Veggie Diary 2015

The seeds sown in the Rimu bed November 2015:

BEETROOT (Bull's Blood) by McGregor's

Seeds at 1cm deep, 3cm apart and rows 40cm apart.

Apply McGregor's Fruitmax 2 weeks after germination. Apply McGregor's Derris Dust to combat White Butterfly.

Harvest baby leaves after 30-40 days and the roots after 50-60 days
















SPINACH (Hybrid No.7) from McGregor's

Seeds at 1cm deep, 3cm apart and rows 45cm apart.

Apply McGregor's Vegemax 2 weeks after germination. Apply McGregor's Derris Dust to combat White Butterfly.

Start picking leaves after 25-35 days.
















DWARF FRENCH GREEN BEANS (Top Crop) by McGregor's

Sow 10cm apart, rows 60cm apart and 2cm deep.

Apply McGregor's Fruitmax 2 weeks after germination. Protect from White Butterfly with McGregor's Derris Dust.

Pick regularly when pods are young, to obtain over 6 weeks of continual cropping.

DWARF FRENCH GREEN BEANS (Admires)

Sow seeds 2cm deep, 15cm apart in rows 60cm apart.

Apply McGregor's Fruitmax 2 weeks after germination. Protect from White Butterfly with McGregor's Derris Dust.

A pod is ready if it snaps easily when bent. Pick regularly when pods are young, to obtain over 6 weeks of continual cropping.

BABY CARROTS (Parisian Market)

Sow seeds 1cm deep, thinly in rows 30cm apart.
Thin carrots twice, firstly to 2cm apart and then to 5cm apart  2-3 weeks later.

Apply McGregor's Fruitmax 2 weeks after germination. Protect from White Butterfly with McGregor's Derris Dust.
















RADISH (Highlight)

Sow seeds 1cm deep, in rows 30cm apart.

Apply McGregor's Fruitmax 2 weeks after germination. Protect from White Butterfly with McGregor's Derris Dust.

Sow the radishes every three weeks , varying the location as a precaution against pests and diseases.

PAK CHOI (Mei Quing Choi F1 Hybrid)

Sow seeds 5mm deep, 2 cm apart in rows 40cm apart.

Apply McGregor's Vegemax 2 weeks after germination. Protect from White Butterfly with McGregor's Derris Dust.

When the seedlings are large enough, thin them to 25cm apart.

SNOW PEAS

Sow seeds to a depth of 2-3cm , 6-8cm apart, with 60-80cm between rows

Apply McGregor's Fruitmax 2 weeks after germination. Protect from White Butterfly with McGregor's Derris Dust.

Provide a support trellis. Harvest in 9 -10 weeks.













CABBAGE (Golden Acre)

Sow seeds to a depth of 5mm , 3cm apart, with 45cm between rows

Apply McGregor's Vegemax 2 weeks after germination. Protect from White Butterfly with McGregor's Derris Dust.

Provide a support trellis. Harvest in 9 -10 weeks.

ZUCCHINI (Blackjack) by Yates

Row space 70cm, with maturity 6-8 weeks.

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In the Pohutukawa Bed, 10 November, we sowed:

ROCKET (Large Leaf)

Germination 10-14 days

Apply Yates Thrive Plant Food at weekly intervals

SWEET BASIL

Entrance Gate

I checked up on this blog this morning, to discover, to my dismay, that I have been a very lazy blogger this year, with August 2015 a very threadbare posting period. Let's try and rectify that, I thought to myself.  

So, what can I write about? What is a blog? Essentially, a blog is web-based page consisting of informal writing,published on an ongoing basis,with the newest (latest) posts appearing first -- the reverse of a written book. And the subject matter? Well, anything goes, apparently. This blog does not cater for the commercial aspects -- I'm not trying to sell any goods or services, and I do not earn revenue from reader traffic. 

Rather I waffle. Mostly. Mainly about this and that, a sort of personal-public diary of my experiences, or events which I find interesting. 

Mmmm. What is interesting at the moment? Mmmm. 

What about opinions and expectations about upcoming World Cup Rugby? Too many arguments there, and probably few who are actually interested. Anyway, like it or not, my prediction for the final:  All Blacks 32 - Opponents 26

Oh! Oh! Oh! What about the flag? Mmmm.

