#permaculturesa

Once again Mamma Blackbird is doing her thing. Besides saving us from the ravages of earthworms, small seedlings and assorted ground dwelling bugs, Mamma Blackbird has a crucial role to play in the ecosystem of @ligayagarden. Out in the wilds of , unguardened, Nature (which I try to replicate small parts of here in our garden) her efforts redistribute organic material, as mulch, over bare, unprotected soil. In our little garden, she sees our pathways and paved areas as barren spots, damaged and in need of covering and protecting so that the ecology can start repair work. Ultimately, my need for clean paths and pavers shrinks in comparison to Mamma Blackbird's instinctive drives. We have a deal with her, one of several deals we have made with the critters who live in our garden. She can raise her babies in relative peace if she leaves the wicking beds alone. That seems to be working. A bit of disturbed mulch is really here nor there. Another deal we have is with rats. I often found a single half eaten Plum or Tomato on the ground, so I asked that, if they can have one of each, everyday while in season, the rats will leave the rest of the crop untouched. Striking a deal seems to be working so far! _________________________________________________ #saurbanfood #growitlocal #permaculturesa #organicpestcontrol #gardenpests #adelaidegardeners (at Gawler, South Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CY0CCFyP4e0/?utm_medium=tumblr

Sprouts are great for your Chickens in Summer. The grain soaks up so much water and by sprouting, the grain gets far more nutritious than when dry. Thus moist feed helps offset any possible lack of water the girls might encounter I measured this lot from dry to almost ready and 500 grams dry becomes 1050 grams fully soaked and 1112 grams when almost ready to go. That's more than double the weight! No water is wasted here either, the soak and rinse water all goes onto plants and any that escapes waters the Tamarillo next to the sprout house, who's roots ate underneath. I'll give it all one more day to sprout out and make a final measurement. ___________________________________________________ #chickens #chickenhealth #chickenfeed #permaculturesa #saurbanfood #chickensofinstagram #urbanfarming #ourflock (at Gawler, South Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYDFcpPPukA/?utm_medium=tumblr

The main path is looking cooler by the day as the weather heats up. It catches the southerly breeze and funnels it to the house, cooling it as it passes through so many plants. By the time it's reached the front porch , it's noticeably cooler. I have a little saying that goes 'every leaf is an airconditioner'. Look at the permaculture principles from slightly askew. To me, cool air comes under 'obtain a yield' I wonder if instagram posts and stories count as a yield too? _________________________________________________ #passivecooling #summergardening #summergarden #ourgarden #permaculturesa #saurbanfood #ourpatch (at Gawler, South Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXzU5E8BdSV/?utm_medium=tumblr

Mamma Dove still hasn't moved on! Her babies are out cleaning up the #garden and cleaning up the grain that I've dropped. They're cute too, they only stay a foot or so ahead of me when I'm walking and sit on the fence when I'm doing any gardening. One even sits on the gate while it swings open. But we would like her to leave her nest because we want to remove the Madeira Vine that's choking up the middle of the garden. It's been chopped and pruned so only the part sheltering the nest remains. The Doves have made nests in different places over the years and compete with Mamma Blackbird for choice sites. They're all welcome here, all help out in their own way and I've learned to leave them to their jobs and have adapted my gardening techniques to suit. It's just easier that way! Now, when Mamma Blackbird is redistributing my mulch I know she's teaching me a lesson in natural landscape design. When the Doves nestsomewhere inconvenient , I know that that tree needs continuous fertilising. When the New Holland Honeyeaters are around, I know that it's time to be alert for pests. When Cockatoos gather in the trees nearby, they are telling me to be ready for RedSpider Mites. Sure they all havea nibble here and there, that's fine. I just wish that they wouldn't take a single bite out of EVERY PLUM! _________________________________________________ #permaculturesa #gardeningaustralia #gardensofinstagram #gardenbirds #naturalpestcontrol #greenthumb #ecology #gardenecology #ecosystem (at Gawler, South Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVhjvUVPlX5/?utm_medium=tumblr

The third generation of the cleanup crew has babies of their own now. Our garden is an ecosystem and is far more than just a novel collection of plants. There's a lot of critters here who don't get a lot of publicity so here's a tip of my hat to them all - bird folk, lizard folk, bug folk and all of the teeming microbes. Thanks for all your tireless work! ________________________________________________ #permaculturesa #permaculture #ecology #ecosystem #weboflife #interconnected #saurbanfood #growitlocal #gardenersofinstagram #urbanfarmer #urbanfarmer #suburbanhomestead #homesteading https://www.instagram.com/p/CVNB0oShvZZ/?utm_medium=tumblr

Almonds are swelling slowly. Is an Almond a fruit or a nut? #permaculturesa #saurbanfood #fruittrees #nuttrees #gardening #gardenblogger #permaculture #springgardening #spring (at Gawler, South Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CULykwkv_2z/?utm_medium=tumblr

The Kangkong cuttings have tiny leaves growing, so its time to plant them out. #aquaponicsgarden #tropicalvegetables #permaculturesa #saurbanfood #growyourownfood (at Gawler, South Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUGjYsYBjbF/?utm_medium=tumblr