Broad-acre cropping gets go ahead!

So with the first shoots appearing from my winter spinach this week, I was thrilled to get the go-ahead from the land lord to dig up part of the backyard to start preparing summer beds. Sun will a real problem, but its a sheltered position and the best available. I'm also allowed to go bananas in the front (south facing) yard, which has plenty of sun.

This week's task will include continuing to gather autumn leaves in abundance. As the Lisbon Treaty compost heaps continue to roar, I'm gathering and storing extra leaves in bin liners so I can keep the heaps fed long after the autumn leaves disappear. I will also try to source some winter garlic and perhaps a brassica crop or two. I also need potting mix to have a go at raising broad been seedlings indoors to see if this improves their establishment in the garden. So its a trip to the local hardware store first.

Another project I am hoping to kick off is growing our own fresh air inside the apartment. I've been inspired by lecture given at the recent TED talks. I don't think Dublin's air is too bad, but it seems worthwhile getting familiar with these species for future use - particularly for Melbourne. I already have a cutting of "Money plant" (Epipremnum) which I took from UCD's registration building (I got permission) and I've seen potential cuttings from the Sansevieria growing in our staff tea room (for which I won't seek permission). Unfortunately, Sansevieria is an environmental weed in Australia, so use it wisely. I think the Acrea palms are available at Ikea, but I will try for cuttings first.

Cute nomenclature

So I have been reviewing the scientific literature on crop science over the past week and I've noticed that the term "volunteer crop" keeps appearing. This morning I realised that this term is actually a fancy term for a "weed". A positive spin if ever I heard one. Then again, there's a chinese proverb that says "the difference between a weed and a flower is a judgement", so perhaps the zealous scientists are merely wishing to avoid subjectivity in their reporting. Good for them!

Les Feuilles Mortes

Thanks to autumn really kicking in over the last few weeks, the streets abound in delicious piles of red, yellow and brown dying leaves. Consequently, I've already filled my Lisbon Treaty compost heap to its "Vote Yes" brim. Best thing is, after only a week of establishment, its roaring hot! I'm so chuffed that a second bin is in order to capitalise on the free materials falling from the sky.

The detailed garden planning has been shelved for the moment as I need to allocate more brain power towards my studies. However, the potted herbs raised from seed and transferred from Galway have ben dotted about the front and back gardens. I've also located a lovely rosemary bush around the corner and have taken a punt and thrown in a few cuttings here and there. I suspect they wont strike, however, old yoghurt pots will be used as mini green houses to give them a shot.

In a spot of impulse buying yesterday, I now have seeds for spinach ("Spinacio Gigante de invierno"), broad beans ("Aquadulce Claudia") and a packet of asparagus crowns. I'll plant the broad beans here and there for nitrogen improvement and spinach near our front door (a sunny protected area) in the hope of a continuous harvest over winter. Otherwise, the garden beds really need nutrient improvement before the serious planting can begin.

Céad míle fáilte!

So begins my urban farming challenge! The challenge is to transform our city apartment garden into a productive (largely) organic "farmlet".

Over the next few weeks I'll be uploading images of the target gardens and outlining the plans for each.

I completed "Project One" today: creation of the compost facility. In something of a topical statement, I scouted around the neighbourhood this morning recovering 6 large, corrugated plastic poster boards erected as part of the Lisbon Treaty referendum campaign. Seems Ireland said "yes" to this episods of the treaty. I say "yes" to free building materials!

I've filled a third of the bin already, scraping up fallen autumn leaves from our front lawn and adding last week's newspapers.

Next project will be the detailed design!