I know it's too early...I know you want to retain the current flag... 

But... The Flag Panel has reviewed all 10,292 suggested flag designs and announced an official long list of 40 flag designs. The designs included in the long list will go forward for further investigation as part of the official design review process. In mid-September, the Panel will announce the 4 alternatives which will be ranked in the first binding referendum.

Although I can hear the "Looks-like-pirates" objections being shouted from the rooftops, after giving quite a bit of serious thought to the matter, both my flags are pirate-based:

I am impressed by the "Seven Stars of Matariki" designed by Matthew Clare as my first choice

And the next one, although it excludes the Maori interest, I find nevertheless interesting, is called the Southern Cross Horizon, by Sven Baker, as below:

My prediction? I suspect that, after the panel stuff and the selection and voting, the current flag will be retained after all.

"But," you comment, "I really don't care," and you ask,"Why the 'Gate' title to the blog?"

Aha. That's the personal-public diary bit. You see.

We live in Kents Road. Which is rural. A narrow country road (lane, probably, by the British definition),with no sidewalk, pavement, kerb or formal gutters. But, part of the extended family includes two large Labradors, who have never really been exposed to playing in the traffic. So, an entrance gate at the end of the driveway is a necessity. And we have just received delivery of the new wooden gate from the Gate Guy  -- he's not really called the 'Gate Guy', but he is the 'gate' equivalent of 'The Pool Guy.' If that makes any sense.

This is thus the first diary entry for gate matters. There will probably be two more in the near future, just to document our progress.

The two half-gates stacked on a pallet on the lawn, awaiting arrival of the installation guys.

Some of the 11 panels for the post-cladding of the same Macrocarpa wood as the gates,
which are being coated with the Cabot's decking oil.

The workmen are scheduled to arrive early next week to attend to the installation of the gate. Until then.

The Movies

You know you're getting old when your grand-children cannot understand what you're going to do when you announce,"We're going to the bioscope!" 

"Bioscope? Huh? Is that the procedure where the doctor shove a pipe with a go-pro camera into your insides to look at your tummy?" was about the closest explanation they could think of.

This made me think about the "official" explanation, rather than the medical rendition:  A Bioscope show was a music hall and fairground attraction consisting of a travelling cinema. The heyday of the Bioscope was from the late 1890's until World War I. Bioscope shows were fronted by the largest fairground organs, and these formed the entire public face of the show. A stage was usually in front of the organ, and dancing girls would entertain the crowds between film shows. Films shown in the Bioscope were primitive, and the earliest of these were made by the showmen themselves. Later, films were commercially produced.

During my childhood, the so-called "cinema" was still known as a "bioscope", and the ones in the larger cities with usherette/waitresses serving light refreshment old drinks and teas were "tea-room biscopes" featuring looping films. You would simply walk in while the film was being shown, sit down and place your refreshment order and pay for it including your admission fee to a roving  waitress. We didn't live near any big city, so I probably only went to such a tea-room about three or four times.  It was only in my teenage years that I could go to a "bioscope"-- I only remember one -- which had a South African undertone about life in some fishing village somewhere. Hmmm.
Oh yes, and that 1959 epic,"One man's fight, against the might,of Imperial Rome!"

One Man's fight against the might of Imperial Rome - Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur

In later life:  I have to admit that you can probably count the number of movies I've seen in the last 20 years and my fingers. I suppose I've never been much of a movie addict -- I guess its a bit of my old concentration/ attention span problem, the same one which blocks the reading of books. Give me an  interesting documentary or biography, then I'm all eyes and ears.

In the last month, I've been to the movies twice, would you believe?

The movies themselves are not significant in themselves. "Holmes" is the tale of Sherlock himself, to wit: an ageing Holmes returns from a journey to Japan in search of a rare plant which should counteract the effects of aging, especially a failing memory. He tries to give attention to the unsolved case which ended his career. Hmmm.

And then "Far from the madding crowd." I remember that we had a copy of it on the bookshelves, but I cannot remember ever having even tried reading the introduction, let alone Thomas Hardy's fine words.  Shame on me.Mmmm.

But its not the novelty of the act of going to bioscope the movies, but rather the venue where we saw the movies: The Shoreline in Waikanae.

