Blood, Sweat and Chicken Poop

After a few more hours of hard work this weekend my new border is slowly starting to look like I could start planting in it.  After the initial stage of putting in some edging and letting the chickens have a scratch around and deposit some poop, I've spent this weekend digging up, hoeing and raking the clumpy, root bound soil to a fine crumble.  I'm looking forward to sowing poppies, white allysium and wild flower seeds at Anzac weekend.  Plus a few herbs and winter lettuces.

Before

During - Can't wait till After shot - full of flowers and herbs

I keep changing my mind on what types of flowers I want.  I love cottage garden pinks, whites, blues and purples but love the contrast of blues and yellows - so I've got another flower bed planned for the other side of my garden!  The garden pictured above will be pinks, whites and splashes of red that come with my wild flowers, to admire from the bench under our cherry tree.  The other bed will have vibrant contrasts of oranges, blues and yellows.
In time I'll find what flowers and foliage types I like and mix well.  But in the mean time I'm just going to keep planting, learning and discovering.

 I've also turned my compost pile to find a huge barrow load of the best compost I've ever made - perfect for the huge crop of broad beans I've got planned for winter.

I was excited to find my Grape Hyacinths have come up too - despite the beating that the chicken gave them over summer.  Well, back to the garden, I've got to finish up my raking, plants some carrots, beets and lettuces so we have something to eat in winter.