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Loganberry Forest

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25.01.2022 Im much happier with the new arrangement of totally free ranging chickens instead of having a mobile run. Its a little bit more work to protect anything I want them to not destroy but thats actually less work than moving their mobile run before and they are definitely very happy having a whole 2 acres. I suspect they need less grain now too. Its also simpler to move around their coop so the manure that accumulates at night can be spread around the different fruit trees. T...his all does mean to continue my work converting the orchard into a food forest, that Ill have to use various other methods for grass removal, however with our high clay soil in this area we were still having to use a mini tiller prior to oversow seeding the new groundcovers to get proper soil contact anyway. The mobile chicken fencing that used to keep them in will be now be used to keep the chickens out of newly planted areas instead. See more

25.01.2022 On request we now have stock of Dill seed. We dont grow this ourselves as it would cross-pollinate with our Florence fennel so we have found some from another chemical-free Australian grower. https://www.loganberryforest.com.au/product/dill/ If anyone else has requests we will always consider them. Usually by growing it ourselves so not likely as instant as this. We are going to be growing kumi kumi pumpkins this year for example also on request.

23.01.2022 Planting shelling peas. One of our kids favourite vegetables and they freeze so well so planting lots!

21.01.2022 The sprouting broccoli is getting a bit hard to keep up with eating fresh so I blanched a bunch for a minute then into some ice water and now into my freezer. Once its frozen Ill move it to some proper containers but doing it first like this on a tray helps it not all end up like one giant ice block. We have this green sprouting broccoli variety available in the seed store. If you dont mind protecting from cabbage moth over the warmer months you can get a crop in now. https://www.loganberryforest.com.au//broccoli-green-sprou/

20.01.2022 Almost complete! Just need to put in some irrigation drip lines and workout how to make the door still let bees in (maybe new doors with chicken wire) but keep the chickens out. Currently 30 degrees C inside (13 outside)!

20.01.2022 With so much repotting of seedlings to do I dragged an old bathtub into my seedling area to provide a big container to mix my own potting mix and its working well. Today I made a mix of compost, sand, worm castings, coconut coir and coffee grounds (it can vary though based on whats available). Its lined with the remains of an old tarp since the enamel has lead in the paint so this way it wont be in contact with the soil.

20.01.2022 Todays seed highlight is my favourite large red tomato variety. Gorgeous lobed shape and a really long fruiting season on tall vines. Australian grown seeds $3.5 a packet. https://www.loganberryforest.com.au//tomato-costolutio-fi/

19.01.2022 The tomato seedings are making great progress. I find the growth overnight actually quite noticeable!

19.01.2022 Some of the plants flowering for seed atm. Red onions, chives, watermelon radish, wasabi mustard, coriander, Paris market carrots, celery, coriander.

19.01.2022 Having the start of our new sunnier front garden is making a big difference for our family food supply. Before, normally this time of year we needed to get a local organic veggie box delivered about once a month. Now with gardens with more winter sun we can get enough that we are only buying fruit. There is also plenty I preserved in summer. Going forward I have been assessing gaps in our fruit growing and have got some new kiwi vines to put in. And I have hope for our baby citrus trees in the future which has been quite challenging to grow at our place due to the cold and heavier soil but we have some young trees now in a large raised brick bed against the house and tried to cover them when it is frost. Btw it snowed again today.

18.01.2022 Spring is definitely here. The bees and I have been enjoying the flowers.

18.01.2022 Making weed and manure tea mix on quite a large scale now in our greenhouse in this 200L rainwater tank. To do this I made a simple no sew manure tea bag, threw in whatever weeds were growing in the greenhouse and filled it with rainwater and used the tank lid. In a few weeks Ill start using it on the garden and compost the sludge at the end. I did put a bit of mesh over the inside part of the tank tap to act as a filter and stop it getting clogged up.

17.01.2022 Fermented ketchup. Such a simple quick process. I just open a jar of homemade tomato passata, stir in some ACV, garlic powder, all spice, a tsp of sugar and a splash of kefir whey (there are many other options for a starter culture like yoghurt whey). I keep a loose lid on it and tighten and flip it a few times a day. In about a week its ready to move into the fridge and basically will last forever but wont last that long is its yum!