  

The Shorline is what I would call a "boutique bioscope" with huge comfortable sofas and plenty of cushions,justthe berries for a lazy slouch like me -- I'm really a professional slouch on a couch!

WARNING : Contains Deliciousness

In South Africa, I was  traumatised by  exposed to Mama's Pies and Big Jack pies. I have never fully recovered from the ordeals, and those experiences are probably the cause of my fear of flaky pastry and wholesale greasiness. Please excuse me, but I need to go outdoors for a few gulps of fresh air to recover from that memory.

In NewZealand, I was gradually introduced to a Kiwi tradition -- the Pie. In some circles, it can be seen as a way of life. If your supplier (and almost everyone can sell you a selection) runs out of stock of your favourite for the day, it is truly a personal disaster.

Which pie? In New Zealand, you can buy all sorts with a really huge range to suit the taste of the locals: conventional, weird and wonderful and specialty. Strangely, they use the term "butter" to mean "curried."

Myself, I prefer the Pepper Steak, but others include Mince and gravy, Diced Steak and gravy, Chicken and vegetable, Butter chicken, Chicken bacon and mushroom, Creamy chicken and mushroom, Thai chicken, Blueberry and spiced apple, Sherried pear and plum, Cointreau pear and apple cherry, Vanilla bean poached apple and salted caramel, Steak onion and garlic, Banoffee pie, Caramelized pear walnuts and blue cheese, Egg and spring onion, and other combinations of various vegetables for non-meat eaters.

And today, the announcement came through on Breakfast TV -- Bakel's Supreme Pie of the year awards held in Auckland last night.

The categories under which bakeries have submitted entries include:

• Mince and Gravy
• Diced Steak and Gravy
• Chicken and Vegetable
• Gourmet Fruit
• Gourmet Meat
• Vegetarian
• Bacon and Egg
• Mince and Cheese
• Steak and Cheese
• Potato Top
• Commercial
• Cafe Boutique
• Supreme

The award of Supreme pie for 2015 went to the Potato Top pie, baked by Napier supermarket New World Greenmeadows, beating more than 5000 entries. The pie was described by judges as having the 'perfect ratio between a flavoursome filling, a super creamy potato top and a delicious pastry shell.'

If the results of the competition are anything to go by, then we don't live in a Champion Pie Area.  Only two entries from the Wellington area made it to the podium. Winning pies are awarded in four categories: Gold, Silver, Bronze and Highly Commended.

In the Diced Steak and Gravy category, a baker by name of Roger Cathro of Petone branch of Pak n Save supermarket was awarded Highly Commended. And he won another commendation for his entry in the Gourmet Meat category with his Thai Chicken pie.

I must admit that, since coming to New Zealand, I have almost overcome all my pie demon fears of Big Jack origin, and have developed a taste for the occasional Pepper Steak pies sold at the BP Wild Bean cafes. I'll try to make a point of trying out Mr Cathro's winning steak and gravy creation when I get close to Petone.

Wet Wet Wet

As is the case with so many things in life, water supply in Reikorangi certainly does not disappoint. In the dry January /February months, so many neighbours (and sometimes ourselves) run out of domestic water and are forced to buy water from a tanker service company. On the other hand, however, we tend to have more water than anyone could want during the rainier months, around June and July. 

According to my accurate calculations, using advanced arithmathematics, including a clear understanding of metrics and my most intimate knowledge of statistics, I came to the conclusion that every single millimetre of rainfall supplies us with approximately give-or-take about 300 litres of household drinking water. That's one and a half old fashion 45 gallon drumsful, which is plenty if you use the water exclusively to make tea, but when it comes to bathing, showering, toileting and laundering for seven people, it is drastically less than one day's needs, let alone taking into account the needs of a garden or expansive lawn.

Ho-hum. A bit of a dull subject. Which is probably a reflection of a "temporary" creative writing drought. I will classify the post as a historical domestic record with a batch of photos, for future reference.

The little lake-lets in the potager pebble area form principally as a result of overflow from the grey storage tank, because the main tank has been filled to capacity. The overflow will be controlled in future by pumping the unwanted excess down to the "orchard-chook" paddock. This could be done neatly via an underground hose from the tank farm running through the freshly-dug trench for the front lawn French drain and then through the under-drive pipe installed by John. Or not?

