Who else likes gardening?

[ecomama]

Hi everyone

I hope you're staying well today.

Who else likes gardening? I would love to connect with people here who are happy to share their gardening adventures.

For me I know that gardening helped heal my soul during tough times. I hope it will again.
Then with other things going on, it became a jungle.
I'm part way into rediscovering it again and doing A LOT of hard yakka atm, when I am motivated.

I have new dreams and ideas to put into the many bare places, as I remove thickets of lantana etc. This will all be on a tight budget and I'm ok with that.

I want to create a peaceful place where I can be.
I would like to grow food again (tell 'er she's dreamin' atm lol).
I would like to re-establish my worm farms and compost heaps.
Autumn is such a beautiful time of the year in the garden.

I'm 'alone' in my gardening journey and would love to share and hear about other's gardening antics. Hopefully we can troubleshoot any issues in our gardens and talk about any healing we're feeling too. There's a lot of knowledge we can share. I hope this thread can brighten your day!

Love Ecomama

Please

[ecomama]

Hey Paws, GO YOU getting some indoor plants online!

Air plants? wow, please let us know how they go, you might be onto something there.
There are a variety that grow really well in trees here, but I have to get my rake and pull them down out of my trees, they end up suffocating some trees.
I'm sure they'll be perfect inside.

African violets - you're an expert! I can't grow them to save my life lol.
they are so beautiful though, so pretty.

Sanseveria is a great indoor plant. Ppl thin them out and leave them on the side walk.
I find they're quite sturdy. Don't need a LOT of light but do need some. Just non whingers lol!
When they go a bit yellow, they need sun.
When they go a bit limp, they need water.
Easy peasy.
They need a bigger pot than the plant, because they multiply.

Well done you, can't wait to hear when you're new darlings arrive!

Love EMxxxx

[ecomama]

Hey Shelll!

Monster find! I love when that happens! Object permanence in it's best form lol.

I understand Sanseveria or Mother-In-Law's Tongue DOES assist purify the air - a Japanese study found that having this plant next to a person's bed improved their sleep, so maybe we're on to something here.

Alexa says big flat thinnish leaves are the ones that help purify the air the most inside.
I wish I knew the name of my easy plant to grow that looks like this.
It's a trooper! Lol... there's a theme for plants at my house.
It's in a hanging pot above the toaster AND some other cooking appliances from time to time.
Just gets a bit sad if the soil dried out.

I understand Peace Lillies are toxic for cats. Not sure about dogs though? Worth a google search.

You like a LOT of veg Shelll! Fresh corn is my fave too. My absolute BEST bumper crop happened after I followed my 6yo son's instincts to sow the seed in a spiral.
Beautiful.
The trick to get a bumper crop is to have them plants pretty close and lots of them.
They cross pollinate to each other which gives us the corn.
I planted LOTS of Marigolds to encourage the bees and hey Presto! Lots.

Peas are now aren't they? It's been too long.

If I prep my soil in June and July, then we can get away with planting seeds in mid August to begin cropping late Spring through Summer.
Not sure about your climate?
Or micro climates?

My farmer friends "lengthens" the warm season by putting sheet metal near her crops before and after the season.
A special Biodynamic preparation can do this too.

we each need to get to know our micro climate to get the most out of growing food.

What are you going to plant first?

Love EMxxxx

[ecomama]

hello everyone, it's so beautiful to be here in this safe garden space lol.

I'm having a bad time with the extended community around my home. Not ALL ppl by far, just some nightmares.
It's sad.

SO I'm getting serious about attempting to entertain my chickens so they stay in our own back yard!
They get chased out by Brush Turkeys so it's quite a dilemma.
Plus I'm waiting for the new neighbours to move in and demand a fence! Ours has almost completely fallen down. So many palings missing I could walk through in many places.

Green Harvest sells a "Clucker Tucker" mix of seeds which I may buy, watching cents atm for all the expenses, including rewiring our CCTV which should deter the nasty neighbours.

Might just buy some wheat seeds to mix with some less favourite veg seeds I have and sow them in the 4 mini beds I picked up from across the road.

I WEEDED to billeo after work. Angry gardening grrr.
I filled my green bin so great!
I want to place those mini beds there asap.

Then half fill with soil probably from Papa BTs major Taj Mahal lol!
No time to compost in them as I planned.

Then sow the seeds and cover with wire and the chickens fertilised straw.

When the seedlings grow UP, the chickens can peck at the shoots and not scratch them out.
I'm doing it ONLY for the chickens, not for humans more than attempting to keep our feathered darlings safe.

hope I can find my wire cutters and pliers!

It was gratifying to dig out lots of dead or near dead lantana roots. It felt really good to see black soil and no roots in it any more.
I'm so happy I can use my whipper snipper for GRASS way down the back! Not weeds or not many lol.

