Nirvana Biodynamics

March here at Heathfield is the time our tomatoes finally reach their peak. It may be a long wait for some but its how our season goes. The seeds are planted with under heat in the polly house in August, transplanted into the garden in October, start to ripen mid January but reach their best by the end of February –beginning of March. This year has been a good season and the flavour is exceptional. Despite all the gardening advice ,I grow the tomatoes I raise from seed in the same bed every year – well for the last 5 in their current bed. They are watered via drip once a week. The bed is prepared each September when winter crop allocated to the bed is finished by digging in my biodynamic compost. The whole vegie garden receives applications of biodynamic 500, Firstly tomorrow as it has rained 36.5mm today so far (First since I can’t remember , maybe October last year.) then again in April, September and December. Over the early growing season it also receives some ccp & nettle spr...

A couple of days before the heat wave really set in the large twisted willow that shaded the ‘west wing’ poultry house broke in two halves and fell down . Wind and the Willow There was an urgent need for shade and cooling as it housed some new pullets, a mum with 8 chicks (1 week old) plus a broody hen that where not yet ready to free range and keep cool under the trees. I fitted a mister in each pen and a mini wobbler sprinkler on the roof. All these put out very low volumes of water and cooled the area very efficiently. The morning sun was very fierce as it shone directly on the pens so I fixed some hession and shade cloth around the pens while I designed some simple awnings that would provide shade and ventilation. Here’s my simple awning. It is lightweight yet strong and has not moved in strong winds. Using 15mm PVC water pipe and elbows make a frame to fit the area required to cover. Sew on shade cloth. Strong thread or fishing line is best. Attach a length of timber using a small...

Due to the heatwave our annual goose plucking, normally done just before Australia Day had been delayed. Last Thursday evening an enthusiastic team of helpers arrived to experience their food from paddock to plate. The tasks at hand where carried out in a party atmosphere and each helper got a dressed bird, livers and fat to take home and enjoy. On Sunday, I made some pate and Quentin roasted the goose, with his special stuffing ,teamed with heaps of v egies from the garden add a couple of friends, some nice reds, a pleasant evening on the veranda and you end up with a great evening, goose that melted in your mouth and the wonderful flavour- something that money can’t buy! …and we have another 11 in the freezer so look forward to one a month. I’ve also made lots of stock from feet , gizzards, herbs and vegies as well as rendered down a years supply of goose fat. Maybe goose processing is not the most enjoyable task but we make it fun and the rewarding meals are worth it. Nothing bette...

With the heat wave many worm farms are under great stress as they are usually made of black plastic and are too small to allow temperature to be regulated. Here is a couple of ideas for worm systems that will recycle your kitchen scrapes. COOL WORM FARM A simple in ground recycling system that turns your kitchen scraps into fertilizer, aerating and enriching your garden beds on site. You add the food and the worms feed your garden, no turning or digging.. Bury the worm tunnel between half and three-quarters of its depth. Backfill to 50cm of soil level with a mix of enriched soil ,manure and weeds. Add compost worms Add your daily kitchen waste and a little carbon material. One way to do this is to wrap your scrapes in newspaper and the little packages are ready for the worms to munch or rip some newspaper into small pieces and cover the kitchen waste. Place a damp hession bag , old door mat or towel on top to keep it dark and damp. Replace the lid to ensure your not attracting vermin ...

Against my better judgment I gave a fist time broody hen a clutch to sit on mid January. The summer had been very mild and a clutch of 8 had just hatched. Since the hen was very determined and so few hens go broody nowadays I thought it worth the risk. All was going well until the tree shading the pens fell down and the heatwave set in. Up to then I gave the hen a light spray with water every second morning. I built some shades, turned on the misters for periods through the hottest part of the day and in the late afternoon when the sun hit the shed put a sprin kler on there. I really did not expect any chicks. But after the usual 21 days, 4 chicks where spotted and where quickly out and moving around. A 50% hatching rate. They are busy eating, drinking and learning how to scratch so all is well for their future.

It’s just heartbreaking the devastation of the current heatwave. While the home vegie garden has faired well, the valley which is normally cool, lush green, filled with crops such as raspberries, kiwifruits, currants, gooseberries, hazel nuts, grapes plus a few apples and plums which have all flo urished over the last 20+ years without irrigation, today the leaves and fruit are sunburnt, they look tired and in need of some cool weather and life giving rain other wise they may perish. The irrigated chestnuts have suffered some losses and like last year reduced yields, size and quality would be likely if the crop can last til harvest. The walnuts ,well what can I say what nuts where there are now on the ground along with shredded leaves, thanks to the black cockatoos ,sulphur crested cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets. The temperature range has been frightening, looking back at our temperature records of days 40 or over, all where single events except 2006 where there where 2 connective day...

The days start early with poultry, irrigation, mulberry picking and a general overall check before the morning heat becomes intense and its time to retreat to the relatively cool house. Our 1870’s house usually stays cool with its thick stone walls, thick curtains, high ceilings and well insulated roof. Inside cooling is via a ceiling fan plus a portable fan. We have a routine of opening it up as soon as the outside temperature is lower than outside. In prolonged heat the stone finely heats up and last night it was very late before the outside temperature dropped enough to open up the house. This morning its cool again compared to outside Here's some highlights of my early morning stroll through the vegetable garden. Pumpkin patch Austrian oilseed pumpkin January plantings January plantings of winter vegetables Black Salsify And the herb garden Angellica Artichoke- imperial star Mexican Tarragon - tagetes lucida More pictures of the summer vegetable gardens