Overnight 15/16 July, we've had 27mm of rain --that's about 8,100 litres (in drinking language). 

(Above) The waterlogged ground, partly caused by overflow from the grey tank

(Above): The north-western corner of the potager pebbled area.

(Above): Potager pebbles

(Above): One of the corners of the Pohutukawa bed -- a true soggy boggy mire.

(Above): The lawn and driveway (principally) seems to drain quite well
into the newly-dug trench for the French drain. 

  

(Above): The flower-bed drain also seems quite effective.

(Above): The flower-bed trench has a lot more water than I expected. At the catchpit end,
the top of a vertical standard brick is just visible at the surface of the pond. 

Snow in Reikorangi

Tonight I'm off to the airport to collect the family arriving from their excursion to Christchurch. Flight NZ362 arriving at 20:45, the weather forecast fibs a bit about the temperature, though. It is currently 2ºC here, according to the Toyota outside. Its minus 222 according to my gloveless fingers!

As posted on my Facebook page, here are a couple of pictures I took a short while ago from the chook paddock, looking across towards the neighbours' cottage and shed.

(Above): The view of  the light snowfall on a couple or hills in the Tararua mountain range from the
chicken coop area, with our neighbour's cottage and shed in the foreground

The peaks in the background have had snow on them a couple of times for a day or two this winter so far, but this is the first time that the lower hills in the foreground have also had a a sprinkling.

(Above): Close up of the hillside.

One Year On

A year has passed, with our builder on site once more.

The end of June 2014 arrived in Reikorangi as Builder John's men were measuring and setting out the foundations for the extension to the house. Unfortunately, my photos from that period are hiding somewhere in the digital wilderness after "incident" with the laptop, so I have grabbed this photo  from one of those building project posts. The 20-year-old weatherboards (painted in a light brown) have quite obviously weathered...

2014: John's assistant apprentice Shamus (Seamus, I would have thought) carefully ties
the builder's line to the reference points for the dig.

At the end of June 2015, Builder John was back once more. This time to attend to the long-awaited delayed renovation of the weatherboards around the upstairs bedrooms.

2015:  The extension  slightly obscured on the left, the weatherboards
upstairs painted to match the new surfaces downstairs.

Tomorrow

We continually encounter crossroads in our lives. Generally and quite frequently, I imagine, we are not even aware of the importance of any one particular encounter. It is only later, whether after a few hours or days or even after passing of a sizeable fraction of our existence, that we might review that particular crossroad and recognise its significance and how our actions (or lack of action) influenced the result.

Today is the 8th of July. Early this morning, Tyler and Emily left the North Island bound for an Open Day at Canterbury University in Christchurch. As they clambered out at the Stop and Drop at Wellington Airport, I wondered whether they were even aware that they were at a major crossroad in the young lives, possibly the very first one related to their current education and future careers.

Superficially, this excursion was a day out. To check out the locations of the various lecture halls and student residences, where they are physically situated in relation to each other, to other amenities and to transport routes. This is the city where they are planning to spend a minimum of three or four academic years in preparation of their chosen careers, obtaining those important foundations, such  essential as building blocks which will enable them to earn a living.

Long-term, the excursion may be the most important first step in forging a career and the basis for future family life, acquiring educationally a whole new understanding of the technicalities of their chosen subjects, and socially meeting a whole array of new friends and acquaintances.

Dr Steve Maraboli said, "Although time seems to fly, it never travels faster than one day at a time. Each day is a new opportunity to live your life to the fullest. In each waking day, you will find scores of blessings and opportunities for positive change. Do not let your TODAY be stolen by the unchangeable past or the indefinite future! Today is a new day!"

Sorry (with lazy smile)

"Sometime ago I was able to log on to this blog and read something new virtually every day. Now... Nothing!  Are you Ok? Are you ill... or...  DEAD? Or simply too lazy to bother about writing?"
This, and other emails in similar vein which have ended up in my inbox, reflect my lack of blogging for many weeks.

Yes, yes. My apologies for the drought. Blame it on the winter-shortened days, blame it on the low temperatures, blame it... Ok, blame it on laziness, I guess.  Sorry, you're right -- I need to wake up a bit.

In my defence, I have posted some pictures from time to time on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/James.Andrews47
Although you do not have a FaceBook account of your own, I understand that you should still be able to access my page by clicking on the link as above.

