Winter Veg is already here- might have something to do with the increased temps- I think people are waiting for the climate to change but its already changing rapidly- we are 1 degree warmer and have a look whats happening- I still have leaves on my fruit trees and chilies still living happily- we have had 2 frosts and they should be long dead. Will my fruit tress get stressed and die later on- they will have very little rest over the winter.

These are some assorted snap shots- some of the garden and some of the home improvements

This is the heater installed- a Nectre Mega- largest and best I could afford with a water jacket- $3k and the solar hot water  system- evacuated tubes ($7k installed)- the water jacket feeds hot water into the tank as do the solar tubes- the mains water comes through a coil through the tank and takes on the heat from the surrounding water. We have not hooked up the electricity as yet but have had hot water ever since it was installed- SAVINGS are from hot water for free, heating the house with wood and drying clothes. I expect payback to be within 5 years- not bad there is not an investment that will give you those returns on your money- 

Artichoke thistle, onions and the first broccoli of the season. Now is the time to plant onions and your garlic should be trying to sprout- just stick it in the ground and it will grow- unless its from a supermarket where its been sprayed with growth inhibitors.

Some butternut pumpkins- The wood in the middle is from a tree that I cut down to make way for a carport- yep not a great plan but I will be planting a lot more trees- it was not native anyway but I am not wasting the wood and have cut it all up to eventually go into the heater- we cant afford to waste anything.            The Wood box at the back door is all made from wood that the neighbour did not want so I put it to good use- sometimes people want things to look the best and will go out and buy new wood instead of using what we have first- its not about the money- its using a tree that is already cut down before purchasing more wood.

From time to time we get a double sized egg on the left- just another random gift

This is a Washington Navel orange planted out the front of my house- I also have an almond- I plan to make some veggie gardens out the front as well- Its part of the “Food is Free”concept. We can grow food for ourselves and our neighbours- I only mow the nature strip- why cant it provide food for our community. I urge you all to think about this concept- plant a fruit tree, veggies or form a group and ask your local council to use some land at the edge of a park that does not get used. We gave a food is free Gippsland site if your interested- come on a journey with us- so lets grow together.