16.01.2022 Spring is rather lovely!

16.01.2022 Ive noticed a lot of people asking about brassica seed saving lately on various gardening groups so heres my take on it. This is purple kohlrabi which is part of that family and Im aiming to save seed from after these flower heads bloom and turn into mature seed pods. Brassicas include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, rocket, canola, turnips, swedes, Brussel sprouts and mustards and others. As always save seed from the best plants to select for those characteristics. Even t...hough its tempting to just save those early bolting broccoli thats not the best idea as youll then be saving the tendency to bolt early. Brassicas are extremely easily to cross-pollinate which makes seed saving them a lot more difficult especially since they are bee pollinated so its not just about what you are growing but all around you! You can grow all types of brassicas together but be sure to eat those of related species before they flower to prevent making unwanted crosses. With things like pumpkins you just have to focus on only having one plant per species. But with brassicas there are 6 species in the family but many (but not all) can cross pollinate with each other. Its called the triangle of U if you want to look it up and attempt to save two brassicas from different species at the same time to check they are not directly cross-able (or for that matter in the same species!). In general though the easiest thing is to only save one brassica at a time. All of this is why I only have a limited range of brassica seed options in my shop and with a few additions of other Australian grown seed which is actually incredibly difficult to source, probably due to all these cross-pollination challenges. Now to collect the seed you let the pods form and wait till they dry off and harvest the tiny round seeds inside for future planting. Happy seed saving! See more

16.01.2022 Garden highlights at the moment. Borage flowering in the greenhouse which self-seeded on its own, the first of the peas, baby fennel, the rhubarb has re-sprouted after winter, the red cabbage is now a decent size and there is lots of purple and green sprouting broccoli shoots to eat.

15.01.2022 Its warm in here! Almost ready for planting out with tomatoes, beans, basil and some companion flowers.

14.01.2022 Yellow Roma tomatoes are todays spring seed highlight. These grew really abundantly for us last year, better than the standard red Romas. They have slightly more seeds but that I see as a good thing as it makes saving for future planting easier- still way less than a slicing or cherry tomato. With lots of meaty yellow flesh you can make yellow tomato sauce/passata! Seeds $3.5 a packet for Australian gardeners (except sorry TAS/WA). https://www.loganberryforest.com.au/pro/tomato-yellow-roma/

14.01.2022 Todays spring seed highlight is the Wapsipinicon Peach tomato. This variety is very unusual as the skin has a slight fuzz to it. Many people say this can help resist fruit fly! We dont have fruit flies in our area but we still grow them as they are a delicious sweet tomato and very abundant. They were some of the last tomato varieties we were eating from our greenhouse well into winter. Seeds $3.5 per packet for Australian gardeners (excluding tas/wa sorry). https://www.loganberryforest.com.au//tomato-wapsipinicon-/

13.01.2022 My feed has been chock full of broad bean posts lately. And lots of Facebook discussions on preservation methods. So I just wanted to share something. Broad bean preservation can actually be the most low effort and energy thing ever -if you wish. Just leave them to dry on the plant. This is what I do to save seed but that same seed is also food. Dried broad beans, dried on the plants are a staple food in many parts of the Middle East. The Egyptian dish Ful Mudammas is one exa...mple and absolutely delicious! Falafels is another dish that can be made with them. The taste of dried broad beans is much more like another dried beans like kidney beans than the fresh green flavour of when they are young. So if you want to preserve them green and fresh, quick blanch and freeze I find to be the easiest. They do take up a lot of garden space though so I’m guessing that’s why people aren’t just leaving their plants be? We are lucky to have the space and since broad beans are such a wonderful source of nitrogen for the soil I try and rotate the few beds they are planted in each year. Another top tip I learn from my friend Liz from @switchonsustainability is that you can actually eat the pods too if you roast them in olive oil (lemon also nice). It was totally delicious and actually I preferred them that way of any fresh bean dish. See more

13.01.2022 A few quick pickings for dinner and dessert. Edible flowers and 3 corner garlic and coriander to go in some guacamole, snow peas and broccoli shoots for sides served Mexican style with rice and beans and our home canned tomatillo and tomato salsas and Ill make an apple rhubarb crumble with some of our long term stored foraged apples from autumn. Life is good!

13.01.2022 Finally all the tomatoes are repotted up. Gosh there is a lot of them! Definitely on track for making some available for sale for locals at the end of next month in time to plant outside. Probably with an option for delivery in Mt Egerton, Gordon, Ballan etc and maybe Ballarat too if theres interest.

13.01.2022 Common poppies grow wild in my greenhouse gravel flooring and I love them!

13.01.2022 This red cabbage is about to flower. I didnt give it enough space so it didnt head properly. Ill eat it quick now before it does flower as cabbage is the species Brassica oleracea which is the same species as the kohlrabi Im currently letting flower to collect seed. If they flowered together they would cross-pollinate and create undesirable weird hybrid seeds with potential mixed characteristics. Not what I want when Im trying to save pure heirloom seed.

