Pruning without problems

My fruit trees need a haircut, but pruning is a delicate business.
Some peope go the whole og and look like they use a 'scorched earth' policy, while othersfresrful of errors,  make such delicate snips it ends up being ineffecive.

So who you gonna call?

St Peter of Cundall of course!

In this latest edition of the Weekly Times, he comes to out pruning rescue.

My advice?

Sharpen all secateurs and saws, so much easier, you make cleaner cuts and your chance of injury is much smaller.

Hens deserve better

Hens deserve better - yes they do.



The RSPCA is running a campaign Hens Deserve Better. 

Join them and take action to get hens out of cages.I love watching my little chooks running around their pen or the garden, eating bugs, scratching through he soil and straw, having a dirt bath or investigating a patch of nasturtiums.

Unfortunately, too many hens are kept in dreadful conditions.

Let's get hens into a better life.

Ride On

One way to live more sustainably, save money, get fitter and enjoy the commute is to cycle.

On my way into work this morning I heard an amazing frog chorus as I peddled past Armstrong Creek, saw parrots fly through the mist and a beautiful sunrise - what a great way to start the day!

Here's a link to my article in today's Geelong Advertiser.

So go on, with or without lycra - but always with a helmet - peddle on.

A cool bike image i found on Triple R's website...

New Gardening Australia host Costa is a man who knows - and loves - his chickens.



Here's a link to Costa's chook tips.

He also talks about makign a chook tractor.

Me, I prefer to have my gals in a run with a secure hutch then let out to free-range when i am working in the garden.

At the moment the gals are loving the sunny, autumnal days, but are certianly fluffing up their feathers when they retire to cluckingham palace at night.

This weekend I will be putting a fresh bale of straw into their run.

It's always such fun to see their joy in leaping about and investigating it for unlucky insects!

Egg label debate continues

A report in today's Weekly times reveals a Victorian Farmers Federation official who criticised animal-welfare groups over "getting facts right" sold eggs using misleading information.

VFF egg group president Brian Ahmed sold his "Down the Farm" eggs carrying the picture and story of a third-generation Italian immigrant "Guiseppe" - complete with pictures - last year.

Read more here.

Another reason to have some chooks in your yard / community garden.

Check out the latest CRIKEY news on the misreporting of Ceres...

Freelance journalist Matthew da Silva writes: Based in inner-north Melbourne’s Brunswick East, CERES is a popular not-for-profit environment education centre and public farm that hosts farmers’ markets and sells weekly fruit and vegetable boxes to locals.
But after a report earlier this month by The Sunday Age on levels of lead contamination at the Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies farm, sales at the CERES market dropped 30%, weekly orders disappeared and staff shifts had to be cut.
Problem is, The Sunday Age article relied on information from interim test results from Moreland Council, which had people testing for contamination at the site.

Read more here.

Cage egg ending?

THE animal welfare lobby has vowed to eradicate the caged egg industry by Christmas. 

In an article in the Weekly Times, it said radio advertisements, an internet video and a social media campaign were launched yesterday by Animals Australia, featuring singer Missy Higgins, The Australian reports.

Appealing to Australians to "Have a heart for hens" and "Help make the battery cage history", Higgins says she was amazed there were 12 million caged birds across the country.

 

Check out more info here.