Because You Can Never Have Too Many Seeds

My seed order from Diggers arrived a couple of days ago, I wasn't going to buy any seeds this year as I have more than enough, but then I decided that I really wanted to grow some Lemon Drop tomatoes again this year and because paying $6.95 postage for one packet of seeds made for some expensive tomato seeds buying more seemed like the sensible thing to do.

Along with the Lemon Drop tomato seeds I also bought:

Crimson Flowered Broad Beans - As the name suggests these beans have a beautiful crimson flower and I've wanted these for the longest time, so I decided to just go ahead and buy them, they will make a lovely addition to next year's garden, there's no room for them in the garden now.

Painted Lady beans - Also known as seven year bean these beans have a white and salmon flower and will be given there own bed where they won't be disturbed.

Sunset Runner beans - Another bean I chose because of the flower which is a lovely salmon-pink.

Golden Podded Peas - Discovered at a market in India, I chose these because of the pod colour, but they also have a very pretty two toned flower of purple and pink so they will definitely add some colour to the winter garden next year.

Juane et Verte Squash - I'm trying to broaden the variety of vegetables I grow and after seeing some Yellow Button Squash in the local fruit and vegetable market I thought I would try growing them myself, but couldn't find them anywhere, so I bought this variety instead, I found seed for the yellow squash in the Reject Shop two days after I made my order. Oh, well.

Golden Zucchini - I grow green zucchini in my summer garden most years, but this year I want  to add some more colour to the veggie beds and I think these will do the trick.

As for those Lemon Drop tomatoes, if you haven't tried them I suggest you give them a go as they add a lovely lemony tartness to salads. I think they just might be my favourite tomato.

Until next time, Jan.

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October, Where Did You Go?

Well, that was the shortest month ever! I know this year is flying by, but October seemed to be over in the blink of an eye.
It's been a while since I did a garden update and it's time I rectified that. October, and September for that matter have been strange month's weather wise, very wet, cold and windy, but despite the unseasonable weather the plants in the veggie garden have been doing their own thing and apart from the garlic I'm really pleased with the harvests I have been getting.

The asparagus this year were a little less prolific than normal, but nonetheless delicious.

The peas on the other hand went a little crazy due I think to all the rain we've had.

Of the four different types of podding peas I grew this year my favourite was the Telephone peas, the Purple podded were also very nice so these are the two that I will be growing next year.

I trialled growing potatoes in pots this year and while it wasn't an outstanding success it wasn't a complete failure either.

On the plus side, they were the most delicious potatoes I've ever eaten, so creamy and I will be growing them again next winter.

A mix of Kestrel, Red Delight, Dutch Cream and Kipfler.

I grew Broad Beans for the first time this year, they are covered in flowers which the bees love and they have been visiting every afternoon.

 It looks like they have done a good job of pollination as there are a lot of beans developing.

While the plants have been busy growing I've been busy in the greenhouse sowing seeds for spring/summer.

So far I've sown seeds for pumpkins, zucchinis, cucumber, rockmelon and watermelon. The pumpkins and zucchini were planted out in the garden yesterday and the cucumbers have been planted in a large pot down near the house where they will have a bit more protection from the summer sun, the watermelon and rockmelon still having some growing to do before they are planted out.

Seeds for tomatoes (seven different varieties), capsicum (three varieties), and eggplant (two varieties), have been sown, but they haven't all been successful. Only three of the seven tomatoes germinated, one of the eggplant and none of the capsicum. I have re-sown four seeds each of the ones that didn't germinate in the hopes that I will get at least one of each.

Bean seeds (Borlotti, Brown Beauty, Tender Delight, and Butter Bean) were direct sown into the soil and while they all germinated the earwigs have had a field day with them and not all have survived, those that have are growing well, but I have sown more in pots in the greenhouse and will plant them out when they are big enough. Leeks, shallots, sage and Thai basil are all slowly emerging too.

So there you go, October in the garden, despite the weather it was an especially busy time and I am looking forward to reaping the rewards of all my hard work in the coming weeks. What's been happening in your garden?

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What's My Gardening Philosophy?

