October Garden Share

 

I'm joining up with a few other gardeners again this month in the Garden Share Collective. September appears to be a good time for gardening for me here in the north west of NSW at least. Not too hot, not too cold... Goldilocks conditions... just right.

 

 The garden and everywhere in fact is green. It's those little showers of rain here and there that are keeping things looking so fresh. Not soaking rain unfortunately but very much welcome.

September was a good month harvest wise as well. Given that there are none of those hefty crops like pumpkin or melons to tip the scales, 8.6 kilograms/ 19.3 lb isn't too bad a haul.

The harvest for September was made up of asparagus, rocket, turnip, silverbeet, carrots, lemonades, celery, snap peas, snow peas, peas, spring onions, herbs , lettuce, Brussels sprouts, broccoli,  beetroot, limes, leek and cabbage. I think I only visited the greengrocer twice in the whole month and that was for apples, potatoes and mushrooms.

And something that is really only of interest to me and perhaps Tim, we had 40mm of rain for the month and our temperature maximum and minimum were 33degC and 3.4 degC respectively. The temperature is measured on the verandah which is a sheltered position so not entirely indicative of what it is like for the poor plants that have to deal with the extremes.

I'm really hoping that I can better my tally as the weather warms up. I'm resigned to the fact that I will always have to buy some sort of fruit but I think I could almost take up the challenge right now and not buy vegetables. I just might.

 The bees are getting a real treat with the number and variety of flowers around. After last summers harsh conditions they deserve it. It is hard to believe that we harvested honey this time last year because this year the bees really only have enough for themselves at this stage. Things are looking good though for a harvest a little later in the season.

On my to-do list last month that I didn't get done was label the fruit trees. It's definitely not a pressing task so it just didn't get done. I know what they all are anyway. What did get done though was netting. I'm all for sharing my fruit but unfortunately the local bird life doesn't know the meaning of the word share. I'm fairly certain they are of the opinion that I planted those trees for their benefit alone. Sorry birds.

Plans for October:

• sow more seeds
• make more compost
• cross fingers for hatching turkey and duck eggs
• try to keep on top of the mowing
• eat from the garden everyday
• remove the 'winter' vegetables to make room for summery things
• plant said summery things
• spend a few minutes a day under the jasmine before it is gone for the year

Lizzie had the idea of a seed exchange this month too. I have already popped some snake bean seeds in the post for her but I could probably spare another packet or two. I also have some spare Climbing Princess bean seeds and some Bhut jolokia chilli seeds. I can only post these within Australia and not to Tasmania or Western Australia and my supplies are limited to what I collected last year. Just email me if you are interested: sunnycornerfarm (at) hotmail (dot) com

I would really like to get my hands on some Cinnamon myrtle and Aniseed myrtle plants/ seeds after having  the pleasure of seeing/ smelling them a while ago at the Mt Annan Botanical gardens. I think they are few and far between though particularly the cinnamon.

Now I am off to make a boring old dinner of spaghetti bolognaise which apparently my girls don't like (I thought all children were supposed to like bolognaise). They do however enjoy my pasta bake which is the same spaghetti bolognaise baked in the oven with cheese on top just don't tell them that.

And one of the perquisites of school holidays is girls who like to cook have time to make dessert. Panna cotta for us tonight. Thanks Grace.

Tracy

Head down

I've had my head down and been busy working the past few days. It's the thing to do apparently.

 

Actually I think it is the school holidays, it brings about a buzz of activity. No lunches to pack and no schedule to keep. It's like there are more hours in the day to take advantage of. All I know is I wake up early and by the end of the day I am tired but happily so.

The garden is providing us with lots of goodness and our lunches have been a bit cheaty. Just pick what's ready and appealing and concoct something. A sandwich, an omelette or even better a vegetable plate with some spicy zucchini pickles and mayonnaise.

Today however there is a terrible wind blowing. It is hot and dry and in my opinion a little bit scary. I think it is blowing quite strongly and causing some damage in some places. The only damage I have had to deal with is having to gather some of the clean washing from the lawn rather than the clothesline . So this afternoon the only outside chore I am doing is feeding the chickens and locking them away for the night. I have been trying to do some sewing but I just can't settle on something I want to make. It happens. I think I might just organise my contribution to Zara's swap (there's still time to join)  so that I can say I've done something crafty this afternoon.

