Nigel Thomson's Comments

About chooks.  I got some of those posts used for electric fences.  ..about $30.00 for 10 at Farmland. I got some wind break material and used clip washing pegs to fence them in.  Wire tent-type pegs for the bottom.  They were good for shifting around to the next bit of grass. Or some lengths of plastic wirenetting from Warehouse with bamboo sticks. I used both. but you need the pins for the bottom as the little sods get out. Might work for children to?

Save your toilet rolls. They're good for planting corn which I will start to do at the end of the month.  Then plant the whole thing at end of October.  I plant about a dozen or 20 at a time so that i have them coming at different times.  i got five plantings last year. Pak Choi is a good wee veg to plant now.  It's ready to eat quicker than most veg. I plant inside, prick out and keep in a sheltered place untill they are ready to plant out, then plant really close together.

hello, again.  It's a while since I've been on Oooby.  I see things flicker past and saw your message.

I've found an excellent site for guidance in your vege garden
 It is
http://www.gardengrow.co.nz/
 It is for NZ conditions and for our particular climate.

Hope this helps. you can choose to have them send, weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

Hi Nigel, you still in Putaruru? Are you in employment at the moment, I do hope so. reply and let me know how the chooks are going. Regards Daniel Martin

Hi Nigel, Dan's wife here, He has left the full bags out by the letter box . you can collect anytime. Cheers sarah

Hi Nigel - Shavings are ready to pick up. Leave me a message tonight here on Ooooby if you want to come around and get them. I will be up till about 10.00pm if you want to get them today.

Or I can leave them at the letterbox for you to collect tomorrow. I am off tomorrow to the Coromandel for some Land Based Game Fishing!!

Cheers

Daniel

62 Neal Street

Just leave a couple of bags in the Letter box - I may or may not be home.

I will leave you a note here when you can pick them up.

Hi Nigel

Drop me around some bags (in the letter box is ok) and I will fill them up for you.

Are you interested in a backyard beekeeping seminar at my place Saturday 26th - I am getting in to it and the lady that will deliver the info is president of beekeeper group in Hamilton.
Just looking to get enough people to get it going

Hi Nigel - Sorry I only get to check this site on a very adhock basis. Hope all is well for you in Putaruru - do you work locally?

Hi all - feel free to get a visit sorted between yourselves, and invite friends to get in on the act also!!

I have a very messy back yard to get sorted this winter. We now have a chicken run, so we will wait until June/July when the Litchfield poultry farm has some more Hens available - might even look at a couple of cute Bantams also - ex Trademe.

Yes, live ones. we got three at the beginning of last year and they were all laying well. Just now only one is still going but we're patient! Easy to keep. I mix all the edible throwaway food with three cups of mash for them in the morning with some hot water. A few laying pellets at night with a bit of wheat but they're not fussy about the evening meal. Clean water. They are stupid and sleep in the nesting boxes but I don't mind. The nests are lined with two layers of newspaper each morning and after three weeks or so the whole lot is biffed into the compost and we start again. For a run I use garden netting pinned to bamboo stakes that can be moved easily. Also some wind shield netting. You need metal pins to anchor around the bottom. There is a group for poultry on Ooooby but I haven't looked at it. Hope that helps/

regarding the Chooks, Live ones? - How easy are they to keep (I have lots of naughty insects to feed them) we have got an avairy as the previous tenant had budgies its about 6 ft high with 2 5 foot wide rooms, i realise i would need to add a run, or chickenproof the yard but it is something we have been looking at.

Did you know you can get chooks from Lichfield - the poultry farm on the Main Road just past the pottery shop. They are $5 each!

Not too late to put some dwarf beans in. Something quick - pak choi.. I'm also planting lettuce - now planting winter varieties. I love to plant my own seed and some of the seed companies are easy to buy from on-line -too easy! Kings ask for at least $15.00 worth using a credit card but Egmont don't mind small orders. Another site is called Gardenstuff. They seem to be a smaller (family?)run company and provide a lot of info for each seed packet. I get Egmonts Lettuce - Cisco and Vivian for winter but I guess there are seed places in Put.
we have guests for the next three weeks but after that you would be welcome to come down. I have a whole box of seeds and will never plant them all. How could one garden cope with a1000 lettuces? Brussell sprouts can go in now, all year cauli. carrots which will be ready for next Dec/ Jan. Swede, turnip leeks. In April the broad beans go in and in May I start the garlic. I have plenty spare for seed, if you want some. Putaruru is 500 feet lower than Tokoroa so you have a slightly longer growing season. Good luck with the job hunting!
P.S. Did see a butterfly on Tuesday but it passed through, didn't stop.