grab the camera. The trees at the front are mainly lilly pillys but we think they are going to need replacing in order to make a hedge. They have been neglected for too long and there are huge gaps in the branches right where the hedge should be. They are a beautiful variety (not sure of the name yet). The new growth is pink. The two palms are going though.

I am standing on the driveway here. We are trying to coax the box hedge back and I think it is beginning to work. The little grassed bit will eventually be replaced with garden. There is also some lovely old stone edging under the grass that we will rescue and reuse for the garden edging.

This is from the porch. We have a huge front porch that will be lovely and cool in summer as it misses out on the afternoon sun. Not sure what pot plants I can put there though. You can get a better idea of the grass area here. My plan for the front garden is a mix of native and traditional cut flowers. I think I will keep the backyard as the productive area.

Starting on the Back Yard

I have just gone through my photos and realised I don't really have a complete before shot of the back yard - oops.

Here is the best photo I can find (at least it has the area we began work on).

Our backyard is basically edged with weeds that have become trees or shrubs, ten ill-placed pines down one side, a sterile mulberry tree and a camellia. All of which have been left to go nuts. That's just two sides of the yard. The other side has a shed (yeah!) a pergola and a beautiful old frangipani tree that has paving right up to the trunk. There isn't any grass in the middle, just a few weeds and dirt.

The great thing about this is that we can pretty much design the garden ourselves. I am working on a design and I will post it as soon as I can figure out how to.

Yesterday, Mr Berry started on clearing the backyard. There were seven (yes seven) small pines planted along the north-eastern fence (there are still four absolutely huge ones there blocking a lot of the morning sun - they need a professional). Seriously, they were about 70cm apart - who would do that? They were chopped off and mulched. It took just about all day but by nightfall this is what remained:

I don't know if you can see the stumps at the back. Mr Berry only had time to get three of them out. Around the trees was full of Wandering Jew so we needed to do as much weeding as possible before lifting the stumps.

And, all seven trees were turned into this:

Not even a cubic metre of compost. I was sure I would have enough for a hot compost pile. I haven't checked the pile yet to see if it is heating up at all. If it's still cold by lunch time I will pile it into my smaller bin and start it cold composting.

Now that the sun can get to the ground there, we are going to make an interim veggie patch. In the long run I want a mandala garden for the veggies but that will take some time.

-------------------------------------------------------

And a big Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there. I am lucky to have my Dad and Miss Berry feels the same way.

Rhonda from Down to Earth wrote a post earlier in the year that reflects my thoughts on Father's Day.

It's true, the boys are often lurking in the background of the blogs and we get glimpses of them now and then. In reality, Mr Berry is the opposite. He is at the forefront of our family, supporting, guiding and following. He is my team member, and makes up for my weaknesses and helps my strengths to grow. Thank you Mr Berry for being a wonderful husband and father. I love you.

Permaculture St George

After months of searching, I finally found the details for a local permaculture group (turns out I had the wrong name, duh).

So tonight I went to my first meeting. I had a great time and went home with lots of food for though as well as an aloe vera cutting and some cos lettuce seeds. They meet each month and membership seems to also include some other bonuses such as LETS membership.

Here is the web site if you are interested and live in the southern Sydney area:

http://permaculturestgeorge.ning.com/


On the weather front - it is freezing. Who would have thought the beginning of winter could be so cold. Was it like this last winter? Each summer I believe it will never again be cold and each winter I believe it will never again be hot.

On the way home tonight the car registered the outside temperature as 9oC and this morning Miss Berry's room was 13oC. I think I might make more of a note of the temperature in this blog so I can look back next year and compare the temps. It has also been pretty windy. We haven't had any rain for a week or so and the wind has really dried everything out - I must water this weekend.

Thankfully we don't get frosts in this area. Although the veggies have slowed down I can still plant throughout the winter without worrying about frost damage.

Thriftyness Here We Come

We are reasonably new to the art of thrifty-ness but I think we reached a milestone yesterday. We were driving home and I spied some polystyrene boxes on the side of the road.

Perfect.

We are renting at the moment and our lease is coming up for renewal soon. I didn't want to plant my garlic and leeks in the garden just in case we move before harvest time - they are too valuable to leave behind. I already had two polystyrene boxes which I filled with white garlic but I needed more boxes and I was planning on making a trip to the local grocer to see what they do with their polystyrene boxes.

Polystyrene boxes I planted white garlic in - if all goes well I will have about 25 bulbs comes spring.

The point being, I made asked Mr Berry to pull over and put the hazard lights on as I jumped out and put the boxes in the boot. We got home and I gave them a bit of a clean and they are now ready for my leeks and probably a few onions.

