govt house rotation - wk 7

I missed out on last week with the flu so keen to get back to gov house today. Steve has a list of things for me to work on by myself and I'm looking forward to practicing my time management, as I would be if working as a qualified gardener.

The Plectranthus cuttings have developed nice new roots.

First on the list: Pot up some Plectranthus. These cuttings have rooted up nicely and now need to move into their own first pot. I work methodically on the potting bench in the greenhouse, using the same technique for the Ixia I did on the first day by half filling the pot, adding the cutting, back filling and a gentle tap to level out. I get them all finished quickly and into the nursery area outside for a good watering in.

Second job is: 100 Lavender cuttings. Steve demonstrated earlier a good type of semi hardwood tip cutting from the Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender) hedge running through the centre of the pottager garden. So I grab my secateurs and start collecting. My first lot are mostly good ones but some prove too small so the second time I visit the hedge I get pickier about selecting the right tips. As Steve shows me, to prepare the cutting, I cut the tip off the hardwood just beneath the first lot of growth. I tear off the lower foliage and snip the top off if the growth is too big. This will reduce the cutting's need for nutrients while it has a chance to establish roots. I prepare my 3 pots by washing them out carefully and Steve says i could use rooting powder but probably not necessary with Lavender as it takes so well.
So 100 times later.......  I have a nice looking bunch of cuttings to sit upon the heat bed. The are all labeled correctly with the date, common and botanical names and my name so they can tell who got it wrong if they all fail (hopefully not!).

100 cuttings completed.

Next I take a break from the pottager to go down to the compost pile and see how the mulcher/chipper works. Steve has a good quality steel body, Australian made one that we have been interested in for our property so I'm keen to see what Steve thinks of it and how it is to operate. There is a nice huge pile of cuttings down by the compost heap so we make a start. Steve runs me through the start up procedure and PPE for this machine is obviously rather important. Safety glasses, earmuffs, safety boots and gloves are a must. Safety procedures include not sticking your arm far enough in the feeder mouth to get it mulched, but as Steve points out the design of the machine makes that pretty impossible so we should be safe for now!

Steve demonstrating how the chipper works.

The machine self feeds but probably not as much as I had imagined and the irregular shaped material does get stuck in the feeder and has to be forcibly rammed in and through with the next branch. Apparently the disposal chute can also get jammed up regularly especially when chipping up softer, fleshier material. However Steve feels it works well overall. It provides a cost saving of disposing the material on the tip, as well as the satisfaction of recycling back into the garden, making it a worth while, albeit time consuming effort.

Before - Tara's existing beds are on the left.

Job three after lunch is to plant out some veggie seedlings. First of all I need to hoe up some new beds in the deep, recently rotavated soil. So I get to it, making sure they look as neat as Tara's and are straight! I'm quite happy with my first hoeing efforts and don't think Tara will be upset when she arrives back at work to see them! The fun part is next......the planting - new baby beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, kale and lettuce seem very happy bedded down in their new home. Steve asks me to make sure I plant them deep enough to support the fragile new stems from working loose in the wind. A good water in and a sprinkle of blood and bone to hopefully deter the rabbits and it's all finished.

After.

After this Steve takes me on a trip to the South Hobart tip to empty the truck and have an eye spy at the huge green waste recycling centre up there. This is where the Gov House green waste, that is not composted on site, is taken to be disposed of. All this material is then composted in huge rows at the McRobies Rd site and turned into black gold that is then sold back to the public. This is composting on a HUGE scale and very impressive to see.

Large rows of compost in the making.

When we return at the end of the day, I make sure to tidy up behind me, tools away, hose curled up, potting bench and glasshouse floor swept and rubbish in the bin. Another good day's work complete.