Welcome to this months Garden Share Collective, hosted by Kate from Rosehips and Rhubarb and Krystie from A Fresh Legacy. This months theme is PHILOSOPHY.

My gardening philosophy is to keep things as simple and easy as possible by cutting down on the amount of work that I need to do in the garden, and only growing the vegetables that my family and I enjoy eating.

Growing vegetables can be hard work if you let it be, so here are a few things that I have found that have made it a little easier for me. 

Install a watering system - Watering (especially in summer) takes up a lot of a gardener's time, and I don't know anyone who enjoys standing out in the summer heat watering the gardens to keep plants alive, installing a water system not only cuts down on the amount of time you need to spend in the garden, it also cuts down on water wastage.

Mulch, Mulch, Mulch - I cannot stress enough how important mulch is in the vegetable garden or any garden for that matter. It helps keep the soil cool, which creates a good environment for earthworms who in turn help break down the mulch which enriches the garden's soil. It helps to keep the  soil moist, which means less time spent watering, and it suppresses weed growth which is always a good thing. *Gardening Australia's Peter Cundall does advise against mulching onions as they need the warmth of the sun to swell and ripen. 

Invest in insect netting - If you don't like the idea of using pesticides in the veggie garden then you may want to buy yourself some of this, it will not only stop the White Cabbage butterfly laying her eggs on your brassica plants, but it will also prevent a myriad other insects devouring your vegetables. Old net curtains bought from your local op shop will work too, as long as it has a very fine weave.

Only grow what you like to eat - Those glossy purple eggplants might look delicious hanging on the plant, but if no-one eats them, they will only go to waste, the same goes for trying to grow veggies that aren't suited to your local growing conditions, so save yourself the time, money and stress, find out what your family likes and dislikes and do some research on your growing area before you plant anything. 

So, that's my gardening philosophy, I guess it's nothing new, but it works for me, and I hope you find some of it helpful.

Harvesting

Lots of peas, Oregon and Melting Mammoth snowpeas, Purple Podded, Telephone, Early Crop Massey, Blue Bantam and Sugar Snap peas. 

Oregon snowpeas.

Purple Podded peas.

Early Crop Massey and Blue Bantam peas

Harvesting them has been made considerably harder by an unexpected guest.

Mother Blackbird sitting on the nest she made amongst the Telephone pea vines.

And the eggs she is sitting on.

I harvested the last of the cauliflowers which was small but perfect.

Also in the picture is the last of the asparagus. They did not do as well this year as in previous years and I only picked enough for a couple of meals, it could have had something to do with all the rain we've had over the last few months, but I'm not really sure.

My only other harvest for this month wasn't edible, but it did make me very happy.

Sweet peas, so beautiful and their fragrance (especially the white ones) is divine.

 I had forgotten how much pleasure growing your own flowers can bring and I will be making sure that these won't be the last for the year.

Sowing

The last lot of seeds I sowed was in early August and not one seed germinated, I blame it on the seed raising mix I used, it was a lesser known brand and it dried out very quickly. I have since bought a better quality seed raising mix and on Tuesday I sowed not only this month's seeds, but last months as well. I won't bore you with the names of all of them, there was a lot, I just hope that they germinate this time. I also direct sowed five varieties of bean seed.

Things to do

Lots of waiting happening at the moment. Waiting for seeds to germinate, waiting for the seed pods to form on the broccoli plants, waiting for eggs to hatch and baby birds to fledge, and waiting for peas to finish their growing season, so there isn't a lot I can do in the garden at the moment. As soon as all that happens, I will be able to sow the corn, the pumpkins and the salad greens. I am growing tomatoes, capsicums, chillies in pots again this year, hopefully next year I will be able to start growing them back in the garden again, and as I've never had any luck growing cucumbers in the garden I will be growing them in pots as well. I need to get the chick peas in soon as they need quite a long growing season, hopefully that will happen this weekend.

That's it for this month's Garden Share Collective, If you'd like to know the gardening philosophy of other GSC members drop by Krystie or Kate's blog. See you next month.

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Pea Update

The peas are coming on nicely now and over the next two weeks I am expecting a glut of Purple Podded peas,  

but for now I have to content myself with snow peas.

