We’ve been preparing for this for two years now. The house paddock has been limed to manage its acidity, soil tested, fertilised to balance the nutrients, treated with effluent and deep ripped to improve its water storage capacity. Since then, we’ve had it sprayed with a biodegradeable weed-killer, disced, sown with perennial ryegrass seed and rolled. It’s a big investment, which is why I’ve been patrolling the paddock almost constantly.

And look!

The house paddock on April 25

Here it was on April 13, just under a fortnight ago:

The house paddock on April 13

Now all we need to do is watch out for ravenous creepy crawlies and apply some nitrogen once it gets a little more established.