Ten Dead Chooks

Raelene and I have been discussing the fate of her eldest chooks for the last few months. Much as I would have liked all those old bones for making stock, my killer and plucker was just too busy. So today someone else killed ten of her oldest birds and put them in a couple of large feed bags. I collected them and buried them throughout my garden. As I was burying number nine, it occurred to me that I could have cut off the feet, or feet and heads, for stock quite easily and then buried the rest. So I might try that next time. Meanwhile, I'm expecting some bonza growth from my burial ground gardens come spring.

I also spent a bit of time tending my live chooks. I pulled all of the peastraw/chook poo out of the coop and spread it around my rhubarb. Then I tipped a big bag of wood shavings into the coop.

Yesterday I also squeezed in a little garden time. I weeded around my hydrangea cuttings which have taken nicely. I noticed that some of my rose cuttings have new growth on them which is a great result after only seven weeks. I rigged up a kind of plastic cover for my rocket and bok choy with old plastic from the chook run, clothes pegs and a saw horse. Very basic, but may well do the intended job of warming that spot up to keep growth going over winter.

I'm still contemplating the garden layout, thinking about where the new fruit trees and the roses will go. I have several roses to be moved next month and plum trees are this year's planned investment. I'm also keeping some tamarillo seeds this week for raising into trees in Spring. The punga raised bed, currently home to yams (which benefit from frost!), is quite protected from frosts so I think that will be the best home for the tamarillo. Or maybe the north facing brick wall beside the study? I guess I'll be talking to myself about this one for a while yet...