We seem to have a knack of turning on great weather for our days in the garden. Saturday was freezing (8 degrees) raining and windy. Sunday was balmy and mild, the perfect day for a good spring clean.
There were no huge projects on the schedule for today, just consolidation and getting ready for the big Field Day on November 21.
Members were impressed with ‘polehenge’ — our beginning of a rain water collecting roof. Twenty large hardwood poles were erected ready to support the trusses and roof structure. A double load of special road base has been donated by our local garden centre and will soon be placed and compacted to form a floor for our roofed area.

Polehenge underway
There has been quite a bit of cleaning up to do after the strong winds brought down some of the black wattles and casuarinas.
The garden is producing copious quantities of food at present. The cabbages that have been netted are safe from the cabbage white caterpillar, but those in the open are starting to be attacked. We have been picking beetroot, spring onion, cos lettuce, radish, turnip, broccoli, and silver beet. The first cauliflowers are ready.

Spring clean in full swing

Turnip pickle, anyone?
Beds were weeded, carrots thinned, and paths cleared using the wonderful wheel hoe followed up by a McLeod tool (or rake hoe). We formed a new path at the southern end of the beds to provide a weed barrier and a route for self guided tours on the open day.
The lettuce bed was extended with new plantings.

Hand thinning the carrots
The worm farm baths had proper hinged lids fitted, and are starting to produce the essential “worm juice”.