Rhubarb

If there is some garden bed the chickens can scratch up, then they will scratch it up. It's as inevitable as taxes. My new rhubarb plots, placed so they would have good drainage were just starting to look good with new growth. Then.. chickens. There's a saying about a watched plot never spoiling, and it's true, because the chickens come when you're not watching.

Here are two shots before chicken.

And a shot after, with netting in place. That's some of the more affordable netting, at $3 for 1.5m x 6m I think. I'll have to lift it up as a fence when the rhubarb gets bigger.

Growing Pears From Seed

Some time earlier in the year, I was saved six seeds from an Angelys Pear I was given. I was told it was a tasty new variety, but honestly, if I recall correctly it was at best mealy and mediocre. In any case, I had it and was interested in trying to save the seeds. I'd earlier tried to save some apple seeds, with little success. So had done some research, and one of the conclusions in a paper I found was that seeds should not be allowed to dry out. So I took the seeds straight from the pear core, and put them in a bag in the fridge where I had some persimmon seeds.

A few months later, I noticed that all six of the pear seeds had sprouted in the bag in the fridge. The following photo has shown them planted out. For anyone trying the same thing, use a decent sized planter bag instead. It only took a week and the taproot had gone through the bottom of the cardboard cup and started heading sideways with the plastic underneath. Now they're outside in planter bags growing vigourously and looking healthy.

A very successful experiment. Will the pears that eventuate taste okay? No idea. That's another experiment.

Garlic Plantings

Every day, my garlic is growing more and more. I have no idea how many cloves I have planted, but it must be on the order of fifty plus.

Here's the hugelkultur garlic out in the paddock, on what I call Paddock Hugelkultur Plot #1.

And two photos of the first planting in the bed out back of the house. One a month and a bit ago, and the next several days ago.

And two photos of the second planting in the bed out back of the house. One a month and a bit ago, and the next several days ago.

Even now, it has grown noticeably from what can be seen in the photos.