Digging Deep For Broccoli

My Broccoli Experiment

Potted Broccoli Seedling

I have now planted my 3rd succession of Broccoli seedlings that I have germinated from seed. This time I decided to plant them deeper than before as a result of watching one of the experts on Gardening Australia doing that with some seedlings and also some small shrubs and trees. I was also inspired to do that after watching Chuck do that with his tomato seedlings in his Tomatoes For Health and Wealth DVD.

These seedlings have been nurtured by potting them into larger pots and keeping them my mini greenhouse over the colder days, before preparing to plant them out.



In The Ground



The soil was prepared by adding compost and some manure. A hole deep enough to take the plant so that all of the base of the stem, up to first leaves, was then dug. After the seedling was taken from the pot, I placed it in the hole to check that it would at the right height, and backfilled the hole with soil.



All Mulched Up and Ready To Grow



Finally some mulch was added to help maintain moisture around the root system, and the plants were watered in. At the moment the seedlings look a bit overwhelmed sitting in their mulch, but it should not take long before they dominate the patch where they sit.

It will be interesting to watch and monitor this group of brocccoli plants to see if they benefit from the deeper planting.

The Broccoli plants that I first panted has now finished producing their heads, and are flowering with cute yellow flowers that are attracting the bees, The bees are then moving on to the broad beans to help fertilise them, so the first crop of broad beans is not far away.

And that is just touching the surface of what is happening in the garden right now! 

Out Of The Garden and On The Road

Yesterday was spent travelling the 200+ kilometres from home to the city, where I will be spending a couple of days. That means I will be suffering from garden withdrawal symptoms for a short time.

Canola in the distance

On the trip down south I was astounded by how green the paddocks were, except for those where Canola crops are in flower.

It was a cloudy overcast day, with occasional burst of sunlight, and those patches of sunshine always seemed to have picked out these Canola crops. The bright yellow colour was at times incredibly bright.

With the wattle trees along the sides of the roads also in bloom at this time, and patches of soursob in some places, the countryside is predominantly various shades of green, from the crops of wheat, barley, oats, peas and beans, and the yellows of the plants mentioned earlier.

This is a huge contrast from the browns and pale  straw coloured yellows of summer and autumn.

It's amazing what some rain will do. And this year's rains have been good, with the farmers at this stage looking to have bumper crops. Some have been trying to make sure that their crops get the best chance of great production by having them sprayed by air. I saw at least 3 crop dusting planes in action on my trip.

It won't be long and the crops will be starting to dry, and the roads will be busy with grain trucks heading to and from the silos.

It'll be back to the garden in a few days, no doubt to pick some more peas, and check how well things have grown.

The Patient Gardener or The Gardening Patient

Being a gardener helps with developing patience. It takes time for plants to grow, and there's not much, apart from making sure the plants are watered, fertilised and protected from the elements or predators.



Wattles in Spring



This has been reinforced for me recently after returning home after a couple of weeks after a short hospital visit. The need for fresh fruit and vegetables has become important for me, but there is not much that can be done to speed up their growth.







As we head into spring, however, I can look forward to some of the work done earlier bursting into life. Some examples:


• Broad beans that have had flowers for weeks now should start to set their pods soon. I heard some bees  buzzing around them today, and should get some pollination going.

• I can't keep up with the snow peas. I have to give lots away.
• The grape vine around the back  shed are starting to shoot new leaves.

• Blackberries are also shooting new leaves. The young plants looked dead all winter.
• I discovered a Chaste Tree (very small at this stage) buried in the weeds, and it has leaf buds about to burst.
• The olive trees planted months ago are also shooting.
• Flowers are forming on the orange and lemon trees.
• And more.....

I'd better stop writing now and get out there to do some more of those jobs that Spring weather produces. Weeds!

Tomatoes for Christmas.

Well Maybe!

There is tomato seedling in there!

The first tomato seedlings are now in place in the ground. I cheated and bought a couple of Grosse Lisse at Wirrabara Farmer's market this morning. They are now in the ground, where they will get morning sun, and protection from the hot afternoon sun in summer.

