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Around The Farm And Garden | August 2017

It feels like ages since I’ve shared an update from our garden. Probably because it has been largely neglected these last 8 months while we focused on getting the farmhouse renovated. However, now that we are settled into the house, we are turning our attentions once again to the garden. When I say we, I mostly mean C who does all the hard work. I’m good at giving opinions about what I think the garden should look like, but less good at doing the actual garden work. As you can see, the front garden is overgrown, and we really need to get some edging around the beds.

Our winter vegetable garden hasn’t been as abundant as previous years. We’ve had a few cauliflowers (and made this delicious roasted cauliflower salad!) and broccoli stems, a few carrots, and a bit of kale, but nothing like the amount we’ve had before. The onions and garlic have been planted, however, and we have just run out of fresh garlic from last years crop. We’re relying on our preserved garlic until we harvest the new crop in November.

Besides the vegetable patch, the extension has set off a total redesign of the rest of the garden. We’re talking about new paths and garden beds, and pulling out old bits and pieces so that the garden helps the house to settle into the landscape. Grass needs to be resown where the ground has been dug up for the renovation, if only so that less dirt and mud gets trampled into the house. C is in his element drafting out plans and researching plants. I offer suggestions of plants that I like; most of which are met with an eyebrow raise as they are either not suitable for our climate or plants that C does not like particularly. I might try to sneak a daphne or a gardenia in while he is not looking (seriously, who doesn’t like gardenias??). So far a few plants have been purchased, and are awaiting planting, and some big boulders have been manoeuvred in between our two south facing verandas, making some stepping stones between them. Next up are some plans to plant some tall grasses all around them.

In the coming few weeks, Spring will start to emerge, and then (hopefully) we can begin to get the garden in order.

The Spring bulbs are beginning to poke their heads out again. These white jonquils are my favourite. The kids like to pick me a handful every now and then and pop them in a vase on the kitchen table so that their beautiful perfume fills the whole room.

Around the farm, C has been kept busy feeding sheep and doing all those jobs that he tries to get done over the quieter months. After such a wet year in 2016, this year has certainly been dry. We are keeping our fingers crossed for a cool, wet spring, but we’re not holding our breath for it. Over the school holidays (which feel like a life time ago) and on the weekends, I sometimes keep C company as he feeds the sheep – helping with the gates, and then chatting in between. It’s one of the few times I get to go around the farm, as work takes up so much of my time these days.

The days are getting longer, and just today, C planted his tomato seed into the seedling trays. He puts them in the sun on the veranda during the day and brings them inside at night until the frosts have finished. Before we know it, the Spring rush will be upon; time to hustle and get things done.

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Previous Post: « The Farmhouse Renovation Tour – Part One
Next Post: The Farmhouse Renovation Tour – Part Two »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melanie Hiebert says

    September 4, 2017 at 9:01 am

    I enjoyed reading your August life updates!

    Reply
  2. Beck says

    September 1, 2017 at 8:56 pm

    I miss living on a farm. My dream is return to living on the land one day. I need those wide open spaces

    Reply
  3. margarettucker953839188 says

    August 25, 2017 at 6:32 pm

    What a talent you are Jo with photos. You and Laura both.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a few presents, an afternoon swim and dinner on the veranda as the sun set. Time to stop and be thankful for the many blessings of the year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!
We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
Team work makes the dream work. We were asked rec Team work makes the dream work. 
We were asked recently whether we “make” our kids work on the farm. The answer is of course not. Having said that, all three love to help out whenever they can. They all work hard because they want to; because they take pride in working hard and contributing in a meaningful way to our family life; because they love living on our farm and don’t remember life before we moved here. Whether it be planting trees or doing sheep work or feeding animals, they all want to be involved. As a parent, nothing is better than watching them grow in skill and confidence as they work along side you. We’re so glad that we get to spend time with our three, working together.
We’ve had an unexpected addition to the family ☘️🐑. She is a lot easier to look after than the other family members but she does try to escape her yard and head butt people. Poddy lambs are super cute but they tend to think they are a human. Clover the lamb is sure that Meg is her mum. Can’t think why… 🤔🤣
The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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