These are Oregon snow peas and after giving them another chance this year I have decided that they're just not for me. They aren't as sweet as Mammoth Melting, the peas develop very quickly and if you're not quick to pick them, you end up with podded peas instead of snow peas.

The Blue Bantam and Early Crop Massey (both podded peas) are doing OK, not producing massive amounts, but enough.

A combination of Blue Bantam and Early Crop Massey.

The Telephone pea vines are covered in flowers and pea pods and should  give a reasonable harvest and I'm hoping the Sugar snaps will too.

My favourite pea by far this year is not even of the edible variety, but their fragrance, and their lovely colours more than make up for it.

I didn't know that sweet peas came in white I will definitely be saving seeds for next year.

My biggest mistake, and one I won't be repeating next year, was planting the rows of peas too close together. They are now all tangled together and trying to separate them is a pain.

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Two Weeks In The Garden

I seemed to lose my blogging mojo last week, so this week you get two weeks of gardening in one post.

Tuesday August 16th

I harvested three cauliflowers and five heads of broccoli today. I let two of the cauliflower go too long waiting for them to get bigger and then I remembered that they are actually mini cauliflowers, I won't be making that mistake again.

There are now flowers on both plum trees. They always flower a couple of weeks apart, a fact that I seem to forget every year.

Wednesday August 17th

Lots of seed sowing today,  Rosa Bianca and Snowy eggplant, Hungarian Yellow Wax and Californian Wonder Bell capsicum, Honeybee, San Marzano and Rouge De Marmande tomatoes, Lyon Prizetaker leek, bunching shallots (my first time growing both of these), coriander, thyme and another sowing of spinach. 

I also sowed marigolds, zinnias, bergamot, two types of sunflower, alyssum and a bee and butterfly mix.

Thursday August 18th

Sunny and blustery today. It's the same every year, as soon as the fruit trees blossom it gets windy, hopefully there will still be some flowers left on the trees. My seed order arrived today.

Some new varieties to try out.

Saturday August 20th

I harvested three more cauliflowers and four more heads of broccoli today as well as a few side shoots and the first of the Early Crop Massey peas.

 I won't bother with mini cauliflowers again, they take up just as much room as a normal one, but you need three of them to get the same amount of cauliflower. I think both the cauliflower and the broccoli will be finished next week and it will be time to sow the chickpea and bean seeds.

Sunday August 21st

After three applications of the milk/water solution the eggplant is looking much healthier with no signs of powdery mildew at all.

Monday August 22nd

I bought six crowns of Torrey strawberries at Aldi today, I've never heard of them, but according to the packet they are easy to grow, produce an abundance of tasty, large to medium sized fruits. I hope they do.

Thursday August 25th

I spent some time in the garden today as it was too nice of a day to stay indoors. I potted on the two Rouge De Marmande tomato seedlings that I overwintered in the greenhouse, they were looking a bit worse for wear, but hopefully they will pick up now they have more room to grow.  Planted out some more Calendula seedlings and some carnations grown from cuttings taken from a bunch I bought at Aldi. The two borage seedlings I planted last week are not looking too good and I don't hold out much hope for their survival, time to sow some more seed I think. I also sowed some seed of Golden and Red Globe beetroot.

Golden on the right and Red Globe on the right.

So there you go, two weeks in the garden and although there is a lot happening there is also a lot of waiting happening too. All the pea vines are flowering, and I'm waiting for the pods to develop, the garlic is growing well, but I have to wait until at least November to harvest it, and I'm also waiting for seeds to turn into seedlings so they can be planted out into the spring garden.

There may not be a post about the garden next week with all the waiting going, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see. There will be another post on Monday though for this month's Garden Share Collective, the theme this month appropriately is seeds. I hope to see you then.

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A Week In The Garden

There hasn't been a lot to do in the garden of late, this time of the year the garden pretty much looks after itself, providing of course there is enough rain and this winter there has been plenty.

I started a garden journal a few months ago to help me keep track of what happens in the garden, what chores need to be done, when I fertilised, pruning etc. It has taken me a while to find what works best for me and that is just making daily notes, even if it's just to note the temperature and how much it rained that day. It will be good to have a record to look back on next year. 