To protect them from possible (or is that probable frost in the next month or so, they have a cut down plastic bottle over them. That will have to be upgraded when they grow. A frame is also in place to cater for them climbing and to keep potential fruit of the ground.

 What else was happening in the garden today?

This afternoon's weather was perfect for spending some time in the garden, and there's plenty to do.

• Weed pulling. The ground is so soft from the winter rains that the weeds just fall into your hands when they are given a little tug.
• Ground preparation for some future plantings.
• Plant out some shrubs that have been waiting months for their time in the garden.
• Clearing a path to find a way down to end of the backyard.
• Talk to the neighbour as she was going down the street.
• Enjoy a cup of tea while soaking up some Vitamin D
• And best of all, discovering a lost plant that got covered with weeds, and find that the buds on the almost dead looking twigs are about to burst into leaves.
• That's just some of things that were done today, out of all the possible jobs to do.

I wonder what's in store for tomorrow?

My Useful Weeds

The weeds in my back yard have grown incredibly well this winter. Heading into spring, I am sure that they'll take off even further.

Rather than let the work involved in getting rid of them get me down, I thought I would see if I could get them to help me in the garden.

Fertiliser From Weeds

Firstly, I have made some fertiliser/plant food from the stinging nettles. Well, some of the stinging nettles. I've far more than I can use to make the nettle fertiliser, or containers to make it in.

To make the fertiliser, I filled a plastic rubbish bin with nettles, covered them with some of my excess rainwater, added a little Seasol (fish extract plant food) to kick the brew along a bit and sat back to wait.

Well, actually I left home for 2 weeks while it did it's bit, leaving any smell for the neighbours to suffer through. Sorry no pictures, of this one, it's just too gross looking, almost as bad as it smells.

In a few days I will separate out and bottle the liquid, for adding to my vegetables to give them a nutrient boost.

Straw For Mulch
Secondly, I have started to cut down some the grass type weeds, like barley grass, rye grass and wild oats. They have been put in a couple of places in the yard to dry out and form the straw that I can use for mulch when the weather warms up.

So weeds are not all bad. Now I just have to work out ways to use the other weeds, like marshmallow and the horrible prickly ones with milky sap.

Any suggestions?

Growing Tomatoes Down Under: Part 1

Time to start Tomatoes Down Under (Australia that is)

After nearly 2 weeks away from home I was really thrilled to see that some tomato seeds that I had planted some time ago had finally germinated.

There were 3 different methods that I tried and amazingly they all have started to germinate at the same time.

Mini Greenhouse, Plastic Cover Removed

One group were started in small pots with seed-raising mix, started in mid-July and placed in my small greenhouse with the hope that enough warmth would be provided to get them started. After several weeks of no action they were moved into the shed near a north-facing window that has several hours of sunshine (when the sun is shining, of course) each day. Still no action, despite making sure that the pots did not dry out. I was about to give up on these so I set up another couple of trials.

Another group were sown in a small wicking bed, and a transparent plastic meat tray placed over top to act like a mini greenhouse. These were sown in mid-August, and nothing appeared to be happening by late September, when I was away from home for about 2 weeks.

The other group were sown like the first group, in small pots and kept in the small greenhouse. They were also sown in mid-August. They also had not germinated by late September.

The results:

Wicking Bed Seedlings
Small, but germinated at last!

When I returned home on 13th September all 3 groups had started to germinate. The group in the Wicking bed had the best rate of germination, the pots left in the shed had dried out a bit, because they could not be watered while I was away, but 1 seed had germinated. The 3rd group had a couple of germinating seeds.

What next:
The seedlings that have already started will be nurtured so that they can be planted out when the weather warms up a little, and after the last frost.

I will keep some of the plants in the wicking bed, because I want to check how they go in there, and also because it can be moved around the yard into the best position to help with growth.

I have been surprised how much the simple act of growing a few vegetables has excited me, and that is the perhaps the prospect of having fresh and nutritious food to eat when they mature.

