A big gardening day for me

Hubby and I were busy today in the severely neglected garden 

 Found this surprise chillie tree growing in the garden, how did I miss it? Very easily,  never went into the garden for the last few weeks, these things grow like wildflower, the only thing i am successful at growing.

 Drying out curry leaves, chillie to plant, pumpkin seeds, red pawpaw seeds and climbing spinach

 Preparing an egg tray to plant seedlings

 Remember my strange lime tree that is growing with no tree trunk? Well I got hubby to pound the star pickets in so i could tie up the branches so the limes would be off the ground or they rot

 Mixing all the potting mix, chicken poo, mushroom compost and blood and bone, do you like my little garden helper that hubby bought me? I was able to pull 150kg of potting mix in that.

 Separated the tomato plants out into three foam boxes, hope they survive, two were wilting already.

Small black pot of long chillies a friend gave to me today, will separate them out tomorrow.

That was a full on day of gardening for me, I fell asleep watching tv in the afternoon.

UPDATED 17 Apr 2020: this photo above appeared in an online newspaper

Permaculture and Sustainable Living

We are interested in Permaculture planting or Syntropic Farming, on our 1 acre of land for sustainable living as we live on an island and I've always loved fresh fruits and vegetables from ones own garden. Permaculture helps save water a very precious commodity.

A garden group here on Moreton Island promote it and I've been following their posts and talks online. Hubby went to a talk last Saturday and brought home a Moringa seed and pod and learnt alot.

Next Saturday we will go over to Lamb Island (Nguderoo) to see a wicking bed in the making.

Stay tuned, I'll get some photos.

Gardening without ploughing etc

Gardening without ploughing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNU8IJzRHZk&list=WL&index=3&t=0s

Deep mulch method
https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/05/deep-hay-mulch.html

Found these wonderful you tube videos on gardening

How to make a compost with lasagna gardening

How to build an upside down tomato planter

Using banana stems for organic farming

I was given at tiny cucumelon plant that only had two miniature leaves on it. It is growing so well
after 2 months and producing many fruit. Found a video on growing it, pickling it

How to grow citrus

Preparing raised beds
https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/05/prepare-raised-beds-spring.html

Having soil tested

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/04/test-garden-soil.html

How to poison your garden accidentally and not do it again

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2016/08/curled-tomato-leaves.html

Salt damaged plants


Found these wonderful you tube videos on gardening

How to make a compost with lasagna gardening

How to build an upside down tomato planter

Using banana stems for organic farming

I was given at tiny cucumelon plant that only had two miniature leaves on it. It is growing so well
after 2 months and producing many fruit. Found a video on growing it, pickling it

How to grow citrus

Preparing raised beds
https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/05/prepare-raised-beds-spring.html

Having soil tested

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/04/test-garden-soil.html

How to poison your garden accidentally and not do it again

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2016/08/curled-tomato-leaves.html

Salt damaged plants

Deep mulch method
https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/05/deep-hay-mulch.html

Preparing raised beds
https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/05/prepare-raised-beds-spring.html

Having soil tested

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/04/test-garden-soil.html

How to poison your garden accidentally and not do it again

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2016/08/curled-tomato-leaves.html

Salt damaged plants

Deep mulch method
https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/05/deep-hay-mulch.html


Found these wonderful you tube videos on gardening

How to make a compost with lasagna gardening

How to build an upside down tomato planter

Using banana stems for organic farming

I was given at tiny cucumelon plant that only had two miniature leaves on it. It is growing so well
after 2 months and producing many fruit. Found a video on growing it, pickling it

How to grow citrus

Preparing raised beds
https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/05/prepare-raised-beds-spring.html

Having soil tested

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/04/test-garden-soil.html

How to poison your garden accidentally and not do it again

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2016/08/curled-tomato-leaves.html

Salt damaged plants

Deep mulch method
https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/05/deep-hay-mulch.html

Going green - dishcloth

I've always loved doing stuff from scratch ever since my friend Nola served me one of her delicious homemade cakes. The smell (I call it the country smell) in her kitchen was so homely. Sometimes I just want to bake a cake just to make the house smell nice.

I've made my own soap and would like to try again.

I want to make my own soy candles as the ones I buy are so expensive and i burn a lot of nice smelling candles a lot.

So over on the Down to Earth  forum we have a challenge to make a dishcloth a week so at the end of the year we have enough to give as presents.

Ok back up here, in October my aunt came from Seattle USA to visit and brought her dish cloth pattern to share, I got hooked on it and have made a few for Chrissy presents but ran out of time. My family are using them as face washers because the cotton is so soft on the skin.

Here is my first dishcloth, which is actually a scrubbie, the wool came from Lincraft and is quite hard to use, I won't be touching that thread for awhile LOL.

I found 52 free dishcloth patterns for download.
Here is the HIVE pattern