Monday, October 29, 2012
Garden 29 October 2012
Two little pumpkins growing. The plant is dying in plants so hope they ripen. Beautiful cats whisker flower. Also blue agapanthus just opening up. What is this caterpillar? Is it good or bad insect for my garden?
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Garlic Chives
Posted with BlogsyWednesday, October 17, 2012
Bindweed
I read something very interesting about this weed that continues to try and strangle our mock orange bush in our front garden. It was some facts about this common pest: "In one laboratory test plot, a single bindweed, six months after germination, produced 197 vertical roots for a total count of 788 feet of roots. Add to that 34 horizontal roots on which there were 144 new shoot buds, each of which were capable of be becoming a new plant" - The book entitled "The quarter acre farm" by Spring Warren. No wonder after 3 years of pulling it out it still returns just as strong as ever.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Tree Tomatoes
These are my tree tomatoes or tamarillo plants. I planted them beginning of the year. No sign of fruit but hopefully in next couple of years they will. I live the unusual taste of the fruit and can't wait until the first crop. They are sensitive to wind so planted against a fence with a comfrey plant I divided at base of each one. Comfrey is meant to fix nitrogen in soil so beneficial for anything it planted near. Hope this will be the case. A couple of grevillea trees are interplanted also. I put picture of Grevillea flower as so beautiful. 
Monday, October 15, 2012
Photos
Have just planted some eggplants and zucchini and beans.
The corn came up after I discovered some old seed of "popcorn" variety I had forgotten about and so threw in just to see if it was still viable. This particular variety the corn cob grows as a round ball but you eat it the same way and the corn is still yellow. I thought it would be a novelty for the kids. Didn't have much success with original lot but this time it seems healthy still.
We have a mixture of flowers scattered throughout the garden also as well as native trees.
The bathtub initially had lemon grass and other herbs in it but the lemon grass grew enormous and I recently cut it right back. Am going to remove it as it took over and I have plenty of other clumps of it in the garden. I will plant it out with more herbs then.
The corn came up after I discovered some old seed of "popcorn" variety I had forgotten about and so threw in just to see if it was still viable. This particular variety the corn cob grows as a round ball but you eat it the same way and the corn is still yellow. I thought it would be a novelty for the kids. Didn't have much success with original lot but this time it seems healthy still.
We have a mixture of flowers scattered throughout the garden also as well as native trees.
The bathtub initially had lemon grass and other herbs in it but the lemon grass grew enormous and I recently cut it right back. Am going to remove it as it took over and I have plenty of other clumps of it in the garden. I will plant it out with more herbs then.
Book "The quarter acre farm"
Just in middle of reading a book entitled "The quarter acre farm - How I kept the patio, lost the lawn, and fed my family for a year" by Spring Warren.
It resonating with me as she describes herself as a gardener who either forgets to water in time, or waters too much, who never treats her compost pile the way gardening books expound, and who experiences multitudes of failures along with her successes in the garden.
In fact, it mostly the description of the "lazy gardener" that I resonate most with. For example, this morning, I woke up and made a coffee. Tried to read the said book for half an hour with cats whining for food on bed! Then went out to water, and 5 minutes into watering stopped to pick a few dozen tomatoes that were ripe and starting to split. Came in and made smoothie for breakfast, at same time washing tomatoes in bowl, pulling off green stalks, placing on baking tray and baking with tablespoon of olive oil sprinkling of dried mixed herbs and a tiny bit of sea salt. Baking in hot oven for 15 minutes and then blending mixture.
It was had for dinner tonight on some whole wheat pasta, Parmesan cheese, teaspoon of sour cream and chopped mint from garden. It was like an explosion of flavor in your mouth of summer. The tomato taste nearly knocked your socks off - it was wonderful.
But I always try to be systematic and organized and only manage for small bursts of time and then i am back to my disorganized and meandering ways.
But I feel so alive and peaceful and REAL in my garden even when it all slightly chaotic. I love the connection I feel with it and I love it when I meet similar natured people who get that the dirt around my nails just hadn't come off despite vigorous washing and marks my interest permanently on my body !
It resonating with me as she describes herself as a gardener who either forgets to water in time, or waters too much, who never treats her compost pile the way gardening books expound, and who experiences multitudes of failures along with her successes in the garden.
In fact, it mostly the description of the "lazy gardener" that I resonate most with. For example, this morning, I woke up and made a coffee. Tried to read the said book for half an hour with cats whining for food on bed! Then went out to water, and 5 minutes into watering stopped to pick a few dozen tomatoes that were ripe and starting to split. Came in and made smoothie for breakfast, at same time washing tomatoes in bowl, pulling off green stalks, placing on baking tray and baking with tablespoon of olive oil sprinkling of dried mixed herbs and a tiny bit of sea salt. Baking in hot oven for 15 minutes and then blending mixture.
It was had for dinner tonight on some whole wheat pasta, Parmesan cheese, teaspoon of sour cream and chopped mint from garden. It was like an explosion of flavor in your mouth of summer. The tomato taste nearly knocked your socks off - it was wonderful.
But I always try to be systematic and organized and only manage for small bursts of time and then i am back to my disorganized and meandering ways.
But I feel so alive and peaceful and REAL in my garden even when it all slightly chaotic. I love the connection I feel with it and I love it when I meet similar natured people who get that the dirt around my nails just hadn't come off despite vigorous washing and marks my interest permanently on my body !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)