Progress reports should follow in the next few months. I might even have some extra tomatoes to share.



Small Tomato Seedling



Back Home Again. And It's Raining

After 2 weeks away from home for a minor operation, I arrived back home to find that the weeds had grown another 30cms or more. I just had time to have a quick walk around the yard before the rain set in, AGAIN!

Every time I come home it seems that the rain starts immediately. At least this time I think the gutters will hold up and I won't get any overflow into the bathroom.

This is what it looks like out my back door. I can't get any further, it's too wet!

The Back Yard.

The weeds are almost hiding the vegetables. Broad Beans (on the left) are the most visible, because we cleared the garden beds in front of them just before our time away.

In the centre, the telephone peas are just peeping over the weeds, but everything else is hiding.

There are 2 wheelbarrows in the yard. Can you spot the second one?

On my quick trip around the garden I found:

• 
  
  The Broad Beans will need support around them to stop them swallowing up the vegetables nearby. The poor old Globe Artichokes can hardly be found. The Beans have lots of flowers but not much evidence of setting pods yet.
• 
  
  I have about 10 or more meals of Snow Peas to pick, when the rain stops.
• 
  
  The Rainbow Chard are doing well. Growing in size and showing great colour.
• 
  
  The Telephone Peas are starting to set their pods, and there are lots of flowers. They got battered around in the storms when we were away.
• 
  
  The Rhubarb is starting to develop new leaves. We thought we might have lost them in the cold, wet winter.
• 
  
  New leaves are developing on the Thornless Blackberries. They also went quiet in winter.
• 
  
  The bugs still love the Tuscan Kale. I'm not sure we'll get much from those plants this year.
• 
  
  The Broccoli is starting to flower, so it looks like I'll have a few meals with fresh Broccoli in the next few days.
• 
  
  The Horse Radish has sprung back to life.
• 
  
  In the Wicking Beds, the Rocket has gone to seed, Lettuce has reached maturity, Broccoli (planted later) are growing well, new plantings of Rocket and Lettuce have stablished themselves. See the photo below.
• 
  
  I have some Tomato and Capsicum seeds that have germinated. Now to nurture them to get started with this summer's crops.
• 
  
  And that's just the vegetable patches!

Wicking Beds in the Rain!

As I was coming into town I just had to check what was happening under the bridge, and YES the Rocky River has water in it!

With today's rain I guess that it will get some more, so I'll have to get out in the next few days to take some photos.

In the flower beds, we have some progress too. A couple of Nasturtium plants have flowers, so I'll be OK if hay fever sets in soon. I chew a Nasturtiun flower at the first sign of hay fever, and it seems to work a treat.

The Herb Robert Geranium is going crazy, as is the Fruit Salad Sage. These are 2 plants that we have had difficulty with in the past.

I just can't wait until tomorrow to have a closer check of all that is happening as Spring starts to make its presence felt.

Getting The Dirt On Compost

One of the first things that I did when moving into my new house in January was to set up a compost heap.

We have the luxury of having plenty of space to set up fo making compost, and there were also some materials that were left in the yard that can be used for making the heap. However the first compost heap used a part of the cardboard box that our new refrigerator was packed in.

I simply cut down a part of the box, removed the base and located it directly on the soil in a suitable place in the yard, and started adding kitchen scraps, weeds, straw and soil.

After a few weeks the box in the yard that heap was ready for setting aside to brew.

Version 2 of my compost heap was then set up. It was made from sheets of roofing iron held in place by metal stakes. It too was established directly on the soil. When it too was ready for leaving to stand and brew, I simply built alongside this heap to start another.

I have been able to use the compost made in these heaps to help with soil structure and to give transplanted plants a good start to their new life in their new homes.

It has been amazing to see how many worms have found the compost heaps and how busy they have been helping to break down the scraps to become a sweet smelling and friable compost. 

There are several parts of the yard that could benefit from having compost added to help with establishing and maintaining the vegetables and flowers.

