Still planting and bringing in new patches of garden

Fortunately the spring has been cool and wet, so I can still plant fruit trees. Perhaps today was the last one planted for the winter, a second mountain pawpaw tree. They apparently need two to pollinate. Hope they grow well. Have mulched up some and need to mulch the rest before the dry sets in.

With all the shredding of silver birches that Malcolm has done, there is a heap of mulch ready to use and half rotted. Today I moved three or four barrowloads over to the southern boundary, put some compost on, and planted pumpkin seeds I bought from the soil and health meeting today, together with a cucumber. Then sunflowers. And nearer the house I dragged some wet cardboard from the bottom of the compost heap and spread it on the grass. Then I covered it with half rotted mulch and compost and planted some corn and some cosmos plants.

So the vege garden has spread. And today I had the mower man deliver grass clippings so that should grow good tomatoes. Have been putting wood ash on the tomatoes.

We have the following heritage tomatoes growing: Russian Silvery Fir, Abraham Lincoln, Jaune Flamee, Marmande, Matts Wild cherry and Oregon Spring. All grown lovingly from seed by moi.

Couldn't resist buying some raspberry plants, a whole heap for $5 at the Soil and Health meeting. Heaven knows where we will put them. Already we need a structure for the two kiwifruit built, and I need a place to grow beans. Everything else is in, but the kumeras look a bit sad after the cold. Hope they perk up.

And today we had our first two strawberries! I made a structure to keep birds away. Couldn't wait for Malcolm to do it, so I got some bricks with holes in, laid them round the edge. Then I found the number eight wire, struggled with wire cutters unsuccessfully so ended up bending it in hoops and draping netting over it all. Seems to work well. Found the cat under it the first day.. But strawberries are finally ripening. Feeding them worm wee.