This post is a bit of a catch up post as I didn't do one last week. It isn't a day by day as I don't want to bore you with the weather report for every day over the last two weeks.

July 21st

I fertilised the broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, kale and garlic. The first peas appeared on the Dwarf Blue Bantam.

July 23rd

The lettuce and pak choi seeds have sprouted.

July 24th

 The first pea pods have developed on the Early Crop Massey.

July 27th

I spotted the first flowers on the Purple Podded peas, only two flowers, but lots of buds. The flowers are lovely. 

July 30th

The Nantes carrot seeds sprouted today.

July 31st

The Chantenay carrot seeds and broad bean seeds have sprouted,  I am especially excited about the broad beans as this is my first time growing them.

I was extremely happy to find today that the cauliflowers have formed heads, some are further along than others which is fine because I really don't need 13 cauliflower all being ready at the same time.

 A caterpillar has grown fat munching on the leaves of one of the cauliflowers, there is only one so I'm not going to worry about it.

I found six caterpillars of the White Cabbage butterfly today, most of which were on one tiny Curly Kale plant. I can't believe that it is the end of July and I am still finding these little buggers on my brassicas. Next year I think I will leave the nets on as they have done quite a lot of damage to my plants this winter.

And that brings us to the end of July, can you believe how quickly this year is flying by. I've only just begun to really enjoy winter and it will be over in just a few weeks.

What's been happening in your garden this week?

I will be back next Monday with another garden update, see you then.

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Seasonal

Welcome to this month's Garden Share Collective, hosted by Kyrstie from A Fresh Legacy and Kate from Rosehips and Rhubarb, the theme this month is SEASONAL.

Seasons, they come and they go, and with each seasonal change the produce that we grow changes too.

My huge crop of oranges this year. 

Most fruit and vegetables have distinct growing seasons, peas grow best in the cooler weather that winter brings, while others like tomatoes and eggplants like it hot and grow best in summer. There are some vegetables that will grow in more than one season like cabbage,broccoli, spinach, silverbeet, beetroot and coriander but even they will do better grown in the right season.

Early Crop Massey

If you don't grow your own, knowing what fruits and vegetables are in season can help when you buy your produce. Sure, you can buy apples in December, but do you really want to buy fruit that's been depleted of all its goodness while it sat in storage, or would you rather buy something you know is fresh, that will taste better and be better for you, and in season fruit and vegetables should be cheaper. 

Seasonal growing can differ depending on where you live, what one person can grow in summer in say New South Wales I might have trouble growing here in South Australia, an example of that would be potatoes. I grow mine in the winter, because our summers are just too hot, a lesson I learnt the hard way. Coriander is another that I grow in winter as it is less likely to bolt to seed.

Broccoli in the background and cauliflowers in front.

Below is a list what is growing in the garden at the moment.
Peas
Garlic
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Kale
Turnip
Wombok cabbage
Lettuce
Spinach
Silverbeet 

And this is what I will be growing during the hotter months ahead, your list might look a little different. 

Asparagus

Basil

Beans

Beetroot

Broccoli

Capsicum

Carrot

Celery

Cucumber

Eggplant

Leeks

Lettuce

Pumpkin

Sweet corn

Tomatoes

Zucchini

For a month by month planting guide try Gardenate. It is easy to use and you can even have planting reminders sent to you via email every month.

The garlic is enjoying all the rain we have been having and is growing well. The plants on the left where the replacement that were planted last month.

For more information on what fruits and vegetables are in season in your state, click on the link below, it will take you to the Seasonal Food Guide Australia, then simply click on your state capital to see what's in season when. There is also a link that will show you where Farmers Markets are located in your state.
Seasonal Food Guide Australia

Harvest

Much the same as last month, but at least the parsley in the insect garden is now big enough to start picking.

Italian parsley ready for picking.

Planting

Broad beans - 26 seeds of Early Long Pod 

Turnips

Carrots - Chantenay - Top Weight - Nantes

Spinach - English Medania

Pak choi - Kwang Moon

Lettuce - Red and green salad

Things to do 

Not a lot really, by the middle of next month I should be able to start  sowing seeds for summer crops, before that though I might plant another crop of broccoli. 

