2 Women on 2 Acres

With the unpredictable weather in NZ at the moment I wanted to tell you about some of the seedling management strategies I have been using for the first time this spring, and what worked and what didn’t on my 200+ seedlings:)

The Seedling Warriors

It will be the first year I have used plastic pots and actually had to manage my seedlings in those pots for more than a few days. And believe me, it has taken some managing, for instance, the watering alone takes a day and lots of patience and in a couple of days it all starts again!!

I thought it would be interesting to know how someone else manages when things like the weather throw us a curve ball and also what observations I have been able to make from watching the seeds germinate, some things I would have missed if the seeds were under the ground in the Kitchen garden.

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It’s very nearly officially ‘Summer’ and I don’t think we have started ‘spring’ yet, some nights it has been SO cold I have lit our wood burner, and I am still attached to my icebreakers!!

For the last three days we have had non stop rain showers, some so heavy the rain drops sound like gravel being thrown against our windows. I have only managed a quick tour around the kitchen garden to collect the pesky snails and slugs!

This year I had to revise my seed germination plans, I usually sow my first seeds in October into 1/2 egg shells and then transfer the young seedlings into 1/2 toilet rook pots until the weather warms & then they are big enough to plant outside in the Kitchen garden with their first set of real leaves.

But, this year, with the threat of spraying I decided to sow my first seeds into small plastic pots I was lucky to buy for a ridiculous low price.

As it turns out, they have been just the ticket as the weather here on the block has been so unpredictable hot warm cold fog wind rain & more we have had come our way.

So I have had literally hundreds of pots in every nook & cranny waiting from the calm after the storms, and we are still waiting!!
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I am a fairly new student of The Law of Attraction and NLP techniques, I have been reading, researching and practicing for almost 6 months now.

I have had quite a few stumbles, times of disbelief and bouts of inner turmoil as things I thought I had dealt with resurfaced as if they had never left me.

And the spray drift incident really cut me to the core, it was the last straw in a long line of things ‘to go wrong’ and I believe me when I say I was down SO low I didn’t really think I could pick myself up off the floor again but I did, only after really considering why some of the things happened and taking a long hard look at myself..
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Is it shear madness or a case of gritty determination that has had me down in my knees cutting the spring grass in the orchard with my hand shears and a push mower??

Since the neighbour has obviously decided we don’t need our orchard grass cutting anymore, I asked before it grew too long if they would mind if their son cut our orchard grass with their ride on lawn mower, for payment of course.

Well, the son was interested, but, mother was sceptical and said she would come and have a look, that was weeks ago, so I presume there has been a no show and we will soon not be able to see anything if the spring grass grows much higher!!

Well, don’t underestimate me, I would like a wild flower & herbal ley in the orchard this year, if only to help heal the damage from the chemical spray. And looking at the problem won’t make it go away…tried that!!

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I have ummmed and rrrrred about writing this post, but , I realise what is happening to us here on the block is also happening to others on their piece of paradise through no fault on their part.

I am talking about damage from unwanted spray drift and the repercussions when you ask nicely for your neighbours to be careful when spraying. I am talking about the lack of common courtesy, manners and generally being a good neighbour.

But, I want you all to know if you have suffered unwanted spray drift, you are NOT alone talk to us and we will support you, I promise you that.

Last year I had half my heirloom garden wiped out by a neighbour’s spray drift and he was being careful and spot spraying, but too close to our fence.

When I told him about the damage caused he was horrified and so was his wife and gave him a good telling off after they both came to inspect the dying mess of vegetables I was going to save precious seed from, some cultivars I have lost forever.

I went and asked the neighbour on the other side if he would be extra careful in light of the recent damage, so what does he do???

Waits a couple of days, until he thinks we are out, we usually both go out into town, but this time I had gone on my own, leaving Donna at home doing some work inside. And then comes happily along SPRAYING along the fence line bordering our land.

Donna was SO angry and disbelieving, that she ran out into the paddock and stood in shock as he turn quickly around and disappeared never to be seen agin that day.

After asking nicely AND offering to remove the weeds, thistles and invasive ink weed for him…That was last year, this year it’s over $1000’s worth of damage, and thats only to replacement value, so it was time to ask for official help…
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Bloat in cattle is a serious life threatening condition. My house cow Mia has been lucky, she got bloat last week and it has dissipated with a little work from her to dislodge the trapped air.

The kind gentleman from Environment Waikato noticed it when he came to investigate spray drift damage on our property, thank you for the warning and all the advice you kindly gave me, he used to be a dairy farmer, funny that!!

I had noticed her right side was very ‘balloon’ like in the morning and had kept a beady eye on her, I was hoping she was definitely pregnant and was getting ready to deliver. The thought had crossed my mind that she may have over indulged on the tender spring grass, so I was watching, but to tell you the truth, bloat hadn’t entered my head.

We were subjected to a display of leg stretching, rolling and stampeding around the paddock at high speed with legs askance as she jumped and twisted around. I kept a close eye on her from a safe distance, but I admit, I didn’t enter the paddock while the display was happening.

This is because she scares me when she runs towards me at full tilt and comes skidding to a halt just a hairs width from my face. And believe me, if you have never had 4 tons of cow barreling towards you, it IS scary!

Mia

So what is bloat ?

And how can you tell if your cow has it ?

And what do you do if they have?

This article is for information purposes only, it is NOT intended to replace a professional diagnosis or recommended treatment from your vet.

So please if you EVEN think your cow or cattle have any signs of bloat, RING YOUR VET immediately.

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Is SHE or isn’t HE This Is The Question!
It is a conundrum, the other day I distinctly heard my beautiful HEN Mop Top CROW, twice in fact. I know it was HER because I was outside and heard a strange crowing and looked towards the ‘crow’ and to my surprise only saw Mop Top, then, just as I was shaking my head thinking I was hearing things, SHE crowed again.

Now this supposed sex change poses a dilemma but also answers a few niggling questions I have been unable to answer until now. I have read about chickens turning into roosters but didn’t think it would ever happen here, especially as Mop Top is STILL laying eggs!

Last year she successfully raised two lots of chicks and I was looking forward to her doing the same this year. We have a new chicken inclosure and Mop Top appeared to go broody almost immediately after molting, or so I thought….
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Growing sunflowers is easy, just remember, their roots secrete a substance which inhibits the growth of any plants around them, so find a separate place for these majestic centennials.

Dried Sunflower Heads

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As some of you know, last spring was my first ‘real’ growing season in my Kitchen Garden, and I learnt some lessons and encountered some interesting problems.

I thought you would like to hear more about some of the trials and tribulations…
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The herald of spring last year was an exciting time for me, it was a culmination of years of hard work and I have to admit I was stressed and excited all at once…

I was time to get productive for my first growing season, and now it’s over and I have had time to sit back and digest how things went.

I would like to share with you some of the lessons I learnt along the way, some lessons you will only learn from experience.
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