Garden Update May 2016

Young Australian ringneck parrot and pink and grey galah practice their comical flight around the winery swooping through the peppermint and mulberry trees, showing off their bright colours.

Mycelium networks that extend through the farm under the surface, transporting nutrients, moisture and creating a communication network between the plants, have begun to produce their fruiting bodies in the form of mushrooms. As well as producing wind spread spore they also release sulphur, potassium, calcium and magnesium and are a sign of healthy soils.

Multispecies cover crops are being sown through the vineyard and oats, wheat, barley, peas, lupins and vetch have sprouted out of the soil to begin their journey from seed to seed. Broad bean seed collected from last year are to be planted through the vines around the restaurant for their leaves flowers and beans, and nitrogen fixing ability in the soil.

Garlic, spring onions, shallot, brassica, chard, salad, radish, beetroot, turnip and much more will be seeded in the middle of the homestead orchard with the edges planted with multispecies cover crop and broad beans to act as a windbreak, all for a winter harvest. Lemon grass and globe artichoke will be thinned out and transplanted around the grounds, lemon grass make a great edging plant as it seems to keep the kikuyu lawns out of the beds through its allelopathic biochemicals they release. Their leaves make great mulch and tea, and the base of the stem for the flavouring of any stew or curry. Coriander and sweet basil have set seed and will be collected and dried for future planting.

It is a good time to apply horn manure, make compost, transplant seedlings, pruning, wine racking and harvesting for storage from the1st-8th and the 26th-31st of May. This is a descending or waning period and is influenced by the earth and water signs.  From the 11th-23rd of May it will be a good time to apply horn silica, plant seeds, graft and harvest for early consumption. This is an ascending or waxing period and is influenced by air or fire signs.

WE ARE CURRENTLY HARVESTING… Lemons, capsicum, beetroot, radish, chard, kale, shallot, salad greens, herbs, edible flowers, horse radish.

If anyone has any queries in regards to the garden, please feel welcome to ask…  Cheers, Jaimie