Planting out Seedlings

 

They seemed too small to be planted out but the lettuce, mizuna and mesclun seedlings were overcrowding their punnets. It was time to get some in the ground. So far there have been no signs of snails or slugs in the polytunnel but they will no doubt find a way in. This means that the seedlings will need protection. Some of them I have put a little cloche made from slicing up a 2 litre milk carton. Others have a trail of eggshell around. I will be able to test out the efficiency of these methods.

 

 

A friend gave us some excess basil seedlings so they get the eggshell treatment as well.

 

The self seeded silverbeet is loving the polytunnel. As long as it gets water it is growing quickly and tastes good as well. To the left is a self-sown lettuce that is nearly ready for the table.

 

Blossom

The apples are flowering. As long as there is no late frost or a major wind event there should be plenty of fruit to pick come February/March.

 

Finally there is plenty of blossom on the quince tree. For the past few years there has only been a couple of quinces but this looks more promising.

Even the cherry is covered in flowers.

 

The pears are not so fertile but until the pollinator (a Jonathan) grows a bit more then we may not get much of a crop. Each year the orchard evolves and changes.

Progress on the Shearing Shed

 

It has been months since there was time to work on the shearing shed but with most of the family away it was time to get back onto it. The front needed to be covered with tin and the porch built. A set of steps up to the front door were required and the shearing machinery hoisted into position.

 

Working with old second hand timber provides its challenges. Pieces are not the same width at both ends. In the photo the beam at the end of the porch is definitely one of those pieces. After noticing the lean that beam had to be lowered on one end to make the rafters more level. Tin is a forgiving medium but it is a standard size with right angle corners so it can be used to cover over the variations of round and curved timber.

 

The window frames are in and the end triangle is ready to be filled in. Plenty to do but progress is being made.

More New Chicks

The second set of eggs is hatching. However this time there was a problem. The incubator was not level so the humidity was harder to measure and the humidity dropped. Only three of the chicks hatched and two of these died.

 

So for the next batch I moved the incubator to a level spot and marked the required water level on the outside so I could be sure that it remained consistent. Problems on the farm will always happen but as long as you learn from them then they can be positive.