We are slowly creeping out of Winter here…not that it’s been a hard one, I guess you are getting that though? Winter in Sydney is hardly bitter…
Winter sport for this little family is pretty full on, sometimes, like yesterday it gets to Sunday arvo and the lovely Mr BC and I are shattered. Thank goodness for Forty Garlic Chicken thrown in the crockpot with a little bit of hope.
I had only one wish of my own for the weekend just past and that was to get a few more things planted…I have been continuing on my journey with the veggie patch…it’s slowly growing…not just upwards…it’s spreading and getting bigger…and yesterday we had our first home-grown radishes in our salad…oh yeah, baby that feels good ;-)
I love stuffing things in the same pots…herbs with sweet peas, oh yeah
and lavender in amongst it all…
I planted a whole lot of bulbs a few months ago…some of them I did upside down and I realised after they had gone in…I was mucho disappointed about this…it took me quite a bit of time, of which I don’t have a lot…it turns out that the little beauties somehow turn themselves the right way, correcting your mistake and I now have heaps of them nearly in bloom….isn’t nature amazing?
I have been reckless with mint…I am sure I will probably regret it if it starts to over-run everywhere…but I love it…so fragrant
There is something very gratifying about getting ones hands in the soil, being out in the fresh air and digging around…especially when you know that the toils of your labour will make your life easier in the long run…one of the sticking points with feeding my family is often having fresh salad and veggies …this solves that oh-my-goodness-we-have-pasta-again-and-where’s-the-salad? conundrum beautifully….
It’s hard to believe that from nothing more than a tiny packet and a few seeds, a bit of time pottering with the earth, some sun and water, comes the answer to my failed-greengrocery shopping habits :-)
tomatoes went in this weekend…when I went to the fruit/veg market last week I saw that tomato plants were in…thinking it’s perhaps a tad too early still? but they were only a couple of dollars each so I bought two and chucked ‘em in…next lot in a few weeks time
I went out there this morning in my dressing gown to check if they survived the cold overnight…they seem ok
kale is doing well…
One of the mistakes I have made is not marking anything…just randomly planting out, not so tricky with plants, but with seeds I have rows and rows of some things that I’m not quite sure what they are…obviously it doesn’t take too much deduction but markers are the way to go…I think half the problem with this is that I don’t like those plastic things stuck in among all my lovely stuff…
by it’s very nature, to me, gardening, especially veggie gardening means keeping things au natrel… I mean who wants those plastic things in there?…I must get myself some sticks to write on …
the clay ones I got in various garden centres, plus Bunnings stocks them too…
Quite a few things have gone to seed now…ready for the next lot
I think that getting this veggie patch going has been another piece slotted in the emigration/new life puzzle for me…until we bought this old cottage, although I have never ever looked back moving to this beautiful country, I found I was a bit lost…until we bought this place truthfully I wasn’t settled…
and I think too the same with the garden…garden says family, home and safe to me…and that is slowly happening out here amongst the salads ;-)
late lunch…salad greens, love rocket and feta cheese…no that is not alcoholic gardening…it’s elderflower cordial ;-)
I love the zing of feta cheese salad, I eat this a lot in the week at home…most of the time though I add lentils to it too…I buy those little jars of feta in olive oil and just keep it in the fridge..makes for a quick and healthy lunch in my book…
Anyhoo that’s it from me lovelies…guess what? I am going out to do the garden ;-)
oh and please leave me any gardening tips, I need ‘em
Look after yourselves
I’m so going to count on you furnishing me with lots of colour this winter (your summer) can’t wait to see how the garden turns-out. My two best gardening tips are; coffee grounds mixed into the soil (I get loads for free at my local coffee shop) and to intermingle fruit, veg and flowers as much as possible-both pretty and keeps the bad bugs away.
thanks…
I didn’t know about coffee grounds, I will definitely try that….I have been pouring tea and tea leaves on there…just though it felt like the right thing to do ;-)
I am intermingling just because I liked the look of it I didn’t know it kept bugs away
xo
Hello Sarah
My you have been busy!
They say “you reap what you sow” and there you have it – look at your hard work – beautiful!
