July Update

A bit late for this update but better late than never right :D

The beginning of July brought with it some amazing rainfall, replenishing all our water tanks meaning we should be set with about a 6 month supply of water.

I took to the furthest area of our property to clear some pesky weeds, mostly a huge patch of Mother of Millions (Kalanchoe delagoensis), some Dutchman’s pipe and a patch of Cat’s Claw Creeper (Dolichandra unguis-cati) which I then cleaned up and gleefully weaved into baskets.

We began harvesting and preserving our Jackfruit, including trying it in a few ways we hadn’t before. My favourite is eating them from frozen which removes the texture I’m not a huge fan of and some of the strong scent. I also boiled the seeds which were frozen and later added to chicken enchiladas adding a nice little nutrient boost and a pleasant texture.

I added a few new Hippeastrum cultivars to our collection which I cannot wait till they flower! I also finally got myself a new pair (my first pair) of workboots which I am loving!

My chickens enjoyed the benefits of chickweed as well as a few plant introductions that I will be going into more depth in the future.

Overall July was a bit of a slower month in the garden as I took the time to build the soil health some more as well as taking some down time for my own health.

I added 38 new observations onto my iNaturalist account over July, deciding to bring some wild plants into the mix, rather than sticking just with wildlife. We now have 360 identified species at Arch Gully, an increase of 27 from last month.