Cockatoos are clever birds.
They perch atop our giant sunflowers and systematically pick out the seeds. Pete managed to chase one away before it had a chance to completely decimate the flower head above.
The smaller sunflowers remain unscathed…
Our mutant butternut trombie, as it’s now known, is sprawling vigorously…
…and already making more fruit than we can eat…
The basil plants are tall and lush…
Our self-sown snake beans are growing at a riotous pace, and just starting to flower. I love their orchid-like blooms…
They’re climbing up their A-frame support and heading for the sky…
The beans have started in earnest…
Speaking of A-frames, we now have three in the garden.
After years of hammering in stakes, we’ve finally figured out a reliable and economical trellis system for the plants to climb on. The frames can be folded up for storage when not in use, and are quite sturdy, even in strong winds.
Each frame is made using four long stakes for the legs, joined with a single screw in pairs. These are connected by horizontal stakes – one at the top and another half a metre (18″) from the bottom on either side. For rigidity, the sides are cross-braced with strong string under tension. Wire mesh is attached to provide a growing surface for the plants.
As you can see, the string is tied diagonally from the points where the horizontals are connected – we use strong nylon string which won’t rot (leftover from our kiteflying days)..
The string is basically just looped and tied around the wood to tension the frame and keep its shape…
The larger frame has cross bars and string bracing on both sides, but the smaller ones just have the bars and string on the front side…
I’m a rubbish artist, but I tried drawing a sketch nonetheless…
Our larger frame (made from merbau decking, cut lengthwise in half) is straddling two beds, with snake beans growing up one side, and regular (non-mutant) tromboncinos just starting on the other…
. . . . .
And an update on the chooks…
We lost Rosemary just before Christmas. She really was a poor old chook – still eating and walking around, but too old and tired to fly up to the roost at night. She was the youngest of our first flock of six, so it wasn’t surprising that she was the last to go, and she died very peacefully one day, lying down in the dirt. The day after she died, it was a scorching hot 36C (97F), and I couldn’t help but feel relieved for her.
The other five girls are all doing very well. Amber, Mrs Gronkle, Billie and Lorraine are laying, with little Esme yet to start. The Lohmann Browns don’t seem to lay as intensely as the ISA Browns did, which is a good thing – the ISAs laid almost daily, which I’m sure wasn’t great for their longevity. The Lohmanns have lovely temperaments, and the flock seems quite harmonious.
And whilst we’ve lost Rosemary, we now have (Not Quite) Lorraine, who is every bit as mad! She spends her time trying to escape from the dome kamikaze-style, or flying up to the roost to peer eye to eye at us whenever we approach. She’s very friendly though, and doesn’t mind being handled…
If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, I hope your gardens are all going well (and if you’re up north, I’ll keep taking photos for you until your turn comes). As I mentioned a while back, our garden is mostly self-sown this year, but it’s certainly keeping us well fed!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Oh your photos make me long for spring to arrive!! Happy weekend to you!
And to you, Misky! Hope it’s not too cold in West Sussex this weekend! xx
What a gorgeous garden – I’m so very jealous. Your photos are excellent and really, really made me miss the farm we had in Quebec, Canada. We had chickens there – as well as other animals – and big garden. Thanks so much for sharing Celia!! Your photos sure made me long for spring….
Cecile, I’ll keep the photos coming! Over the years, we bloggers have learnt to rely on the “greenery” on the other side of the world during the winter months! :)
You are so right Celia !!
Hope you a had a joyful begining of 2014. Your garden is so healthy…i see pesto in the future, plus much more goodies.
Norma, we did, thank you, and I hope you and your family had a wonderful one! xx
Your frames are a good idea. I try something different every year – not sure if I’ll know if I’ve found the perfect solution. Your garden looks deliciously green.