Sign Me Up At Gardeners' Anonymous

Where is the local branch of GA?

I have a few days away from home and I am missing the opportunity to get out in my garden. And I'm wondering what the recent strong winds have done to some of my climbing peas. It won't be too long and I'll be back there, but what do I do in the meantime?

I guess I'll just have to establish a little garden in the back yard of the unit that I am staying in. Hopefully my daughter will appreciate it when she gets back to find some seedlings planted and growing.

This is an ideal situation for a couple of little wicking beds. Just have to find what to make them in.

Change Or Perish

That was the headline that greeted me yesterday morning from the local newspaper.

The article went on to tell us that South Australians need to change the way we grow plants or face a backyard wipeout.

The local expert being interviewed pointed out that with climate change and water restrictions gardeners need to adapt to those conditions.

Further into the newspaper there was an article suggesting that backyard gardeners used raised beds and shadecloth to combat the problems mentioned. That is going to be great for the manufacturers and suppliers of raised beds and shadecloth. 

The article also suggested ways to improve soils in the raised beds, which would also mean making your own compost, or buying it in from elsewhere. Another boost for a sector of the gardening supply industry.

There are some compelling arguments and handy tips about using water wisely. One thing that is not mentioned is how the use of wicking beds can be a great tool for sensible and conservative water use. Most raised beds advocates still have the bed build on soil or other stuff that will allow water to drain away, while a wicking bed retains that water, to be circulated around the root system of your plants.

In a post of a few days ago I outlined how I made a small wicking bed, and planted some seeds. Those seeds are now starting to raise their heads now.

Rocket Seedlings in a Wicking Bed

 The newspaper also is running a promotion where they are offering little packets of seeds, available for a small cost with a coupon from the newspaper. Now that not just an effort to raise circulation is it? Or am I being a bit too cynical linking the doom and gloom headline to the seed offer?

From The Garden

After the first few months of preparing some beds (both in the garden and in boxes) for growing some vegetables and salad plants we are starting to be able to pick a few.

This evening my meal consisted of several items from the garden, plus a few things from elsewhere.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's what I dished up for dinner tonight.

Yes, a delicious fresh salad wrap.

Working from the base up I had:

• Gluten Free flat bread wrap. I'm trying gluten free to see if that is going to help with digestion, etc. On the advice of my Naturopath.
• Lettuce from my wicking bed.
• Salad Rocket, also from my wicking bed.
• Fenugreek and Lentil Sprouts from the sprouting trays on our kitchen bench.
• Snow Peas from the very first vegetables I planted in autumn.
• Flat-Leaf (Italian) Parsley, from the near back door herb patch, in a raised bed.
• Half of an Avocado (bought from the shop).
• Cherry Tomatoes (also shop bought because it's too early and cold for home grown ones).
• 1 egg (boiled). Free Range from a neighbour, since we haven't got any chooks yet.

I will admit that I cheated a bit and had to eat some of the goodies before I rolled it up into a wrap, because there was no way I could do that with all of the goodies.

It was a delicious meal, made even more so by the thought that many of the ingredients came from my garden.

How Are Your Duck Feet?

That's what the barber asked me yesterday.

Obviously he was referring to the current constant rain that we have been getting in our region. This has been most welcome, although a little frustrating at times when I want get to work in the garden. And it seems to be encouraging the weeds to grow even faster. I am waiting (and dreading) to see how a few days of sunshine will help speed up that growth.

I have asked a few neighbours if this winter's rainfall is normal or a bit above average. The feeling that they have is that this year's rainfall is about the same as a few years ago, and they seemed happy about that.

What I am hoping for is that there will be enough rain to to get the currently appropriately named Rocky River flowing. I heard someone say that there is some water in the upper reaches, but will that flow get further downstream is the big question.

A New Wicking Bed

Now that we have started harvesting from the lettuce and rocket in some earlier established wicking beds, they will need to be replaced in the near future. Another bed has been set up to plant some more lettuce and rocket.

 

In this post I will outline the process that I have used for this new wicking bed.