I am wondering – how do you keep your pests at bay? What do you use?
I am in envy of that garden and the richness of the soil – I am totally a get your hands dirty kind of gal! (originally coming from the country), working in the garden has an enormity of rewards – not just for the table and plates either.
It is such a therapeutic practice for ones sole. I unfortunately have very limited room in my current home for garden (however a pool is a benefit and has it’s perks over a garden in the summer).
My tip…. hmmm… Water is usually a good one and my grandfather weeded constantly and tilled the soil regularly too.
He preferred chicken manure or cows manure and never used horse manure.
anyway happy days Miss Green thumb – (I’d buy those radish’s off you if I could – just those cut in half and a salt shaker please).
best wishes
x
Loulou
(PS I did a post you may like on a recipe I tried of cracker bread – it was fabbo and delicious)
G’day!
I don’t use anything so far…and so far I haven’t had bugs…looks like it might be b/c I have flowers with herbs etc..
I will try the chicken manure..
oh and the radish were to die for!
x
Beautiful photographs Sarah, someone should be snapping you up to photograph for an Australian magazine, you are brilliant.
thanks Ann, I love taking photos!
Sarah your veggie patch is bringing you so much joy How fabulous your summer salads will be
You should make yourself some ‘BC clay tag’ markers for the plants – make the star/circle/loveheart shape as before, but before you cut it out, add a triangle shape spear bit at the end to poke in the soil. Can’t be that hard? Then you can write what it is on the top taggy bit!
lg xxx
hmmm, would they like the rain though?
you’re so crafty ;-)
x
didn’t think of that! Perhaps you could finish them in something to stop them turning to mush????
yeah like glaze
Varnish them Sarah. I was thinking the same thing about the clay tags ;)
Sarah how bout trying a bit of moon calender gardening?
Sounds a bit hippyish I know, but when we lived on a farm and had a more sizeable vege patch I gave it a go and I have to say I think there’s something in it- perhaps you could do a trial run 1/2 a punnet/packet by the moon and the other half whenever and see what results you get – I noticed that moon planting got things growing super quick – a fun experiment at the very least
good therapy gardening isnt it !
thanks Melinda, I have never even heard of it!!!
sounds right up my alley!
i am so googling it xo
apparently that works for your hair too. If you cut it on acertain day it will either grow faster or not grow.
really!
does it work for witches tho?? ;-)
Great photos Sarah! You’re making me want to grow radishes – never grown those before! :)
I know what you mean about the mint – I planted chocolate mint in my front garden bed this spring and it has completely taken over. I am finding it in my grass, yards away from where it is planted. But I do love the way it smells and it has these beautiful, delicate, purple flowers so I am ok with it. Lately, intead of my usual flowers I’ve been cutting a few sprigs of mint, lavender. and rosemary and putting them in all my vases and jam jars. I love the earthy look and it makes the house smell amazing!
Alima, I haven’t bought chocolate mint….wondering what that is like?
I will get some anyway…
x
Chocolate mint is divine…you should try it :)
I love the chocolate mint. I have regular mint too, but the chocolate mint smells amazing and seems more hearty. It’s also a rich, dark green (darker than regular) and like I said before….has those pretty, delicate flowers.
Let me know how you like it!
I totally get what you mean about feeling more settled somewhere when you have a garden to tend to. I’m a bit of an impatient gardener so have been a bit lazy and skipped the seeds part and planted small specimens of what I want to grow. I’m afraid that I don’t have any tips, however, I have noticed that a few things were not growing as well as others and when I moved them from the garden bed to terracotta pots they thrived.
As usual I just love your photography.
Have a great week.
x
Your garden sounds great Sarah, we moved from a huge garden to a small one and this will be quite a challenge….I think you have to grow upwards instead of out (something to get my head around I think) We had a bad year last year so I can appreciate the feeling of not being settled and like home isn’t home. We had moved to a new home a pretty pink cottage by the river but a series of events happened and I felt I couldn’t throw my heart into the house. I have just got into the blogging and this has changed my life….a reason to belong. I have just started sorting the garden and it becomes part of your soul, like a painting from within….my morning starts with a cuppa and quick look round the garden. I am using old weathered wood and driftwood for my herb labels to give that natural look…I will shape them to drive them into the ground and leave the driftwood effect above. OOOOh I now have that feeling of wanting to garden potter this morning….oh well the ironing will just have to wait now!
