Cow Plop

Yesterday we let The Jord play hooky and took a drive out to Mangapai to visit Treena.

We love Treena. The boys adore Treena.

She lets them do fun things, like terrorise her calves and steal eggs from her chickens and raid her strawberry patch.

Anyway, yesterday my left ankle was swollen (not my right, mind you, just the left) so while the boys wandered the farm I reclined on Treena's couch, eating decadent chocolate covered cookies and reading her gardening books.

There is this fascinating gardening concept called Companion Planting. I found more about it on this website: kings.co.nz

But, the best thing was this book: The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith. I spent about an hour and a half frantically scribbling notes from it! Link below.

Anyway, after a great visit we left with way more than we came. Treena gave me some pumpkin and tomato seedlings, which I planted out this morning - and she gave me cow plop.

I have four sacks of it. I don't who went around Treena's farm collecting it, I hope they wore gloves.

I only have gardening gloves - a fact I regretted after making this cow plop 'tea' for my plants. Guess who got to dip into that with bare hands to pour it out.
:(
In other, happier news, I am very glad to be able to report that my tomatoes are actually growing upside down...

...that Parsley is a good companion plant for Tomatoes (phew!)...

...that the potting soil is staying put when I water them...

...and that the snails have, so far, left them alone!

Hallelujah!

I am so proud of my babies for doing what they are meant to.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!