green

Our 50 year old pear tree is now brimming with gorgeous fat pears, and similar to last year the rainbow lorikeets and possums are getting to them before we can. We were hoping that placing them on the kitchen windowsill will ripen them up nicely, but we tried one yellowing one which smelt divinely pear-esque the other day and it was terribly bitter and had gross brown spots inside. Shame. Hopefully the rest are better.

Tasty spring onions, bok choy and rainbow chard have been harvested for our last two dinners.

We took a trip to Bunnings today and I spent a few happy hours gardening in the afternoon. I planted one too many leeks, in hope for some yummy potato and leek soup in the Winter (it appears that the tray for $2.99 contained 32 to be precise hehe). Friends and family, I hope you like leeks! Also put in some green dragon broccoli and one brussel sprout plant just for the fun of watching it grow - the little sprouts grow dotted all around the outside of one tall stem. Very random.

Hope your enjoying some lovely mid 20's weather as we are in Adelaide ♥♥♥♥

January plot

I have been trying to keep note of what vegetables and herbs we have planted or sown in each bed, so we don't forget and repeat plant the same crop in the same bed next season.  I thought I would try to create a plot organiser using Publisher every month or so. Yes I am still on school holidays, and yes I am a night owl and frequently stay up drinking tea and playing around with Publisher till 2am. 

We have not really stuck to any planting rules of thumb (aside from considering the amount and angle of sunlight in each bed throughout the day) as I was much too rapped about having a veggie garden and impatience got the better of me. Quite literally as seeds germinated in raising trays the next day they were whisked out and planted into freshly composted soil. 

So we'll see how that goes, without a doubt mistakes have been made. Next season we will be definitely consider companion planting and waiting until seedlings are strong enough to tackle the baking Summer sunshine. Lesson learnt!

* NOTE Those little wormy critters are most likely intestinal worms from the composted cow manure we turned into the soil before planting... and Hurrah - have NOT been munching anything. Thanks xx

from seed to seedling

After miserably failing to sprout an entire tray of seeds last week (note to self - seeds and teensy seedlings don't fare well in extreme direct sunlight), I think I am finally onto something. Woot! The trick? Much waiting and watering, shade hehe, watching and waiting and watering.

Little green radishes popped up first, 

then sweet basil, dwarf snap beans and finally silverbeet... those capsicum seeds aren't doing anything???

I transplanted those radish seedlings today into vege beds as the weather was relatively mild with all day cloud cover. The silverbeet should be ready to go in within the next few days. They are growing so quickly. This afternoon I decided to plant carrots and more radish seeds, as they grew so well for me) in x2 2.4m rows each and yellow butter beans beneath one of our homemade bamboo tee-pees. I have always enjoyed growing plants from seed with kids in my classroom in little pots, but to do it on a bigger scale and with the goal of eating our own produce to is...  so much better!

radishes

Why did I do it? I never really LOVED them, but I planted them in raising trays... and oddly they are the most vigorous growers of all my seeds. I recall them being peppery and crunchy. What will I do with them? salads perhaps. Nom.

little veggie plot

Both The Boy and I have been ultra busy and a bit keen as mustard, so for good measure we built two more veggie beds, and now have 5 - which you can see in the photo below. The lower 'tetris bed' is officially his bed and will be for perrenial herbs and Asian greens (Bok Choy and Pak Choy), as my fellow is a stir fry wok master. 

I have been soaking seeds and checking on them like a new mother, which sprouted and are now in small seedling tubs growing a big enough to survive the Adelaide sun... except my carrot seeds are taking a long time to germinate. Too warm perhaps?? In the next few weeks we will hopefully be planting out radishes, snap beans, carrots, sweet basil and silverbeet seedlings.

The Boy has been so so busy, motivated and industrious today and installed drippers to our two new Passion fruit vines AND soaker hoses to all four other beds!! WOOT!! Can you see how impressed a girl is by such loveliness *sigh*

Oh, we all used extra soap tonight washing off any undesirable cow manure scent. Fun times in the garden!

♥♥♥♥

little veggie plot

Christmas is over for another year and I am amazed at how quickly the new year has arrived. The Boy and I hosted a delicious family Chrissy lunch for 8 with success (although I doubt I will ever get the timing right so vegies are served steaming HOT) and without frantic last minute cleaning or shopping. We cooked a plethora of delightful dishes ... roast pork with cinnamon apple sauce ... green beans with butter and wasabi ... honeyed carrots... garlic butter mushrooms ... asparagus ...split chicken.... and finished with two desserts, Summer berry trifle and passion fruit vanilla slice, one can never eat enough dessert I say! Yum.

The day after Boxing Day, after weeks of discussions and planning we got to work on our little veggie bed project. And now just days later - it's complete. My frontal lobe hurts from reading books, blogs and watching youtube clips about growing veggies, types of soil, which grow best in our temperate-Mediterranean Adelaide climate, to sow seeds or buy seedlings etc. I feel entirely motivated by the idea of growing and eating my own vegetables, that it's almost exhausting. I recall feeling the same way when I was learning how to crochet and knit.

 One empty boring side yard.

First layer of redgum sleepers bolted together.

Second layer and beds lined up.

The sandwich began with a layer of cardboard, which smothers and kills weeds and grass.

 Followed by a 10 cm layer of pea straw.

Lastly, filled with loam and organic compost.

I can't wait to share the progress of our our little plot and harvests (fingers crossed that my thumbs are green enough) over the coming months. If you have any suggestions for Summer sowing I would love to hear them.

♥♥♥♥