It has been unseasonally cold here in Southwest Victoria, freezing in fact! While Queensland is sweltering in 40 plus I've been wearing my passion killing flannelette pj's at night. So as a result the garden will be late this year. There isn't any fruit on the tomatoes yet but there is still a bounty out there. Here is a look at some of what is happening....
gorgeous crisp cos lettuces
baby bok choy...I took the above photo just a week ago, now look at them below
spring onions
sweet as lollies strawberries have been working a treat in the old guttering
I am so excited, my 8 year old mini lemon has so many babies on it for the first time!
Potatoes aplenty
tomatoes that need thining out
the first zucchini flower
corn
always giving rhubarb
the biggest spinach leaves I've seen
the first apricots on my new tree planted only last year, I hope I get to try them before the birds
our 3rd Nelly Kelly passionfruit being planted. We have had no luck with the first baring no fruit, the second dying and so here we go again! Everything is crossed
hubbies plaited onions
The thing I love most about growing your own produce is you never tire of eating it day after day, moving through what is abundant, added with the satisfaction of picking and serving within minutes, its just fabulous!! Our vegie garden produces enough veg to give us a monetary win-fall each week and the pleasure of watching the growth unfold. Come on sun, shine on our little patch!
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And finally, its week 2 of our money challenge so go and plop 2 bucks in your moneybox :D
Ciao, Jan.
I love this blog...
ReplyDeleteYou're sweet Lana :D xxx
ReplyDeleteI dream of sweet strawberries! They're so divine and it looks like you've had a bumper crop of goodies! :D
ReplyDeletethey don't last very long!!!
DeleteThe garden looks divine! Yes, waiting for the warmer weather tests the patience--I check my cucumbers at least 2 times a day!
ReplyDeleteI bet those strawberries are delicious...ours never make it inside with all the busy fingers at play...most don't even make it to ripe!
We went blue berry picking yesterday--organic berries at $17/kilo (cheaper than just about any conventional berries too), however the lashing rain and 13 degree temps put a bit of a dampener on the day up Mount Dandenong...
Look forward to more garden posts and shots...
Wow Rob that sounds awesome!! There is lots of blackberry wild bushes near us around the great ocean road....berry road trip!!!!
DeleteI'm devastated...those apricots....Magic the labrador decided they looked like fun so they are all gone as is a big branch, lucky he's cute or it could have been trouble. :(
Oh no Jan--devastating! Bag Magic! And the whole branch.....
DeleteBerry road trip....mmmmmm
We were in Mansfield last week and all the feral apples are nearly ready (although quite small and bitter this year), and we saw some native raspberry bushes up on Mount Buller--loaded with flowers, but no fruit yet.
Your green leafy veggies look amazing! I can almost hear the crispness - I do so love crunchy lettuce -especially with San choy bow.
ReplyDeleteWanna trade places?? I nearly died last week - 40degrees plus of high heat with humidity nearly did me in. I didn't cope at all. Twas terrible and I'd have the cold anyday. I say 'lucky you' ' haha. x
Oh Mariana that is why I live in cold old Victoria, I'd melt living in QLD, or live beside the air con!!! Hope you get a cool respite soon xxx
DeleteWhat a great garden! This is my first year at growing a garden and I can't believe how exciting it is! I have my first cucumber, lots of zucchinis and strawberries, 2 little capsicums starting to grow and we've had a quite a few ripe tomatoes so far! I'm looking forward to growing a lot more when we move as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing and the reminder to put away the money for the savings challenge!
Hi Kristie :) I have to give all the credit to my hubby who is the obsessed gardener. I love watering, picking, coaxing and of course the best bit cooking it!! It is so addictively rewarding isn't it. Thanks for stopping by, Jan x
DeleteJan love, how do you keep the pesky bugs from eating your goodies? The bugs have had a field day with our strawberries and raspberries, killed our pak choy and are now having a good chop on the lettuce. Rhubarb seems safe and tomatoes look good too but everything else gets eaten before its ready for harvesting. Ideas???
ReplyDeleteHey Sez,
ReplyDeleteHubby uses Yates vegetable dust which is derived from vegetables, low impact snail bate very sparingly and squash every snail you can find. It's very hard to be 100% organic if you actually want to eat your vegies before the bugs!! You can put out some lids with beer in them, the snails love it and drown in the beer (good way to go!!:)) Strawberries are hard, you could cover them with mesh or you can add some kitchen wooden skewers to the pot sticking out to stop the birds (ouch!!) and we have definately had better luck since we put the strawberries in the guttering hanging off the fence.
There is also this chilli spray you can make up here is a link for the recipe http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/In-the-Garden/Organic-Pest-Spray/6103 which I must get to making. I think the cooler weather has meant not so many cabbage moths so we haven't been too bad. We use the vegetable dust for them. Another thing we do is encourage lady bugs in the garden as they eat the cabbage moth eggs and baby caterpillars. Here is a link to the recipe http://www.gardenguides.com/83601-spray-sugar-water-plants.html
I hope some of this has helped, keep on the good fight!!! Jan xxx
Those veggies look amazing and those onions hanging up look awesome. It is such a "feel good" thing this veggie garden growing. My daughter Sienna loves corn and we are growing some at the moment (only about 8 plants) and it's going great so it's exciting to try growing a new thing in your garden. Our cucumbers are going crazy so friends will be well and truly supplied. Thanks for all your bread advice left via comments on my blog. Much appreciated. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Kathy :D
DeleteI've just printed my 52 week money challenge sheet...actually a comment was made that the person was doing it in reverse...ie the bigger money earlier on and the smaller money leading up toward the next Christmas. Either way depending upon how much spare change you have now from spending this Christmas just gone. I like the idea of throwing in the extra coins when you have it and marking it off on the sheet as from week 27-52 are quite large numbers adding up a bit over the month.
ReplyDeleteI bought a dwarf lemon tree last year and we had 5 lemons on it first go which was nice. I have an orange tree (or should I call it a stick because it's just that at the moment) and it's got one coming on. It will be a long time before I don't have to buy a lemon, mandarin or an orange but it's fun to have a couple of these fruit trees in pots in our backyard. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia
Was just about to post about the bugs but saw Sarah's comment above. Your garden LOOKS AMAZING!!! Something for me to aspire to!!!
ReplyDelete