Native to South America .. nasturtium. Pic taken in the sun yesterday.

The good thing about gardening is that between breaks in the rain you can don a jacket and nip outdoors. And believe me that is exactly what happened last weekend.

Saturday weather wise wasn’t too bad. After hoisting a few unlucky weeds from the beds and a quick appraisal of shrubs that are due for a haircut, it was time for some fertilising. Time to get a tad smelly and throw some of my homemade seaweed and fish brew over those brassicas, peas and the new inhabitants of RB3 and of course myself.

Not all my time is spent in my vege garden mind you, nor grumbling about the weather. So later in the morning while staring at my rose bushes and wondering why on earth anyone would consider planting them in Auckland, leaf movement made me stoop for a closer look. A pair of Praying Mantis doing their bit for the continuation of their species. I just about burned the soles off my gumboots whizzing indoors for the camera.

Mr and Mrs Praying Mantis .. although only for a short time!

I don’t know if you are familiar with this wonderful green insect or its praying like stance which it adopts while waiting patiently for the next next fly, moth or cricket. So camera in hand I took some amazing snaps of the pair. Size wise she is huge while he is puny .. I felt rather sorry for him knowing that the mating ritual will often end in him becoming her next meal. I didn’t wait to find out!

Sunday was bleak, grey and cool with intermittent showers. Rain jacket weather again, but at least we did manage to get our garlic bed ready for planting next weekend.

I have tried to adopt the method of ‘no dig’ gardening where possible as I believe it is incredibly beneficial to your garden and its inhabitants.  However, while the soil here was rich and organic some of the bed was compacted and needed aeration. So out came our broad fork (I must take a pic for those that haven’t seen one). Next up lots of seaweed from our local beach and loads of well rotted horse pooh were strewn over the bed …  more on this next weekend.

Interestingly enough – Sunday night we had a serious storm.  At the time it seemed like we were participants in some crazy movie with the wind howling, rain falling in sheets and the house heaving in the gusts of wind. Lying in bed I couldn’t help but wonder what on earth my vege garden was going to resemble in the morning or whether my cloches were going survive the storm or end up as useless fabric dangling from neighbour’s fences.

Muriwai Monday afternoon .. bleak and rugged

Monday morning after donning the rain jacket and feeding the very hungry chooks, I made my way dubiously to my vege garden hauling the wet plastic about me. I could see before I got there that one of the cloches had blown back which could only mean some sort of disaster. Sure enough I peered into the bed to see that my wonderful brassicas had been flattened. One of the good things about gardening on your own is that only you can hear yourself swear … the other good thing is that some TLC and mounding of the soil around the bases of those brassicas, saw them standing tall again. Good!

Tuesday … sparkling blue skies, not a cloud puff to be seen, just the perfect day to take some pics. Yay. So guess who was out with a camera?

Covered in dirt and hiding in the greenery. I wonder what it is?

Wednesday? Pouring ….

Look what I found in my garden … summer crops taken a few weeks back!

Happy gardening … more next week