It’s been a busy week in the garden since returning from a 12 day road trip. On our return I set about trimming back the tomato vines that had taken over. These cherry tomatos are the ones that fell off while I trimmed and pruned, or were clutching the remnants of the pruned vines. If they ripen I plan to cook up some home made spaghetti sauce.

Once the vines were contained, we were able to see just how many tomatoes were still growing in bunches and what else was ready to harvest.

I’ve been the garden every day since we returned home. Our neighbour, who kindly watered while we were away, did a great job. We didn’t lose a single plant and he had fresh vegetables every day as did the neighbours.

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Greens galore. Does anyone have a recipe that will use LOTS of spinach? We keep picking and it keeps growing. The lettuce, cucumber, salad capsicums and snap peas are growing well too. It’s a garden of greenness and abundance.

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Finally the weather has been warm enough to get back into the garden. This weekend we cleaned up the potted herbs in the outdoor kitchen. I was surprised to see many of them still alive after the bleak winter. I re-potted some, trimmed others before removing the soggy muck that had accumulated along the fence.

Norm then brought out the sugar soap and scrubbing brush to clean the tiles. Actually, except for a few stubborn stains, the gurney wasn’t really needed.

Once the area was clean and tidy, I put the pots back in place. Reminding Norm to bend his knees and mind his back, he kindly moved the heavier pots for me.

Ready for Spring, new growth and seeds to sprout.

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Lettuce Rejoice!

It’s been a colder, dryer and windier winter this year and most of our vegetables are struggling to provide us with what we need. We have been relying on produce from local grocery shops. Spinach and silver-beet has been non-existent for the first time since I stared the garden back in January 2020. However, we have been continually blessed with lettuce. We haven’t shared much with the neighbours, simply because they don’t like our varieties and they don’t eat salad vegetables in winter. It’s a good thing we like our greens. Surprisingly, most of our herbs are doing OK too.

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This post was created a few days ago and scheduled for today. By the time you read this we’ll be well on our way to Queensland for some warm sun, rest and relaxation.

This photo was taken on Tuesday. We picked the last of the spinach, beans, salad capsicums and peas for the season as well as some fresh tomatoes, early spring onions and a couple of chilies. And of course, fresh herbs. Norm did a quick dash to the store for some fresh beef mince to create a kind of taco meal. Leftovers were great too.

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The heavy rains have finally gone and the April sunshine has arrived. Temperatures over the past week, after the wind eased, have been in the mid to high twenties. That’s Celsius. Saturday morning was a good day for enjoying the garden after just a little tidy up here and there. The corn has doubled in height in just a few weeks and the beans are finally flowering. Spring onions and leeks usually do well during Autumn so we planted seeds back in February and they seem to be thriving.

Our salad garden is still thriving with snack capsicums, tomatoes, lettuce and beetroot (out of photo). Spinach and silver-beet continue to grow all year although slow at times. We even have late season strawberries growing.

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Our herbs are doing great. Some struggled through Summer’s high humidity and a few didn’t make it. Fortunately, I was able to purchase some replacement seedlings which I planted last week – third row on the right side. These are growing well. A few also grew to big for pots and were transplanted into the back ‘wild’ garden. The Autumn weather has been promising so far with less humidity and a few overnight showers.

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The humidity and high temperatures have finally eased. Autumn has begun with good planting weather. Norm re-potted the Raspberry Bush that desperately needing a larger pot. It’s a little early but we needed to save it’s life.

Norm also put some of the skills he picked up at the gardening workshop we attended a few weeks ago.

While I planted corn seedlings next to the seeds I planted a few days ago.

Our garden has been a place where we can both enjoy.

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After a poor summer harvest and the heat killing off some normally thriving vegetables, we’re actually harvesting a few items such as Okra, capsicums, spinach and cherry tomatos. Strawberries have been lacking quantity and size but with cooling nights, some growth is making a difference.

It’s great to be back in the garden most mornings and in the cool of the evening but more rain is needed. This has been an extremely dry summer with showers a rarity of late.

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A few months ago, I think in July, I tried something new. I never thought it would actually grow.

In early October I planted it like this into a garden plot.

This is what it looks like now. I cut a few outer stalks that were bent and added it to a stir-fry for lunch.

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It’s been a while since I featured my herbs in ‘Down on the Farm’ and what better time to show them off than this beautiful season of Spring. Mind you, it rained for nearly 48 hours straight before I was able to take a suitable photo over the weekend. The rain is gone and the sun is shining again.

