Water wise boundary decor

I started this blog posting back in July last year when we first started on this project...

RMan and a neighbour, E, used to do the installation and maintenance of the potable water system, and the reading of each individuals water meters in our smallholding communnity.  Even though there are 150-odd smallholdings in our area, we are not "formally" recognised by the local authorities as a "settlement" and are thus not entitled to "services".

Whilst travelling to do the water meter readings RMan spotted these plants growing at the entrance to once of the smallholdings.

I'm sorry I didn't get a pic of them in flower - they looked seriously impressive!

However, RMan did pick up some of the fallen flower buds / seed carriers.

No exactly sure how to propagate agaves,
 I just plonked the base of the "flower" into
 some potting soil and hoped for the best...

Not finding any info online on how to propagate agaves, I just plonked the bottoms into a pot of soil in effort to try and grow them, so that, if I am successful, we could then place them, together with some aloe plants, along the front (dirt road) fence of our property.  They may not look like much sans flowers, but they are certainly water-wise, and will help to distinguish our property from the others nearby.

Aloes with red flowers...

Isn't it funny how your tastes change.  Before we had our smallholding I used to think that these types of plants, and aloes, were damned ugly.  Now I understand why they are grown - for their hardiness, drought resistance, and striking feature qualities.

... and aloes with yellow flowers

Fast forward from July to March 2017 and this is actually what was planted along our boundary this week:

The successfully rooted Agave plants
http://www.southafrica.net/blog/en/posts/entry/a-spiky-kind-of-beautiful

Kei apple trees
https://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/dovycaf.htm

Spekboom - propagated from our existing plants
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulacaria_afra
Also, I understand that spekboom is excellent at
 carbon fixing - so, to help reduce our carbon footprint,
  I need to grow as many as I can, I reckon.

Home propagated lavender

NumNum bushes
https://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/carisbispin.htm

Geraniums propagated from our existing plants

The boundary fence March 2017 - it looks like nothing at this
 point in time, but I have high hopes of a stunning boundary in
 years to come.
 We have planted groupings of 14 plants / section so it
 should make quite a feature - once they are all grown up... 

We have planted groupings of 14 identical plants per section, so in years to come it should, hopefully, look stunning! 😉

Three of the plants are edible (Kei apple, spekboom and numnum) and all are waterwise 😃  Which is just as well as our drought continues and we have had only 5.5mm ( .2 of an inch) of rain since the 12th February...😟

Although I have never served spekboom in a salad or soup for our personal consumption - yet - apparently, alpacas can also eat it.  Due to their carbon fixing properties I'd love to plant up a whole field of them...  (Don't tell RMan, but I think I'm going to surreptitiously get that going.)

You can read more about the history of South African agaves here.  It's a pity that neither RMan nor I drink tequila... ;)

AWOL and thanks for the nekkid dancing...

My apologies for being AWOL - did anyone miss me??  😂

Things have been pretty hectic here - not only with the business, and some community issues, but also with harvesting.

My main crop every year is tomatoes.  Not necessarily to eat only fresh, but I grow as many as possible to preserve.

 Yellow heirloom tomatoes - in all their magnificent glory :D

There is nothing nicer than adding home made tomato puree and tomato concentrate to all those winter dishes - the privilege of last years harvest dances over my tongue with every mouthful.

The golden yellow heirloom tomatoes are generally
 great big brutes - just the way I like 'em ;)

My favourite tomato is a golden yellow heirloom...

I simmer the tomato mixture until it is good and thick

...as it makes the most gorgeous, golden-red tomato concentrate.

Tomato concentrate in recycled plastic tubs all ready to go into
 the freezer.  Those tubes are re-used, and re-used until they fall
 apart - and only then are they sent for recycling

Apart from water-bathing jars of concentrate, I also shove 125gm tubs of it into the freezer.  I find making bottled whole tomatoes a waste of time because when they are decanted, as we don't eat that many pizza's, they are mainly only suitable for "blitzing" into a sauce anyway.

Spiralized butternut dehydrating in the Foothills DryAway

I've also had fun spiralizing home-grown organic butternut and dehydrating it in the Foothills DryAway.

This is precisely why I made the middle shelf in the Foothills
 DryAway.  So that any food that dropped through the drying
  net could easily be retrieved.

