A warm place to work out of the rain,hail and wind

Awoke to large piles of icy hail around the place , 43.5 mm  in the rain gauge for the past 24 hours and more rain,hail and wind on the way I headed to the polyhouse to get things done.Normally in winter polyhouse there are daily harvests of greens for us and the chooks. Our flock require a large basket  full of greens to be blended into their mash daily and the outside gardens never grow fast enough in winter to keep up.

 

This year has been quite different as I was out of action from Spring to Autumn with firstly with a broken leg (Thanks to neighbours goat, which is still managing to climb the fence to my vegies garden.) Then a new knee! Over this time the polyhouse became covered in lovegrass whose seeds latch on to your clothes and was proberly responsible for the invention of Velcro. To remove this weed required me to wear a polyester type bee suit,and long gumboots and still some seeds ended up on my socks.Once removed the beds where dug over to remove invading roots , the soil had mineralized , which means when you push the spade in you hear a crunching sound similar to putting a spade into gravel or the grittiness of potting soil or when  compost has been left too  long.

It was now late May and getting too late to plant most things even in side.

The two centre beds had some of my humus rich  compost dug in and where planted with brought in brassicas seedings and lettuce,kale and silver beet seedlings from my garden. The outside beds where left dug over and watered to get the weeds to germinate and today I dug them in as a green manure and then stirred some biodynamic barrel compost and treated all the beds. Next week I will dig in some  humus rich  compost and do another stirring of barrel compost and it will be ready for spring planting  and some  biodynamic 500  to get an early start  for the summer vegies.

Vegetables for the table year round.

The first thing you notice about my home vegetable garden is that it is well fenced to keep poultry and dogs out.

The large banana passionfruit vine is a good deterrent as they can’t see through and see what they are missing.

As you enter there is always a vast array of vegies, some growing, some ready for the table and some going to seed to ensure future crops.

Established in 1983 the annual  garden is 10 x 18 m and includes a tool shed (in need of new door!) propagation area, cold frames and its own compost area.

THIS VEGETABLE GARDEN IS DESIGNED TO PRODUCE A STEADY SUPPLY OF TOP QUALITY PRODUCE WITH MINIMUM WORK. THE BASIC FEATURES ARE : *PERMANENT RAISED BEDS. The soil from pathways was used to build beds. Each bed is enclosed to keep soil in. The width of the bed ensures easy reach. GARDEN BEDS SHOULD NEVER BE WALKED ON!!!! *VEGETABLES ARE GROWN IN SOIL ENRICHED WITH OUR OWN BIO DYNAMIC COMPOST. * EACH BED HAS ITS OWN IRRIGATION SYSTEM. *THE SOIL TILTH REQUIRES MINIMAL EFFORT IN CULTIVATION. WEEDS ARE EASILY HAND PULLED, SOIL RAKED & THEN SEEDS PLANTED. *THE AREA IS KEPT IN BALANCE BY PROVIDING HABITAT AREAS AROUND THE PERIMETER (THE WILD AREA) FOR BENEFICIAL CREATURES. SEED+ SOIL+COMPOST+WATER+SUNLIGHT=HEALTHY VEGETABLES

Cold frame & parsley	Broad beans & broccoli
There is always something for the table.	Garlic crop
Garlic & chicory. Meals revolve around what’s in the garden mixed with what has been preserved.	Flowering turnips
miners lettuce & mache	Green wave mustard
Cabbage	Kale
Snow peas	Cardoon
New round garden fed and watered by worm farm	Borage grows wild throughout the garden. Great for attracting bees.

Behind this area is the perennial garden and herbs. Perennial plants need different attention so it made sense to separate them.This is a relatively new garden established in 2000.A fenced off area 12x 10m which contained 5 old apple trees, sour sobs, other bulbs, grasses and clovers. The area received the morning sun especially after the removal of a large pine on adjoining property.Artichokes, rhubarb, strawberries,asparagus,hops, comfrey, nettles, rue,wormwood, valerian and 1 apple tree all share this garden.Camellia flowers provide a great fairy carpet mulch.

The successful growing seasons can be simply extended by the use of cold frames which are easily constructed and a 6 x 4m tunnel which is a thin sheet of plastic which can keep plants growing during the cold wet winters. Although many things grow outside in winter they are often sitting there which is great for the root crops that get sweeter but lettuce just gets bitter so its ideal for indoor growing.Capsicums never ripen outdoors here so they do well along with the sweet potatoes and ginger. There is also a heated propagation area to get summer veg off to a early start.