On Saturday I was given some beautiful lemon grass. I don’t have a big enough area to plant it straight into the ground so another potted herb it is. I love how they are growing, how fresh they taste, and how Norm is now using them in his outdoor cooking. There are some larger ones planted among the vegetables too which we’ll use more until the little ones grow. I use some of the bigger plants for making fresh teas too.

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The last crop of broad beans and our first salad-size capsicum.

Our first Elderberry Flower harvest. Norm made me a cup of tea with a few flowers and it was delicious.

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Spring has drawn us back into the garden earlier and earlier every day. Vegetable seedlings have sprouted. There are two types of cucumber, beetroot, new season spinach & lettuce, chili, capsicum, and okra just to name a few.

It looks like Norm will see and taste his first oranges from the farm this year as well. Snap peas, spring onions, leeks, and broad beans just keep producing day after day.

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Except for the apple and pear trees, buds and/or new growth is evident.

Strawberries and Blueberries. Can’t wait for the first harvest.

Seedlings sprouting.

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We enjoyed our own fresh-from-the-garden greens over the weekend. There were various varieties of spinach and lettuce. Plus snap peas that we picked as needed.

A few late winter crop surprises doing nicely. – Maybe in a few weeks they’ll be ready.

It’s great to have some of our home-grown vegetables again. The past few months have left us buying mostly from the grocery stores which are not as fresh nor do they have any flavour.

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After a few dark and gloomy wintery weeks, we finally braved a morning in the garden and it was good to feel the warmth of the sun. We harvested a variety of lettuce and spinach which hasn’t happened for over a month. Snap peas are looking promising for next week’s menu.

Norm pampered the fruit trees: Apple, pear, avocado, orange, and mango as well as the bay and elderberry trees. We repotted the blueberries and potted two raspberry shrubs – which I forgot to take photos of.

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A pleasant Kings Birthday long weekend found us mostly in the garden. Norm trimmed and prepared the fruit trees for the winter. They were quite late losing their leaves. We now have elderberry, bay, avocado, mango, apple, pear, and a dwarf orange tree – all growing well.

The winter vegetables are slow this year following a strange Autumn. Spinach and carrots are in steady supply with some all-year-round lettuce ready to harvest every weekend.

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With the change of cooler weather comes the removal of almost all that remains of the Summer/Autumn crops. We have spent a busy two days in the garden planting winter seeds and seedlings. This includes – all year lettuce mix, a mixed variety of spinach, broad beans, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, leeks and onions. There’s still plenty of okra flowers growing so I left that in. There’s a corn cob or two left and a few cucumbers on their vines. They’ll be pulled out soon to make room for what we hope will be a bumper crop this year.

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Tradies came to replace our back guttering.

All our potted herbs had to be temporarily relocated.

It was a good opportunity to re-pot or top up pots with fresh soil.

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Yesterday’s Pottering

….and the farm is thriving even though the nights are cooling.

My new work area is the perfect place to potter and plant Autumn and Winter crops from seeds and seedlings. Home grown vegetables and herbs all year round.

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Working on the farm can be a workout when I need to keep going to the other end of the farm to grab tools or trugs etc. Today I decided to tidy a messy corner and use it as my farm work place.

I’ll be able to plant seeds into pots. When the seedlings are big enough to handle the transplanting, I’ll be able to move them easily.

A place to keep the soil bin, trugs, buckets, and farm tools.

In easy reach of the worm farm and compost barrel.

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The spinach just keeps growing. Even with a daily harvest there’s plenty for everyone in the street and local friends.

Little yellow tomatoes are always plentiful. There’s often so many of them that they fall to the ground in bunches. The kitchen window is just perfect for ripening of any fallen crop.

Cucumbers just get bigger and bigger. The first cucumber of the season we needed to cut it into 3 and share with neighbours.

Herbs are always on hand for indoor and outdoor cooking.

Our second crop of lettuce love the hot days and late in the day watering. Rain over night is even better.

Our quarterly water bill was surprisingly acceptable with vegetable and herbs needing a spray when we have days without rain.

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After a chilly start to Summer the farm is looking green and healthy again. We have a variety of lettuce, small yellow tomatoes, two varieties of cucumber, spinach, blueberries, dwarf beans, capsicum, and the last of the spring onions. This summer I have planted chives, sage and thyme among the vegetables. The rest of the herbs are thriving in the outdoor kitchen area. (Not included here) and I have forgotten the two strawberry pots again that are still producing after three years. I’ll try and remember them for Down on the Farm #10.