That's it for another month of Garden Share Collective, thanks for stopping by. If you would like to see what other gardeners have been up to this month, pop over to either Kyrstie's or Kate's blog. I will see you next month for another round of Garden Share Collective.

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A Week In The Garden

I had the week off work last week, it was so nice to be able to stay home and potter in the garden instead of having to rush to get everything done. I thought I would document it so that I can look back to see what was happening in the garden and what the weather for the week was like.

Tuesday July 12th 

Sunshine, rain, hail and very strong winds, the only thing missing was snow. Two trees in my street, one an olive, and the other a jacaranda, lost a big branch each. On a quick trip to the greenhouse I noticed one of the cauliflowers was lying on it side, I will have to remember to fix it tomorrow if the weather improves.

Wednesday July 13th 

Another strange day weather wise, overcast, then sunny with intermittent showers thrown in for good measure. I still managed to spend some time in the garden, cutting the spent flowers from the Lion's Ear, tying up the larkspur that was lying on the ground where you couldn't see the flower stem properly. 

I noticed that the earwigs have had a lovely feast on the turnips and my only wombok cabbage, so I raked the pea straw off the bed so they wouldn't have anywhere to hide. I'm hoping that they will recover, but only time will tell.

 I finally remembered to move the coriander seedling that had come up (from the seed that was sown six months ago) between two rows of peas over to the carrot bed.

I also managed to get one and a half beds weeded before the rain returned.

Thursday July 14th 

No rain today, instead just periods of sunshine followed by grey skies. I added more soil to the potato pots, I'm really pleased with how they're coming along.

Four pots of Red Delight on left and four pots of Kestrel on right.

The three pots on the left are Kipfler, it's good to see them starting to put on some growth.

I had to give some of the peas a helping hand as I think some of them must have missed the memo about what their tendrils are actually for.

Dwarf Blue Bantam and Early Crop Massey.

Friday July 15th 

It has been an absolutely beautiful day today. The sun was shining, the skies were blue and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. It was the kind of day that is just too good to stay inside and it was a joy to be able spend some time in the garden.

The first thing I decided to do when I got down to the greenhouse was to put the seedlings outside so they could get some sun, as I lifted the first tray the weight of all the seedling pots was too much and the tray broke and the poor seedlings ended up on the ground. Luckily I was able to save most of them. The calendulas, which were more out of their pots than in  planted out in the insect garden, hopefully they won't mind the cold too much. The only ones that I'm worried about are the snapdragons. They are still so tiny, I'm not sure if they will recover.

I managed to finally take care of a job that has been on my to do list for far too long, but I kept putting it off because I just couldn't be bothered, but I'm so sick of the blackbirds kicking the soil and straw out of the asparagus bed I decided to just get it done. It took less than half an hour and now the asparagus bed finally has edging!

Asparagus bed before

Asparagus bed after

I sowed 26 broad beans, being a first for me I was unaware that they should have been sown last month, I'm hoping that I haven't left it too late.

"Early Long Pod" broad beans

The variety I wanted to plant was the "Crimsoned Flower" type, but I could not find them so I settled for Early Longpod. According to the packet they should be ready to harvest by October 21st. 

Finally time for a cuppa and to just enjoy the garden for a little while.

Saturday July 16th

Another beautiful day today. It took a few hours, but all the vegetable beds are now weed free, at least for a little while. I found a baby eggplant on the plant I am overwintering in the greenhouse, totally unexpected, but a very nice surprise.

Sunday July 17th

Another nice day, although not quite as warm as yesterday. With nothing left to do in the vegetable garden I decided to sow some seeds, Red and green lettuce, Mendania spinach, carrots Nantes, Top Weight and Chantenay, (I had sown some in the garden a few weeks ago, but they came to nothing, I'm hoping I have better luck this time), also some Kwang Moon pak choi.

I transplanted some of the flower seedlingss,  Poached Egg, the larger poppies, and the wallflower into bigger pots and fertilised the potatoes, the rocket and radicchio have sprouted

Six of the broccoli plants have developed heads, I don't now how I missed seeing them when I was weeding yesterday. 

I'm hoping to be able to do a similar post next month to keep track of how things went, so check back then.

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