After four years

Our garden is really kicking on this year, and I'm here to tell you (nothing new) organic food gardening has everything to do with the soil and its diversity of inputs. We used sheep poo and blood and bone with our winter's compost this year and the fruit trees and veggies are loving it. We have also had unusually warm and wet weather for this time of year.

One of our hens went broody a month ago. Here are her joyous fruits (in a small ravin proof coop for now)...

 
This spring we've been eating from the garden the following: leek, onion, silver-beet, spinach, borage flowers, coriander, cabbage, broccoli, parsley, eggs, potatoes, broad beans, stinging nettle (pesto), asparagus, parsnip, fennel, lettuces, kohlrabi, sheep's sorrel, mints, peas, calendula flower, european sorrel, rosemary, carrots, mallow, mustard greens, wild radish, kale, and i even tried my first garden spider raw, which was quite lovely.

We don't actually require much animal protein to live on. Thanks spider, thanks chooks.

Summer Solstice Produce

This is what we are currently eating from the garden.


And these are what we are currently drying for replanting.


Broad beans are delicious, but they're also good as a soil improver (nitrogen). After I harvested all these beans I pulled up the plants and lay them across the garden bed. Then I raked wood chips over them (carbon). With this as one of our methods our soils are gradually improving season by season, making our garden increasingly productive.

A very merry solstice to you all.

Billy

We're a little worried about Billy. She hasn't been looking that great of late. Our friend Jo said it sounds like she has a respiratory infection – budding vets and other chook experts can see Billy's condition for themselves here. On Jo's recommendation we have put a solution of boiled garlic in their drinking water. If Billy has not improved in the next day or two we will take her to the vet. Cuba and Dirt on the other hand are fighting fit – as demonstrated by their day's joyous offerings.

Chicken coup