Saturday, 22 June 2013
Thursday, 6 June 2013
BACK TO EDEN VS ORGANIC HOMEMADE COMPOST
As some of you know, this year I've been trying one bed using the "Back to Eden", no-dig, wood chip method, and one using a blend of organic gathered material from around the property mixed with conventional compost. I added the standard amounts of organic fertilizer and Epsom Salts to both beds to give the seeds a kickstart.
To be honest, although I had read about "Back to Eden" and seen many photos, a part of me believed that the leaf mould and gathered material would win hands-down.
How wrong I was!
From what I had gleaned, mostly skim-reading, because that's how I roll (I do dislike that phrase, it sounds phoney, so I use it very much in a silly, cheeky way), much of the praise for the wood chip method had been around the fact that the layer of chips holds in moisture and keeps plants moister for longer, extending the period of time between watering and thereby reducing the amount of water required, as well as reducing trauma to the plants from high heat on sunny days. There are other benefits too, but I was focusing on this point for now.
With this in mind, I wondered whether here on a tropical rainforest island, my main priority should be to conserve moisture or protect from high day-time temps? It rains heavily almost every night during the summer, but it can reach into the mid to high 90f/30c during the day. Somehow, my expectation for the wood chip vs the organic leaf litter fell in favour of the latter, after all that's how our lush forests have grown for centuries, unaided by humans?
'Tis a good thing I am not a betting woman, for I would have surely lost my stake money.
It seems the wood chips have another weapon in their armoury - the ability to soak up excess water; like little sponges they wick away the water from the soil, allowing it to evaporate more effectively. So, after many weeks of unprecedented rain for the time of year, the veggie beds were waterlogged.
In the red corner, the wood chips did their thing, whilst in the blue corner, the organic matter has turned into soup! And within that quagmire, few of the seeds have germinated and those that have seem to be drowning or rotting.
So, there you have it. It's not scientific - a trial of one! But see for yourselves. I am always ready to admit when I'm wrong.....so now all I have to do is wait for the right phase of the moon and thin some of these seedlings and set them some place else.
If you're interested in learning more about the "Back to Eden" you can visit their website or Facebook page (links below).
Now where can I find some more wood chips?.....
http://www.backtoedenfilm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BackToEdenFilmOrganicGardening?fref=ts
To be honest, although I had read about "Back to Eden" and seen many photos, a part of me believed that the leaf mould and gathered material would win hands-down.
How wrong I was!
From what I had gleaned, mostly skim-reading, because that's how I roll (I do dislike that phrase, it sounds phoney, so I use it very much in a silly, cheeky way), much of the praise for the wood chip method had been around the fact that the layer of chips holds in moisture and keeps plants moister for longer, extending the period of time between watering and thereby reducing the amount of water required, as well as reducing trauma to the plants from high heat on sunny days. There are other benefits too, but I was focusing on this point for now.
With this in mind, I wondered whether here on a tropical rainforest island, my main priority should be to conserve moisture or protect from high day-time temps? It rains heavily almost every night during the summer, but it can reach into the mid to high 90f/30c during the day. Somehow, my expectation for the wood chip vs the organic leaf litter fell in favour of the latter, after all that's how our lush forests have grown for centuries, unaided by humans?
'Tis a good thing I am not a betting woman, for I would have surely lost my stake money.
It seems the wood chips have another weapon in their armoury - the ability to soak up excess water; like little sponges they wick away the water from the soil, allowing it to evaporate more effectively. So, after many weeks of unprecedented rain for the time of year, the veggie beds were waterlogged.
In the red corner, the wood chips did their thing, whilst in the blue corner, the organic matter has turned into soup! And within that quagmire, few of the seeds have germinated and those that have seem to be drowning or rotting.
So, there you have it. It's not scientific - a trial of one! But see for yourselves. I am always ready to admit when I'm wrong.....so now all I have to do is wait for the right phase of the moon and thin some of these seedlings and set them some place else.
If you're interested in learning more about the "Back to Eden" you can visit their website or Facebook page (links below).