Anne, the problem with hammering in stakes (which is what we used to do) is that they’d rot in the soil, or not be tall enough, or we’d need a lot and they’re quite expensive to source. The A-frames don’t sit very deeply in the dirt, so they don’t rot away, we can move them from bed to bed as the chickens rotate, and they’re tall enough to let even the most vigorous climber reach its full potential! (Have I sold you yet? :))
The garden is looking fabulous! and it’s funny you should do a show and tell with your A Frames as that is exactly what I’ve been thinking of doing again but for my allotment. And thank you for your sunshine and colour it was needed here today x
It’s only fair, Claire, you keep us in glorious greenery during our winter months! :D I’m glad to hear you use A-frames as well – they really do work well, don’t they? xx
Lovely blooms on the snake beans and everything looks so lush. Those naughty cockies, though! Sorry to hear about Rosemary, so sad to lose the last of your original flock, but thankfully ‘Lorraine’ is proving to be quite a character too ;-)
Danielle, aren’t the snake bean flowers gorgeous? I think they look like orchids! And yes, Lorraine is charming, when she behaves! :)
Lovely to look at a lush garden when it is going to be 8 degrees F here tonight.
Gazing at your garden makes me feel warm!
Pamela, that’s -13C on our scale, and that’s cold!! Hope it’s warm and cozy inside for you!
Yes, warm ginger tea and a cozy fire! Best is I don’t have to go anywhere.
NQL sounds full of personality. What a character. I love how all the chooks have their distinct personalities. I’m so sorry about Rosemary – our pets should all have longer lives. Your basil looks beautiful and I’m glad your sprawling garden is looking after you all so well xx
They’re not really pets, Charlie, or at least this new flock doesn’t feel like that. It’s lovely to have them in the garden though. I don’t think I’m going to mind retiring this lot once they stop laying. We’re about to be overrun with trombies I think! :) xx
You sure are starting the year off with a bountiful garden, only 54 days until spring for me, but I will be starting my seedlings indoors much sooner.
Norma, when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound that far away! :)
OMG Lorraine is so cute!! I miss having my chooks with their adorable (and not so adorable) personalities and quirks. What a glorious garden you have!
Thanks M! The chooks are very cute, and this lot are more friendly than the original ones – they were quite cantankerous!
The mutant tromboncinos- good name for a band or a blog! We also have Isa Browns chooks.They are such consistent layers.
Francesca, the ISAs laid enormous numbers of eggs – I think we had over 900 eggs out of each of them! I’m happy that the new chooks don’t seem to be laying as vigorously – both for them and for us! :)
I’m new to your blog so I read a couple of your earlier posts and in one of them you said you wished you had better photos of your garden… now you do! It looks glorious. Here in Alice Springs it is seriously difficult to grow a garden especially if you travel a bit and are away so I have a small herb garden, a couple of citrus trees and an unwilling fig that I have decided after 10 years is probably not the right variety for this climate. Sorry about Rosemary, but Lorraine sounds like she has potential for entertainment. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope it’s not too scorching hot for you at the moment! Not Quite Lorraine is a mad thing, but she’s go so much personality! :)
Lovely green! It is so heartening that your garden is volunteer- it is a gift from God in every sense of the imagination! I like A-frames- they remind me of the small portable greenhouses my father built in late winter/early spring to protect the seedlings from our harsh climate. And they are great at holding up large amounts of weight.
Sorry about Rosemary- and happy to hear that these chickens are doing their job without burdening you with excess eggs. Now if the trombochinos would just follow suit!
Thanks again for having mercy on us with our cold and white gardens- pictures are always appreciated!!
Heidi, if I could send you mutant trombies in the mail, you know I would! So happy to share green photos with you when your garden is all frozen! xxx
Love that last photo Celia! Of course Lorraine is a bit naughty- she takes after her namesake :)
My trombo is going crazy too, but the plain zucchini are just starting now and my borlotti beans are taking off at last. I love discovering treasure in the garden beds each morning and deciding how to add it to tonights dinner xox
Becca, Pete and I have just had a discussion about where else we can sneak trombies into a meal – Pete thinks they’d be fine grated in a spag bog. We’ll see.. :) So pleased to hear your garden’s doing well, love! xxx
Hehe I consider that a compliment Rebecca ;) xxx
A glorious garden! I think the sunflowers attract birds (and children!) everywhere they are growing. We have to compete with the birds as well. Only they’re not cockatoos! The A-frames work so well. Save a lot of space too. Sorry to hear about Rosemary. Sounds like Lorraine will fill her shoes! (Or roost?) I had to laugh when I saw the picture of her. What an expression!
