Category Archives: A Forest Garden – Record of Progress
How long for a Prickly Pear to fruit?
Starting a conversation about my attempts to grow prickly pear go something like this: “I cut off one of the pads as a cutting,” says I. “To grow?” they ask, brows furrowed. “Yes…” Here it comes, but they mean well. “You mean prickly pear, that cactus weed? You want to… grow it!?” Shock, Horror, et […]
Why your Summer is incomplete without figs
There is something of a tradition at my place now with freshly picked figs being scoffed in the backyard from the middle of summer. By mid January the fruit darkens a purple stain through the green skin. And there is the matter is getting to them before the birds, which according to my chickens (who … Continue reading
The Joy of Springtime in the Garden
There are many joys waiting in the Spring garden. The most important one for me is sitting on a log watching it all go by. There is Zen somewhere between chickens scratching at the ground and the hum of a city carried by the wind. Nectar feeding birds fight for the highest branches of the Banksia tree, while … Continue reading