Now where can I find some more wood chips?.....
 |
| The "Back to Eden" style wood chip bed - 6 weeks after sowing |
 |
| Tomatoes are now 5 - 6 inches/15cm high |
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| Okra already about 12 inches/30cm high and every single one germinated |
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| Eggplant/Aubergine, looking strong and healthy |
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| The organic compost/leaf mould bed, looking very wet and a little sorry for itself |
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| Chinese cabbage - whole row sown, less than half have germinated and barely an inch high |
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| The Back to Eden Chinese Cabbage, sown at exactly the same time - now about 3 inches/8cm high with good germination |
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| The leaf mould bed saturated with rain and run off from the rest of the garden |
http://www.backtoedenfilm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BackToEdenFilmOrganicGardening?fref=ts
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
COMPANION PLANTING - A USEFUL GUIDE
I found this an informative guide on Companion planting from a fellow blogger:
http://www.homegrown.org/forum/topics/companion-planting-101?utm_source=Homegrown.org+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=17a715f973-02%2F27%2F12&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8dc6e4dd7f-17a715f973-84852114
http://www.homegrown.org/forum/topics/companion-planting-101?utm_source=Homegrown.org+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=17a715f973-02%2F27%2F12&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8dc6e4dd7f-17a715f973-84852114
Sunday, 28 April 2013
SUNDAY SENSORY OVERLOAD
There are some days when it all becomes too much to take in...no, not the hustle and bustle of traffic sounds rising up from the streets, or airplanes overhead, but the sheer diversity of experiences that bombard the senses on a simple walk around a tropical garden on a warm Sunday morning.
A morning that begun brilliantly clear and sunny, followed by a sudden and torrential downpour, in turn gave way to a parting of the clouds, sunshine and clear blue skies; and so it has continued. Now at 11.00am, the sun is making yet another bid to show itself, and all around great plumes of steam gently rise from the dense green foliage across the valley - I feel as though I'm in the Costa Rican jungle.
Here we are in the last few days of April and there is no doubt that spring has sprung, as several pairs of 'newly weds' busy themselves in searching for nooks and crannies to call home. What I cannot fathom is the fact that although surrounded by acre-upon-acre of virgin woodland, the bird population seem hell-bent on making their nests in my home! Several pairs of bullfinches, each armed with a beak full of straw, are bickering and jostling for pole position to land the perfect spot. Unfortunately, the prime location appears to be the space between my windows and fly screens. Many of the upstairs windows are left slightly ajar, 24/7 to keep a good air flow through the house. For some reason (perhaps because of the good airflow?), the bullfinches have deemed that this is indeed a very good place to call home.
Sadly, I've had to evict two pairs (before they had time to complete their nest), because at some future point I will need to open the window on warmer days, which would result in their nest falling out; or need to close the windows, in the event of heavy rain/strong winds, which would be disasterous if the nest contained eggs or young. So, I have to be vigilant, and chase away my would-be tenants before they get too comfortable.
Thankfully, one pair at least have seen sense, and moved their efforts to the self-seeded West Indian Lime, where they will be safe and dry. However, the much larger pair of Turtle Doves who keep appearing at my bedroom door may be a little harder to deter. One of my Facebook friends commented that perhaps the birds just 'long to be close to you" - which made me laugh out loud, and ever so slightly disappointed that I hadn't thought of making use of that song title myself when I posted the status about the birds! :)
And whilst all this is going on, and as if not to be outdone by all these sights of steaming jungle greenery, and sounds of battling birdlife, the olfactory receptors have also been treated to warm, steamy, sensuous and provocative scents wafting from nearby blooms of Gardenia, White Ginger, Rosemary, Jasmine, Citrus blossoms and so many other plants that I have no notion of their name, or how they came to be in the garden. I guess I have to thank the birds for that too?
As I upload a teeeny, tiny glimpse of some of these wonders, through photographs that barely do justice to the 'real deal', I can hear the sound of raindrops again on the metal roof, and know that it is probably now too wet for me to plant the carrot, beets and radish seeds as I had planned:
.jpg)
A morning that begun brilliantly clear and sunny, followed by a sudden and torrential downpour, in turn gave way to a parting of the clouds, sunshine and clear blue skies; and so it has continued. Now at 11.00am, the sun is making yet another bid to show itself, and all around great plumes of steam gently rise from the dense green foliage across the valley - I feel as though I'm in the Costa Rican jungle.