Tomorrow is earmarked already as a baking day. The postponed high tea is on Saturday with a very much reduced guest list as it seems that a lot of people are too busy right now. Next year I think I will just make myself a cup of tea and give a donation.

Now I must tear myself away from this machine so I do actually have enough time to get started on some craft this afternoon.

Tracy

Beautiful day







Just a few things that added beauty to my day.

Red oak leaf lettuce (a freebie from Agquip)

 Although my cold is persisting, I have been out and about in the garden and the day is absolutely stunning despite a gusty wind. It is just a beautiful day here.

I think when the radish get to about this stage of growth, it is time to sow another row in an attempt to have an almost constant supply. At the moment I have French Breakfast and Cherry Belle on the go but next row might be an heirloom mix from Diggers. Tim and the girls are big radish fans. Me not so much. Just one or two every now and then are enough.

Bees aren't supposed to be overly keen on windy weather (I don't blame them) but mine don't seem to mind. Except for really wet days, they are busy doing what they do. Certainly we don't check the hives when it is too windy because they aren't as placid then.

It's always a beautiful day when I have the chance to plant something. This morning I planted out a couple of capsicums and lettuces that my parents didn't want, and four herb pots I bought on the weekend- dogbane, rue, another thyme and a golden sage. And when I find an earthworm whilst digging (and I don't chop it in half) I'm very happy.

 Even the moths looked pretty today. There have been a lot of butterflies so far this spring.  I'm not sure if this has any significance or not but I like it.

And lastly the ranunculi are starting to bloom and although these ones are more simple than the big showy double blooms you can get, I really like them. I don't think this flower will last long, it has been blowing about and bending over but while it's here, it is very sweet.

This morning I also stirred the compost heap. It might not be a pretty task but there is definitely satisfaction in turning scraps and lawn clippings and manure into such wonderful stuff. I would say for sure that compost is greater than the sum of its parts. The beauty is there, you just have to look closer or blur your vision a bit.

Perhaps I am just in a particularly good mood. I even found the hissing mother duck sitting on her pile of who knows how many eggs kind of cute.

I hope you have had a good day too with at least a little bit of beauty.

Tracy

My Voice?

 

My voice has gone missing. I have a cough and when I speak it is coming out rather croaky unless I resort to whispering. I've been lead to believe the whisper is preferable. Fortunately though I do not feel the slightest bit sick. It's my birthday on Friday and I don't want to be poorly especially then. Anyway, I'm sure I'll locate my regular vocal abilities in the next day or two until. It doesn't matter too much here what I sound like so I'll keep exercising my blogging voice a little bit.

 

It probably happens in most households that the person having the birthday chooses their meal (or perhaps they choose the restaurant). It's what happens here anyway. Last year Grace couldn't decide from a rather long list of favourites so I thought why not a week of meals decided by the birthday girl. It took the chore of meal planning out of my hands for the week and she chose things that we all like anyway. So I thought why not for me too.

 



A lot of our dinners are coming out of this book this week. Lentil and squash pasties , leek and blue cheese tart, spicy lamb burgers to name a few.

And for my birthday 'cake' I am finding it hard to go past this chocolate chilli tart with dulce de leche ice cream. I'm not really a fan of cake so a chocolatey tart sounds good to me. I have the magazine from the local library and the recipe proper isn't on the Taste website as yet but there is a good recipe adaptation here if it appeals to you.

And what else to eat during my birthday week. Sugar snap peas of course. They are by far the best peas this year. I always favoured snow peas but the sweetness and juiciness of the sugar snaps has actually toppled the snow peas from their pea pedestal.



 

Bunches of Broccoli Waltham. Steamed until they are only just done. The broccoli are almost all done for the season so it's time to make the most of them.