There is something really satisfying about reusing items - especially when you have saved it from being rubbish (or even better when you have cleaned up the roadside). I could have just gone and bought some plastic pots at the nursery or even at the local discount store. That would have been easier and quicker - I have been on the lookout for some boxes for about three weeks - but the satisfaction I get from sourcing the boxes in a frugal and environmentally responsible way is huge.

Although we have been moving towards living consciously, frugally and sustainably, it wasn't until I was able to pick something off the side of the road that I really felt like we will get there.

As long as we don't get run over first.

Erratic Gardening

Over the past 2 months I seem to be having bad luck in the garden, or perhaps just not a lot of good luck is a better description. My seeds seems to have a very low germination rate and yet I know the seeds themselves are good because when I resow them in punnets they all germinate (and I mean all) but they are now taking their time to get any further.

Except for the radishes. They are just going nuts - like they are on plant steroids.

I have spent this week trying to really look after my seedlings. Making sure they don't dry out, stroking them whilst singing gently lullabies - you get the picture.

I have also taken a trip to the library and I think I have found my life saver.

The Permaculture Home Garden by Linda Woodrow.

Not only is this book about organic gardening but she also gives you a great garden design as well as ways to manage your garden. Her techniques re-use a lot of materials so it is very cost effective and has a very low impact on the environment.

The first technique I am going to adopt is keeping a garden diary. I have a notepad that I occasionally scribble things into but it really isn't very useful. Instead I am going to start a new blog over the long weekend so I can track what I plant when and what I harvest when, any problems I encounter and also any major successes I have.

Linda also suggests using lunar planting as a management tool as well as increasing the germination rate and success of the plants. I will head to the library to see if there are any books on the subject, but I am sure I can also find a wealth of information on the net too. She points out that by having set days when you sow certain seeds and do certain jobs, you can prevent that overwhelming feeling you sometimes get when think about all the things that need to be done in the garden.

The entire book is full of great ideas and I was inspired from start to finish. I am determined to get organised in the garden and improve our productive-ness. I am sure it won't happen in one season, the nature of gardening being slow and steady, but I think that is also part of the joy I get from gardening.

I will check in once my garden diary is up and running. If anyone has any suggestions though, I would really appreciate the help.

From Seed to Seed – February

As I mentioned earlier, I have taken up Melinda’s growing challenge.

I grew some veggies last year and over summer I tried a few varieties using heirloom seeds. This season I have even more heirloom varieties to try and also to save their seed to use next year.

I thought I would post a round up at the end of each month (or beginning of the following month if I am really slack) to summarise what I have been up to in the garden as well as a brief list of things to do over the next month.

If you are interested in joining the challenge or want to check out what other participants are up to, visit One Green Generation for the links.

Currently sowing
Corn Salad, Radicchio pallla rosa early, Mesclun Lettuce mix, Beetroot Melbourne early slowbolt, Cauliflower phenomenal early, Cabbage red dutch, Valerian.
Newly Planted
Dwarf Sweet Peas, Purple Basil, Thai Basil,
Harvesting
Capsicum, Cherry Tomatoes, Chamomile, Sweet Basil,
Seed Saving
Lettuce x 2 (I knew I should have marked what types they were when I planted them – all I know is that they are yummy!), Agapanthus

These are my current seeds I am saving. I chopped the heads off at the end of flowering and I am letting them dry in the garage. Hopefully, they will be successful.

To Do

• Plant out lavender, chervil, pennyroyal, and beetroot seedlings.
• Remove the last of the Lazy housewife beans from the trellis and compost soil to prepare for sweet peas.
• Continue preparing the rest of the garden beds for the winter crop.
• Look at seed saving for chamomile, borage and tomato.
• Sow next batch of winter veg.
• Figure out when and how to harvest the Rosella (pictured below)
  

Commonsense in the Garden

Now that the weather has improved (not that I don’t love and appreciate the rain – but it does hinder my time in the garden), I have been outside the past few days weeding, sowing, preparing beds and cleaning. I was tidying up an area with lots of pots down the back of the garden when one of the biggest red back spiders I have seen came crawling out from between the pots.

There was a pot in the space in the photo, that is where the spider was living.

His body was about the size of my thumb, which for my overseas friends is big. I won’t show you any pictures of him because photos of spiders give me the heebie-jeebies and also because when I saw him, I grabbed my weapon of choice – the back of my shovel– and mooshed him. For the record, red backs are extremely easy to moosh (their bodies must be soft) but can play dead so you need to see guts to make sure they really are dead.

