SEPTEMBER ENDS

As I have mentioned in previous posts I have undertaken an experiment this year using the Remembrance Field to test the usefulness of a product called SAP. On the first day of June we broadcast this  water soluble polymer as dry crystals across the field and turned over the soil. I knew that whenever it rained these crystals would soak up the moisture and expand into a clear jelly like substance. In dry periods they would act as a water reservoir in the soil allowing plant roots to access the moisture. Although I have been using this non-toxic product in my organic garden to assist with water retention for the growing of vegetables and flowers for three years this was the first time I have added it to the soil of the Remembrance Field. We measured only 23mm (it takes 25mm to measure one inch) of rain in June. The field was cultivated at the beginning of July, which proved to be a dry month with only 3mm of precipitation, yet there was sufficient moisture for the Flanders poppies to germinate. After recording that 3mm there was no more rain for five weeks. Then over three weeks we measured a total of 45mm in six small falls and the poppies grew rapidly.

Spring arrives

During the first week of September we welcomed Tina and Julia, two girls from Germany, who came to us as Willing Workers on Organic Farms. The white and pink flowering peach trees were the first blossom trees to herald the arrival of spring. The girls enjoyed working in the cool sunshine, saying our first week of spring weather was like a mid-summer’s day in northern Germany.

Two German girls

Their first task was to walk across the field and pull out all the buckwheat weeds I mentioned in my August post. This took the girls a full day by which time I had decided they were willing workers. I showed them a working position first demonstrated to me by a physiotherapist. The secret is to push out your bottom, while keeping the legs straight and apart, then let your arms drop from a straight back. I have found this working position is a lot easier on the back than bending from the waist.

Keep your back straight!

Tina (in the red top) said, “Oh, but I have such long legs!”

I replied, “And long arms to match.”

When they thought I was no longer looking they quickly slipped back to bending at the waist.

Trixie and Patches regularly kept them company as they worked.

Bending again

By the end of their first day they had sore muscles, but they were Willing Workers who happily spent about six hours each day for five days firstly pulling out the buckwheat and then thinning the poppies. I told them I wanted about 99% of the poppies removed, so that individual plants remained about a hand’s width apart. They need to be thinned so each plant has space and sufficient moisture to grow strongly. As with all my WWOOF helpers, these girls enjoyed breaks like the day I took them to town so they could buy straw hats.  I also taught them to bake bread rolls.

Oiling the bread rolls

The girls had arrived on a Sunday and by the time they departed the following Saturday they had thinned half the area of the Remembrance Field. I was delighted by their effort.

I received this email:

I’m Thomas from Korea. I’m a 23 years old. I’m a university studenet with a double major of philosophy and law.

I’m a positive and friendly than anyone.

Now I’m doing study English in Brisbane CBD. I’ve been here for 2 weeks and I’d like to try new things to see more of Australia. This is why I’m interested in doing woof programs.

By the way, Can i get there on 20th, Sep ? Because, My share’s contract is expired on 20th, Sep. Please reply to me

Thank you! have a good time!

I continued alone to thin the poppies looking forward to the assistance of Thomas. He arrived on the evening of 20th September, worked one day and left the next day. Some young Korean men appear to be rather immature by Western standards. This soft, plump lad had a willing attitude and embraced the ideals of WWOOF, but he confessed that his father had discovered he was in Australia and ordered him to return home immediately. Apparently his father had sent Thomas to the Philippines to learn English. The lad had skipped off to Brisbane to have some fun, had heard about WWOOF, joined the organization and came to me. He wasn’t with me long enough for me to take a photo of him working.

Once more I was obliged to work alone at thinning the poppies, which meant that I spent less time than usual on social media sites like Facebook and writing to my friends. It was a glorious spring with flowering peaches, wisteria, and forsythia blooming followed by the last of the bulbs, the Spanish bluebells.

Spanish bluebells

As I walked past these bluebells to enter the Remembrance Field beyond the fence I would hear the hum of a thousand bees in the pussy willow tree, the trunk of which rises amidst this bed of bulbs. Again there was another dry spell lasting for fifteen days. Then the spring storms arrived and we measured 37 mm in three falls, making a total 52mm (that’s just over two inches) of rain for the month of September. I am delighted with the results from using the SAP. It is certainly helping my poppies to continue growing without stressing through the long dry spells between rainfalls. This is proof that by using this product I can grow a crop in light soil without irrigation. Normally, the farmers in this district maintain that they have to water their crops every third day. In past years I would irrigate the poppies weekly if we received no rain. Using the SAP has saved considerable labour and fuel for a pump.

On the last day of September I took photographs of the poppies now nicely spaced apart and with some developing their first buds.

Poppy plant in bud

These plants will more than double in size during October. Scattered amongst the poppy plants I have also transplanted a few seedlings of blue cornflowers, which is also a weed of the wheat fields of Europe.

Cornflower plant

With longer hours of sunlight and rain from spring storms I am hoping that these cornflower plants will be waist high amongst a glorious blaze of red poppies by the 11th November.

Wildflowers, wilderness and wine

The girls, Tina and Julia, came from North Germany from towns near Lüneburg and Timmendorfer Strand. Eberhard spent a month of his youth in this region and recounts his experiences there in the 35th post of The Forgotten Ones – a book I wrote about his life in Germany prior to coming to Australia in 1950. You can find the chapters of this free book on http://fayhelwigauthor.com or on my website http://www.australia-book.com.au

It gave Eberhard great pleasure conversing with Tina and Julia about his time beside the North Sea.

My book Wildflowers, wilderness and wine is available on www.australia-book.com.au

It can also be downloaded for $5.00 from http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/strictlyliterary