The Greening of Gavin

Frosty Morning

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This morning we awoke to a very cold and frosty start to the day.

I arose at 6.30am, and proceeded outside to feed the chooks who were already squawking in the morning twilight.  I had to crack the ice on their water bowl, so decided to give them some warm water from the tap.

Then I did a quick tour of the yard, and noticed that there was frost everywhere.  This is very unusual for this area, and I have only experienced temperatures this cold about 4 years ago, and never in the 8 years before that.

The broad beans were all bent over on top and frozen,


as were the brassicas.  Both of these vegetables are frost tolerant and recovered without incident about two hours after the sun rose.

The temperature was a lowly 0.5 degrees Celsius (32F) at 7.30am, which is when I took these photos.  It got down to a low of 0.3 degrees overnight.    Freaking freezing Mr Bigglesworth!  Inside for a warming cup of coffee.

The entire garden looked like Jack Frost had been dancing around and throwing ice everywhere.  

Only one plant suffered, which was our Pepino bush over the other side of the yard.  Half of the leaves are burnt, but the rest survived, with three big Pepino fruit still ripening on the vine.  When I get a chance, I will give it a prune, and it will be right as rain.
The rest of the day was spent working around the yard in beautiful sunshine.  I began by weeding in-between the beds as the dandelions and golden oxalis was getting a bit out of control.  Then I trimmed the ivy near the main gate, and pruned the loganberry bush.
Once that was sorted, I fixed our bed, as it needed some slats fixed up.  Then I fixed the front door, that was getting stuck closed.  It hasn’t been the same since the earthquake, and the door frame has moved.  I planed a little off the top and it worked like a treat.
Then onto fixing the toilet which was leaking and making a terrible groaning sound when the cistern filled.  I replaced all of the rubber seals within the cistern, and that fixed all the noises and leaks.  We will no doubt save a few litres of water each day now, as I had been meaning to fix it for a few weeks.  So many jobs, not enough time!
After a quick trip to the hardware store for some sugar cane mulch, Ben and I cleaned out the two chicken houses and added fresh bedding.  Before we finished the bantams house, I decided that they needed a new nesting box, so Ben helped me build a simple one and installed it into their house.  I believe that the two little girls appreciated our work.
When we were cleaning out the big chook house, Ben was playing with the chicken nipples and trying to get the hens to drink from them.  I told him that I would give him $20 if he could get all of the hens to start drinking from them.  I will give him and A+ for persistence, because he did managed to get two of the chooks to drink from them albeit with a helping hand!  I told Ben that the offer was still on the table, so I dare say he will try again tomorrow.
Then we weeded the garden bed next to the chook house, because the chooks have just been too slow in digging it over.  It took us a good hour to remove as much of the couch grass (Cynodon dactylon) and its roots as we could.  It was hard work, but well worth the effort, because after giving the bed a few weeks to settle down, we will be planting potatoes in August.  
Finally, a quick sweep of the path, and that was it for the day.
It was rewarding, and fun working with Ben in the garden.  We plan to do more work together to begin to prepare for Sustainable House Day in early September.  Great father and son time.
Who else has experience unusually cold weather in the Southern Hemisphere?

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber's daily goal is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in an effort to reduce his family's environmental footprint so we can all make a difference for our children & future generations to come.

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Comments

  1. Charmaine says

    Hi Gav, Yes its been cold here too. Minus 5 degrees. Our brassicas are doing fine as are our berry bushes, we have raspberry canes, loganberry, blueberry and blackberry bushes which are thriving. We have recycled the kids swing set a frame and covered it with plastic to plant our potatoes, garlic and rhubarb under. We just havent had the time to get out there….i guess planting 372 Sweet Henry Peach trees are a god excuse to pass on the vegie patch for a weekend:) Sounds like your girls are spoilt rotten, we need to get more mulch for their beds so they can be more comfy:)

    Reply

    • Gavin Webber says

      Thanks for dropping by, cuz. I remember when I lived in the Riverland, and the very cold winter mornings. Jim and I used to go down to the cow yard and smash the ice in their drinking troughs. It used to be over an inch thick some mornings.

      Keep up the great work on your orchard. I am envious! xox

      Reply

  2. gardenglut says

    You had a very busy day! And yep, its very cold in Sydney this winter too. We NEVER get a frost in my part of Sydney BUT, it is much colder than usual.

    Reply

  3. Michael says

    6:30AM on Sunday, we were still snuggled deep in the doona savouring the warmth! Didn’t venture out until the sun was up. Luxury!

    Yep, down to 0C here, not far from Melbourne airport. A few of our plants were hit by the frost inculding our pepino which, co-incidentally, also has three large fruit at the moment.

    If you haven’t done it yet, don’t prune the pepino. Some of the growth may still recover but even it doesn’t, if there is another frost, the outer damaged growth will protect the rest of the plant.

    If you prune off the effected growth now, the newly exposed plant will be susceptable to any further frosts.

    You’ve been far more productive than me this weekend, although I have managed to finally build the massive 2.4m long battery/electrical cabinet that has been sitting in bits in the garage for ages.

    Cheers

    Reply

    • Gavin Webber says

      Thanks David. Yes not as cold as Canada, but cold enough for these parts! Then again, you don’t get 47 degree days in summer.

      Thanks for the link, I have a couple of those barrels in the carport that I have been thinking of cutting up for planters. Just the right timing! Cheers.

      Reply

  6. Jessie says

    I believe the trick to getting chickens to drink from the nipples is to put their beaks into the nipple and wet them. And remove other water. I’d keep a close eye on them though. We have the nipples too although not yet set them up for our 3 pekin bantams. My husband also had to crack the ice in their water. We’re in Spotswood and in the 4 years we’ve been here I have not ever seen it this cold.

    Reply

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