13.01.2022 Todays mini project. We had a passionfruit here in our greenhouse- but it died over winter. Cold could be a factor but so could our heavy soils and passionfruit likes good drainage. So I built up this end to be twice the height and added some compost and some chicken livers before planting my new passionfruit. The plan is for it to be trained up into a mini arch between the bed and the water tank then grow all over the black water tank for some warmth.

12.01.2022 A cycle of from plant to seed to be a plant again for white stem pak choy. Just missing the flowering stage in pics. I had hoped to save enough seed to share but there wasnt much due to having to net for cabbage moth which reduced pollination. So in it goes again to plant and expand out to be more plants and seed and food for our family. Seeds are magic!

12.01.2022 Raspberries galore.

09.01.2022 A sunny morning after a huge storm and downpour that refilled all our tanks to overflowing. The plants look amazing including many I managed to just plant out before the rain came.

09.01.2022 Fairy egg+ double yolker evens it out right!

08.01.2022 Purple kohlrabi and gold ball turnip in flower and my oak trees have sprouted from acorns I foraged mainly for food in autumn but planted a few that had little shoots as well. One day Id love to have an oak grove here.

07.01.2022 So I was craving a really greens heavy dinner tonight (lucky since its the main thing in the garden atm!). Im going to use these to make an Ethiopian style collards green recipe. Except Im using silverbeet, kale, nettles, dandelion and beetroot leaves. It will be cooked with onion and spices as a side dish.

06.01.2022 New seeds added to the shop: Anasazi sweet corn. An old heirloom variety with multicoloured kernals. Sweetest when its young and cream and blue/purple and turns to the stripped oranges and maroons as it matures. Very limited stock of this one. https://www.loganberryforest.com.au/pro/anasazi-sweet-corn/

06.01.2022 Its time to plant comfrey from root cuttings. This is is a highly useful and very permaculture famous perennial plant. Pick its location wisely as it will be there forever. With a large tap root it is said to bring up minerals deep in the soil. Bees love it, the leaves make a great compost activator and there are lots of medicinal uses as well. Root cuttings from my homegrown comfrey are now available $5 for 3. This is a seasonal offering only available until about mid spring for immediate planting. Australian gardeners only (excluding TAS/WA sorry). https://www.loganberryforest.com.au//comfrey-root-cuttings/

04.01.2022 Another of my favourite unusual tomato varieties: pink bumble bee. Heart shaped sweet and striped cherry tomatoes. $3.50 per pack. For Australian gardeners (except TAS/WA sorry). https://www.loganberryforest.com.au//tomato-pink-bumblebee/

04.01.2022 Today I planted kiwi vines. Two females and a male. I will be adding a T frame support for it which is a lot like our berry beds so we put it beside them. I also got around to planting more seed including wild potato true seed that Im super excited to try because it is very random what kind of potatoes it will grow. What fun! Being in the same family as tomatoes the seeds look very similar - but a bit smaller (thank you Ballarat seed bank).

03.01.2022 Planted a very late batch of broad beans. Should have been in last month at the latest. So probably far too late to collect seed or eating beans but it might fix some nitrogen in for me in these beds before they get some summer crops in November. To speed up germination I soaked them overnight in water with a little Epsom salts. These are a mix of scarlet and aquadulce broad beans.

03.01.2022 Russian giant sunflower. One of the largest sunflower varieties out there which makes them great for eating (or chicken food) and overall looking really impressive in your garden. The deep taproot is also great for breaking up clay in veggie beds to improve your soil. Homegrown seeds $3.5 for gardeners (sorry not tas/wa) https://www.loganberryforest.com.au//sunflower-giant-russ/

02.01.2022 Making weed tea fertiliser is a bit like fermenting sauerkraut. I just chuck whatever weeds are growing around the garden in a bucket with water and weigh it down with another bucket of water (i sometimes ferment veggies the same way with weights made of jars of water) so the weeds stay submerged. In about 2 weeks Ill use the liquid on the garden and compost the weeds.

02.01.2022 Ran out of daylight hours so brought the bedroom lamp into the greenhouse to keep potting. Kind of a nice ambiance but gosh the ducks next door are noisy!

02.01.2022 What our early spring harvests are looking like atm.

02.01.2022 One of my favourite sounds in one of my favourite places to be no matter what the weather. This black rainwater tank is inside our greenhouse, positioned where it wont cast a shadow over the plants and acts as a heat mass to keep our plants warm all winter. It has the tropical corner planted beside it too. Sadly the banana didnt survive but there is a passionfruit there enjoying the warmth and citrus in pots nearby. We put a lot of thought into the layout of our greenhouse and a while back I did a video explaining it. https://youtu.be/qBNfd8_qX1A