Here we are in the last few days of April and there is no doubt that spring has sprung, as several pairs of 'newly weds' busy themselves in searching for nooks and crannies to call home. What I cannot fathom is the fact that although surrounded by acre-upon-acre of virgin woodland, the bird population seem hell-bent on making their nests in my home! Several pairs of bullfinches, each armed with a beak full of straw, are bickering and jostling for pole position to land the perfect spot. Unfortunately, the prime location appears to be the space between my windows and fly screens. Many of the upstairs windows are left slightly ajar, 24/7 to keep a good air flow through the house. For some reason (perhaps because of the good airflow?), the bullfinches have deemed that this is indeed a very good place to call home.
Sadly, I've had to evict two pairs (before they had time to complete their nest), because at some future point I will need to open the window on warmer days, which would result in their nest falling out; or need to close the windows, in the event of heavy rain/strong winds, which would be disasterous if the nest contained eggs or young. So, I have to be vigilant, and chase away my would-be tenants before they get too comfortable.
Thankfully, one pair at least have seen sense, and moved their efforts to the self-seeded West Indian Lime, where they will be safe and dry. However, the much larger pair of Turtle Doves who keep appearing at my bedroom door may be a little harder to deter. One of my Facebook friends commented that perhaps the birds just 'long to be close to you" - which made me laugh out loud, and ever so slightly disappointed that I hadn't thought of making use of that song title myself when I posted the status about the birds! :)
And whilst all this is going on, and as if not to be outdone by all these sights of steaming jungle greenery, and sounds of battling birdlife, the olfactory receptors have also been treated to warm, steamy, sensuous and provocative scents wafting from nearby blooms of Gardenia, White Ginger, Rosemary, Jasmine, Citrus blossoms and so many other plants that I have no notion of their name, or how they came to be in the garden. I guess I have to thank the birds for that too?
As I upload a teeeny, tiny glimpse of some of these wonders, through photographs that barely do justice to the 'real deal', I can hear the sound of raindrops again on the metal roof, and know that it is probably now too wet for me to plant the carrot, beets and radish seeds as I had planned:
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| Throwing open the bedroom doors, and thinking today would be a good day for seed planting... |
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| Bullfinches in the West Indian Lime tree |
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| Greeted by the sight of every cashew nut plucked from the tree, chewed by my canine dastardly duo and disgarded - grrr! |
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| The new garden is slowly becoming a riot of colour, even on a grey day |
.jpg)
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| Heleconia (variety unknown) |
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| A much-loved poster I have from a visit to the South of France; but who needs perfume factories when you have all this on your doorstep? |
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| Arriving home just after a rain shower, and had to capture how green is my valley! |
Monday, 15 April 2013
Back to Eden Photo Contest 2013 - All grown on our property
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| Yellow coconuts, picked for the coconut water |
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| Cherimoya |
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| Coffee blossoms |
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Wednesday, 6 June 2012
THE WILD BEES AND THE HONEY MAN - THE RE-MATCH
In case you missed it:
PART I: http://vonniethehappyhippy.blogspot.com/2012/05/wild-bees-and-honey-man-part-i.html
PART II - THE REMATCH
They came, they saw, they concurred, it was indeed a good day to gather wild bees and their honey.
As promised, the Senior Honey Man, and his trusty assistant returned with reinforcements in the form of a young local, recruited for his height and strength, and another fellow, recruited because he owned a big enough chainsaw. With my dear old Dad, leading the charge, this unlikely band marched into my garden, declaring that today would be the day!
As before, the smokers were prepped, new, taller ladders hoisted and overalls donned. Trevor the gardener, put aside his grass cutting and came to witness the spectacle. There was something of a carnival atmosphere; chatting, joking, friendly banter, discussions of tactics. And so it began.....again!
The limb that would be cut down to bring the whole bee colony to ground (literally) was suitably lashed with ropes normally used for lifting slings of cement, and the volunteers took their places. Like a tug of war team - man vs bees. The chainsaw roared as it was hoisted into the canopy by a second rope to the Snr Honey Man - all was ready.
