Garden notes

In the past few days I have sneaked past sleeping people and:

1. Buried two buckets' worth of Bokashi. I buried it out the front, underneath the big compost heap I made a few months ago. I layered cardboard on the bottom of that heap and that has decomposed already. I noticed as I dug that the soil is quite stoney further down which I think is good news for drainage. Drainage seems to be my number one challenge in most of my garden. After I'd put the soil and pea straw back on top, I used bamboo stakes to anchor last year's strawberry cage on top. It covers most of the rectangular pile and this will stop or at least limit the fossicking of neighbouring dogs and of blackbirds.

2. Sown beans, lettuces and basil.

3. Bemoaned to myself that no marigolds have germinated at all. Which considering I sowed at least 24, about a fortnight ago, is a terrible result.

4. Planted one sunflower in the garden and brought some others out of the shed to harden off.

5. Noticed how many different things are germinating in the old chook run. There is watercress galore, which I guess is a powerful sign of how wet our garden environment is. I found a corn seedling this evening. The chooks didn't like the corn so it stayed in the run. It isn't lovely eating sweet corn though, more agricultural feed, so I pulled it out. I threw some mesclun lettuce mix over part of the old chook run not long ago and there are some seedlings from that already. It is very noticeable how well leafy plants are doing in there compared to other parts of the garden where chooks haven't been in to decimate the slug population.

6. The potatoes are growing quickly now, or the tops are at least. I haven't had time to mound them up again.

7. I haven't moved the huge sea kelp haul from the old compost heap yet. I do need to give my second garlic bed some nutritious attention so if the sun and my daughter cooperate tomorrow, I'll be able to chop up some kelp, lift the existing mulch, spread the kelp and then replace the old mulch plus another new and thick layer.

8. My blueberries are looking poorly and all the fruit has fallen off. I think the problem is probably drainage. I am hoping they will hold on and not die completely so that I can shift them to a better spot in Autumn.

9. My sage has died. I think drainage is the problem, or the lack of it. I am going to overhaul that small herb spot completely. I want to take the surviving thymes and oregano out and then dig 10-15 cm down, put some sand and stones in, then put 20-30 cm high sides in and fill it with a mixture of the previous soil and compost and top with pea straw. I had to take the pea straw out last time as the neighbour's cat kept pooing in it. Maybe I need netting on top as well.