Thanks Sarah for setting up my day ahead. Have a great day
DebbieX
It’s so satisfying to see the fruits of one’s labour and it this case also so delicious. Congratulations and many more successes. I guess your thumbs are turning green to match your wellies :-).
Morning Sarah-I too felt like you when moving this way… It’s just lovely to settle in somewhere & create things like a vege garden for your family.
Two things I’ve learnt is mint is best in pots as it really does grow everywhere-gorgeous to smell but takes over everything & garlic & a hot water spray mix kills alot of bugs!!
Love your pickies as always!
Melissa x
Lovely photo’s as always Sarah!
No gardening tips per se, but have you thought of using popsicle sticks for your labelling? Cheap and cheerful enough to replace when they get too weathered unless you want to go the lime wash & glaze way. Obtainable from all good craft stores. And Spotlight ;-)
I would so love to have a veggie patch and need all the help I can get!! For starters we have sand here in WA so would need a truck load of compost and manure to work into the ground and I wouldn’t even know where to start with what to grow, when. We did try a few herbs and tomatoes earlier this year but for some reason unknown to me they didn’t do all that well….could be my black thumb ;)
Looking at your photos Sarah makes me want to don the Wellies and just do it!! Lots of inspiration here :)
x
Wow, beautiful photos! Thanks… Mariana
When I was a kid my part of the garden planting was to find a foot long twig and then to pierce the empty seed packet with two holes thru which I threaded the stick and stuck it in the ground — viola, organic signage.
Love the blog, Sarah.
Beautiful plants and those radishes….WOW!!!! My Dad uses manure on his garden and seems to work quite well. He always has alot of great looking veggies. Green beans, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins,and peas this year. It’s the first year without my Mom helping him and we weren’t sure if he would have a garden or not. It has been great therapy for him since she passed away. Thank you for the lovely pics as always. You always make my day Miss Sarah!!!
Wow – great pics Sarah!!! I have an idea for your garden markers – check out this site.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Silverware-Plant-Markers/
There are several people that sell these – but you could totally rock some awesome vintage silverware plant markers in your own style. :D I make these to take to plant swaps every spring and fall – my “friends of the dirt” fight over them.
I have always wanted to try radishes…seeing your lovely pics…I might have to give them a try for fall gardening coming up soon.
Hi Sarah
I think there is a “gardening by the moon” chart every month in the Gardening Australia magazine. Here are some interesting Gardening Australia website links.
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/features/vegiepatch.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/vegieguide/
Generally we don’t have any pests in our garden but I recently trialled “beer traps” to stop snails and slugs eating my beautiful strawberries. Half fill an empty jar with beer and lie it on its side on the soil near the plants so the beer just reaches the jar edge. Snails and slugs crawl in for a drink and never make it back out. “Beer traps” are amazing…but a bit gruesome!
I recently bought a bunch of shallots, cut the green bits off to use in cooking and planted the white ends with the roots. Voila…your own green shallots in no time!!
I used to get frustrated that I didn’t have more home grown fruit and vegies but I did a really simple thing. I just put all my herbs together on a thrifted wire shelving unit on my balcony and now I have a mini garden that I use regularly for my cooking. Thanks to your motivational affect Sarah, I made this “garden” with what I already had.
alison
My garden tip is something I think you already do.
Look. Listen. Smell. Taste. Feel. Enjoy.
Oh, and use plenty of manure.
:-)
Oh my! Love your garden Sarah. Ive been growing cilantro, mint, curry leaves, and a couple of other herbs on my windowsill and at present I am all hot for growing cherry tomatoes. Here, this is the perfect season for tomatoes- full sunlight, not too hot, not too cold either, a bit of rain and shade. Still, lets see how they turn out.
Sarah your garden looks fantastic. Such a beautiful bounty. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to live from the lands and green growing things.