Spring Veg
07 June 2008 20:33 Filed in: Planting
The main vege beds are full and spring veges are
assured! As well as leaving in the last of the current
carrots and silverbeet they have:
- spinach
- red onions
- broad beans (two varieties)
- peas (tall ones this year)
- potatoes
- lettuces
- silverbeet (more bright lights :)
- garlic (elephant garlic this year)
- shallots
- pak choi
- red cabbages
- cilantro
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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.
Snakes in the garden
13 April 2008 19:33 Filed in: Harvesting
Life has been busy, and the garden's been thriving. My
discovery for this season has been the 'Rampicante'
zucchini I got from King's. They haven't grown like
zucchini, but they're very grown! Huge vines all over
the boardwalk by the pond, and the strangest fruit!
This one ended up at 95cm long, which is more than I could contemplate cooking in a single go.
The raspberries also grew more than we could eat, as did the paste tomatoes and the basil. So I've been giving away eggs, silverbeet, basil, and raspberries. Oh and plenty of baby fish :)
It really is the end of the season now, only a few raspberries left, the tomatoes are slowing down and the basil is getting mildewy. On the up side the grapes have just started to ripen, and the chinese gooseberries are looking like they're going to be great in a few months. The kohlrabi are just coming through too, having grown caterpillars for the chooks they're going to be dinner for me very shortly :)
I'm hoping to spend some of next weekend planting the winter crops. Two varieties of broad beans I think, plus peas, lettuces, more silverbeet, spinach and maybe potatoes. Then I'll see how much room I've got to sneak in some treats like some beautiful beetroot and radishes.
This one ended up at 95cm long, which is more than I could contemplate cooking in a single go.
The raspberries also grew more than we could eat, as did the paste tomatoes and the basil. So I've been giving away eggs, silverbeet, basil, and raspberries. Oh and plenty of baby fish :)
It really is the end of the season now, only a few raspberries left, the tomatoes are slowing down and the basil is getting mildewy. On the up side the grapes have just started to ripen, and the chinese gooseberries are looking like they're going to be great in a few months. The kohlrabi are just coming through too, having grown caterpillars for the chooks they're going to be dinner for me very shortly :)
I'm hoping to spend some of next weekend planting the winter crops. Two varieties of broad beans I think, plus peas, lettuces, more silverbeet, spinach and maybe potatoes. Then I'll see how much room I've got to sneak in some treats like some beautiful beetroot and radishes.
It's been a while
01 March 2008 21:20 Filed in: Doing
Well it's been madness here! We have genuine honest to
God frogs in the pond, egg-producing chooks and
raspberries.
I'm so looking forward to Easter, by then I'll be down to only one job, studying will be under control, I'll have holidayed and it will suddenly seem doable again. At the moment I'm struggling with two jobs and two courses, plus a couple of out of work projects.
Last week I got the health stuff out of the way; the tests themselves were unpleasant, but the results were pretty good. We have a theory about the iron deficiency, and we're treating it with iron supplements, so I'm back to where I was beforehand but with a diagnosis.
I'm so looking forward to Easter, by then I'll be down to only one job, studying will be under control, I'll have holidayed and it will suddenly seem doable again. At the moment I'm struggling with two jobs and two courses, plus a couple of out of work projects.
Last week I got the health stuff out of the way; the tests themselves were unpleasant, but the results were pretty good. We have a theory about the iron deficiency, and we're treating it with iron supplements, so I'm back to where I was beforehand but with a diagnosis.
The harvest so far (spring to midsummer 2007-2008)
02 February 2008 15:23 Filed in: Harvesting
- Silverbeet (two crops)
- Peas (two crops)
- Broad beans
- Lettuces (successive plantings)
- Spinach
- Mesclun
- Basil (sweet, black and cinnamon)
- Perennial and biennial herbs (a wide variety including various thymes, parsleys, lemon balm, chives, garlic chives, marjoram, oregano, winter savoury, lovage, bay)
- Zucchini
- Coriander
- Rhubarb
- Beans (yellow bush)
- Cress
- Corn salad
- Sorrel
- Carrots
- Radishes
- Dill
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Plum (yep, one plum from a new tree)
- Black currants
- Blueberries (just starting, and again new plants so a very restricted crop)
- Raspberries (the summer flush on autumn varieties)
- Gooseberries