In some distant part of my past, I was obliged to complete a "Health & Safety at Work" Diploma, so tend to watch such occasions, open-mouthed and always with the same thought - what would the HSE make of this? Snr Honey Man up a tree with a chain saw dangling on the end of a rope - angry bees, stinging ants; his bee net still safely stowed (deemed not to be required today), but most intriguing - throughout the entire operation, he was totally bare-footed. No bee-net, no gloves, no hard hat, no safety goggles, no ear defenders and no shoes....health & safety be damned!
All that aside, this operation went remarkably smoothly. Shouts went up that the final cut was about to be made to the bough, and the men down below steeled themselves to take up the slack (for a cut bough full of bees, is a weighty issue). Down it came, slowly but surely, resting gently on the ground. Jnr Honey Man was already down from the tree, his smoker puffing to the max ....bees buzzed but there was a strange sense of calm and a feeling that this time, all was under control.
Some minutes later the bough was open and the honeycomb exposed. There was much excitement as these grown men seemingly reverted to small children, excited to be the first to try - something akin to the seagull scene in Disney's "Finding Nemo", the looks on their faces said it, all that was missing was the dialogue..."mine, mine, mine, mine.....". Greedy, sticky, grown men, with mouths full of honey, momentarily distracted from the task in hand....Trevor the Gardener proclaimed that he was "drunk on honey!". The bee box was fetched and prepared and the honey men went about the business of cutting out the wild honeycomb and adding them to the new frames a section at a time; frame by frame until they had all that they needed. Now came the search for the queen, for without her royal presence, the colony would not obey the command to abandon their faithful old tree in favour of the new hive.
The process was long and arduous - up and down the ladder returning with more and more bees, adding them to the box, until Snr Honey Man proclaimed that the Queen was in residence. With this important milestone reached, there seem to be a change of atmosphere. The bee box was positioned close to the tree, I brought out jugs of homemade ginger beer to wash away the cloying sweetness of the greedily devoured honeycomb, and the men settled on the house steps. They chatted and joked, and shared stories of other bee escapades....and so they stayed for quite some time.....WHY? because they had the queen and now waited for all returning foragers to come home, entering the bee box of their own accord....and come they did, one-by-one. The helpers declared their work here was done, and headed home to their wives and children, yet still the Honey Men kept their vigil. As the sun dipped in the late afternoon sky (it gets dark soon after 6pm here), so the honey men began to gather their belongings and prepared to leave. They would return tomorrow for any late-comers or wayward workers.
It occurred to me, watching them climb the hill, that I'd missed the most impressive photo of the entire day. The Jnr Honey Man, smoker in hand, with the full bee box balanced on his head. Grrrr to the dreaded "Memory Card Full" message.......and so ended the two week long adventure. The Honey Men have new bees, I have a Mason Jar filled with a deep, dark luscious honey that will keep me going for quite a while. All our immediate neighbours have a pound or two. Some from my colony, some a gift from the Honey Man for helping him to bring new life to his hives. This is exactly what I had imagined that life here should be; simple things, done well, in old traditional ways. Long may these skills live on and long may we have the right to keep bees and gather honey and sell or share natural produce with friends and neighbours. How far away we are from the sort of legislation that is sweeping other, more developed lands, where small farmers and producers are being prevented from marketing, selling or even consuming home-produced goods, as they do not conform to the "rules". Rules that permit all manner of chemically laced, genetically-modified, saturated-, hydrogenated, trans-fats, artificial colour, sweeteners and other heinous "foods" to be consumed by the public at large. Something is definitely amiss.
Stands the church clock at ten to three?
And is there honey still for tea?
Excerpt: The Old Vicarage, Grantchester ~ Rupert Brooke
.jpg)
PART I: http://vonniethehappyhippy.blogspot.com/2012/05/wild-bees-and-honey-man-part-i.html
PART II - THE REMATCH
They came, they saw, they concurred, it was indeed a good day to gather wild bees and their honey.
As promised, the Senior Honey Man, and his trusty assistant returned with reinforcements in the form of a young local, recruited for his height and strength, and another fellow, recruited because he owned a big enough chainsaw. With my dear old Dad, leading the charge, this unlikely band marched into my garden, declaring that today would be the day!
As before, the smokers were prepped, new, taller ladders hoisted and overalls donned. Trevor the gardener, put aside his grass cutting and came to witness the spectacle. There was something of a carnival atmosphere; chatting, joking, friendly banter, discussions of tactics. And so it began.....again!