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Our Avocado Tree has a small avo on it. I doubt it will be edible since the tree is maybe only 3 years old.

We planted a pear and apple tree today.

Top left is the Avocado tree. Top right is the Pear tree. Below is the Apple tree.

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Even after everyone in the avenue received a share in this morning’s harvest we still have more greens and herbs than we can eat. 🙂 Locals, beware you could be increasing your greens intake very soon. 🙂

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Herbs or Strawberries Anyone?

My garden makes me smile every day. Today I pruned the herbs and planted some basil seedlings. I can’t get enough basil but basil didn’t like the extra cold winter we had this year. I’m hoping to harvest basil again real soon. The strawberries are so nice and juicy this year. This is just one pot of two.

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Past and Present photos

Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I’m just thankful of what can happen in a just a few years. Spring is finally here albeit it’s been a bit wet but sunny days have been just that. It looks like we’ll be eating a lot of spinach, lettuce, spring onions, cucumber, broad beans, corn and yellow cherry tomatoes for the rest of the year. There’s garlic and brown onions shooting, the avocado tree, strawberries and blueberries are is bursting with flowers. The neighbours will love them too.

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From this wheelchair, I can’t see two of our three vegetable plots so I sent Norm out with the camera again. I think sometime in the future we will need to have a wider pathway along the front of the above ground plots. We’re not getting any younger and we’ll want to be able to have access to all the garden for years to come.

WOW What a surprise. There’s an abundance of crops out there. Way to much for us. The broad beans are covered in flowers and the corn is doing well too.

I sent Norm back to do a harvest of mostly snap peas, silver-beet, perennial spinach, butter-crunch lettuce, scarole Lettuce, little gem lettuce, red sails and the loose-leaf lettuce. Everything is yummy.

The avocado tree and two blueberry bushes are also in flower. This will be the first season both blueberry bushes to fruit at the same time. We have two pots of strawberries; one flowering. The other isn’t getting enough sun yet but it’s healthy. (neither shown in photos) As for the avocado – we’ll have to just wait and see. I think it’s just three years old and fruit usually appears on an avocado in five years.

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A little bit of sunshine brings life back to the garden plots, blueberry shrubs (potted between plots) and the avocado tree. The blueberry shrubs were covered with netting after these photos were taken. This week we have harvested carrots, spring onions, perennial spinach, snow peas, leeks and herbs (herbs not in photos) but just enough for ourselves. Once Spring is here, we’ll be feeding the neighbours again. 🙂

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Winter crops of carrots, spring onions, leeks, spinach and brown onions. Not much growing this year with lower temperatures overnight. We have also planted an avocado tree in a large pot. It will be interesting how it does. A pear tree is under consideration too. 🙂

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and a new blog category.

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This week we harvested snap peas, broad beans, spinach, spring onions and 4 types of lettuce: Butter-Head, Red-Leaf, Loose-Leaf and Little Gem.

Yesterday Norm experimented with pizzas on his new outdoor cooker/BBQ. However, our new friends and alfresco dinner guests were totally surprised by the taste. Norm has always been often called “Normando” the pizza man. I was able to make up a beautiful green salad with item mostly from the garden.

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Norm’s worm farm has produced enough fertilizer to keep the garden well fed since we first planted seeds and seedlings into polystyrene banana boxes early last year. Today, after a good flush out I was able to fertilize all the vegetables and herbs in the plots and pots. Norm’s worms are thriving and so is the garden.

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We transplanted the pot-bound vegetables into plot number one. (counting right to left. The brussel sprouts and extra broad beans will probably stay in the confines of the polystyrene boxes until they have finished for the season.

The morning sun has finally found the courtyard. Winter is almost over for 2020. I looked back up the newly paved path and drain with the morning sun behind me.

Many thanks to our son Ken for his expertise and honed skills with drainage and landscaping. Thanks also for being a wonderful and caring son. KMAS Property Maintenance & Landscaping

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Growing vegetables in pots and tubs is not so bad when they grow like this. To be able to move the pots around also helps to work out the best place to create the permanent vegetable garden come Spring. There’s a lot of shade in the back yard this time of year and we want to grow vegetables in all seasons.

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With ground this hard, herbs can stay in their balcony pots and everything else can grow where ever they can for now. I think we’ll invest in some large above ground vegetable boxes when the lock-down is over.

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