Finding what we need for the Shearing Shed

 

Our Shearing Shed is almost entirely made from materials recycled from sheds no longer in use and collapsing from old age. Our main source was a shed which had all the internal parts removed leaving a shell that had no integrity and started to fall over. Some of the rusting but solid tin from this shed has now been fixed on three sides of our 'new' shed but we lacked some of vital fittings.

 

Today we hit the jackpot and found a dying shed on a neighbouring property. Some of the roof was missing and it was starting to lean. 

 

 

Despite the dilapidation there was a wool table in decent condition and plenty of internal panelling and gates. For our five sheep we only need two short lengths of wall panels and one gate.

 

 

The internal panelling waiting to be removed and rebuilt for a second chance at life.

 

Last year Michelle tried to buy a wool table at a clearing sale but it went for an astronomical price. As she had waited all day with a bunch of hot and bored kids she bid high but in vain. Sometimes the solution is under your nose and only takes a bit of asking the right questions to the right people. We had a great score and the satisfaction of knowing that a piece of local history gets a chance for a new life.

How to make and set a trap for Codling Moths

Codling Moths can be a real problem in an organic apple orchard. Their larvae burrow their way into the heart of the apple and it rots from the inside out.

 



 

An adult codling moth (ref: Wikipedia)

 

 

The damaged apples

 

I am not sure whether we have an infestation of codling moth but rather than wait to be certain either way I decided to lay some traps. First I made sure that I had:

Vinegar

Ammonia

Molasses

Water

Then I cut some 2litre plastic bottles in half. Each half was punctured on both sides and a piece of builder's string was tied through each hole.



 

The mixture consists of 5 cups water, 1/3 cup of molasses, 1/8 tsp ammonia and 1 cup of vinegar.

 

 

I made three times the mixture and this made plenty for my six traps.

 

One of the traps set in the orchard. I will check next week to see if we have caught anything.

 

 

Harvest Time begins

 

The planting and growing season has turned into the season of harvesting and processing. Some plants such as asparagus, the berries and currants have already been picked but there comes a point when the summer crops start to produce in volume and the fruit on the trees begins to ripen. From now for the next couple of months there is always plenty to pick and if I don't keep on top of it there will be wasted food.

The pigs do well in this season as they can gorge on the fallen or damaged fruit and the excess vegetables such as zucchini and Jerusalem artichoke.

 

 

The Gravenstein apples are always the first to ripen. A couple were ready but there were plenty of fallers on the ground. The bruised or chewed ones will go straight to the pigs while the unblemished will go in the pantry for later. Apples, unlike pears and many other fruit, do not ripen off the tree but they can be used to make cider or pork later.

 

The first tomatoes are ripening and the lower branches need to be snipped off to allow the air to get to the fruit. Many plants are almost up to the net roof.

 

The zucchinis, squash and pumpkins are vying for space and are climbing the walls to reach the light. While our vegetable garden is caged, the birds normally do not attack the vines unless they are really desperate.

The busiest time of year at Opportunity Farm begins.

 

An Early Entry for the Show

This year I planted some seeds of a pumpkin variety called 'World's Largest'. I thought it might provide a few entries for the kids in the Biggest Pumpkin Competition at the local show in March.
It is certainly an apt name as this pumpkin grew so large so quickly that it broke off its vine. This is not surprising as it weighs about 25kg! There are two other fruits growing which have not reached such a size but are still attached. These now have supports underneath so will hopefully reach a fair size by the time they are needed.

Rafter Raising

 

The Shearing Shed/Workshop is now topped by nearly all of the rafters. These are round poles felled in the early 1950s and used to hold up the roof of the original shearing shed that I demolished. They are getting a new lease of life over sixty years later and help make our shed look authentic and old.

It wasn't easy to fix the rafters to the ridge pole as it stands over four metres from floor level but a temporary floor across the open side made it possible.

 

As the shed is definitely not square the end rafters will need to be carefully measured so that the tin fits. Roofing iron needs to be put on square or the edges start to get jagged.

Raising Weaner Piglets

 

 

For the last four years we have raised piglets. They are fattened up on fallen fruit, excess vegetables (pigs love zucchini!) and food scraps from the local café, supplemented with commercial pig pellets when times are lean.

After Christmas I fetched three piglets from Cobargo Farm - an organic nursery and piggery a couple of hours away. They used to have an Old English Black boar and so a few of their piglets sport black patches. The Black pigs do not get sunburnt so they suit an outdoor pen in Australian summer.

 

 

We have two male piglets which have been named Sir Oinkers and Beau, while the female piglet is called Target due to the large round black patch on her behind. In the photo they are feeding while

Posy and Queenie look on enviously.

 

 

Beau, Sir Oinkers and Target enjoying the bolted lettuce from the garden. They will live a life of Reilly for the next five months or until they reach about 70kg.

Summer Pursuits

When the heat of summer hits and there is space between the social gatherings of the season there are plenty of summer pursuits to be followed:

 

 

Watering the garden

 

Harvesting the blackcurrants

 

Turning the redcurrants into jam

The Shearing Shed/Workshop Takes Shape

After several months of being too busy to make progress on the new shed it was time to get stuck into it. Helpers were organized and materials and tools readied.

Then it started to rain. Three days later it dried up enough to allow work to commence. The walls needed the framing completed. Downstairs there are four windows, two doors and a chute that have to be framed with all the timber notched into the round pole posts. While that was happening our willing wwoofer was screwing down the flooring. This might have been an easy task if the building was square and the timber the same size. Some planks had dried more at one end so they were a centimetre thinner than the other end. A large triangle piece was added to assist with making the floor squarer and the planks alternated to reduce the impact of the unequal drying. It looks good but the whole floor will need to be lifted and moved to reduce the gaps caused when the planks shrink fully. Hence the flooring screws rather than nails.



 

The upstairs flooring is cut and fixed.

 

The upstairs flooring is seasoned planks from the old shed we pulled down so it was much easier to lay them down and nail them. This gave a platform to work on the ridge pole. The three round poles were not quite tall enough to allow movement upstairs so an extension was fitted on each pole before the ridge pole was fitted. The next job will be adding the rafters.

The end walls were both sheeted with iron and the hole for the chute was cut out with the angle grinder. Progress at last!

 

The recycled tin being screwed on to the end walls.

The shed as at 9th January.