  

Want to learn more about producing  vegies for your table everyday and how to grow them successfully using proper organic methods.Deb shares 30 + years of experience of how to do it easily. Workshop Details

  

From the Heart

It’s always a good feeling to complete building a compost heap. I’m tired and worn out, as it usually takes the best part of a day, but with wet materials being heavier and drizzle it has been a long day. But I have a warm glow inside of a job well done.




Compost is the heart of our orchards and gardens, where I (Quinta essentisa) collect the ingredients and put the heap together so that the organic matter (recycled from within the farm) is combined with air, water and warmth to create the new substance of rich black, quality humus which will enliven the soil and strengthen the plants. Click here to see how our compost is made.


When visiting organic farms and gardens I’m amazed that so few practitioners make compost or have thought about how they can develop a system of creating and recycling within their own system. They are more than happy to buy in all their fertility. This is one of the main reasons I never enjoyed being an organic inspector . After 13 years of certification we ditched it as a waste of time, money and with the attitude of minimum standards , where excellence is not considered and everything goes down to the lowest common denominator there seem little point.

COMPOSTING

At Nirvana nothing is more important than producing quality compost to ensure nutrient recycling within the farm system.

In natures ’Wheel of life’ composting occurs at the bottom of the cycle, where death processes are turned back into life processes in the form of humus.

On the farm or garden it is the deliberate putting together materials to produce quality humus of the right quality to enliven the to enliven the soil .The end result is an even, dark brown/ black, humus rich, hygienic, living substance with a pleasant smell.

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HUMUS is made up of long chained molecules that act like a sponge to increase the water holding capacity. Humus holds 900 times more water than sand. Humus binds nutrients in its structure so it is available to plants and not lost through leaching. Humus is also the home of soil organisms, who on death become fertiliser.

IN BIO -DYNAMICS there is NO ONE METHOD OF COMPOSTING within a farm or garden. There may be several different types of compost systems.

Just like there is no one way to prepare a family meal. The aim of both is to provide a broad range of ingredients to achieve a balanced meal. (For humans or the soil.)

Bio Dynamic practitioners use a broad range of composting methods. The method selected depends on:

• Types of materials available. Both on and off property.
• Quantity of materials / Available equipment.
• Crops nutritional needs.

Success with composting depends on;

The right mix of ingredients

Compost needs the essential elements of:

Organic matter: Here we have the ‘U-Klekt-It Compost Company’ to supply good quality and quantity of chook and goose manure mixed with sawdust .On its own it makes reasonable compost as its C:N ratio is about right. But the more ingredients the better the compost. We grow comfrey and nettles to add to this along with any other green material. The types of green materials vary according to the seasons. Today’s compost had good quantities of fresh nettles, comfrey and a mix of other greens.

AIR

WATER

WARMTH

All these are required in balance by micro organisms in the heap.

In addition to the above elements compost requires the human element or ‘Quinta essentisa’ .The ordering principle to collect the ingredients and put the heap together. In addition a set of biodynamic preparation are added to the heap. If you think of a compost heap as a body then when we add the biodynamic preparations the heap is organized (Like adding organs to the body) The breakdown and more importantly build up of new substance (humus) is guided and balanced.

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To help master the craft of composting draw some comparisons e.g.

Think of the process of making a cake:-collecting the ingredients, incorporating the right amount of air, baking at the correct temperature, testing for readiness, cutting to reveal the texture, moisture and complete baking.

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THE COMPOSTING PROCESS

Once the heap is completed the temperature starts to rise reaching between 30 and 50 degrees Celsius with in a few days. This heating process continues for up to 6 weeks then gradually reduces again until it stabilises at air temperature. The compost goes through 3 stages as it develops.

BACTERIA - FUNGUS STAGE

Breakdown:

• Proteins are broken down by bacteria producing amino acids and ammonia
• Carbohydrates are broken down to simple sugars, organic acids and carbon dioxide.

Heat is required.

Build Up:

• The fungi ingest the free ammonia and rebuild it into amino acids contained in their mycelia.

Moisture is critical.

2. EARTHWORM STAGE

• Heating is reduced and the heat loving bacteria has produced spores and the fungi have pre-digested food for worms.
• Mixing of organic substances creating polymerised carbon chains - humus, which absorb captions such as calcium, ammonium, magnesium, potassium, and others becoming a sponge for nutrients.
• Arthropods e.g. centipedes begin to develop.

At this stage the compost can be used for heavy feeders, e.g. cabbage, corn, pumpkins ECT.

3. RIPENESS STAGE

• Humus bacteria come in. The compost turns into good crumbly humus with the smell of fresh earth. To test for this stage take a handful of compost and shape it into a ball - it should hold its shape, now drop it, it should fall apart. It is ready to use.

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