Beans
Winter planting
15 May 2008 20:15 Filed in: Planning
It's that time of year again; I'm planning for winter
and spring.
The broad bean and pea seeds arrived yesterday, the bulb orders went in over the weekend, and there are punnets of lettuce, rocket and onions waiting for a chance to get planted. Another silverbeet glut is only a few weeks away :)
This year the picture is added to by the chooks who are moulting and looking decidedly autumnal. They seem completely cheerful as the hoon around looking raggedy (particularly the girl who lost all her tail feathers in one go) and retain their passion for sunflower seeds and puha.
The real challenge is working out the planting plan for the mound by the pond with the nectarine. The plants need to handle clay, but won't drown as it's a mound, need to be beautiful year round as they're next to the pond, but I still want seasonal variation.
I'm thinking about a spinossima rose as I think the hips are gorgeous, but pink flowers will need some thought :)
In other rose news the Souvenir de la Malmaison growing around the compost is still growing madly; it should be gorgeous next spring, and the Graham Thomas is also holding out against winter.
The broad bean and pea seeds arrived yesterday, the bulb orders went in over the weekend, and there are punnets of lettuce, rocket and onions waiting for a chance to get planted. Another silverbeet glut is only a few weeks away :)
This year the picture is added to by the chooks who are moulting and looking decidedly autumnal. They seem completely cheerful as the hoon around looking raggedy (particularly the girl who lost all her tail feathers in one go) and retain their passion for sunflower seeds and puha.
The real challenge is working out the planting plan for the mound by the pond with the nectarine. The plants need to handle clay, but won't drown as it's a mound, need to be beautiful year round as they're next to the pond, but I still want seasonal variation.
I'm thinking about a spinossima rose as I think the hips are gorgeous, but pink flowers will need some thought :)
In other rose news the Souvenir de la Malmaison growing around the compost is still growing madly; it should be gorgeous next spring, and the Graham Thomas is also holding out against winter.
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This time with pictures
09 January 2008 19:33 Filed in: Pictures
Replanting the vege gardens in midsummer
29 December 2007 14:47 Filed in: Planting
The replanting is done, well for now anyway :)
I'd already taken out the peas and broad beans, and reduced the silverbeet, mesclun, carrots and lettuces by eating them. A couple of days ago a new row of peas went in and I bought a couple of punnets of plants, so I was ready to go!
Today I took out almost all of the rest of the gone-to-seed silverbeet, the last of the carrots, and the last two lettuces in one row. So with all the space I planted:
In general I'm pretty pleased with how it's go so far. The rotation is mostly working – once the broad beans go in each section will have had a legume season. What I'm not managing so well is constant production, I'll have a couple of weeks of total glut of one kind or another, weeks like this one where there are relatively limited options (leafy green things and the last of the carrots), and then the occasional well balanced fortnight.
And before I forget, the tomatoes are fascinating me. Clearly the ones in the lemon garden are much happier than the ones in the front garden. The lemon garden ones are huge happy plants and I expect to start seeing tomatoes soon. The front garden ones get solid morning sun but not so much in the afternoon, and it shows.
I'd already taken out the peas and broad beans, and reduced the silverbeet, mesclun, carrots and lettuces by eating them. A couple of days ago a new row of peas went in and I bought a couple of punnets of plants, so I was ready to go!
Today I took out almost all of the rest of the gone-to-seed silverbeet, the last of the carrots, and the last two lettuces in one row. So with all the space I planted:
- Beans – Roquefort (the last fornight of the progressive planting I started a little over a month ago).
- Red onions – California red
- Potatoes – unlabelled well sprouted ones from the cupboard :)
- Kohlrabi – Early Purple Vienna
- Carrots – Mini sweet, the same as the ones I'll eat the last of this weekend
- Coriander – Indian Summer
- Parsley – Flat leaved, this time in the blueberry garden as the ones in the herb garden were replaced by the summer basil crop last week
- Dill – Bouquet
- Lettuce – a mixture
In general I'm pretty pleased with how it's go so far. The rotation is mostly working – once the broad beans go in each section will have had a legume season. What I'm not managing so well is constant production, I'll have a couple of weeks of total glut of one kind or another, weeks like this one where there are relatively limited options (leafy green things and the last of the carrots), and then the occasional well balanced fortnight.
And before I forget, the tomatoes are fascinating me. Clearly the ones in the lemon garden are much happier than the ones in the front garden. The lemon garden ones are huge happy plants and I expect to start seeing tomatoes soon. The front garden ones get solid morning sun but not so much in the afternoon, and it shows.
Using up carrots
26 December 2007 19:38 Filed in: Cooking
The usual combination, two days of strong winds form the north (and some heavy rain) so today it turned round and a southerly front came through with thunderstorms and heavy rain.
In the gap I managed to pull up all the past-their-best plants from the southern vege bed and get a row of peas in. I also pulled almost the last of the carrots and made chilled carrot and orange soup. Which, with fresh rye bread, was a damned fine lunch.
The bread is a current favourite; I've finally found a good rye recipe. The trick is burnt sugar and caraway seeds, plus it's only 25% rye flour :) Today's loaves were baked baguette style, so sprayed with water every two minutes at the beginning and cooked really hot.
It's been a cooking couple of days, yesterday I made the best ever date scones and I know I'll never manage to reproduce them. They were made with dodgy old dates (soaked in orange juice) and the dough was way too wet – so a lucky accident I think.
Then, to continue the theme, I spent the evening shelling the last of the broad beans. Once they're blanched for freezing they lose the colour, but at least until then they're beautiful!
