I seem to going through a patch of not achieving a hell of a lot - yes, stuff like extra wood is being cut and carted to the woodshed-to-be, and bits for it have been scavenged and it will all go together soon. And it will be faster because everything will be ready. But right now it feels like I'm running on one spot. The same with the little shed - collecting bits, but you really don't want to work on corrugated iron on your own or in the wind. Anyway, hopefully a big leap forward soon. The achievement for the day is a scissor jack I found being returned from rusty ruin to work. I am going to use it on the old wreck that has a complete towbar (as opposed to the $5 tow bracket for which I would need a bar.) trapped underneath it.
The weather continues blustery and iffy, with real waves on the east coast. So more marine misadventures are on hold. So is seafood. I know I need to start planting soon, but we're in sort of hiatus - and not producing a lot either! A bit of broccoli, some silverbeet... James's fiance arrives next Monday and at the moment we have lots of meat (normally lots of fish, shellfish, veg, and relatively sparse meat - now with shooting wallaby we have lots of meat... and 2 turkeys in the freezer.) As soon as Alana leaves we have Paddy and Clare - probably for the last time in some years as Clare doesn't get long holidays. It's going to be truly lovely to see them all, but the self-sufficiency calender says mobs should visit in autumn :-).
Another thought to throw at you based on your picking abilities at the dump. Have you considered a low height cold frame to grow radishes and leaf lettuce? At the end of our winter here it rarely gets below freezing, only now and then, otherwise the temperature hovers around 10-12C. So a range of -3 to 12.
ReplyDeleteThe true cold frame enthusiasts make one about 1.5 m by 3m out of scrap lumber (1" X 8" preferred) and use cheap, plastic "painters tarps" (about 3 mill). Salvaged hinges make a top you open when weather gets above 5 C.
They plant the radishes and old gutters filled with the soil and at harvest time lift out the thing and pour it through screening. Slide the others forward and replant. Cold hardy radishes and leaf lettuce (such as Boston Bibb and other butter heads) can be harvested in as little as 21 days.
I know some people that grow Broccoli, spinach and chard...but they require a taller cold frame which is hard to scrounge the material for and takes longer to build. The short cold frames can be built in a handful of hours.
I've actually got some capsicums struggling along in my greenhouse box and have seen some scrounge scrap plastic sheeting to make a cold frame - it's been in the back of my mind. Mind you I can probably plant lettuce tomorrow - we're coming up temperature slowly getting to 14 C on good good days with not a lot of frosts. Winter lasts (because of the sea) but isn't too cold.
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