I am not trying to scare you away from your garden or make your skin crawl, but I would like to highlight the importance of taking some safety measures. There are some creatures that do have the potential to kill you and they can be found in the average Sydney backyard, the main two are the red back spider and the funnel web spider (the funnel web being by far the more deadly of the two but thankfully I have not seen one except in captivity). There are also some very dangerous snakes like the king brown and they can come into backyards that are close to bush land. The Berry Patch is well and truly plonked in the middle of suburbia and is not likely to get any snakes, thankfully.

Still, commonsense can reduce the chances of being bitten. Simple precautions like always wearing protective shoes (I have been very lax in this – way too hot for my gumboots at the moment) and leather gloves. It also isn’t particularly smart to stick your hand into small places that can be a favourite for spiders or snakes. Also for the record, I did not do that when I met my red back spider. I was moving the pots with my shovel to check for spiders before lifting them.

It’s not just the deadly creatures either. Even crickets can give a nasty bite if you are digging around in the ground barehanded. Blue tongue lizards are another than can really hurt and the bite can easily become infected. Then there are rose thorns and other spines on plants that can cause damage. All of these things can be avoided by using proper gloves.

There is also the sun to consider – perhaps that can be the most deadly. Covering up, wearing a hat and sunscreen are a must for most of the year.

It sounds dangerous doesn’t it? The reality is that other than skin cancer, life threatening happenings are extremely rare. It should not mean that we throw caution to the wind though. All it takes is a bit of common sense and the flat side of a garden shovel within easy reach at all times.

On a less creepy note, here is what I have been doing in the garden.

Here are red cabbage seeds I planted in punnets on the weekend.

Here is my purple basil and thai basil seedlings. I sowed too many seeds but couldn't bring myself to only use some of them so they will become a border in the front garden. To the left of them you can see some dwarf sweetpea seedlings.

The Growing Challenge – Seed To Seed

I have decided to take part in a couple of challenges this year to help inspire and motivate me. The first of these challenges is Melinda’s New Growing Challenge – from Seed to Seed at One Green Generation.

Last year I began trying to grow the majority of our veggies and I am now ready to begin learning how to save seeds for the next season.

Here are the rules for the challenge (the italics come direct from Melinda’s blog):

1. Plant at least one new crop from seed, grow it organically, and save the seed to plant next year.
Well, I already am growing my veggies from seed. I use open pollinated/heirloom seeds from Eden Seeds. I am using organic methods so I can check that one off too (of course there is more about organic gardening I need to learn). I have so far saved 2 types of seeds from my summer harvest – lazy housewife beans and a small pumpkin (I forget the name of it and I have lost the tag. I know, rookie mistake).
2. Check in here when I post Seed To Seed or Challenge posts (more or less once/week). Or if you have your own blog*, you can write about your gardening there instead – or in addition. The point of #2 is to learn from one another, inspire one another, and build our growing community. So please share questions, thoughts, and discoveries as they come up.
I will of course be posting regularly about the challenge and commenting on One Green Generation.
3. Sign up in the comments below!
That’s not my comments but the comments on One Green Generation. Interested in signing up? Here is the link direct to Melinda’s post.

So, what have I been doing in the garden lately?

Here is a photo of the seeds I have saved so far. The lazy housewife beans are on the right and the dried pods are beans I haven’t taken the seeds out of yet. The seeds on the left are pumpkin seeds. I bought pumpkin the seedling at a local nursery and lost the tag so I am not sure if I have an heirloom variety or not. The pumpkins were so yummy and it was a lovely compact plant that I figured I would see what happens. Pumpkins grow so quickly that it won’t take long to see if any fruit form or not. I will either get yummy pumpkins or compost fodder.


Here is a lettuce that has gone to seed. I need to cut the top off and put it in a paper bag to collect the seeds.


My summer veggies are pretty much finished. That week of 40oC plus temperatures really knocked them about so all I have are a couple of lettuce plants that haven’t bolted and a few bunches of tomatoes. I have begun to prepare the beds as they empty with some chook manure, compost and some dried grass clippings for mulch. In a month or so I will begin planting my autumn crop.

I have written about my seed purchasing frenzy here. And here are some pics of the some of the seeds I sowed the other week (I got a bit impatient).

Thai Basil

Dwarf Sweet Peas

From the left: Purple Basil, Lavender, Pennyroyal, Chervil

Rain, Rain Go Away

Well not really, my garden is loving this rain.

We are now in the middle of a week of rain and the temperature has dropped to about 20oC. I can’t believe we are wearing trackies in February. (Super comfy though)
Even though it is now too wet to get into the garden, I will be out there as soon as the rain stops. It is so much easier weeding after rain.

