DISPATCHES FROM THE FARMRSS

Two Seasons within One Week!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010
In the last 2 weeks or so we have seen the blossoming of spring in its myriad colours and forms and as I have mentioned it had started to warm up a bit, with some lovely sunny days, reaching up to a grand 20deg C on occasion.


Tagasaste - AKA Tree Lucerne, a forage shrub legume often planted to help feed cattle.


Cherry Blossoms (only ornamental unfortunately!)

One of the things we love about living in a 'cool' climate is the distinct change of seasons.


Gingko Biloba leaflets - An ancient tree species with beautiful fan-shaped leaves, used in Chinese
medicine as a memory improver among other attributes. 

   
Blackwood tiny white 'pom pon' blossoms - a type of wattle 



Black Wattle's Golden 'clouds' of blossom

Well, as is quite typical and possibly inimitable for our location in the Victorian Central Highlands (app.700m above sea level), we reverted to winter over the weekend...and I mean WINTER...it SNOWED late Friday night/early Saturday morning!! As far as we're aware it's the only snow we've had this year (we weren't here for a few weeks) and it's occurred in October after what was the coldest winter we've had for a while - go figure? It is very pretty.


Remaining snow on the seed raising mix in the barrow.

It was due to a massive cold front coming across from the Great Australian Bite, where a lot of our weather influences blow in from during winter and lets say spring too at times! (Summer is more from the Nth & West)


What was left of the snow in our yard by around 8am Saturday morning...

...then it rained and rained all Saturday, yesterday we still had around 10 deg C and drizzle alternating with short bursts of sun, then today (Tuesday), we have a glorious 16 deg C sunny day, which feels really warm in comparison (the heating's not on!) and by Friday it will apparently be back up to 20, then13 again on Saturday!

The point I'm making about these commonly variable weather patterns of spring and early summer is that this climate is the very reason why we tend to 'late season' crops.We are generally around 1 month behind Melbourne and similar climates for example and this year a bit later due to all the wonderful rain. Farming really does teach you 'surrender' and going with the flow via Nature's 'classroom' - there's certainly no point in fighting it.

I'm aware there's intense weather in other parts of the country recently too, such as the immense rain and floods in Qld.

I hope wherever you are, you are safe, dry and comfortable and I wish you a really good day!
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Springing back into action!

Monday, October 11, 2010
Hello Dear Readers,

It's good to be back in the 'blogosphere' after an extended break over the longest, wettest winter I can remember here in at least 10 years (that's how it's seemed even if the 'ol memory is subjective). It was not my original intention to vacate the farm blog for so long, but life has just 'happened' in other areas and taken over and to be honest there isn't much to report on our farm life during the mildest winters, let alone what we've just had! Consider this...cold, wet, weeding, windy, sow more green manure, rain, mud, weeding, windy, frost, cold, raining, raining, raining, slashing grass/weeds & on it goes...one day we hope to share with you more exciting cold season events than these and perhaps some animal antics and so on.

    

These photos above, are of a nearby farm's paddock. I took them to show a prime example of all the new 'lakes' (not pre-existing dams!) that sprung up in random spots in formerly dry, brown paddocks as a result of the inches of rain we have had this winter. This is after we have had so much rain that the soil is actually soaked and the ground water has simply risen to the point where no more can be absorbed, so it just ponds. Although a certain blessing, it's been a mixed blessing I think it's fair to say...we are all deeply grateful for the now full dams, lush paddocks, flowing creeks, replenished ground water and well-watered gardens etc. However, a few weeks back some of our community suffered  destructive floods to home and property, which will take some getting over and recovery. The oft-present threat of getting bogged has also worn a bit thin for many! I think most of us are happy to see some blue skies and feel some warming sun on our backs and Souls, as nature starts to burst into new growth and we gear up for the productivity of summer and autumn. Fortunately, our farm has not suffered any damage from the rains and we are keen to see how much different a growing season can be when you've had above average rainfall after more than 10 years of drought.

The trees on the farm certainly look happy for their soaking, and those that can are in their fullest of blossom.


Our farm driveway at the moment, lined with flowering Manchurian pear trees and rosemary.
C'est magnifique non?

The 2010 garlic is looking fantastic for the abundant rain (other than some frost-bitten leaves!), as we anticipate it's imminent growth spurt as our weather and soil warms up. We reckon the first harvest will start in approximately 7-8 weeks or so...in a way it feels like we just planted it, but on the other hand we can't wait to harvest it! I probably say that every year, I expect? I know every year by now I am hanging out for decent, flavoursome garlic :).



A drawback for us from all the rain is that we've only just been able to start working our soils ready for the summer vegetable crops. Just like the ABC TV ad says (re 'Sunday soils'), you can't work wet, muddy soils. Apart from it being almost impossible to physically work on/with the soil, if you do go ahead before it has sufficiently drained, you end up destroying the soil structure you have strived so hard to foster. Soil compaction is dramatically increased when wet, and the pressure from a tractor or herds of hard-hoofed animals pushes air and water out of it so that it becomes more dense, then the earth dries rock hard and/or disintegrates into a powdery mess, rather than maintaining the integrity of good soil structure required to support soil life and plant growth. Good soils have complex, even aggregate patterns, often referred to as 'crumb' formation,  which enable healthy balance and use of water, gases such as oxygen and nutrients within the structure and their ready exchange with soil microbes and plant roots to sustain ongoing and healthy life. It's our Holy Grail folks.


Good and poor soil structure examples
Evenly spaced soil particles on the left VS Compaction on the right.
Picture courtesy of NSW DPI website:  http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/resources/soils/structure/compaction

It's also only just starting to warm up enough for things to really grow around here and we have another month of likely frost events. We've recently started our seedlings off  and eagerly await their little 'heads' popping up through the soil - this never fails to thrill us! So it'll be an even later than usual start to the produce season, and instead of being back at markets by November, we can't see ourselves getting there before December.  


New seasons' seedlings are under way!

I know people tend to think farmers are rarely if ever happy with the weather and maybe some do complain disproportionately (and some try to grow certain crops in less than appropriate climatic locations to start with!) but to be honest it is a genuine juggle at times despite best efforts and there's a lot of risk involved. That's why we, as a country, don't want to be losing too many experienced farmers from the land because it takes generations to learn the skills and accumulate the intuitive feel for working with and around the variables to grow our food BUT it only takes one generation to lose that wisdom almost entirely. One reason to support Australian grown food and your local growers and farmers' markets.


My farm boys looking forward to a big 2010 - 2011 season.

One little brag before I leave you until the next post... Journalist Gail Thomas wrote a nice piece about us for the Weekly Times a couple of weeks back. Thanks kindly Gail, we appreciate the coverage and hope our story inspires others in positive ways.



Catch you all real soon!


 
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Spring Sprouts!

Monday, September 14, 2009
Over the last few days it seems we have turned a corner into springtime in these parts. Everyone is feeling bouyed by the gentle sunrays and the brilliant blue skies. At the farm plants are beginning to sprout through the soil or put on a bit of a green growth spurt...it's the start of my favourite time of year.
New asparagus spear - hello springtime! 

We are in the process of transplanting a number of different vegetable and herb seedlings for late spring and early summer harvests, ready to greet you at our first farmers' market stalls of the season. We can't wait to see everyone again.

Baby lettuces almost ready to go       Rainbow chard seedlings ready to go in the ground
             

We've had a very welcome good amount of rain this winter - a huge relief after no rain last summer. We're about 150mm up on last year's rainfall for the same period, which has really kicked everything along, including our green manure oat crop.

Oats in foreground with newly planted seedlings behind
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