 

I used a foam "brocolli" box for this new bed. It was one that was just begging to be used after sitting empty for a few weeks.

 

First I made 2 holes in each side of the box, about 30cm down from the top of the box. This will allow for about 30cm of compost/soil to be established above the reservoir of water at the bottom of the box. (more about that later).

 

 

 

 

Next prepare the material to used as the reservoir to hold the water that will be stored in the bottom of the bed. I used several plastic water bottle. I cut tops and bottoms of all the ones to be laid on the bottom of the box, so they fit together to make a long tube, the length of the bed. If the ends of the tube are closed, any water added will seep more slowly along the length of the box and be stored at the base of the bed to be taken up the soil above it. But once again I am getting ahead of my self.

 

In one end of the tube, cut a hole to allow another plastic bottle to be fitted at right angles above the tube you have made. See the photo below.

 

 

 

 

Next, collect some stone, rocks or building rubble to pack around the tube made in the step above. This will keep the tube in place and also allow water to be stored among the packing.

 

 

Collect compost to build up the soil for planting. Put this over the tube and rubble packing that were added in the previous step. I add approximately 25 to 30cm of compost, which becomes the growing medium for the plants to grow in. Sometimes I also add some commercial potting mix to get the best consistency in soil.

 

 

To help the wicking bed to perform effectively I also add some worms. These come from my compost heap, and at this time of year they are easy to collect from there.

 

 

Next, plant the seeds (or if using seedlings, plant them out now). And add water.

 

 

 

 

 

The wicking bed is now set up. All that needs to be done now is to monitor progress and occasionally top up up the water when necessary. This can be checked by looking into the bottle used  for filling. 

 

And finally, here is one that I prepared earlier. 

 

 

Finished and operating Wicking Bed, with Rocket and Lettuce.

How does a Wicking Bed work.

 

If you have seen the "self-watering " pots that you can buy at your local nursery, or even at the supermarket, then you have seen an example of a wicking bed.

I believe that it works like this:

• The bed is set up with the capability of keeping a reservoir of water in the base.
• This water can be topped up by having a pipe at the end that be used to add when when the level gets low.
• The soil above is prevented from a falling into this reservoir by the pipe(s) laid along the base, but some of it comes into contact with water that spills from the reservoir into the packing materials.
• Capillary action (similar to the way in which a candle wick takes up melted wax) makes the water work its way up the soil. This makes the soil damp, but for the plants I have chosen in my beds, not too wet.
• Water is thus conserved and put to good use as there is less evaporation and leeching out of the bottom of pots.
• This keeps beds (pots) moist and requires minimal watering. In fact I have not needed to water my beds once established. All that is needed is an occasional top of the reservoir.

I have used Wicking Beds for small scale vegetable growing, but I believe that it is also possible to this on a much larger scale, with great benefits in water conservation.

Good luck with your own Wicking Bed experiences. Let me know how you go. 

  

 

Winter In Full Swing

It's more than 2 weeks since the last entry, but the last fortnight has been a tricky time.

A few days in hospital waiting for a diagnosis for the severe stomach pains I felt, and then a trip to city to have the specialist blast the stone that was a major contributor, meant that there was no time for working in the garden.

I think the weeds must have known something. they have grown tall and thick. Especially the Stinging Nettles. I have never seen so many in such a small space, but at least the rain we have been having has kept the ground soft, which makes the nettles easy to pull. Some of the nettles will hopefully made into a soup for fertilising the garden.

Those weeds that I am not pulling by hand being cut down to ground level using a second-hand scythe that I found at Crystal Brook last weekend. I was not expecting to be able to find one so soon after deciding that it might be a suitable tool for the job. Good exercise and no fuel or fumes.

It has been raining most days for the past week so the makeshift water storage containers are overflowing. I really must get another rainwater tank. But it  has been great to sit inside on those rainy days, listening to the rain on the roof, especially when there is a loaf of bread being baked in the breadmaker.