In the meantime, I am working on the handmade items for the bushfire appeal. Here is a sneak preview.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Drowning in a Sea of Seeds

The nursery at Foxglove Spires sold Eden Seeds so I bought the rest of my seeds for autumn and winter.

Yes, I know there is a lot. Here is the list:

Veggies

Beetroot - Chioggia, Melbourne Early Slowbolt
Broad Bean Coles Dwarf
Broccoli - Chinese, Di Cicco early, Romanesco
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage - Michihli, Red Dutch, Cauliflower Phenomenal Early
Carrot - Royal Chantenay, Heirloom Mix from Diggers
Corn Salad
Kale Nero Di Toscana
Leek - American Flag, Musselberg
Lettuce Italian Lollo Mix from Diggers
Mesclun
Onions - Creamgold, Red Brunswick, White Lisbon
Parsnip Hollow Crown
Peas - Green Feast (Bush), Sugar Snap
Radicchio
Radish French Breakfast
Silverbeet Rainbow Chard
Snow Peas
Zucchini

Herbs

Basil - Dark Opal, Thai Siam Queen
Borage
Chervil
Chives - Onion
Coriander
Feverfew
Hyssop
Lemon Balm
Parsley
Pennyroyal
Tansy
Valerian

Flowers

(just cause they’re pretty)

Brachycome
Calendula
Echinacea Purpurea
Gerbera
Good Bug Mix from Green Harvest
Lavender
Nasturtium
Sunflower (may have to wait until spring though)
Sweetpea - Bijou Mixed, Painted Lady, Spencer Choice Mix

Obviously I am going to stagger the seed sowing so I don’t get a huge crop at once.
I am also going to try and save as many seeds as I can this year so that the majority of the following years seeds will come from my seed saving.

And here is today’s harvest

Pumpkin, Capsicum, Zuchini, Beans, Tomato, Chamomile and Borage

The Garden Clean Up

Yesterday Miss Berry spent the day with her Nanny and Poppy and Mr Berry and I got stuck into the back of the garden. Our yard had been neglected for about 5 years or so and when we moved in it was overgrown and full of weeds. We have slowly been clearing out sections and had left the worst til last.

This photo was taken a few months ago - we forgot to take a before shot yesterday

Here is a photo just after we started.

We were working on the area behind the veggie patch. We thought it was one big garden bed. Look what we found!

Who would have thought all this was under all those weeds. This house and garden must have been really loved once.

There was an orange tree under that jasmine.

As well as lovely neat edges around – well everything.

I also found these concrete pots – they weigh a ton but look like they have been hand decorated. I think I will put some colourful flowers in them.

There is still a lot left to do – we just cut down the growth in the beds and there is still the other half that needs cleaning.

I can’t wait to find out what is under this.

How Can a Zucchini Grow So Quickly?

I swear when I went to hang out the washing the other morning these were not there.

The zucchini plants had gone nuts and had tumbled onto the lawn and provided me with the biggest zucchinis I have ever seen. I am not sure what to do with these as I understand that the larger they are the less flavour they have. I will probably roast them.

It has been super hot lately and my garden has really suffered because of it. Mainly because it has been too hot for me to do any work in it. I have lost two of my tomato plants but have managed to pick a bucket load of green tomatoes before too much damage was done to them. I think my beans have suffered a bit too.

My zucchinis - the white marks on the leaves are powdery mildew

The zucchinis have some mildew on them and I am going to treat them with a milk spray. I haven’t done this before but you make a mix of 1 part milk to 9 parts water (don’t exceed 30% milk as it will have the reverse effect) and spray the mixture on both sides of the leaves and repeat weekly. Rain has been forecast today so I will wait until there isn’t a chance a rain before spraying them.

See the brown marks on the leaves? I think that is from too much sun.

Also, my strawberries are not doing too well. They are getting flowers but the fruit is not maturing. I think they are getting too much sun and it is burning them. I am thinking of moving them into pots and having them on the steps going to the yard from the back door. At least in pots I can move them if it gets too hot.

And of course the pumpkin (which I think is actually a triffid) is going strong. Mr Berry swore these two just fell off the vine when he walked past.

I am not sure when pumpkins are ripe and I vaguely remember reading about leaving them on the vine to dry out a bit – I will have to read up on it soon. I think I will cut up one of the picked pumpkins and see what it looks like inside.

And if it is ok – pumpkin scones. Yum!

