BBQ Fuel

One of the advantages of having a BBQ fire place in the backyard is being able to burn a lot of the rubbish the garden seems to produce. When I say rubbish, I mean organic rubbish like tree trimmings, the odd gorse bush that needs pulling and branches that snap off in high winds. The advantage works both ways because there's always plenty of fuel for the wood fired BBQ.
A lot of the wood is Titree which is perfect for the Barbie. Being a hardwood means it retains the heat well. The bigger stuff will produce large glowing coals and it will also give a nice flavour to the food – Ti tree's often used for smoking fish.
I've been gathering up all the wood over a period of years as the BBQ was still in the pipeline, which meant I had stacks of wood in various places around the garden, sometimes getting in the way. So I finally decided to get serious about storing it properly. 

Using bits and pieces I had lying around the property, including some old wet-wall lining out of an old bathroom, I knocked together a handy storage area under the trees only a stones-throw from the BBQ. I kept it nice and open so it gets plenty of blow-through, which helps to dry out any of the wet stuff.

The Plum Tree

When the plum trees blossom (in September), it's the first sign that things are starting to happen again in the garden. I planted 2 plum trees about 6 years ago. One is a Black Doris (top) and one is its pollinator, either an Elephant Heart or a Purple Sultan, I can't remember which, although I do know it's also referred to as the Christmas plum, as the fruit generally ripens around the 25th December.
Looking at them now it's hard to believe they're the same age. Either the Black Doris is a slow grower or I've done something terribly wrong.
Anyway there's a huge Black Doris plum tree growing on a neighbouring property which I believe is more than 20 years old. Apparently (according to the neighbour who's husband planted it) it had seldom if ever fruited until I planted the pollinator, upon which it suddenly sprang into life. The neighbour was delighted.

I'm hopeful the Black Doris will produce its first fruit this year. As for the other one, it's fruited for 3 years now. Last year it was particularly bountiful – there was so much fruit they grew almost like bunches of grapes. The fruit has a dark red centre and each one grows to about the size of a squash ball.
This year it put on a spectacular display of blossoms and I witnessed for the first time dozens of bees working away doing their thing. It was a welcome sight.

Although 6 years probably sounds like a long time to wait for a decent crop of plums, it just adds to the huge sense of satisfaction that comes from growing it yourself. One of my mates has done the same thing in his yard with Avocados. If I had more room I'd plant all kinds of fruit trees.

The BBQ/fireplace

The woodfired BBQ has been a long time in the planning so it's really good to see it finally realised, although there are still a few finishing touches (and attachments) to add. There were several objectives I wanted to accomplish with it hence the need for some careful planning. 
I wanted to create not only a BBQ but a structure I could use as a fireplace, an incinerator (for burning all my tree trimmings), and an outdoor oven for cooking wood fired pizzas. I wanted it big enough to cook for a large crowd if necessary and to be able to cook large items on a rotisserie (ie. lamb, chicken or pork on a spit). Many of my mates are South Africans, some of whom like to hunt and fish, and who swear by the wood-fired method, so there'll be plenty of expertise available when it comes to doing the cooking.
The whole idea started when I acquired a load of recycled bricks from a mate. But before I could get started I had to chip off all the mortar from about 500 bricks.
The first thing I did was to establish the dimensions, which essentially is based on a standard NZ-BBQ Factory hotplate or grill which will be very easy to replace if needed later plus I can borrow them from mates or from my other gas BBQ when needed. I got an engineer to weld me up a frame out of 40mm angle iron which will house 4 hotplates or grills in any combination depending on what I'm cooking. 

Then based on that size I got him to build a steel grate – slightly smaller to allow for the brickwork. I designed it with skids so that if I needed to move it I can drag it with a hooked rod as it will be too heavy and at times too hot, to lift. 
Once these dimensions were established I set about laying the concrete pad on which the whole structure would sit. I set the first layer of bricks into the concrete, then built it up from there. Once I got it to the right height I cemented in 4 steel shelf brackets for the grill to sit on, all the while making sure everything was level (see pictures).