Although it's winter, and sometimes the range of vegetables to harvest might be less, we have enjoyed the salads that we had for lunch in the last couple of days. Thanks to the Snow Peas, Lettuce, Italian Parsley and Rocket that have been established. Now is the time to get some more going, because they won't last forever. I also had the first of our Brocolli from the garden yesterday. It was only tiny but at least the caterpillars didn't get it!

How come the bugs in the garden only choose the vegetables to eat and leave all the weeds alone? And it's hard to catch the little critters, although the evidence of their presence is obvious.

As I'm writing this, the rain is falling again. I'm wondering if the amount of rain this winter is typical of the location.

Mid-Winter Update

It's about time to give a quick update on some of the progress being made with the garden.

In the Vegetable Patches:
The first Snow Peas have started to set some pods, and in fact we had a small serve of them with lunch a couple of days ago. There are lots of flowers and little pods setting on the plants. Another small patch of Snow Peas has been planted, after I scrounged some old cyclone fencing and posts, to make their climbing frame.

The Asparagus crown that were split up and transplanted several weeks ago have sent up their first spear, so they have been covered with some more compost and soil to encourage longer spears. We may not get much from them this year as they establish themselves after transplanting. Hopefully those that were not moved will provide us with some good spears.

A perennials vegetable patch has been started, with Aparagus, Jerusalem Artichokes and Rhubarb being planted there. Some Globe Artichokes have also been planted near the Broad Bean patch. The Beans are continuing to grow well, and look like they will be in flower soon.

Some more Broccoli seedlings have been planted, this time in the wicking bed that has just had the Lettuce removed. I am hoping that this might make it easier to keep pests like earwigs (I think it was them than that wreaked havoc with the first young seedlings that went in) and cabbage moth caterpillars at bay.

The Spring Onion seedlings are growing well and some more seeds have been sown. One lot has been transplanted and another lot is being kept in the large planter box where they were sown.

To get an early start with some of the summer veggies we have bought a cheap and small greenhouse to help with propogation.

We met another gardener at the Port Augusta today, and he asked if we had Tomatos started yet. He said that he plants out his seedlings on 1st August, with plastic protection, and starts harvesting in November, with plants about 2m tall. That supplies him and neighbours with plenty of Tomatos. I planted some seeds a couple of days ago in the little greenhouse, so they won't be ready by 1st August, but hopefully I'll get some to plant out soon after that, and get an early start. Just have to keep the frost away.

I also have some Capsicum and Coriander seeds in the greenhouse. Hoping to get the same thing as the Tomatoes going with them.

Picked up more Australian Native Shrubs at the market, from the gardener mentioned above. And some chook, sheep and pig manure (from another seller) to help add nutrients to the compost and garden beds.

Some people think that Winter is a time to catch up on some of the maintenance jobs, but I'm finding that it can also be a busy time getting things started for Spring and Summer. There's still lots to do, like finishing pruning the Grape Vines that haven't been pruned in years.

And I haven't mentioned the weeds that are growing centimetres each day!!! Well I have now! But that won't help get rid of them.

eBay action resumed

The past 2 weeks has been a time for listing and managing items on eBay.

It's been the usual hassle trying to find the best way to save up a series of listings so that they can be fed on soon after each other, and in groups of similar items.

We've tried scheduling the listings but that increases the cost of each listing, or editing them at the time of listing. It is also easy to forget to reschedule some items and they get started when we don't want them to go.

Using Selling Manager Pro has helped a bit, but the Inventory system on there does not really suit sellers like us who have lots of slightly different items, and that requires a lot of editing. It also seems difficult to locate items already prepared.

So now it's time to try out

Fast, Simple, Reliable eBay Auction Tools

to see if that's going to work.

Will keep you posted!

Lost To Frost

We returned from a weekend away to find that there must have been at least one night of frost as some of our plants were damaged.
The most affected were a Salvia, the poor Chokos (that we are having trouble establishing) and some recently germinated Nasturtiums.
To help prevent any further damage and to protect some other possibly frost tender plants I put some covers over them.
When I inspected the back garden this morning this is what I found.