When the butternut spirals are dry they resemble butternut tagliatelli 😃  Storing that in a preserving jar in the larder frees up freezer space for my tomato concentrate lol

To get to my "thanks for dancing nekkid" bit in the title of this blog post - kymber and Jam kindly performed a nekkid rain dance all the way across the planet in Framboise, Canada.

kymber - thank you my friend - it worked 😂

Four days later we had 40mm of rain... 

Oh - we waited so long for this sight...

Even the alpacas enjoyed the shower

...glorious rain.

It was enough of a sudden downpour to fill our dam by a third.

40mm of rain filled the dam by a third...

Although the water didn't last too long as the dried out shell quickly absorbed most of it resulting in the dam being almost empty again, it's also not surprising given the heat we've recently been experiencing.

...and caused the grass / grazing to turn a welcome
 greener colour

At least the rain caused the "grass" turned a little greener than dried out brown and is showing some sign of growth - especially in the alpaca paddocks. 😊

kymber and Jam - please, feel free to continue dancing nekkid - we need much, much more to come even halfway close to last's years rainfall...





For more info on how you can obtain your own Foothills DryAway solar / wind food dehydrator please click the link.

Mulch rescue 2 a.k.a. preparing for water shortages

The signs have been there for the past months.

Our rainfall for the passed three years

Our rainfall this year is averaging out at 43.3mm / month, compared to last year at 60.3mm or 2014 at 53.5mm.  Looking at the graph you get the full sorry picture.  And, all the forecasts are not predicting any rain whatsoever in the next 10 days... :(

So, most things hereabouts are crunchy, crisp and dehydrated...

http://www.fin24.com/Economy/drought-is-a-wake-up-call-on-sas-water-needs-20160911-2

We were warned back in September that our dams were in dire straits.  Harry commented last week that everything looks so lovely and green compared to his brown, hibernating winter scenery.  Well Harry, pics can be deceptive.

As you can see from the pics below, we are well in the throes of a drought. 

Dead looking, dry and drab - that about sums it up

Between the unusually high temperatures for the time of year, plus the hectic drying winds, and finally with the lack of rain our garden is in a sorry state.

 But, forewarned is forearmed.  Between my rainfall records, and what has been published in the newspapers, we knew that it was gong to be extreme this summer.  So, we took steps to counteract the situation as best we could - without going greedily overboard with municipal water usage.

That was in our best interests because if everyone decided that bugger the cost, they were going to water willy-nilly, then how long would the water in our local dam last?  That municipal water supply is all we have - there is no nearby stream or river that we could use.

Believe it or not, our 8 X 5 000lt rainwater tanks are also empty... :(

Piquante peppers under a protecting
 blanket  of wood chip mulch

So eight trailer loads of wood mulch (roughly 8 X 1.5mtr3 or 12mtr3 in total) from our local sawmill has certainly assisted our fruit trees to produce their fruit - not as big as last year, but at least it was enough for me to bottle some - and make some jam / cordial.

And the wood mulch is a Godsend for my veggie beds.  A dose of organic nitrogen (a mix of seaweed liquid fertilizer / alpaca poo / chicken poo and worm casings) helps overcome the nitrogen leech than wood mulch causes.

An added bonus with the wood mulch is that weeds can't grow - so weeding is, for once, at a minimum :D  Yeeha!!!

There's not much we can do for the grass, and, as far as the alpaca's grazing is concerned, we managed to buy in oat and barley hay from the local farmers, so the alpaca's won't starve.

4 large round bales of hay to help the alpaca's.
The infamous, and over worked trailer is on the right hand side of the
pic, under the self seeded wattle tree.

But, the extreme dryness is not pleasant on the eye.  And the crunch underfoot makes one aware how dire the circumstances are.

A single turmeric leave is visible in amongst the rocket

But, on a more positive note, a few months ago I saw turmeric root for sale in the shops, and, as I had never seen it in our shops before, I couldn't help myself - I had to buy some. 

I immediately planted it all into one of the three raised beds in the shade cloth veggie patch - and forgot about them.  They hadn't forgotten about me though.  In the last week I noticed some strange green leaves poking up between the rocket, and deduced that the turmeric had decided it liked being where it is, and, by way of thank you, it would peep a lookout above ground to see it's surroundings.

Great excitement LOL

In the centre of the pic you can see a ginger stem, which
 was accidentally left in situ last year, and which is growing again too

I thought if it grew it would probably look something like ginger, but it doesn't - it's completely different.

Finally, an errant sunflower seed, which wasn't gobbled up when I fed the chickens one day, surprised me by showing it's face in the berry patch.