 

And because it's my birthday on Friday, Brussels sprouts will be on the menu. I love them. My ruby variety are leaving their run a bit late and I think the warm weather will be too much for them before they crop heavily but their leaves are quite stunning and worth growing for them alone. The leaves actually taste fine. As a note to myself, I am going to try starting my Brussels sprouts earlier so they have more time in the cold and lessen the chance of them bolting when the weather turns warm (usually early these days).

Of course there could be surprises in stall for me and I might be whisked out for a fancy meal but I don't think so. I love cooking and I love cooking new things. But, I will not be washing up on Friday.

Do you prefer home cooked birthday dinners or a restaurant treat?

Tracy

Asparagus- a warning

Warning: if you love your asparagus then don't convert your family to asparagus lovers too. It means you have to share and that they will eat the first of the season before they can even make it out of the vegetable garden.

 

For a long time I was on my own with the asparagus. The kids weren't keen to try it and Tim had only tried the canned variety which made him reluctant to even taste the fresh stuff. Now they all love it and it's my own fault because I just had to convert them.

 

I don't mind sharing really.

Another vegetable that has a tough time making it to the kitchen is the snow pea. It does make it tough to keep a tally of my harvest when I don't get a chance to weigh things. But, I'm not complaining, I can't think of a healthier way to snack.

No warnings necessary here. I am yet to convince anyone of the delights of Brussels sprouts. I love them and this year I have seven plants of two varieties (regular green and a ruby type) and they are all mine. Sometimes I am a selfish gardener.

 

At the beginning of the brassica growing season I had a few issues with cabbage moths and procrastinated a bit on what to do. In the end, I did nothing and things are looking good. I picked off as many grubs as I could and left things alone and it seems to have worked (this time). The moths in the garden this year had a penchant for the cabbages and Brussels sprouts but the broccoli and cauliflowers have been untouched. I hope I haven't jinxed myself and find a swarm (or whatever the correct collective noun is) of moths when I go out to pick for tonight's dinner.

 

I'm not sure what is on the menu tonight but I have some really good looking celery I want to use so I am thinking perhaps a simple soup with some homemade spelt bread.

 

I hope your garden is growing well.

Tracy

September Garden Share Collective

 

This month I thought it might be nice to join in at The Garden Share Collective hosted by Lizzie. I'm just finding my feet with it so I will just plod along and see how it goes.

 

 My kitchen garden is really looking nice thanks to a quick run around with the lawnmower. Paths are neat and the compost heap has a load of clippings.

My system of giving each vegetable bed a bit more attention on the day of the month corresponding to its number has been working well. So well in fact I have been getting ahead. I'm sure in a couple of months time when the summery weather is here I will be telling a different tale. But I hope not.

 

The weather over the past week has been stunning. Perfect for being outdoors and decidedly spring like. Plants that were looking a bit lacklustre are now starting to put on some growth.

The orchard is at its prettiest (apart from when there is actual fruit on the trees that is). Blossoms are everywhere and the bees are especially happy. The flowers are also attracting quite a few butterflies as well which is really nice.

What I have promised myself is that given it is a new month and spring to boot, we will be eating something from the garden everyday. Some days it might be something pretty humble like a handful of herbs  or like last night, everything we ate from the plant kingdom came from the garden- asparagus, carrots, celery, rocket, lettuce, parsley, spring onion and oregano. Tonight instead of our regular Sunday fare of soup, we are having a roast lamb dinner. From the garden will be the potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cabbage and a few leafy greens. The lamb of course is from the farm too.

September is one of my favourite months (I have eleven others by the way) it being my birthday month and all. The weather is usually near perfect. Not too hot or cold and a little rain to keep things fresh. The winds that batter us in August have usually dissipated too. This month I have my high tea to look forward to as well and a rather intense to-do list. So here it is, the to-do list.

September To- Do in the garden

• mow the orchard and label trees
• mulch roses
• weed herb garden path
• move compost along
• mulch front garden
• keep sowing seeds for summer
• tidy up shed garden
• general clean and tidy

Tracy

Weeding and such

 This small part of the front garden probably shouldn't be bothered with at all. It has poor drainage and not much seems to like it there. Consequently I never pay it much attention. Well, it is there so I guess it deserve better treatment and who knows, maybe it will reward my efforts with some flowers. Today when I weeded there it had a cement like crust on top and a fair bit of clay below the surface but on a positive note, there were a lot of very fat and healthy looking earthworms. Can't be too bad if the worms like to live there.

