Phacelia is attracting bees

The herbal ley is looking really good and it is exciting to see the phacelia in full bloom now. They attract a range of beneficial insects. Here they are under the fig trees. The white flower bishop's lace is due to come out soon and hopefully the clover, which you can see is lush. We also have some rue and wormwood under the figs. I have no idea whether the cat's mint that I planted there is still alive.

We have the herbal ley under the figs, the apples and under a couple of citrus, though I believe the latter isn't recommended as the roots are too shallow and the citrus needs all the nutrients they can get.

Later in November here is a photo taken by David Johnson with his good camera.

The cherry looks better this year

Well it has been a bit shaded by the next door tree, but we have now pruned that rather heavily so more sun should arrive. I used to have to put neem pellets on the ground to stop the pear slug and must watch it now to make sure it isn't attacked again. Anyway there is good blossom. Of course we sprayed with EM and Organic 100 too at this stage. Might do it again later as we would appreciate cherries this summer...

The waratah has been beautiful

I guess it thrives in South Africa and in Perth but our waratah has been a wonderful sight during September and October.

Now Sept 2008 and this property is for sale

The sage is in flower

I guess I should be breaking it up or doing something with it. Meanwhile the blue flowers on the sage are rather lovely.

View from the front in a frost

We can drive cars down the left, and the teenagers are going to have a party after New Year at the back there.

The wwoofer staked the broccoli

I joked in passing that if the broccoli at the front door grew any bigger it would need staking, then while I was babysitting Annika actually staked it! I had fed it bokashi some time ago...I have never seen a broccoli staked. She has been marvellous spraying the fruit trees with Organic 100 (seaweed and fish waste) and EM (effective microorganisms activated with molasses in a warm place). A smelly job for her. I really hope it pays off and we get some cherries.

An unseasonal frost

Have already lost some pumpkin and a cucumber because of the cool spring but today there was a frost. Looks as though the three hulless pumpkins might have survived. Don't know yet. Anyway here are the onions in the mist and frost. It is going to be a sunny day and Malcolm really wants to mow. He had another accident with the mower last week and then the rain has delayed things.

Later. Well the figs and the grapes have been affected by the frost and of course we lost some pumpkins and a cucumber. My concern is that the figs and grapes recover. (Later – they do.) Certainly many of the breba fig crop are now nowhere to be seen. That is the early crop. Also the potatoes which were not in sheltered positions were burnt a bit.

a website where you can just sit and watch the world...

Try this everyone. It is about global warming, global population etc. Brilliant.


http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf

Anika shovels out compost for spreading

This week we have had a young German wwoofer here, Anika from Essen and here she is shovelling out the compost which is ready. She also helped make the new compost. We make it anaerobically, watering it with EM (effective microorganisms) and scattering bokashi zing in the mix. We stamp it down and it doesn't shrink. This compost was used to prepare a bed for pumpkin.

A year later we have this property for sale now