Sunny, bright and cheerful - an unexpected
 sunflower to add to the seeds I purposely
 planted in order to feed the chickens throughout
the coming year.

Aren't we blessed with being able to grow all manner of amazing plants - both big and small ;)

For info on how you can obtain your own Foothills DryAway please click the link.

The latest addition to the family...

... arrived last Sunday.

RSon phoned RMan last Sunday morning.  He told him a story about a 3 - 4 year old animal at the apartment block where he lives in town, which had been left behind by his first owner.

How can anyone do that?

The new inhabitant of that apartment adopted the animal.  But, he was recently diagnosed with Leukemia.  They thought that the cancer had spread to his lungs because he was having difficulty breathing.  It turn out he was allergic to it.

Sigh.

So it went to another occupant - who already had a one, and the two didn't get on.  So the new owner made it sleep outside on the balcony / verandah at night.  On a cushion on their patio chair in the freezing cold!!

What???

Anyway, to get back to topic...

RSon wanted to know from RMan if we would take the animal.

Bloody hell, yes!

So RSon immediately hopped into his car and drove for 3 hours to bring her to us.

How can anyone be cruel to an defenseless, harmless animal?

So - introducing Snoopy...

Snoopy on the couch with RMan - RMan
 was still taking it slow whilst Snoops got
 to know us so minimal touches which she
flinched away from, and no sudden movements.

Who calls a cat Snoopy, who comes when she's whistled, and who doesn't meow, but makes tiny little squeaks lol

The poor traumatized thing hid under RSon's bed for 2 days!

We were very worried about her - nothing to eat, nothing to drink, no sandbox use even though I, concerned, put the food, water and box in the room with her...

Finally, on the third day she ventured out from under the bed - and room.

I brought everything downstairs to the kitchen again, and she has finally started eating, and drinking properly.

She is very skittish, and runs and hides at the slightest loud noise or sudden movement.

Yesterday our neighbour popped in for 10 minutes - and Snoopy disappeared.  I thought that perhaps she had taken fright and run out through one of the open doors.

We searched high, we searched low, down on hands and knees, and up on tip toes.  She was nowhere to be found.

I tried thinking like a cat - and checked in all the kitchen cupboard doors which had been open during the day.

Believe it or not, Snoopy squeezes into the space
 behind the records - all you can see from the outside
 is the tips of her two little ears sticking up

I checked in the small space behind the LP records we have in a shelf - where she had hidden before.

The tiny footwell under my writing
desk which I inherited from RMan's mom

I checked in the tiny footwell under the writing desk where my laptop is situated.

Nada!

Damn.  Where could she be.

Walking round outside, calling, psssss-ing and whistling (she comes to whistles?!?) and nothing.

Then I remembered that I had brought in the washing from the line.

Could she?

Is she?

Yup, she climbed in the bottom and RMan's cupboard and hid amongst his shirts.

Sigh.  What a relief.  She is safe.

She is s-l-o-w-l-y getting better, more friendly, and more exploratory.

It will just take time.

Snoopy on the front patio -
basking in the afternoon sun

Tomorrow she has been here for a week.  This afternoon, in celebration,  she ventured out onto our front patio.

She met the chickens.  And the rooster.

And was very intrigued.

From a distance.

As soon as they came up the front steps to investigate her, she scarpered indoors again, and watched them through the window.

Ditto, the alpacas fascinate her - from the window sill  lol

Snoop has decided that my lap,
 covered in my comfy gown, is
 an acceptable place to watch TV
  with us in the evening

There is just so much to explore here at her forever home...

Food - at last

We had our first visit this year from Jack Frost yesterday morning.  And again this morning.  Never mind the hollows in the ground looking like it had a t-h-i-n covering of snow - the cars were so iced over it appeared as though their paintwork was suddenly metallic - with the ice being about 3 mm thick.

Frost on the ground outside yesterday

We've woken up to a chilly 1oC outside on both mornings.

Have I mentioned lately that I love winter lol

We tried to grow fodder for the alpacas last year, with no success.  The cause was a mixture of soil amendment required, and lack of rain.  But, it was very disheartening for newbie farmers.

Adding 2 tons of lime to the fields acre

But this year, armed with our soil analysis, and 2 tons of lime which RMan added to the soil, we tried again.

The lime got added to the ground in mid-December - we were told to let it lie for 60 - 90 days before planting.

