Compost is the key.

Only plants can photosynthesize and since sunlight is an amazing form of free energy then I use plants to capture as much as possible. Composting is a way of keeping all of that sunlight energy in your system.  

In my gardens anything that is not mulched to cover the soil is composted. A good compost will not smell (smells can indicate the loss of energy and certain nutrients) and will be full of composters (visible and invisible) working to cycle this energy. I usually make compost with these guys in mind.

 

 

Diversity

 Regenerating soils means farming your underground livestock.

It then comes back at you tenfold -better drought resistance, healthy stock, good water absorption and retention and as amazing bird and insect life above ground. Such a beautiful place to be!!

We have a diverse range of tree/shrub species to feed the different types of fungi, birds and insects and our 'big' livestock in times of drought or when they can reach. These also give us materials for building, and making baskets, charcoal, fire starters, mushrooms, mulch, fruit and nuts........and shelter when we need it.

Our pastures are diverse too this one has; Chickory, 4 types of clover, birdsfoot trefoil, yarrow, 2 plantains, dandelion, foxtail, perennial rye, yorkshire fog, paspalum, dock, buttercup, comfrey, jerusalem artichoke, ............ 

Pulsing animals through this system supercharges it.

Kereru

 

This time of the year is punctuated by the whooshing of these majestic birds.
Kereru all come down to feast on the tasty new Tagasaste buds. It is not uncommon to have flocks of 10 or more swooping down over you.

Cricket song

These guys sing as they munch on the roots and shoots of your plants.
This is an introduced cricket. It is much bigger than its native cousin.
They love hot dry summers when the ground cracks and plants get stressed.
Stressed plants send out signals to call in the clean up crew.
Crickets can damage already stressed crops badly.

Cooler evenings close the cricket chorus for the year. It is

Cold wasps

As soon as the weather starts to turn hornets are everywhere. 

Hunting our warm fences or sunny places.

Most of the queens have fattened up on autumn flowers and are hibernating in a nice warm place.

All that is left in the nest are workers with no work to do and the odd male. 

As the weather cools further they will die off. 

There work done for the season.

Summer chorus

Cicadas sing all day  long here in summer.
They are sap suckers and also tree pruners who damage small branches when they lay there eggs -this damage makes the branches susceptible to snapping in the wind.

They suck sap from plant roots in there nymph stages and then move above ground when they emerge in late spring.

This one is enjoying some corn.

Sharing

Some things are just too good not to share.
This bumble bee and Copper butterfly.
Often sedum plants have a wide variety of pollinators all at once..
They are an easy care perennial plant that is easy to divide and spread around your garden

Pototoes

Dreaming or potatoes. Step one broad fork. Step two add compost. Step three roll out straw. Step four wait until the weather warms. Step five add the chickens (this was not planned but the slugs loved the straw soo much -and the chickens loved the slugs).

Step six will be plant the potatoes under the straw.

Turning compost

And the compost gets turned.

Each time you can see the amazing mahi of the invisible and then visible composters all working for us. Breaking down plant material and then each other into a beautiful mix of soil food ready to me turned back into the system.

Vermicast

Vermicast -or some would say liquid gold.
I am adding more and more carbon to my worm farms to try and encourage a much more fungal dominated cast.
From this I then make, seed treatments, compost teas and slurries, potting mix, and compost for planting.

Convolvulus Hawk Moth Caterpillar

This guy is so beautiful -found it on my kumara. Hopefully it pupates in time for winter. I am harvesting my kumara now so will need to put it next to some Convolvulus. 

Winter cover up

As I harvest in the autumn a cloak of green manure is sown to cover any bare earth.

This cloak will;
-out compete weeds,
- keep fungi strong (as the mycellium can only stay alive for a short time in the soil without their host -plants),
- maintain a good soil structure by stopping weathering, holding soil together with roots and those of fungi they host,
- providing shelter for soil insects, food for decomposers like worms when mulched and provide nutrients/mulch for next springs plantings (this green manure is lupin and broad beans for corn crops).

Caterpillars

This has been a crazy caterpillar year!!

I think that the wet winter killed off a lot of our overwintering Queen wasps which then in turn have not been around to keep caterpillars in check. It is very different. 

I have noticed lots of moths and butterflies in my garden pollinating for me and there has been a late season explosion of ichnid wasps, Potters wasps and other solitary wasps who have been enjoying caterpillar feasts. I would much rather have these guys around than the Common and German wasps.

This is the pupa of the Convovulous Hawk moth that likes munching on Kumara, Convolvulus and all in that family. I have not noticed much damage on my Kumara so left this beauty to do its thing.

Honey harvest

Harvest time.

If we harvest before Christmas we can be sure there will not be poisonous Tutin in our honey. This stuff can be eaten straight from the comb.

Passion vine hoppers suck the sap from the Tutin bush and then in turn bees harvest honeydew from the hoppers. This is especially true during hot summers so after Christmas all honey harvested needs to be tested.

As bees categorize nectar as they store it in their hives then Tutin honeydew can be  concentrated  in small areas of the comb. After Christmas comb honey is a no go.

Entrance transition

I'm loving the path to the garden at the moment.

You transition off our drive under the Tagasaste (which is full of  Bees, Bellbirds and Kereru), past the Grapefruit,  over the drain and you feel there before you even open the gate.

The narrowing of the path (off the drive), preview of destination and sense of slowing down or arriving always invites me whether I am driving past, going to work or passing through to gather food for a meal.

Bug houses

As small gardeners start awakening in spring I always try and keep one step ahead with nesting places.

This bug hotel is made especially for mason bees, potters wasps, ladybirds, and lace wings.

Next week I really need to make a few bumble bee nests.

Compost trenches

A lot of my garden beds have trenches down the middle. These are filled with stalks from my carbon crops, and then seaweed, animal manure, wood ash, leaves, weeds............ depending on specific crop needs and what I have at hand.

In-situ composting that creates a diverse habitat for the many decomposers in my garden, feeds my plants and holds onto moisture.

Pest patrol

I love working with my ducks. They have been busy cleaning up slugs and snails while I get some of my beds ready for spring.

Queen bee

Could not capture the Queens but look at the early season Tagasaste flowers that are feeding them.

On these fine winters days you often get Queen Bumble bees coming out of hibernation for food. Tagasast sre one of htese important food sources.

Peripatus

People think this amazing creature is a link between worms and centipedes.

And we found one while digging on the garden track.