Recipe for a Barrel of Fun

Just what I need -- a recipe for the success of any venture or activity. Today, it is the turn of two potted shrubs being re-planted in half wine barrels.

As per usual, I was rather skeptical about the origin of the barrels. Surely the number of spent wine barrels available to be sawn in half for all those avid gardeners worldwide is rather low. Surely there must be a string of sweat-shops someplace where exploited people are forced to work 22 hours a day, assembling wine half-barrels, to satisfy the whims of the elite of the world, and to satisfy the profit and bottom lines of their dubious employers? Or maybe so much wine is being consumed that there really is a glut of this commodity and barrels are genuinely authentic. Added to that, I ask myself, who cares?

The barrels, which I estimate to be in the region of 80-litre volume each, with a top edge diameter of 720mm and a height of  410mm above the floor, arrived bright and early. First steps were to prepare the vessels for the future life as planters - their wine-soaked days had become a distant memory of their past in far-off France.

But I digress. Back to the recipe.

Recipe
2 used half barrels cut neatly as per specification;
2 potted plants to taste;
4 bucketsful of garden soil and decaying leaves mixture;
2 bucketsful of river rocks average 50-60mm;
4 bucketsful pebble-free (10mm sifted) garden soil;
4 bucketsful organic chip compost;
1 bucketful dry peat moss;
1 electric drill and large-bore bit;
1 garden shovel and gloves (optional).
1 wheel barrow.

Method
1. Drill 7 drainage holes in the base of the barrel. I did them at 2,4,6,8,10,12 and dead-centre. I brushed up all the shavings, lest the dogs consume them. (A real possibility, as I smelled the little pile -- yep, distinctly red wine... a cabernet, I would guess... )
2. Cover the base of the barrel with a layer of 50-60mm river pebbles.I understand this assists drainage,somehow.
3. Cover the pebble layer with a layer of garden soil, mixed with a quantity of rotting leaves.
4. Prepare the growing medium by blending sifted garden soil, organic chip compost, and powdered peat moss in the ratio 4:4:1  I used a large sheet of plywood as mixing base. The homogeneous mix filled the wheel-barrow, more or less, and was sufficient for one barrel.

With the final growing mix filled into the barrel and the plant positioned at the centre, the installation is ready for a protective layer of bark chip mulch.

Pile Of The Brown Stuff

Progress report on our Veggie bed, named RIMU. Dateline:27052015-13:45NZST Reikorangi Valley.

Since the weekend when the bed was being rototilled, two-and-a-half days later, my progress at sifting the soil has been, in the words of my friend Charles Dickens, rather tardy, mostly for reasons beyond my control.

By the way: whilst checking whether "rototilled" should be hyphenated to "roto-tilled" or not, I encountered an interesting (in my anal view) word "tilth": 

"...The term soil tilth refers to the soil's general suitability to support plant growth, or more specifically root growth. Tilth is technically defined as the physical condition of the soil as related to its ease of tillage, fitness of seedbed, and impedance to seedling emergence and root penetration..."

So, I would guess, this digging over and sifting of the soil constitutes one of the steps in attempting to improve the tilth.

Improving the tilth of the Southern half of the RIMU veggie-bed 

Our steps in tilthing are: (1) Digging over the soil and removing all the grass, weeds, etc; (2) Sifting the loosened soil to remove the pebbles and rocks, tree roots and any other undesirables. At this stage, I would estimate that 44.5% (or roughly half the bed) has been completed; (3) Adding a good dollop of earthy organic compost to each pile of soil (roughly a barrow-load) and (4) mixing these components thoroughly together with any other required conditioners, and (5) finally raking and leveling the whole bed as a unit.

  

A close-up of the sifting operation - sometimes a bit difficult with wet soil...

We chuck the virgin soil shovelful by shovelful on top of the wire mesh, switch on the vibrator (bang the frame with your hands) and coax the sods through the holes, allowing the pebbles and grass bits to remain on top of the mesh and to 'ski' down to the bottom in a pile of dirt.

This is barrow #3 of stones and organic material which has come out of about 4 square metres of veggie bed.

Oh look, the drizzle has stopped. Time to stop writing and to start shoveling again.