The limb that would be cut down to bring the whole bee colony to ground (literally) was suitably lashed with ropes normally used for lifting slings of cement, and the volunteers took their places. Like a tug of war team - man vs bees. The chainsaw roared as it was hoisted into the canopy by a second rope to the Snr Honey Man - all was ready.
In some distant part of my past, I was obliged to complete a "Health & Safety at Work" Diploma, so tend to watch such occasions, open-mouthed and always with the same thought - what would the HSE make of this? Snr Honey Man up a tree with a chain saw dangling on the end of a rope - angry bees, stinging ants; his bee net still safely stowed (deemed not to be required today), but most intriguing - throughout the entire operation, he was totally bare-footed. No bee-net, no gloves, no hard hat, no safety goggles, no ear defenders and no shoes....health & safety be damned!
All that aside, this operation went remarkably smoothly. Shouts went up that the final cut was about to be made to the bough, and the men down below steeled themselves to take up the slack (for a cut bough full of bees, is a weighty issue). Down it came, slowly but surely, resting gently on the ground. Jnr Honey Man was already down from the tree, his smoker puffing to the max ....bees buzzed but there was a strange sense of calm and a feeling that this time, all was under control.
Some minutes later the bough was open and the honeycomb exposed. There was much excitement as these grown men seemingly reverted to small children, excited to be the first to try - something akin to the seagull scene in Disney's "Finding Nemo", the looks on their faces said it, all that was missing was the dialogue..."mine, mine, mine, mine.....". Greedy, sticky, grown men, with mouths full of honey, momentarily distracted from the task in hand....Trevor the Gardener proclaimed that he was "drunk on honey!". The bee box was fetched and prepared and the honey men went about the business of cutting out the wild honeycomb and adding them to the new frames a section at a time; frame by frame until they had all that they needed. Now came the search for the queen, for without her royal presence, the colony would not obey the command to abandon their faithful old tree in favour of the new hive.
The process was long and arduous - up and down the ladder returning with more and more bees, adding them to the box, until Snr Honey Man proclaimed that the Queen was in residence. With this important milestone reached, there seem to be a change of atmosphere. The bee box was positioned close to the tree, I brought out jugs of homemade ginger beer to wash away the cloying sweetness of the greedily devoured honeycomb, and the men settled on the house steps. They chatted and joked, and shared stories of other bee escapades....and so they stayed for quite some time.....WHY? because they had the queen and now waited for all returning foragers to come home, entering the bee box of their own accord....and come they did, one-by-one. The helpers declared their work here was done, and headed home to their wives and children, yet still the Honey Men kept their vigil. As the sun dipped in the late afternoon sky (it gets dark soon after 6pm here), so the honey men began to gather their belongings and prepared to leave. They would return tomorrow for any late-comers or wayward workers.
It occurred to me, watching them climb the hill, that I'd missed the most impressive photo of the entire day. The Jnr Honey Man, smoker in hand, with the full bee box balanced on his head. Grrrr to the dreaded "Memory Card Full" message.......and so ended the two week long adventure. The Honey Men have new bees, I have a Mason Jar filled with a deep, dark luscious honey that will keep me going for quite a while. All our immediate neighbours have a pound or two. Some from my colony, some a gift from the Honey Man for helping him to bring new life to his hives. This is exactly what I had imagined that life here should be; simple things, done well, in old traditional ways. Long may these skills live on and long may we have the right to keep bees and gather honey and sell or share natural produce with friends and neighbours. How far away we are from the sort of legislation that is sweeping other, more developed lands, where small farmers and producers are being prevented from marketing, selling or even consuming home-produced goods, as they do not conform to the "rules". Rules that permit all manner of chemically laced, genetically-modified, saturated-, hydrogenated, trans-fats, artificial colour, sweeteners and other heinous "foods" to be consumed by the public at large. Something is definitely amiss.
Stands the church clock at ten to three?
And is there honey still for tea?
Excerpt: The Old Vicarage, Grantchester ~ Rupert Brooke
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| Authentic Shabby chic |
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| Liana vines used for lashing the box |
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| Better ladders that appear to bear the letters SLFD? I hope the St Lucia Fire Department do not have any emergencies today! |
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| Snr Honey Man - bare-footed throughout |
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| The first sample |
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