It’s the end of summer, though where summer began and ended this year has been a little uncertain, as my daughter keeps complaining. We’ve had a bit of a paltry harvest, because we went away over Christmas, and everything that had been sprouting so beautifully died over the course of a few near-40 degree days (that’s Celsius!). I really should get a proper watering system installed, so that we can saunter off for a couple of days without worrying. And we found this bizarre spider, with it’s super-snot-like web. Any ideas what type of arachnid we’re looking at?
In the meantime, up at the ‘Farm’ we’ve just been doing routine maintenance so that we’ll have somewhere to build once we get round to it. I’ve been using my scythe with increasing confidence, and am now sure that I’ll be able to keep on top of the scrub without resorting to fossil fuels.
I’ve also been continuing to move the pile of debris in the middle of the property, burying it to make a semi-hugelkultur bed. Because the bed isn’t all straight trunks but quite a few big stumps, it isn’t quite a traditional bed, but it should have the same effect – a soil full of carbon (I do need to add manure to it, so it isn’t sucking nitrogen away!), where I can plant some perennials, and which will act as a bit of a fire break.
Fire is continually on our minds as we plan this property. I’m preferring fire resistant exotics and natives over fire-loving natives. Considering that we’re surrounded by Mountain Ash, this may be slightly Pollyanna-ish. Some eucalypts have smooth bark, so the fire doesn’t make it to the crowns, some don’t have hugely flammable leaves, so as the fire runs up the stringy bark, it wears itself out. Mountain Ash loves fire, loves it to run up its stringy surface, loves to have the explosive oils in its canopy react. It’s the fire of nightmares, as the cataclysm of 2009 showed. We’re keeping the house as far from Mountain Ash as possible (giving planning laws and our own reluctance to clear trees in a climate emergency), and building fire resistance in as much as possible, but having sponges like a hügelkultur bed in the fire sector isn’t going to hurt.
I also had my very first experience with cob this week – pics to follow – helping out at the Kinship, Kinglake’s Earthship. It was so much fun, with lovely people, but given me a more realistic idea of how long it takes to actually make cob, ie a bit longer than I thought. Building the house will be exciting, but it’s gonna be a whole lot of work! I can’t wait to get started!
Oh, and we saw wallabies for the first time, and our third echidna, ambling along the road, but failed to get pictures of either. Sorry!
