Thursday, October 7, 2010

Avo tree & compost

Red billed wood hoopoe on my Avo tree.


It's a lovely, tall tree - there have been no fruit while we've been on the property (1.5 years). I was told to trim it down, but there are always birds at the top bits, so I'm not doing that. Two friends suggested knocking a nail in, which I have now done, as an experiment. We'll see what happens. After living in a townhouse complex for almost 8 years, I really appreciate the mature trees we have.

Hubby got me a copy of Steve Solomon's "Gardening when it counts" for my birthday. I'm reading the composting section for the 2nd time now - it's something I really want to get right. I seem to be doing quite a bit wrong though :( Two things that I need to fix in my existing heaps: 1) remove branches, bark etc and set them up in a pile of their own. 2) Add a thick layer of soil over the top of the piles, to trap the escaping ammonia.

Last night we got our first bit of rain for the season ... the girls where out dancing in it, they were so thrilled. My 2 little helpers often help in the garden - they happily take on any task and work really hard. Gardening with the girls is really special for me - I love that I can share something that I treasure with them.

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