This scene was possibly devastating, as everything was covered in thick white frost, and many of the plants might just be destroyed.

Even the Broad Beans were covered with ice and limp. They soon recovered, but not before they caused me some concern.

Ice was everywhere this morning, on the car, over the ground, on leaves of plants and also over the top of water that has been collected from a leaking downpipe. That water is in a wheelbarrow, and the ice was a couple of millimetres thick over the top.

It looks like the action of covering the affected plants was worthwhile as they don't seem to have been further affected. And those plants that did get a coating of frost this morning have all bounced back, without apparent damage. Time will tell.

To help with recovery for some plants I splashed them with some water to wash off the frost. For the Loquat trees, that seemed to have worked as the leaves don't appear to have any damage. I did notice that the water on those leaves did freeze over again, but that was just on the surface, hopefully preventing any freezing of the cells in the leaves.

In some future posts I hope to outline what has been planted, and how they are going.

Winter Is On The Way

I spent Sunday at home, tending to the wood fire in the kitchen stove, stirring the soup on the stove and enjoying the smell of freshly baking bread in the breadmaker.
All that and listening to the rain on the roof, and the rainwater tank overflowing.

There was very little happening in the garden for me, but it seems like there of plenty of action going on there.

The little broad bean plants seem to have grown a couple centimetres overnight, the peas have started to cling onto their framework by their tendrils and everything looks damp and clean.

In The Garden Part 2

Since the previous post there has been a lot happening in the garden, and that's why there haven't been too many additions to this blog. The additions have been happening in the garden.

And the work that takes me away from messing around in the garden has started to come in with last week using up 4 days. With beautiful weather for pottering around too. Oh well at least those plants already started had some time to establish.

I must get around to some more photos and a list of what's been added.

In The Garden Part 1

It's now 4 months since we made the big move, and summer has gone to give some great days for getting out in the garden.

The size of the new garden is taking a bit of getting used to as it is 1200 square metres, compared with the 300 square meters of the last house, and it had been let go for some time.

Summer was a time for assessing what to do in the garden because

• It was too hot to do much.



• The ground was too dry and hard.



• Renovations to the house were a higher priority.



• and what little time was left had to be used keeping the plants we brought with us alive.

The inspiration for getting in the garden comes from many sources, with one of them being the quality of the fruit and vegetables that comes from freshly grown produce. This is evident in the goodies that we have been able to buy at the local Farmer's Markets (at Wirrabara and Port Pirie.) I have never seen better looking organic fruit and vegetables. Nothing like the small, shrivelled and bug eaten stuff you find in the city and suburbs.

In the past few days (and weeks) there has been some activity in both the flower and the vegetable parts of the garden.

The small area at the front of the house has been cleared and several small shrubs and perennials planted. Over time these should grow and cover the area at the front of the house. In a later post I will provide a list of the plants used, and hopefully provide some more photos.

The vegetable garden has been started, with some seedlings being germinated and a few seeds being directly planted.

Snow Peas (also know as Sugar or Snap Peas) have been directly planted under the trellis over which they will grow. The germination rate was great, and the young plants are contunuing to develop. Their tendrils will soon be able to reach the bottom of the trellis.

Similarly some Telephone Peas and Broad Bean seeds have been planted, but that was just last week so I am waiting for the seedlings to appear.

In the seed raising box I have some broccoli, radishes, leeks and chives that have all germinated and are waiting to grow before planting out.

I have also make a Wicking Box to grow some Pick and Come Again Lettuces, and they are growing well, and needing thinning out.

Welcome

After a break from blogging it's time to get back to it.

Since I stopped blogging at my own website there have been a few changes, the major one being a complete relocation from the suburbs to the idyllic life of a small country town.

That provides opportunities to do some of those things that have been put off by the relative hectic life and more crowded nature of city living, while still being able to keep up with those aspects of life that continue to be interesting.

Not everything is made easier by the change, but small inconveniences are outweighed by the positives, which I will discuss in posts on this blog.

I now have time to smell the roses.