Lastly, compacted soil does not allow water to drain through which can lead to puddles and water runoff.
The simplest thing is to avoid walking on wet soil. If you must then use a long wooden plank laid on the soil, this helps to spread the load, so to speak! When you are planning an edible garden, consider designing one which is long and narrow. This way you can reach into the garden to pick produce without actually standing on the soil.
Even with the gloomy days ahead you can still plant some fresh seedling plants in any spare spots in the garden. I would recommend planting seedlings instead of seeds as any extended wet periods will just result in rotting seeds rather than new seedlings.
Plant seedlings of these now; peas, bok choy, kale, spinach, silverbeet, broccoli, turnip, kohl rabi and broad beans.
Urban orchard
Your deciduous fruit trees should all be starkers by now. Make sure you make the most of the fallen leaves by raking them up and adding them to a compost pile. This month is a good time to do some winter pruning. Remove any cracked or diseased limbs with some sharp pruning shears. Apples and pears will bear the best fruit on two-year-old branches. Try to remove any older wood so the tree is encouraged to produce new growth.
I choose a clear, dry day to prune. I was also told this helps to prevent any introduction of fungal disease into the new cuts. If you make any large cuts with your shears or saw then seal the cut with some specialised pruning paint you can buy at nurseries or garden centres. To be perfectly honest I never go to this expense - instead I fossick in the garage for some water-based paint and use that. It seems to work just as well.
Keep harvesting any late feijoas and kiwifruit. If you grow raspberries or other berries it is a good time to do some pruning on the older canes. Tie this year's growth on to support wires and prune out any spindly shoots. Only leave the strongest upright growth as this will ensure a good crop the coming summer.
Rabbits
Rabbit droppings produce little odour but rabbit urine does have a very strong smell and is very concentrated. The male rabbits' urine is even stronger if that is possible. The buck will also spray urine around his hutch to mark his territory. To lessen the odour keep the cages clean. I scrub out all my wooden hutches using white vinegar.
Adding a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to your rabbits' drinking water is not only good for them but also neutralises the smell of urine.
Under the hutches I layer straw, untreated sawdust or used coffee grounds to create a composting bed. If flies become a problem during the summer months I spread a fine layer of Diatomaceous Earth as well. Earthworms quickly take up residence and help to decompose the waste and keep odours at bay. Each month I wheelbarrow all this organic matter out and spread it over my vegetable gardens.
Worm farm
As the cooler weather is upon us remember that your worms will decrease the amount of food they eat as their metabolism slows over winter. Make sure that the lid of your farm is secure as sudden downpours of rain can swamp a worm farm.
To prevent my worms scrambling for their lifejackets during a heavy downpour I keep my worm farm tap open with a bucket under it so any excess water will just drain through and out of the worm farm.
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