I could pile cut grass up in piles around that spot, and maybe devise a way for the chickens and turkeys to leave it alone for a while, I can let them in and scratch away at that over time.

And I think I need to feed them 3 x a day for a while.
My wormwood and comfrey died. maybe the nursery has some... I'll phone them tomorrow.
I could check Green Harvest now and throw in the Clucker Tucker too.

It's a real brain teaser. I'm pretty stressed out about it as you can tell!

If anyone has any suggestions, I would LOVE to try them out!

I need more energy! Work is tiring me out.
Thanks in advance!

EMxxxx

[Guest_1055]

Ah the sheet metal warms up doesn't it... The spiral corn crop sounds wonderful. Love that idea. I didn't know that about how corn pollinates.

I will look into those plants you mentioned the ones that help purify the inside air.

I am on the east coast of NSW. Up north. Think the climate is temperate. I did learn a little about micro climates in this course I did. I am guessing the sheet metal would be like a micro climate. Against a garage too. We have a colourbond garage.

The place I thought would be good in my backyard for a raised bed is in full sun.

What was that about your plant and your toaster? Have you got a plant hanging down towards your toaster? Have I got that right?

Think there may be a plant identifier app that you can find out the name of plants. Think you take a photo or something. Never used it before though

[Paw Prints]

Hello Em, Shell,

Shell - air plants grow without soil... I've been googling how to care for them & it seems how much or little they are watered plus the humidity/sunlight is what keep them growing...

I have a book which details plants that are toxic to pets... from memory the lilies are toxic to dogs...

Em I'm sad to hear you are getting grief from your neighbours... just a thought but could you get a second hand puppy play pen which you could put your girls in & move it about the yard to give them new areas each day... or if you could get a couple & join them up then it wouldn't need to be moved... just until the fence get fixed...

Hugs

Paws

[Katyonthehamsterwheel]

Hello - here’s my indoor plant experience:

I’m no green thumb but I have 2 air plants that are going well. I’ve put them in mini terrariums I found at Kmart, along with beach shells. Just sat them on top the shells, and I give them a spray of water every week. They’re on my kitchen window ledge.

My sanseverias have been temperamental, and they’re supposed to be easy plants! Ive lost two already, but three are going ok. They rot easily if you overwater them.

I have 2 Hoyas that live in my bathroom and they seem happy! My Hoya sweetheart is growing big and beautiful, and has lovely heart shaped leaves. The other plants growing well inside are pothos- I have two in the kitchen and they grow nice trailing vines that you can hang and they look quite decorative.

I have a few other varieties indoors but I can’t seem to figure out what they like, and they all look a bit sad at the moment.

I look forward to hearing about other people’s experiences with indoor plants 🙂

Katy

[ecomama]

Hey happy BB green thumbs! affirmations help lol!

Indoor plants can be temperamental, when you think about it, it's a constructed situation they're in.
So just like any place in the garden, there are different micro climates in diff't rooms of our homes, difft light, moisture, everything.

I move my little pink succulent often. It's delicate. Half way between sturdy (which is what I have to have in an indoor plant) and sensitive. Luckily it SHOWS me pretty quickly when it's unhappy. I just Pray I'm reacting to it correctly lol! IE MOVING it out of a windy spot, more water, more dappled sunlight - whatever.

Yes Shelll, I DO have a hanging plant - maybe it's a HOYA? Dangling over my toaster lol! Now I've seen Katy's post about her hoyas, mine would probably prefer the bathroom lol. Don't have any hanging hooks in there tho
:-( It's doing ok!

Yes there's an app you can buy, Alexa has one. It IDs plants pretty well!

Hey Paws, yes a beautiful idea. I call those CHOOK TRACTORS but alas they were $450 each and I needed 3! Then to put them together. Grrrr. Plus can't drive far from home, just a thing atm.
We ordered a freaking beast of a thing lol 6m x 3m x 2m high.
My Handyman is at the ready to help put it together asap when the 3 boxes arrive.

I plan on having a veritable WONDERLAND in there for my girls. Using mostly what I have already. A sand bath in an old toddler pool. 2 small veg beds with their clucker tucker plants shielded with wire so they can peck through. Roosting boxes. High perches. A fallow gated area to wander in only when I'm gardening all day.

My bday present to myself was $300 worth of Chook waterer and feeder, Clucker tucker seeds & a few Asian hand tools to garden with. Changing plans all the time here in my garden, but my priority is to keep all living animals safe.

Hey Katy, air plants are great. I have an aversion to them due to the damage to my trees but kept inside is AWESOME lol. Your hoyas seem to love living with you? any special hints or tips?

