The Marquee

As I sit here listening to the rain pelting down outside, Ive heaved a sigh of relief. It has been a long hot summer where I live in Victoria, & we've had not much rain in 6 months. Plants and trees that have survived 12 years of drought have curled up their collective toes. The strain on our water supply has been huge. We are lucky to have a great source of water for fire fighting purposes, we also have a brilliant sprinkler system, but it cant reach everywhere. Its been all good news and bad news in the herb and vegetable patch. This rain is very welcome.

Its interesting talking to people from all over the country about how their gardens are fairing. QLD has been inundated in water. Victoria hasnt been so lucky. I just grit my teeth and realise that you can do alot to help your gardens through times of drought, but you cant save them all.

Ill be posting hints and tips for your garden to help in severe conditions. This is where I dream for a greenhouse. *Sigh* One day.

Our biggest expense this season has been the erection of the bird netting. The Marquee we call it. We have an apple tree brimming with fruit. Only one, mind you. Apart from a few cherries, we had a big wind in Spring that literally blew the blossoms off all our fruit trees before they had a time to pollinate.

Note to self - must start thinking about wind breaks.

Heres the Marquee:-

The photos were shot in wetter times. The birds did not get one bit of fruit off me this year. 
We made the Marquee using the straightest dead saplings we had. We have an abundance thanks to the numerous storms we have. Using the tractor's post hole digger, we dug holes as deep as we could go in the drenched clay soil. We hauled the poles up using the tractor, ropes & a bit of swearing. We nailed old hubcaps on the tops so we could slide the netting over easily. We had hand sown 2 X 25 metres lengths of netting together to get the width we wanted so it ended up 25m X 26m. We attached ropes to the netting to enable us to haul the rolled up netting up & over the poles. We weighed the netting down with old tyres and logs. I just slip under one section to get in. We will eventually be finishing it off properly, but we will take it off in Winter & early Spring to enable maximum pollination as the netting does keep the butterflies out. I have many wild ducks who will come in & eat the slugs & snails for me. And also poo everywhere, which is a good thing. The parrots can have any old fruit left behind.
Inside I have planted quite a few different fruit trees, mostly dwarf varieties. Plums, peach, cherry, apples, apricot & lemons at this stage. Im aiming at pear to add to the collection. This Winter I have decided that a very good gardener friend is going to come and prune my fruit trees for me, and show me the best way to do it. I know the theory, but I am useless in practice. The trees are still young, so I want to start properly, with the best shape. My friend doesnt know it yet, so Ill keep you posted.
Inside the Marquee, I have also planted many varieties of vegetables and herbs. I have added any bee attracting flowering herb I can fit in - mainly calendula, yarrow, lemon balm, mint, comfrey, oregano, nasturtiums & borage. I have tomatoes growing like crazy, beans, onions and the main herb garden close to the house. I like having the herbs close so you can nick out and grab some things for dinner quickly & sometimes in the dark. I usually have to check the Marquee most days. If not, the zucchinis become watermelon sized. One of my successes this season and they are another story. 
Here is also where I've planted the vegetables that need more space, like zucchini , strawberries, raspberries, cucumber, artichoke, rhubarb. I am still creating new beds in this area. Before the Marquee, we lost most of the berries, apples, plums etc, to the birds. I have garlic growing in every spot available, again some success, some not so good. Its been a weird year.
Of course, Ill be posting stuff that Im interested in. Organic gardening on a budget is my goal. It doesnt have to cost a fortune. Just a little imagination. And there are some brilliant ideas, tips and stories out there. Lets hear 'em. 
Happy Grubbing in your garden.
Tam