 I wanted to mulch the area after I finished weeding and planting a few cuttings and seedlings. Before mulching I had to weed the mulch. The grass in the bale had sprouted and was really growing rather nicely. At least this batch of mulch doesn't seem to have any nasty weeds in it like some we have had.
It's always a risk when bringing mulch.

It didn't take too long. Half an hour tops which is lucky because I seem to have a mountain of things on my to-do list.

 

One job completed today was gathering rocks to place around my kumquat tree. It is in an old wash tub which I found on the roadside. The bottom half of one side of the wash tub is no more so I thought rather than move the tree and because I like the old tub too, I would just build it up with rocks. Doesn't look too bad and the soil is staying where it should which really is the main thing. Collecting rocks is a good workout too.

 

Now I'm off to do some baking and bread making because even though I would like to, I can't work outdoors all day.

 

Tomorrow is a big work day too.

 

Are you busy? If you are, I hope you are busy doing things that bring you joy.

 

Tracy

Too early for tomatoes??

The last few times I have visited the plant shop they have had tomato seedlings galore (and they are very tempting). Now just last week we had our coldest night time temperatures of the year with severe frosts so  when I see people loading their trolleys and baskets with tiny little tomato plants I want to shout don't do it. Wait. Of course I don't, it's none of my business and in fact most likely the gamble will pay dividends. Today when I bought my own little punnet of tomatoes I felt like I should be looking over my shoulder just in case there was some crazy lady about to tell me not to do it and wait until it was safe. Alas, she was holding the basket and in my defence, my seedlings are going to be potted on and hang out in the greenhouse for a little while.

 

Tiny Tim tomatoes unfortunately photobombed by a dog's bottom

 "Tiny Tim" is a variety I haven't grown for a while. The last few years I've stuck with grape type small tomatoes and  black cherry tomatoes which have been prolific.

 The little greenhouse where my seeds start out is getting a bit too warm so I think I might move it just a fraction to cool it down a touch. I don't want the seeds to cook, just germinate. The okra were the first seeds to pop up and so far I have ten or so varieties of tomatoes in there plodding along.

 It might be too early for tomatoes to be in the ground here but apparently not too early for the almond to be in bloom.

Monarch on the plum

And not too early for the plum trees either. The apricot is going to be next to burst into flower. Any day now. It's good the flowering is staggered a bit, it gives the bees a longer time period to access the orchard flowers and it also means the bees can concentrate their efforts on pollinating only a few trees at a time. Win-win.

 

The turkeys have taken up nesting rights in amongst some lavender bushes. I'm not sure if I will leave them there and work out some sort of way to secure the mother bird from predators or if I will help her choose a more appropriate nest. My birds are fairly compliant until they start incubating the eggs that is.  It does sound rather dreamy though, a nest in the lavender.

 

Have you started planting any spring/ summer things yet?? Or are you settling down for the cooler seasons in the north?

 

Tracy

Distracted... it's so easy

My top priority in the garden today is to get bed 4 of the herb garden weeded and ready to replant. It is an unsightly mess of weeds with a few herbs hanging in there that you can barely make out. I have been a slacker regarding this bed. But according to my calendar , it is the week that this bed must be put to rights. Not only that, I think it is a good idea to come clean here and not just show the pretty parts of the garden. It's how it really is. But today I am not going to be distracted too easily, I hope.

 

 Before this quick tea break, I made some progress and the lure of the wee new chamomile, lavender and tansy plants I have to pop in to all of those new spaces opening up will have me back out there after lunch (and some necessary housework of course) to finish the job.

Not before I got distracted by the Chinese Witch Hazel on the way inside. It is a flurry of pink and very pretty even to someone like me who isn't fond of pink.

