Last Week in My Garden #4

Slasher Power

Remember when last week I said that I spent 6 hours getting rid of a clump of lantana? Crazy right?

Lantana Clump Before and After

I should have just called Phil instead. Phil came out on his tractor slasher to cut back the bottom paddock that  had been whipper snipped previously.

Phil's slasher just backed over two other clumps of lantana and obliterated them. Then he took out the corner of weeds we had not yet got to.

The Slope Before and After

He saved me about 12 hours worth of work!

And look at the tractor's cute little face!

Unfortunately the slasher cannot access the steep areas of our property. That's where the remaining lantana grows.

The land drops away at that tree line 

Burn Pile

We also tried to set fire to our burn pile. We have only had five fine weekends this whole year. 

The pile is very wet. We perhaps only made a dent on only 1/30th of the burn pile.

Sowing

The local agent had run out of rye grass seed and so I could not sow into the areas where the slasher had been.  I did manage to get the ride on mower into most of the areas through. A huge victory as I thought it would be too steep to mow.

The slope is steeper than this photo would suggest.

Last Week in My Garden #3

Tackling the Brambles

If I told you that I spent 3 x 2 hours hacking down a lantana bramble you would say I am crazy. 

So I loaded up my ipod with some Queen and 30 Seconds to Mars. Then 'Don't Stop Me Now' became my theme song for a few days.

After six hours it was finally gone and poisoned at the roots.

It took me a few more days to clear the pile of weeds though.

I am not sure about all the little saplings around the site so I have taken a sample branch to a local nursery to see if they can be identified. If they are non-natives then I can cut them down.

More Trimming

Just up from this clump of lantana was another clump that I had trouble getting past on the ride on mower.

But I also needed to tackle the lower branches of the tree in order to get to it. 

Each time I cut these off at the roots I spray them with round up on the wound. Hopefully this will kill them.

I had some serious piles of prickly lantana to add to the ever growing burn pile. Not only do I hate the prickles but I hate the smell of lantana.

More Sowing NOT Sewing

But I had a better time sowing nearly 20 kg of rye grass seed in the drizzling rain. Great to start the life of the small seed but I was in need of a hot shower after that cold soaking.

Rye grass is a good winter lawn crop as it grows fast and has a glossy green shade. If you keep it no shorter than 1.5" it will thrive and choke out other competing weeds. That's what I need it to do now that it is holding the soil together.

I just need to chase the galahs away from the free meal.

Last Week in My Garden #2

This past weekend we had two days of glorious sunshine. So wonderful to get out of the house and tackle the weed problem. And we have LOTS of weeds! 

Caleb has been back clearing the slope with the blades on the whipper snipper. He has almost reached the back fence behind the burn pile. 

It has taken three days of steady work in the past fortnight. You can see the line of weeds retreating behind that little tree in the bottom left. I have been hand mowing where Caleb has been but it is a big job. My husband thinks that we should just get in a contract tractor slasher and I am inclined to agree.

On a positive note, I walked down through sections of our property I have not seen before. There is a lot of lantana, privet and even some camphors to eradicate on the north eastern boundary.

I started to clear some of the weeds growing underneath the rock wall on the eastern side. Some were waist high (Wish I had a true BEFORE photo). I had to grade the slope into terraces and retain them with some rocks. Then I planted a Ned Kelly grevillea and a couple of lomandras that were in need of a better location.

Beyond where I have cleared is more lantana and I will tackle it in sections. The slope gets quite steep around those huge gum trees but I would like to get it done before the weather turns warm and the snakes return.

I really need to mulch the slope with some sugar cane mulch but the sticks will serve for the time being. And we have LOTS of sticks!

Last Week in my Garden

We just had an extended family long weekend away at Sea World Resort on the Gold Coast. So this is a recount of the things that went on in my garden last week.

Lantana 

I know some folks love this as a small ornamental plant but here in the north coast it is an out of control weed. We reclaimed about a quarter of an acre of land from lantana earlier in the year.

It still has a rather large grip on the very steep slope under our rock wall barrier. Fortunately, if you wear protective clothing and gloves, it does come out rather easily.

Bush Steps 

To access our steep gulley I have been reclaiming some hand hewn steps from the soil  and buried rocks.

The chickens have been so excited to keep me company as my mattocks turns up some tasty worms.

Pumpkin Patch

I raised the seeds this month and started planting them out on the slope around our septic tank.

Anne Marie gave me some sweet potato runners as well. The chickens were great at excavating but some of the seedings were scratched out more than once.

Demolition

We paid a young lad to spend 4.5 hours to demolish the old brick incinerator and dog house. They were so ugly and quite conspicuous in our view.

The chickens also helped (at times hindered) him out. Plenty of ants, centipedes and even worms to be found.

It looks so much better to have those two structures removed.

And my rye grass has grown so much that I got to hand mow it too!

Linking up to Down Home Blog Hop #43 over at Tilly's Nest.

This Week in My Garden

We had three gorgeous days of sunshine this week. With no wind chill, Friday was so warm that it felt more like Spring than Winter.

I was looking forward to getting out into the garden. 

On Tuesday, I spent 2 hours sowing rye grass seed on the bare earth left behind after we lost the macadmia trees in January.

I had already sown a bag the previous fortnight but I needed a further two bags to cover the rest.

I had to get the hoe out to remove some pesky weeds. Unfortunately the local galah gang decided that they would like to help themselves to the free seeds too. 

I can't be too angry with these grey and pink parrots though. They are pretty darn cute.

Then I spent a further 2 hours mowing in the top avocado paddock and around the veggie patch.

Then after the kids came home from school I tackled the weeds growing out of control behind the rock wall. 

They were a metre high! I was surprised to find metre high cherry tomato plants as well as a small basil plant thriving amongst the weeds.

On Wednesday I went to a local nursery to buy some native plants suitable for behind the rock wall and down the slope of the gully. 

I spent about 4 hours with the hoe, the mattocks, the spade and the rake. I must have removed about 15 buckets full of soil from behind the rocks (better than a Bootcamp workout!) to try and fill the dips and divots in the pasture left by the grading of the excavator in March and April.

I had the delightful company of the chickens. Each time I left with the bucket, Bluey, Obama, Roosey and Freckles would jump into the worksite to scratch and peck for worms. They had a wonderful time!

I did not have enough time to plant the remaining grevilla and 2 ground covers this weekend but the weather is turning today and my plans for an outdoor Queen's Birthday Long Weeekend of gardening might be scuttled.

I did manage to move a few of the smaller grasses to create the border of the lawn area before the gully begins.

Daffodil Thursday

Today in Australia is the official Biggest Morning Tea to raise money for cancer research.

This week I decided that I would plant some bulbs into some of the garden beds. I started with daffodils (the logo of the Cancer Council of Australia) and yellow jonquils.

Although the soil looks rich and red (see the spot on the bottom right), it is actually quite dry and poor. So I had to do some serious soil improvement using compost.

Step by Step Guide to Planting Bulbs

1. Pull the weeds.

2. Break up the soil.

3. Dig holes for the bulbs according to the  directions on the packet. The daffodils and jonquils needed to be placed 10cm deep and at least 5cm apart.

4. Pack the bulbs with composted soil.

5. Cover the soil with sawdust rich with broken down chicken manure. Water in.

6. Spread mulch over the soil to prevent weeds. I used sugar cane mulch. Dampen.

7. Mulch again with leaf litter or recycled wood chips.

8. Admire the preparation and wait for Spring.

9.  Enjoy a cup of tea and make a donation for cancer research.

Linking up to New to Me in May at Celtic Thistle Stitches with Fiona