Drat, look at that. The Pohutukawa veggie bed, which has just been sown with grass seeds as a green compost for the upcoming veggie season, has been infiltrated and mutilated. Hello....,labrador Sophie has just been spotted slinking away, after escaping under the mesh fence!

The veggie bed POHUTUKAWA, doggo-tilled to expose everything!

Frosty Wuz Here

Back in primary school days, we were always so "clever" by inscribing"Kilroy Wuz Here". That was in the days of old when people (including us kids) still respected other people's property and would never dare deface garden walls or public property. From my vague recollection, though, I seem to recall that public toilets were the exception and that graffiti could be seen in those hallowed halls of society.

FROSTY WUZ HERE. My graffiti on the trampoline.

However, I never knew whether the Kilroy tag was political, or rude, or racist. I suspect that it was generally done out of total ignorance and without any malice. Thinking back, I'm pretty certain that I never ever carved it out on a tree trunk or scratched it anywhere. I guess I was too scared that it would become a thing of school discipline and that living with such shame at being stupid enough to be caught red-handed...

I guess the origin of the tag is a bit shrouded in ignorance, but I understand that it started off somewhere around WW2-ish in the U.S.

First decent frost for 2015  ---  26/5/15

I shrugged off my schoolboyhood fears and with my fingernail inscribed the graffiti on the trampoline, with the date of the first "proper" frost of the 2015 season. That was about an hour ago. The sky is a cloudless brilliant autumn blue this morning and the sun has since obliterated my artwork. So, there, Mr Policeman-Headmaster, nature has "dissolved" the vital evidence. I live to write another day...

My footsteps overt the crisp frosty lawn.

A general view over the white lawn and my art canvas, the trampoline

Jacko standing eagerly in the frosty grass at the frosty goat-hill fence...

Make Thy Bed

Yes, yes, I know. The garden buffs among the readership will be calling out to me,"Why on earth are you doing that? Don't you realise that you are spreading the seeds of weeds by sifting your soil like that? Leave the ground as nature intended it, silly!"

Yep. They may be right.

What I see is a number of different weed enemies, most of which I am trying to remove in their entirety, but I cannot give any guarantee that there isn't some of their tiny seeds remaining in the soil, ready to leap out of their husks and smother our plants!

Bed "A" -  KARAKA

Some months ago, we prepared a clay/rock/sand bed, loaded it with compost and planted a number of seedlings. That was Bed "A"- referred to as the Karaka Bed. It is 9m² in size,  measuring approximately 3 metres by 3 metres.

Crops of tomatoes, beans, capsicums and cucumbers were grown and harvested in small quantities. This has subsequently been cleaned out, re-composted and mulched, and sown with various types of spinach and beetroot seeds. We have surrounded the planting areas with green plastic barricade netting as a precaution against inquisitive digging dogs!  

Bed "B" - POHUTUKAWA

Shortly after that, we constructed Bed "B",which we called, if memory serves, Pohutukawa, measuring 12m² approximately 4 metres by 3 metres. This bed was sown with beetroot, spinach, parsley and leeks. The spinach and parsley was OK, but the leeks and beets left a lot to be desired.  On the suspicion that the soil is of poor quality, we have sampled the Pohutukawa bed and sent the sample away for analysis by an agricultural soils laboratory.

The grand plan at the time was to build about six beds. Well, this one, Bed "C" under construction is called Rimu and it measures 20m², approximately 7.7 metres by 2.7 metres. 

Bed "C" under construction - RIMU

The retaining wall of 185mm T&G boards were measured, cut and bolted together in a rectangle recessed about 150mm below the level of the surrounding grassy ground. The soil has been roto-tilled to a depth of about 300mm. The soil composition varies considerably from the left-hand (containing more clay, pebbles and rocks) to the right-hand side (which is more "soil-ly", richer and "organic").

The long job of sifting gets underway

We are now at the stage where the rocks, stones, pebbles, roots and other vermin must be eradicated to give us a smooth lean planting medium. Whilst the process is labour-intensive and time-consuming, sieving the sand spadeful by spadeful is very efficient and, I should imagine, beneficial in the long run. Once this has been cleaned out, we can look at importing and blending in some good compost, roughly in the ratio of 1 part compost to 3 parts soil over a depth of about 250mm.