Weed Control

 Beside the pool are we have a problem with couch grass coming underneath the fence and in between the pavers and all around the base of the jujube tree. So I collected cardboard and paper and decided to lift two rows of pavers and pull out the weeds then cover them.

  I needed to do this in the early morning and the evenings as the area gets really hot, when digging out the weeds the sand beneath the pavers was hot about a foot down. That reminded me how unhelpful pavers are for keeping an area cool or letting water through to the soil. I used very thick layers of paper, my intention is not to plant here, but to give the two trees here a better chance of survival by suppressing the couch grass.

We still had plenty of mulch from our recent delivery so once I had put all the paper down and cardboard I put a thick layer of mulch on.

Here is the finished product, the jujube is on the right, still covered in thorns, but looking healthier already!

Chinese Date - Jujube

We have moved our Jujube tree into the back garden and hope to espalier it across the fence. it has certainly grown a great deal and is looking very healthy. It will be better once the thorns drop off and we have had no fruit this year. Hopefully we will next year as it should have settled in properly then.

Chinese Dates- Jujubes

Our tiny tree is only a few inches high but has produced over a dozen delicious fruit.
See here for a  Fact Sheet and here for an article on Jujube Trees on this hardy and productive tree.

Doing our bit for Sustainable September

Our tiny Almond tree has about nine flowers on it, perhaps we will be able to double our crop of two almonds from last year!

Today we have harvested lots of Spinach and Kale, giving some away, cooking some and blanching and freezing the rest. Transplanted tiny Lettuce seedlings and planted some more seeds, including Capsicums.

We have realized that Andy had been planting some of the seeds too deep, not realizing that each plant likes to be planted at a certain depth, we live and learn.

 The Chinese Date/Jujube finally has some leaves sprouting, we have been told we will even get fruit from it this year- fingers crossed.

The Pomegranate and the Persimmon are now covered in leaves, they both have such elegant forms and leaf shapes they are lovely to look at.

The garden just outside the front door is doing well, here you can see Carrots, Coriander, Basil, Sage, Thyme and Capers. Once the Carrots are finished we plan to add more herbs that way they will be close to a door and easy to use for cooking.

Upload Monday 21st June 2010

Yesterday we traveled out into the countryside to visit the property of a colleague who is growing Jujube/Chinese Date trees. There are not many growers of these trees yet in Australia, but they are described as being perfect for our conditions. We had a lovely time learning about the trees and also got lots of tips on pruning deciduous trees and had a very relaxing walk around the property. Above is a picture of fungus nestled in the fallen leaves in the bushland area.

 

The Pomegranate Tree has also now been planted, and soon we will plant the Jujube and Persimmon Trees that we bought yesterday. These tress will be grown in quite a small space, hopefully will provide fruit and summer shade, but will be kept compact so that they stay manageable.

We are now also extending the front No Dig garden and using sand from the tree holes and recycled pavers, there will be a central path to make access easier. You can see the Perpetual Spinach, Dwarf Kale, Japanese Turnips, Carrots and Capsicums to the right. In the back ground are the Pineapple Fejoas, and a very small Almond tree,  which one day will be a hedge.

In the front of this garden you can also see the volunteer Rocket plants, we love volunteers.