Manuela, she has a very knowing look about her, and she stares you right in the eye! :)
It’s looking good out there Celia, very lush after the earlier rain. We are having the devil of a time trying to find bird netting, the cockatoos have decided they like our tomatoes.
Bloody birds! Oh no, that’s the wrong thing to say, but I AM sorry they’ve found your tomatoes! xx
Hi Celia, great post… it’s hard to keep up with the watering at the moment… I would hate to be in those 40-5 degree temps! Love your photographs, especially that snake bean flower and also the chooky at the end. Happy gardening love.
Lizzy, we’ve just picked our first snake beans! Happy days! Hope you get lots of time this year to potter in your garden! xxx
Lorraine sounds entertaining! :) You must be so proud of your garden. All that lovely green is just wonderful, if I had a garden like that I’d just want to eat healthily using all the fresh ingredients, lucky you :)
Stefanie, we are indeed blessed with so many edibles, although we have to be creative with the trombies! :)
What a fantastic garden in relatively small space! Am peagreen with envy!! Especially of your basil, ’cause managed to lose some of mine in the heat . . .watering, watering, watering ~ find it quite relaxing and then think of all else which has to be done next :( !! Love your frames – as I am mostly into ‘pot culture’ it is just three stake ‘teepees’ for me – not nearly as productive . . . and enjoy your trombos who love you so :) !
Eha, I made a huge batch of pesto today, cutting the basil right down, and it should grow back again very quickly. Basil seems to really like our backyard! :)
Your garden looks fabulous as usual. I’ll definitely have to look for those A frame stakes. I’m still using my dear old Dad’s stakes which he bought the year I was born – 1954!
Melissa, we had to make the A-frames, we couldn’t find them anywhere. I’m uploading some photos for Lorelle in the comment below if you’re interested. That’s a long time to have your dad’s stakes! :)
G’day! What a gorgeous garden Celia, true!
WISH I had a green thumb and strangely, I could smell the basil through the screen! :) Always enjoy your garden view!
Cheers! Joanne
Thanks Jo! The basil smells amazing at the moment! :)
Hiya – I’m really REALLY interested in your frames. Just wondered what you meant by having them ‘cross-braced with strong string under tension’? Is it attached to something other than the frame then? Sorry to be so dull but I just can’t work out where the tension comes from, or where you are running the string to and from. This would be a perfect solution for me, if I can just work out what you’ve done!
Thanks so very much for your blog – I really do enjoy reading it!
Lorelle
Hi Lorelle, I went out and took some photos for you!
As you can see, the string is tied diagonally from the points where the horizontals are connected – we use strong nylon string which won’t rot (leftover from our kiteflying days)..
The string is basically just looped and tied around the wood to tension the frame and keep its shape…
The larger frame has cross bars and string bracing on both sides, but the smaller ones just have the bars and string on the front side…
I tried drawing you a sketch, but I’m a rubbish artist. Here it is nonetheless, hope it helps…
Hope that all makes sense! We’re REALLY happy with these! :)
love that last pic, funny girl :-)
She’s a very cute chook! :)
Well it’s lucky that I’m not mad at all or I’d be concerned about my namesake taking after me! ;) x
She’s very glamorous and charming and has enormous character! I think we named her well! :) xx
I love a wander through your garden. The frames are great, I like the one straddling two beds. It’s been 42 degrees here this weekend and I’ve been spraying the chooks with the hose to keep them cool.
Jo, that IS hot! I hope the garden and the chooks survive! Hasn’t been that hot here yet, thankfully, hopefully we won’t get the 46C days we had last January!
How lovely to see your beautiful garden growing so well. It certainly cheers us up when we have more storms on the way.
Pat, I hope you’re all ok with the storms! Glad that the photos helped.. xx
The garden is looking fantastic Celia! I had to laugh at Lorraine’s pic, she certainly does look a bit mad! Love it! x
I think she was trying to hypnotise us, Lisa! :) xx
Celia, your sunflowers were a welcome sight today — the basil, too. I especially liked your A-frames (showed ’em to my handyman hubby, including your diagrams) — thank you!
