Tuesday here!
Still no internet so I am publishing this bouncing off my daughter’s hot spot. I suspected I might be short of time so I recorded and loaded Alice in Illinois. I did not imagine i could have no internet at all and we would have to wait this long for a technician to come out and install it. Evidently the previous owner took a piece of equipment, when he left, effectively cutting off access. (Though we arrived with our own router – so I am mystified).
The Aussie Compact Kitchen’s Garden
The first rule of putting in a garden from scratch is to watch the sun for a few days. Watch the foot traffic of humans to the clothes line and dog traffic when she goes out to pee. Look for wind tunnels. I also watch the shadows move across the miniature landscape. Shadows are important to a design too.
There is a dead tree which will have to come down (not sure how to approach that without having to spend a lot of money and no convenient chain saw in the yard).
Plus the eaves of this house are deep, leaving dry areas.
And problem number one. This neighborhood has big domestic (freely roaming) rabbits wandering through the backyards. Not little wild ones but huge black or white or gray bunnies. Who have dug big holes under fences. And can be found calmly mowing the grass in the dawn. I have seen five of various ages already.
We did not see that coming did we!
Naturally TimTam is thrilled by this development. And checks the fence line frequently.
The pot garden which will be for herbs and greens while I think about rabbit situation is well underway with whatever pots I can find.
Plus there is already a great big healthy lemon tree in a monster pot already. So we will never be short of lemons!
Audio Book Bedtime Stories
Alice in Wonderland Chapter Four. HERE.
If you love listening to me reading Alice, would you mind leaving a little review in the comments here (plus a first or second or pretend name and a country) so I can publish the comment on SubStack Notes to market the series to those readers over there. (I think it would make a lovely Christmas gift and I would truly appreciate help getting the word out).
Today my daughter and I go back to the ‘old’ house to finish the yard and mop out. Then return the keys. She needs lots of rest at the moment and is my driver, so we are doing the work in stages.
Good morning!
This morning I have woken to loud thunder. No rain yet though. Watering is a big job here and we pay for our water. So I am going to be watching for rain. 😃
See this?
Solar Panels. So far our electricity has been free plus we have racked up over $5 in credit selling it back to the grid in the last couple of days.
I’ll take that!
Have a great day.
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
18 responses to “The Compact Kitchen’s Garden”
We have rabbits in my neighborhood here, too, but I haven’t seen any recently. We also have coyotes that live on the golf course a few blocks away so that may be why. Love your missives from Melbourne (that has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it) and I hope all is going well back on the farmy.
Tuesday already! OMG I only blinked once 🙂
I’d love to come and help you with the rabbit problem, but it’s a long way and Audrey might excommunicate me (she has two as pets)! Perhaps you can train TimTam to be like Boo – it sounds like he already has the right instincts. Otherwise you could dig a ditch and lay a deep row of chicken wire…
There are piles of them! Huge domestic rabbits. Maybe some one is feeding them! TimTam is a bit of a couch dog! But certainly checks out the fence line when he can be bothered getting up!
Perhaps you could catch them and give them away as pets …otherwise they’ll eat all your veggies 😳
I observed as you did the long shadows & blockout blind suggesting westerly aspect, deep eaves, dead tree, wonky fence, and solar panels.
… And the rabbit. Check out/join the local Facebook community pages, there might be a tool share group for the chainsaw and a bunny rescue. Also see if there is a local permaculture/gardening group or community garden.
The level space looks workable for raised beds with shade/nets and drip irrigation, or wicking beds/planters would work too for deeper roots.
Definitely raised beds. The ground is hard rubble. No real soil. It seems sandy up here too. I have seen some lovely gardens on this road so I look forward to chatting with the neighbors!
Also note what might be the lower angle of the sun in winter if she wants to continue to grow cool climate crops in winter. At one point I kept giant rabbits like that; they were fantastic at disposing of the dandelions and other weeds I dug up, and donated extremely useful poo into a net I slung under the rabbit accommodation. If you brew it in water with comfrey and nettles it makes a very good fertiliser.
a wonderful beginning, and I love hearing about how you figure out the setting of the garden. and the giant bunnies!
Giant! And all colours.
Oh rabbits like to eat everything in the garden, good luck with that problem. It look s like a lovely little space though. You’ll get it in shop shape in no time. You could see if there is a neighbourhood buy nothing group and borrow a chainsaw or assistance with the tree there. Our group share tools and small appliances often.
Yes! My daughter has already joined the local group. Which is lovely. As to the rabbits – we will be putting in raised beds! They are so big and very pretty. Definitively the progeny of escaped house pets.
Oh Celi I love the house and yard and your photos. (Looking good btw). Chris
My body is unfurling in this mild summer over here!
ooh I do love the idea of ‘unfurling’!!
Good day Celi……….I love your story as it unfolds with your daughter’s move. Rabbits can be a real nuisance. We have them here where we live as well as coyotes and bobcats. Never let out little dog out without one of us being there…and we live in the city!
BTW…..is that you in the pic…..you are looking pretty “sassy” if I do say so myself. haha
Keep sharing these adventures.
Jo
Yes that is me in the photo!! Sometimes it is nice to see who you are talking to! 😆
Giant rabbits, oh goodness! Certainly wouldn’t have expected that in suburban Melbourne. Are they pets which have escaped and bred in the wild?