Big day today so we started out early with Lorenzo waiting for me and the fenced area was mostly made from old pallets as we had discussed. Some he had sideways (which are shorter) and some end on end (which are taller). I explained the shorter ones will need replacing/turning as it’s a little too low in places. I also spotted a place where the neighbours fence was broken and suggested he board that up. Chickens are naturally curious and will explore spots like that and get out if they can.
As we put things together I asked Lorenzo what he does for a day job and he told me he’s just graduated from Law school. ‘So a clever bugger’, I laughed! Neither of us were too clever though, as we couldn’t figure out how to put the ‘chookerteria’ together and I left him pondering that, sending further instructions and pics for him a little later.
When I dropped a replacement hen to Max and Candace we watched a while to see how the two of them got on and he laughed telling me he explained ‘pecking order’ to the kids after taking ‘Cheesecake’ to Dorta’s to hang out with her hens, so she wouldn’t be lonely. Unfortunately ‘Cheesecake’ became very aggressive towards Dorta’s hens so they had to bring her back home! We watched her standover tactics for a bit and I hope they settle in OK. I left wondering if they remember each other as they all grew up together!
From here it was to Jackie who had already put the coop together, so we set up the fencing. Jackie is awesome and as I had told her I’d been at Pt England school last week, she chatted on about how much she loved Pt England school and spent close to 20 years there, first as a parent, and later as a teacher aide, and how she had a soft spot for assertive and even unruly kids. Didn’t quite get this all the fencing finished but Jackie was happy to complete and seemed chuffed with the hens, confidently handling and placing them in the run.
Next stop was catching Roxy in her quick lunch break at home. She has a perfect spot for her garden bed and excited to see that go in soon.
Nicola was my next stop for a second visit and I was keen to see her garden as she had memories of her Koro’s gardening and with her children at 9 and 12 wanted to do well. The garden had been ‘tidied’ by her Dad but she assured me they had eaten plenty out of there. It had been hammered by snails and white butterflies and we talked about alyssum and the job it does as well as simply screwing up newspapers to create a hiding place for snails and disposing of them in a couple of days. Looked like her Dad may have ‘tidied’ that away as well but I had some Alysum in the car and gave it to her to replant. We talked about where to go from here. Natural ways of helping with predators and seasonal planting. She was rapt in the planting guide, seeds, gloves and everyone seems to be grateful for the old NZGardener magazines I have been giving out. She’s googling and devouring any info she can find.
I then dropped two choko plants to Mariyam for her and *Renee who both love its versatility and asked if they can get a plant.
Next stop was Anna. This is in the huge blocks of flats and they have very tiny backyard spaces with a small deck. Anna has been trying her hand at seedlings without much success and I’m looking forward to extending her knowledge in this area as she is so interested.
Anna introduced me to her neighbour, Aluel, who is next door to her, and is very keen to get help with a garden. She is Sudanese. Tall and beautiful wearing a brightly coloured long dress and turban with the darkest of skin tones and biggest of smiles. I love this multicultural mix and acceptance by these two women living side by side. Anna said as Aluel doesn’t have great english and is difficult to understand, she is happy if we use herself, as a contact at any time. We identified a good spot for her garden bed. This area experiences flooding so it’s important it does go here. I will learn more about what veg she likes and am excited to learn more about Sudanese.
A second visit to Margaret was next and her Spinach and chard were pumping and some peas had dropped and sprouted. She said she gets something from there every day and this is a very good example of why we plant what we do with these plants giving and giving, as opposed to planting 3 broccoli and 3 cauli in the same space and waiting 6 months for a harvest. It’s about ‘bang for your buck’. Making the most of the space at hand.
On a final note I got a message tonight that Lorenzo had a chicken escape and he asked if he could buy one to replace it. A short time later I got a message from Jackie that a mate had phoned her as they’d trapped a stray chicken, which Jackie collected. As it was on Lorenzo’s street we realised this was most likely his, so she popped it into her run for the night and he will collect it tomorrow morning…. so all ended well!
Talk soon.
*Names changed for privacy.
Rākau Tautoko 