More Sunday gardening

Its cold at my house today with a brisk Southerly wind whistling across the garden. I have done so much gardening lately but its really never enough, there's always more to do. I have used some soil from my big pile but there is still so much to move. We need to topdress and reseed the lawn. The front garden is looking a little overgrown too. So I plunged out into the back yard again. As a resut I finally finished weeding and mulching the vegie garden.

From now on its maintenance and planting seeds and seedlings when the time is right.

This was the last area I had to finish.  I weeded then mulched with newspaper and lucerne hay. This wasn't the best day for it as the August winds have arrived right on time. But I was so keen to get it finished I put up with the wind and got it done.  A lovely little steer came to visit me across the back fence and I resisted the urge to share my lucerne with him. Benny carried on in a ridiculous way but the cow just watched calmly.

This part of the garden didn't take too long so I managed to complete some more tasks. I have turned the compost, added scaps, a bucket of soil, grass clippings and molasses.
I replanted some ferns that my chookie girls had dug up. They are so rough on everything.

I built a coldframe in the vegie garden. I'm having trouble getting seeds to germinate so I'm experimenting. Its a bit messy looking but I have used old pavers and landscaping blocks to build it up. Theoretically the thermal mass in the blocks and the glass window should heat up the space inside and help my seeds. The window is on a slope even though it doesn't look it here.

I have put a tray of beetroot seeds under the glass. I planted them a few weeks back: a couple have germinated already, there are two or three tiny, weeny leaves, but most haven't. They all need a boost.

I am hoping this will work. I have two other trays of seeds outside the coldframe so I can compare.

Today finally I got a good picture of my three darling chookie girls. They stood still long enough for me to snap this, in focus photo. Their attention was well and truly devoted to their first view of a cat. My Lily dashed through the back door and into the garden quicker than I could stop her. She wasn't interested in the chickens and with the dogs hot on her tail she couldn't have got near them. They seemed to think caution was the best approach and watched her keenly until I took her back inside.

The dogs spent several hours running around so now they're tuckered out. I could do with a nap myself.