Sanseveria can be fussy. They don't like too much water, in fact we only water if the soil is bone dry.

With ANY plants, meditating on WHERE they came from, feeling the climate, soil, environment they originated from... then intuiting WHERE in your home or garden can best mimic their "home" is my best, probably my ONLY advice lol.
When I DO do that, I have more success.
When I don't, well I don't.

SO MUCH experimentation in gardening.

WE ARE LEARNING!

Love EMxxxx

[ecomama]

Growing mushrooms.

I found inspiration from watching Fantastic Fungi on Netflix last night.
I try to look after any fungi growing, for the health of our garden.

We have a local family we've known for a few generations.
They now grow mushrooms; deliver them & beautiful mushroom compost too.
But searching online I found they ALSO sell Oyster Mushroom growing kits.
Pretty exciting lol.

Papa Brush turkey has taken tonnes of top soil. Another one has moved in & is building a mound in the corner ho hum lol.
I admire their resilience, can't deny them some space (snacks too lol).

But this has caused major disruptions to alot of fungi growing.
Yesterday I began piling "fungi timbers" and will "feed" them.

When the CHOOK PALACE is built, I can finally erect my Greenhouse I got for a present years ago, outside it at one end. But no where in my garden will be suitable for an Oyster mushroom set up. I'd prefer Shitake mushrooms but one type at a time lol.

Perhaps my laundry could be a good place? the chooks have been moved out!
Atm it still gets some warmth in the day time (in Summer it'll be far too hot for them in there)...
The drier expels moisture that the mushrooms could USE.

I LOVED the directions on youtube about how to set the system up.
Looks really easy, soak the bag, slit the pack, spray water them, grow mushies, eat them lol.

Repeat for up to 4 crops per bag!

I'm going to budget a delivery of compost and a starter kit of Oyster mushies.

The EX chook shed will become my Potting Shed.
Maybe I need to put my bath worm farm in there, IDK.

Yesterday TRIUMPHANTLY we took down the above ground pool, what a JOB.
Have yet to bag up all the rotting pool liner ugh.
Have to DIG out lantana & blackberries! Great! I'm pretty good at it now.

Then the round flat space where the pool once was, will become our Fire Pit area.
AND the extended Chook run when I'm present.

I got to Whipper Snip GRASS for the first time in years. That was FUN!
It almost looks like a "civilised" garden space now lol.

I repotted some plants near the house.
Organised some pots in the back yard.
Our new neighbours MAY move in, in about a month... (or knock down the fibro majestic and build a mega mansion IDK!) , so I'd like to clear up spaces more nicely as they'll see the top of my back garden.
Not much else tho.

Still in love with my leaf blower lol.

Love EM! xxxx

[Lillylane]

Hi all,

EM, Mushroom growing sounds fascinating! Do they grow pretty fast too? Never really thought about it as an option for growing at home!

Katy, good to hear about the indoor plants you’ve been growing. My cats tend to chew on plants so I don’t have many inside... however one of my favourites is the Cissus Ellen Danica (‘grape ivy’). I grow it under cover outdoors in hanging baskets (they’ve grown so fast, even though I often forget to water them) and also up a fence in complete shade. Really easy care. Lovely foliage.

Happy gardening, thanks for sharing.

LL

[ecomama]

Hi Lilly! Nice to see you lol,

I'm not quite sure how long it takes to grow the first harvest of Oyster mushrooms, a week if I remember correctly. There was a YouTube clip I watched on those particular mushies.

I used to grow the ones in a box kit but my sons live downstairs there now, so not happening any more lol.

I liked how you can get up to FOUR harvests from the SAME bag of Oyster ones.
That's alotta mushies lol.
I need to check how much the bag costs and I'll report back lol.

POSSIBLY I could get out my dehydrator and dry out a batch or 2 to store.
I need to think this through a bit first.
Basically trying to keep local businesses going during lock down a bit!

They also deliver bags of mushroom compost which is beautiful.

I "fed" my fungus wood heap today lol, poured off apple juice all over it. Nice!
I'll put cut banana plants in with the regular timbers too to keep the moisture levels up.

YAY! My Green Harvest order came today!
Queensland arrowroot for my chooks and my compost (it's a great compost activator), Chia seeds, Clucker Tucker mix - all to plant in and around the chook palace in "protected" vege beds.
The best Asian hand tools, so excited to use them all.

Waiting for my chook palace to arrive in boxes. Then I'll book in the handyman to help construct it.
Can't wait to see my girls all happily living in a huge space.

From 6am till 7am I dragged lantana waste to a pile and collected the darned pool liner out of the grass.
This could be a nice cleared area in about 6 weeks.

I love gardening at this time of the year.

Love EM