In mid-March RMan sowed the oat seed with the help of John, our local labourer.

This is what 153 mm of rain does to an almost empty dam

Admittedly, it was not only the lime, and the soil prep which contributed to the successful oat harvest - we had enough rain too.  The 158mm which mostly fell in early June was a Godsend.  Not only did it fill up the rainwater tanks, and the dam, but it also soaked deeply into the ground.Which was just what the oats, which had been planted in March needed.

The oats are gorgeous and green, and about a
foot high (isn't it funny how some imperial
measurements stay fixed in your brain)

In mid-June the oats were certainly looking 100 per cent better than last year's crop...

End of June this year - the oats are almost at
the top of the fence level and the fence is about
a metre high

... and were almost a foot tall.  Now, in mid-July they are nearly as high as the 1.0 mtr high fence.

RMan has been toddling out and harvesting an armful for the alpacas every second day.  Giving them a taster, so to speak.

But, it wasn't only the alpaca's who are enjoying the crop...

The birds - mainly weavers - enjoying their
early morning breakfast

... the birds too are have a field day bwahahahaha

Some birds you can see - and there are birds
further down that aren't  visible.

I'm amazed that the oat stalks are strong enough to hold up a bird, or two or three.  We don't begrudge them their seed meals - there is more than enough to go around.

Temporary dry storage for the small amount of
 oats that were harvested by sickle yesterday

We were told that the ideal time to harvest the oats for fodder is when the seeds give off a milky substance when they are crushed, as that is when the nutrition is at it's highest.  That time is now.  So, yesterday, with the assistance of a sickle, the start of the oat harvest proceeded.

Methinks we will need to sort out some sort of "barn" to store the oats in until next winter.  RMan and I have a couple of inexpensive ideas - more on that as it transpires.

There is great excitement all round.  Certainly for the next year the alpaca's oats fodder is sorted.  It feels so incredibly good to be more self-reliant and self-sufficient in that regard.

Finding the right spot...

... to house a tractor takes time.

Big, leaking oil, and taking up too much space -
we had to find a new home for the tractor...

A couple of years ago RMan bought a skedonk 2nd hand tractor, and, as the gearbox isn't sealed against the elements, it has to be kept undercover when not in use.  He had built a carport next to the garage - which was meant to be for my car - but, with the acquisition of said farm implement, it instantly became the tractor shed.

But - that is also where we store the alpaca feed.

Which was attracting field mice - not only for the pellets / oat seed which invariably gets accidentally dropped on the floor, but they were also burrowing into the bales of lucerne - nest making.

And chewing the tractor wiring.

Not good.

Also, due to space constraints the genny, which is also kept there, was positioned with it's exhaust aimed directly at the lucerne bales.

Not good again.

The tractor took up too much room, so we had to find another spot for it - well, I say we, but I mean me lol

I was only using a 1/3 of the second
shadecloth structure to propagate cuttings /
grow my seedlings.

We had erected a second shadecloth structure where I was propagating cuttings / starting seedlings, but that certainly didn't take up all the space available.  I suggested to RMan that he covered two thirds of the roof area with IBR sheeting and relocate his tractor there.  Thankfully RMan agreed with me.

It's a slightly tight fit, but it works :)

The tractor is now happily ensconced in it's new home...

The genny was located to the left of the feed
buckets with it's exhaust pointing towards the
lucerne.  Now, in it's new position, it's
(newly extended) exhaust expels it's fumes out of
the enclosed carport.  The sandbags surrounding it
 are there to try and help mute the noise of the 
 genny on those rare occasions when it is in use.

... and the genny has it's newly extended exhaust pointing outside of the enclosed carport area.

The white 1000lt container in the foreground
was sacrificed - by removing it from the support
frame, cutting it in half - and has become a
brilliant mouse-free lucerne bale storage unit 
(because they can't climb the slippery sides, 
and they can't jump that high)

The big bale of lucerne - well, we took one of our 1 000lt water containers, removed it from its aluminium frame, cut the water storage section in half, and we're storing the lucerne in that - the sides of the container are too slippery for a mouse to climb, and too steep to jump into :)  I was OK with sacrificing the water storage container because trying to find fittings in order to use the container for it's intended purpose was impossible - there is nothing that will fit the outlet tap section of these units available in this country.

And my car now has protection from the weather once again :)

Any idea's as to how I can re-purpose/ recycle the frame from the 1 000lt water container...?