Actually, I haven’t made pumpkin scones in years. They were the very first thing we made in Home Science in year seven (I am not sure what the equivalent of home science is now but it was the cooking/kitchen/household class). My mum is the scone making queen in our family. Her scones are so light and fluffy and wonderful that I haven’t wanted (or needed) to make normal scones for fear of ridicule, but I think pumpkin scones are different.

Right?

A Special Place

In today’s busy world, it is important to have a place you can go to relax and unwind. Somewhere you can sit with your thoughts, read a book, sew or just watch the world go by. I have found that one of the secrets to simple living is being able to slow down and enjoy the day rather than rush about ‘getting jobs done’. Having a special place can help me to slow down – especially when I get caught up in the day to day rush. I find that the more I rush, the more I seem to need to do and the more stressed I get.

So, I created my new special place on the weekend.

We have a little patio out the front that is sheltered from the road and the afternoon sun by a large, old camellia tree. The little garden was full of weeds and beyond that was the view of the neighbour’s wall but I could see it had potential.

I cleaned out the garden and planted some plants that will help to screen the brick wall and offer additional privacy.


A bit of a sweep and some tables and chairs and voila! A lovely area to sit back with a cup of tea and watch the world go by.

I was so inspired by my work that I decided to start a new project. I thought I would do a granny squares blanket for Miss Berry’s bed for winter. Granny Squares are perfectly portable and I can sit outside in the afternoon and crochet without worrying about getting my work dirty. What a great way to relax and unwind!

Who's That Eating My Tomatoes

Well it didn’t rain all weekend so I got a fair bit done in the garden.

Here is the veggie patch before the weekend:

And this is what it looks like now:

I put in some black russian and currant tomatoes along the back and cleaned up around the bed – I found another garden edge behind the bed too. I think I will have to get a whipper snipper out to clear that back area though.

I also staked my volunteer tomatoes using the weaving method (for want of a better term). I haven’t staked them like this before but I am hoping it will be neater than using a single stake. I am using the same method for the tomatoes I planted on the weekend.

I seem to have a ‘volunteer’ bed because two other plants have sprung up. I am not sure what they are but assume they are either pumpkin or zucchini. The one at the back has some flower buds on it so we will soon find out.

Today I went down to look at my grosse lisse tomatoes I planted a while back and something has eaten the fruit.

There was a green grub on one of the tomatoes but it fell off. I really don’t want to spray but don’t know what to do to keep them eating all my fruit. If anyone has any ideas I would be grateful. I just hope the grubs don’t eat all my hard work. I need to eat some too!

Bread and Biscuits

I have had a really slack week on the housework front and so yesterday I did all the housework. I usually like to spread the jobs over the week to keep the house looking somewhat respectable.

If I get everything done by Friday then nothing has to be done over the weekend and we can spend it as a family and do things we enjoy without having chores hanging over our head.

It wasn’t all hard work though, I did some baking in the morning so when Miss Berry went down for her nap I made myself a pot of tea and sampled my efforts.

Home baked bread with jam and oat and apricot biscuits

Both Mr Berry and Miss Berry have pretty much polished off all the bread I made yesterday so it looks like I will have to make some more. That’s the problem with taking the time to bake things – they get eaten!

Rain has been forecast all weekend but the sun is out at the moment and I am getting ready to venture into the garden and do some much needed weeding. I also have some winter vegies that are well and truly gone to seed and need to be pulled up.

When I am out the back my fingers just itch to pull up some of the many overgrown weeds we have. The back garden near the vegies is really overgrown and I don’t think it is safe for Miss Berry to go down there with me, so the weekends are the only time I can get stuck into it. Here is a picture of the area I am talking about.

Electricity and Water Update:

For the past 2 days our electricity usage has averaged 6.5kw and our hot water 8kw. This is down from 9kw each from the previous day. Our water usage has gone from 330L to 280L.
I thought we have been pretty good with our energy and water conservation but it just goes to show you that you can always do more if you try.

The big change we have made with our electricity use is to turn off the computer and any other appliances we can at the power point. Now the lady at the electricity company told me not to bother as it doesn’t save you much money over the year and maybe it won’t, but it has reduced our usage by 18%. We may have been a tad more diligent in turning off lights as well but it is still a huge reduction.

After reading the comments on my last water and electricity posting here, I had a look at the todae site that Sarah recommended – thanks Sarah!

Our toilet is very old and has a lever on the side rather than a button so I need to check that I can use a cistern weight but I have filled 2 soft drink bottles with water and placed them in the cistern (the cistern is so big that they are well away from any parts). This means that we are saving 3L every time we flush our toilet. It is making small changes like this that will add up to make the bigger savings.

Thank you to everyone for your comments and suggestions.