Oh a garden for us to wreck? What fun we'll have - notI love my old pitchfork. It's helped me to dig up some really bad soil in the past. Here on the farm the soil is rock hard clay and not much else. Topsoil barely gets a look in. Five years ago the old pitchfork was used to create a fantastic vegetable garden. For two summers the kids and I ate very well from that wonderful garden - then I started working again. Say goodbye to time for anything least of all the gardens. Everything went to the weeds and not much else. A couple of weeks back though I decided it was time to resurrect that old garden once more.
After several doses of glyphosphate the weeds finally gave up trying to grow back and breathed their noxious last - clearing the way for me and Mr Pitchfork to start ripping out the dried dead remains of Miss Californian Thistle 2009 and her deceased friends. Underneath is actual soil? A couple of years of potato growing helped a lot and loads of horse and cow manure added in as well improved the horrible clay no end. I'm still digging it over as you can see in the photo. It's not a small area either. Once it's all done and the ground is all turned over and fertilised I'll be rigging a six wire electric fence around it to keep the chickens and the turkeys out. Maggie is still trying to get into the other much smaller garden but is slowly but surely getting the message. Fence bites stay out chicken. Mr Screech won't be able to eat the garden either. He's cunning and waits now until dark to eat the plants. I haven't been able to get a photo of him lately the kids keep chasing him is why - he picks on the cats a lot so the kids get mad at him.
These two have found out all about Mr Screech and his big snappy beak. Yowie and Saaquatch are now three months old and causing twice as much trouble. They're headed back to the vets this week for their last vaccinations then in April they'll be having another appointment to get fixed. Cats and kittens are a big No No here on the farm. They all get desexed. Kaite and Buffy my Mum's two kittens will be done at the same time. I'm still convinced this farm has become an insane asylum. Six cats causing havoc around here? Enough said. I'll leave you with those two above after they had a wonderful time tearing up my sofa.
Oh a garden for us to wreck? What fun we'll have - not
After several doses of glyphosphate the weeds finally gave up trying to grow back and breathed their noxious last - clearing the way for me and Mr Pitchfork to start ripping out the dried dead remains of Miss Californian Thistle 2009 and her deceased friends. Underneath is actual soil? A couple of years of potato growing helped a lot and loads of horse and cow manure added in as well improved the horrible clay no end. I'm still digging it over as you can see in the photo. It's not a small area either. Once it's all done and the ground is all turned over and fertilised I'll be rigging a six wire electric fence around it to keep the chickens and the turkeys out. Maggie is still trying to get into the other much smaller garden but is slowly but surely getting the message. Fence bites stay out chicken. Mr Screech won't be able to eat the garden either. He's cunning and waits now until dark to eat the plants. I haven't been able to get a photo of him lately the kids keep chasing him is why - he picks on the cats a lot so the kids get mad at him.
These two have found out all about Mr Screech and his big snappy beak. Yowie and Saaquatch are now three months old and causing twice as much trouble. They're headed back to the vets this week for their last vaccinations then in April they'll be having another appointment to get fixed. Cats and kittens are a big No No here on the farm. They all get desexed. Kaite and Buffy my Mum's two kittens will be done at the same time. I'm still convinced this farm has become an insane asylum. Six cats causing havoc around here? Enough said. I'll leave you with those two above after they had a wonderful time tearing up my sofa.
Good luck keeping the critters out your garden. They can be very cunning.
ReplyDeleteThe kittens are getting big. Our cat hates the vet and the car ride, how do yours take it?
Thanks for the supportive comment on our blog. We are disappointed with the situation, but we are hopeful for the future. We can add a couple more species and we can have a farm like yours. :-)
Jennifer
ps What kind of chicken do you have? We are considering maybe getting a couple chickens in the spring.
Hi Jennifer
ReplyDeleteBelieve me a well set up mains electric fence keeps everything out including me!.LOL!
The kittens are growing fast and causing loads of trouble. Yesterday it was the piano they were trying to play. the tune was well really bad.
I meant what I said. I really was so saddened about the decision you guys have had to make. Things have become so hard for everyone harder still when you've put your heart and soul into fulfilling a dream only to find it gets taken away. I think things will get better for you guys and don't give up the idea of returning to Dairying again. I think you will. Gosh if you had a farm like mine (heaven forbid) you'll be heading off for treatment dressed in a designer strait jacket!LOL
On the chickens I'll put up a post for you on the breeds we have here. We've got three difference types but I favour two of them because they are great layers.
Thanks Liz for the support. You are a good friend. I would love to have a farm like yours. Your critter stories always crack me up. Who says crazy can't be fun. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance for the chicken advice. We would like to get some laying hens for eggs.
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteHey you're welcome. Visit the Mad Bush Farm for a day they'll definitely be locking us all up.LOL! I seriously was really concerned when you had posted up about the decision that had to be made. I'll post you over the Terrorist that'll cause no end of havoc.She'll want to sleep in your house!.