 The euryops is also looking rather good but it isn't going to stay for much longer. Once it finishes flowering, it's coming out. It has grown too spindly and tall for the position it is in (my fault for not being harder with the pruning). The bees and hoverflies enjoy it so I will most likely replace it with one of its offspring. Watching bees is a distraction. So is wandering after the butterfly that decided to land on the calendula. I'm ok with that though.

The other good thing to come from actually weeding that overgrown herb bed is some surprise free plants amongst the unwanted ones. I discovered a few small salad burnet plants which had self-sown. They are all now resettled in other parts of the herb garden and watered in. Replanting and watering free plants definitely does not count as a distraction.

I'm heading back out into the gusty and rather cold  August wind.
Tracy

Gardening good intentions

 

Vegetable garden bed 2

 Before the hectic time in the garden starts, I have devised a timetable that works for me. Well it is working so far at least but, once said hectic season starts in the spring,  it could very well be a different story. My vegetable garden is made up of 26 raised beds which I have numbered 1 to 26 naturally. My plan is to do maintenance on the bed corresponding to the day of the month. That coupled with other gardening to be done will hopefully help me to keep up with or hopefully be ahead of the weeds.

Of course things rarely go to plan. Today I worked in bed 1 and 2 to be ahead of the game because I am going to be away from home on those two days. I'm off to a scholarship presentation (for our son, Tom) which is a cocktail event. My life here may help me be prepared for a lot of things but a cocktail party is not one of them. Right about now I am wishing I knew what to wear and that it was in my wardrobe (the outfit that is, not the cocktail party). I'm sure it will be fun. My tendency to overthink things doesn't help one bit.

 

Today has been a bit all over the place weatherwise. Chilly start, balmy mid-morning, cloudy afternoon and I'm guessing it will be cold tonight. And right now I just can't help but snap pictures of my bees. Sorry. They are busy, busy and I just really do like them even if I am not overly fond of honey.

 

Although we eat something from the garden most days, even if it is just some herbs for flavouring, there was a difference out there today. I could have picked enough for a meal. Tonight I am having fish and vegetables. Everyone else is having steak and veg. Does sound a bit boring but the vegetables are going to be potato dauphinoise and a pearled barley salad with sweet potato and the vegies above (carrots, celery, tatsoi, radish, spring onion, parsley and mustard).

Do you have a garden? If you do, what are you picking now?

Tracy

Planting

I haven't sown any spring/ summer seeds yet because it is just too cold for it to be worth the effort but it's going to be soon. Scarecrow has been and it does make your fingers itch a little. What I did plant today though was rhubarb. I have never had an ounce of luck growing it. When Tim and I moved into our first home, there was a huge rhubarb plant in situ which we proceeded to remove (what were we thinking?). Actually I had visions of my yet to be born children poisoning themselves which in hindsight could never have happened as they are the type of children that took some coercing into eating anything green. Also it wasn't something that either of us had eaten much of so out it went. Perhaps that's why I have trouble getting it to flourish now in this garden, some kind of rhubarb karma. No, I just haven't found the right spot but I'm sure the well drained, sunny spot amongst the herbs will be just right. I hope so anyway.

 

If I was a rhubarb plant I think I would like to have this lavender for a neighbour. It was a cheapy plant from Bunnings or Big W and is called Lavender 'Spanish Eyes'. It is a Lavendula multifida and doesn't have the typical lavender aroma but is still pretty with its fern-like foliage.

I also planted some accidental 'cuttings' from my peppermint geranium. I pulled out a piece while I was weeding so I popped three cuttings into some potting mix and now have my fingers crossed that they strike.

The daffodils are one by one blooming. My dream of a small meadow of daffodils is still a long way off but it is closer this year than last.  I have our hammock in amongst them at the moment to make the most of them because the 'moment' doesn't last long.

I don't know if I have ever posted a picture of our dog, Arrow, here before but I thought I would share this one. I  warmed up enough outside gardening to remove a layer or two and in true canine form, Arrow found my cardigan. And as I said on the   Facebook page , it's a tough life being a farm dog here. Well she is doing what she does best I guess.

Hope you are having a nice day. It's lovely here today.
Tracy