2 Women on 2 Acres

The Good Life

Archive for the ‘Paddock Maintenance’

Aug06

How To Remove Invasive Weeds

I often get asked about removing invasive weeds, the most recent being from Noreen from Marlborough South Island New Zealand, who asked about removing fern bracken and not damaging their soil.

Well, there are several ways to remove invasive weeds, and which ever way you choose, let me say now, be patient, it will take a little time and some work but it CAN be done.

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Feb02

Making Hay While The Sun Shines

Things were getting desperate, the grass was SO long in our paddocks, even the goats lost sight of each other and had to bleat loudly to locate where they were.

Although, both the goats and the chickens LOVED the long grass, it was getting to the stage of falling over and rotting from the ground up and I was at my wits end trying to think of a way to save the grass from spoiling.

Just when I had all but given up, I press ganged our next door neighbour into cutting the grass with his tractor, once inside the paddocks, all gated were securely pad-locked, only to be unchained when he had finished!!

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Sep11

Tips for Establishing Herbal Leys in Existing Pasture

Spring is here and it’s time to get busy, I have been asked for tips on getting a Herbal Ley established in existing pasture, a good question at this time of year.

I am just starting to organize my herbal leys for both of my pastures, just waiting for the rain to ease off!! So how do you get the pasture ready for sowing and how do you protect the seeds from free range chickens and birds?

Well, let me tell you how I am going to do my herbal leys…

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Aug22

How Things Work Under the Soil

I think it is useful if you know a little bit about what goes on under your soil, after all, the main stay of organic gardening is feeding the soil to nourish, the plants and vegetables you intend to grow.

And, if you are not aware of the micro-life that has to exist in the dark depths of your soil to achieve this, then to put it bluntly, it would be like when you were a kid, and your parents used to say ‘If Dylan jumped off a cliff, would you follow?’

Referring to doing something, just because you thought it was the right thing to do, or doing it, because you were told to, without any thought to why you were doing it.

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Jun16

Poisonous Plant Guide

A List of Plants that are Poisonous or Harmful to your Animals

Before we begin, this list is a ‘living’ list, by this I mean, things will be added or taken away when I have sufficient evidence that things are no longer poisonous or I find new things that are.

IMPORTANT BIT

Please if you think you have an animal suffering from poisoning RING THE VET AT ONCE

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May18

What is a Herbal Ley??

When I first read the words ‘Herbal Ley’ I immediately had a picture of wild flowers and herbs, I thought, at first, it would be a difficult thing to establish as there was really little written about herbal leys.

But, I wanted paddocks that had wild flowers and enough food to sustain our animals with out buying expensive feed.

Who wouldn’t?

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Feb10

Rye Grass Staggers

Ryegrass staggers

If you have never heard of ryegrass staggers, it can come as a shock when some of your stock literally begin staggering around the paddock as if they are drunk. Hence the name ‘ryegrass staggers’
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  • Photo of the Moment

    20/01 Our Sam
  • What To Sow Late Summer to Early Autumn

    Outside Vegetables
    Winter Beans
    Beetroot (pre-soak seed)
    Winter Cabbage
    **Carrot
    **Lettuce
    Salad Greens(Arugula, Miners lettuce etc)
    **Parsnip
    Radicchio
    Radish
    Silver beet (pre-soak seed)
    Swede
    Turnip
    Brussels sprouts
    **Leeks
    **Spring onions
    Bulb Fennel
    **Celery
    Broccoli
    Kohlrabi
    Winter Cauliflower
    Winter Squash

    Sow to Grow in Pots (Glasshouse Needed)
    Asparagus
    Artichokes
    Capsicum
    Chilli Peppers
    Dill Pepper
    Cucumber
    Melon (Cool Weather Variety)

    Herbs
    Basil Dark Opal
    Basil Thai
    Chervil Curled (French Parsley)
    Chives Garlic
    Dill
    Lemon Grass
    Oregano
    Parsley Gigante Italian
    Parsley Triple Curled
    Peppermint
    Russian Tarragon
    Sage
    Sorrel
    Sweet Marjoram
    ** Seeds to sow directly into the soil as they don't like being transplanted**

  • Southern Hemisphere

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