I left some spaces in the brickwork so I could attach a rotisserie setup later. I boxed up inside the fireplace to create a concrete shelf that the grate will sit on when being used as a BBQ so that everything's at the right height for cooking. When using as an oven, fireplace or incinerator the grate will simply turn 90 degrees and sit on the bottom. Next, using a curved piece of boxing I created a platform on which to build the chimney. I strengthened it with a piece of galvanised steel pipe to help support the weight of all the bricks going on top.
The chimney's still not as high as it needs to be. I concluded this when I tested it the first time. I was burning a lot of tinder and when it flared up the flames started leaping out the top of the chimney by at least a foot.
Needless to say I'm looking forward to using it for all its intended purposes. I'll post some pictures later when I do.

The Pergola

My purpose in building a Pergola in the garden was two-fold. Firstly I wanted to create a nice sunny place to sit where there was a good view of the garden but I also wanted to grow grapes in my garden. They would not only need a nice sunny position but they would also need some kind of structure to grow on (and over) – hence the Pergola.

I really like the atmosphere created by grape vines. I also really enjoy those outdoor cafes and wineries in places like Kerikeri or Waiheki Island where you can sit in the afternoon sun in the shade of a grapevine drinking a nice cold beer or glass of wine. The grape I chose was Albany Surprise (a red grape) This is the second year it's been in the ground and it's just starting to come away again.

The Pergola itself is comprised of 4 dressed tanalised pine posts. The top part is made out of landscaping grade Macrocarpa. I still need to finish it off with 3 more beams across the top and the paving also needs to be re-levelled. I still have plenty of Macrocarpa left which I intend to also use to build an outdoor table and chairs (I'll post a blog about this later).

See more about the grapes growing over the pergola here

Companion Planting

If there's one lesson I learned last year it's the value of companion planting. This was my first attempt growing anything in the Top Garden area. I tried a small test area growing potatoes for the first time and I planted a few brocolli as well.
Because I generally try to avoid using sprays and pesticides, this means some of my vegies tend to look a bit 'knarly' — although perfectly healthy I'm sure.
However I was pleasantly surprised to see how perfectly both the brocolli and spuds turned out. I'm sure it was because I grew them right next to each other.
I made a point of feeding the soil well as I'd heard potatoes are gross feeders which may also have helped the brocolli.
Anyway I'm keen to try it again this year on a larger scale. Brocolli and spuds never go to waste in our household.

Click the following link to find an interesting and helpful chart with some other vegie combinations:

http://www.companionplanting.net/ListofCompanionPlants.html

I'll be sure to try some of these ideas too.

Top Garden

The Top Garden is a much larger area and is still a work in progress. This is the sunniest part of the garden so I'm looking forward to seeing what will grow here. Being on the brow of a hill means it's a bit more exposed to the wind but the surrounding bush provides a bit of shelter. Last year I spent most of my efforts building a pergola and brick barbeque/fireplace which I'm yet to 'Christen' with friends. Now that they're basically finished I plan to concentrate on getting a couple of large gardens established. I've made a start as you can see in the area on the right hand side of picture (above).

This is the first of the 2 gardens which will again be terraced because of the slope. I've used landscaping grade macrocarpa timber to build a small retaining wall. At this stage I'm trying to get the soil prepared for planting which is proving difficult because of the clay and tree roots under the surface.

Middle Garden

The second garden up the bank is the one I call the Middle Garden. It gets a bit more sun than the Bottom Garden. I've successfully grown all sorts of vegies in this garden so far including broad beans, brocolli, beetroot, lettuce, kale, spring onions, tomatoes, silver beet, peas, basil, parsley, cauliflower, rhubarb, globe artichoke... I'm sure I've missed a few.
The tomatoes did particularly well last year and I'm sure the keystone retainers have something to do with that. Being charcoal gray in colour they absorb a lot of heat during the day and are still warm at night especially at the height of summer, which the tomatoes seemed to love.