You’re most welcome, Kim! This is the first time in years we’ve had sunflowers grow (they’re always self-sown from dropped chicken feed!). :)
Lovely to see all that lush growth, such tasty crops too. Tempting me to start sorting through seeds and browsing seed catalogues while I look forward to our own Spring.
Andrea, it’s the best time of year, when the snake beans are ready for picking! Have fun with the seed catalogues – I always find those addictive.. :)
Aren’t the snake bean flowers beautiful? That’s the only thing I’ve had success with recently. I love how well your garden is doing especially being mostly self-sewn. Mine needs a little love after being away for two weeks.
Claire, it’s been so hot up there lately, I’m impressed anything has survived! I’m sure it will all grow back soon though! :)
Poor old Rosemary! It’s nice that she had a good life though – so many chooks don’t and that’s just criminal I think.
She certainly did have a nice life, we’re pretty sure about that! Thanks Mel! :)
I did not realize how much I missed the color green until I saw your luscious photos!! So so beautiful! And what a garden too!! Is it too early to dream of spring?
It’s never too early to dream of spring! I’m so glad you enjoyed the greenery, Moira! :)
OMG your garden has grown so much and looks so green. Sad about little Rosemary but she was starting to suffer a bit. I am glad she is resting now. You did spot the antics of NQ Lorraine very early on didn’t you?. Shes very funny. I use zucchinis in Bolognese to great effect. I am sure trombies would be just as good.
I know! You saw it only a couple of months ago, right? Hasn’t it gone bonkers since then! Come over and get some trombies! xx
Celia, your garden is looking great I wish we had such exotic birds here as cockatoos. I remember long ago when I was in Australia really admiring the wildlife you have. Does everyone ask you if you have koala bears? If not, I’ll ask – do you?
Sorry to hear about Rosemary but glad that the rest of the girls are doing well. Not sure about that look that (Not Quite) Lorraine is giving me.
Di, trust me, just enjoy looking at the photos, because cockies can be a right pain in the rear. And no, we don’t have any koala bears in the backyard, but if you come over, we’ll go visit them in the zoo.. :)
I love those little bears! When I was there I went to the Melbourne zoo & loved it. I saw these red pandas (I think that’s what they’re called) – never saw them before but they’re beautiful.
We have our pain in the butt birds too – matter of fact for over a month now we’ve had 2 blue jays pecking on the corner of the house at the bedroom – right at the crack of dawn!
that is a beautiful chicken portrait! I love it! And your bean frames are just wonderful too. I am enjoying watching your garden evolve and change and reading about how you feel about it. We are looking for spring buibs peeking up at the moment and watching the birds squabble about the bits we put out. Never had a cockatoo yet in Bristol but maybe we will get the rose necked parrakeets one day :)
Jo, you’re one of the few who remember when it started – it really wasn’t that long ago! We have let all the remaining fennels go to seed – hopefully next year we’ll have them growing in the cracks of the bricks as well! xxx
Your photos in this post make me hungry for Spring. ! Sue
Womenlivinglifeafter50.com
I hope it comes soon for you, Sue! x
I am intrigued – and rather envious – of your A-frames … and glad you went out and took photos for Lorelle. I will have to try and construct one for my plot at the community garden. Superb work, the pair of you!
Isn’t it bizarre the things we get so excited about? Because I have to admit, every time I go outside, the sight of these frames makes me happy… :D They should work great on your plot, as they can be folded up when not needed for climbers! xx
Your whole garden looks so productive Celia. I am particularly interested in the snake beans. My first ever snake bean crop has just started to produce. They are one of the hardiest things in my garden at the moment; although they are not as lush as your plants they are producing good looking beans. Mine are covered in ants…they are not worrying me or hurting the plants but they must like them? Also, how long do you let the beans get before harvesting?
The flowers are pretty aren’t they?
Jane, the beans start out quite hard, and then they change colour a bit and get softer and spongier – that’s when we pick them. We also like to pick them before they get too lumpy (they’re too old then). We think the ants are fine, they’re just eating the nectar. x
Thanks so much Celia for going to so much trouble for me – you are wonderful
No problem at all! :) Hope they work out well for you!
This looks wonderful! Still bleak and rainy winter here in the UK – roll on Spring! Best wishes from a fellow permaculture gardener.