I've now come to idea that slow and steady progress is really going to be the way that we will wrangle this large garden into shape! It is quite a large plot of suburban land, and there is lots and lots to rectify and fix up... and it is tempting to try and get everything done fast... but that costs lots of money... or we can do what we can for ourselves, save the money, and have the satisfaction of doing it the way that we want! That said, skill and time are the big losers in this trade-off... but I'm really enjoying learning everything, and well... we are in no hurry!

So, our two porch veggies pots are growing quite nicely! The zucchini plant has already delivered some greens to our dinner table whilst the tomato is lagging behind on that front. I do love the flowers that the zucchini makes, even if they are pretty short lived.

Meanwhile, on a slightly unwelcome front, these mushrooms sprouted up overnight in my older daughter's plant pots. I'm wondering if I need to let the pots drain a bit better... Anyway, got rid of the mushrooms as best as I could... perhaps when the seeds are a little stronger, they will edge out the mushrooms?

The mulching continues at a faster pace in the last week. We are getting two trees taken down next week, and that means that we will have even bigger piles of woodchips for mulching, so we are trying to chip away quickly at the piles that we currently have. The limiting factor is now the cardboard... we ran out, but I have been making trips to the local recycling cage to take out what people are putting in there!

... but the piles are definitely being chipped (ha ha...) away at! In time to be topped up by two more trees worth!

I have also started to realise that having the right tools for the job is always going to help out in a big way... mostly, it tends to be my lack of skill, but sometimes, the problem isn't always going to be me! I picked up a better saw blade for our pruning saw... and now it works like a dream... slicing easily through wood branches that don't need the baby chainsaw on a stick.

First test of the new saw blade was on this pair of unruly plants. They desperately needed a haircut at the neck to allow them to grow a little bit better, and to stop the branches whacking everyone who was walking past! Plus, the branches were pretty weak, long extensions with very little thickness that were bending under the weight of the leaves at the far end.

Much tidier! And now the new growths will have the light and space to grow properly...

... and we have the pile for the shredder! The shredder is pretty fun... if slow work. Somehow, I keep underestimating the time needed to shred a pile of wood bits... I guess the big problem is that you need to feed them one at a time. Still, it is weirdly satisfying to reduce a pile of wood like this to more chips for the garden.

... except for the bits that don't fit and grind the motor of the shredder to a halt.

And finally, the last of the piles of earth from the plumbing excavation... otherwise known as our future wicker-bed space for the veggies! I need to move this earth to a different place, so that we can redo the retaining walls. My wife wants wood... I want something hat we don't have to replace in 10-20 years time. She wants something that "looks good", and I want something that functional that doesn't need too much future maintenance!

... anyway, that is an argument for a different time! For the moment, the earth I could use to level up the ground near the carport. There is a large drop-off from the concrete slab to the ground, which is a pain in the arse when you are using a loaded wheelbarrow. So, I'm just using that excess earth to ramp it up gently.... probably about 15 trips of a quarter filled barrow?

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