Wet, cloudy, windy … perfect spring weather! I knew I should have escaped the office on Friday and got out into the garden when the sun was shining. Damn! But that’s just the way it goes. I have loads to do in my garden and orchard too, so some nice weather would have been a help. Needless to say, I’m not known for my patience.
There are loads of blossoms out now (ok on a couple of plums and a Paragon peach) and the almond tree is looking just spectacular, don’t you think?
Harvest
We are huge fans of oven baked salmon which we enjoyed last night yet again. It is baked with grated ginger, sesame oil, soy and mirin. Just delish! To accompany this, a salad of finely sliced spring onion, Thai mint and carrot straight from the garden, plus cabbage, tomato, paw paw and a couple of our own eggs – hard boiled of course. This salad is divine drizzled with a dressing of sesame oil, our own olive oil, lemon juice and fish sauce. Ah perfect! Oh and I can’t forget the home-grown dried habanero chill – which I rehydrated, sliced and threw into a small bowl of soy sauce (just wish I hadn’t rubbed my eye while prepping …. )
Juicing – yes, I’m still hauling curly kale out of my garden – hence that bed is yet to be cleared of veg. I wish I was more organised. Plus I’ve also been juicing our yacon tubers which add sweetness without the calories.
Things to do
I still need to haul out a couple of beds which I had earmarked for cover crops. Needless to say, I don’t think the green manure crops will grow in time so I might just leave the greenery in these beds until the summer plantings are ready to go in. Think mid – late October. I hate leaving the soil bare so this sounds like a plan.
Some of those olive trees were lucky and escaped the hair cut (not to say I can’t snip off the odd branch when I’m on the vicinity mind you) and I’m STILL behind in giving those apples and pears a mini (small, think minute Andrew) prune.
We need to mulch the orchard, fertilise those trees, convince them it’s spring so they should get cracking. I would love to ply them with lime to sweeten the soil, but I know this won’t happen, there is just too much on.
The veg garden is due for more fertiliser, whether it is my homemade seaweed brew (the smelly stuff) or a nitrogen tea of sheep and chook poo which the garden just loves (I love a cuppa but I would seriously pass on this one).
What’s happening
Pepper and eggplant seedlings …
Zinnia .. skyward bound!
Those seedlings are doing just fine. And so they should be given they have been relocated to our kitchen! So much for our greenhouse. It faces west, sits amongst trees and only the roof and sides allow the light in! Guess we didn’t know what we were doing when we had it erected.
The garlic is growing as you would expect given it has been in the soil now for 3 months. The Egyptian walking and red onions are looking good, as is all the self seeded stuff that suddenly appears and smothers the residents. Garlic especially loathe being crowded so sadly a few calendulas had to get hauled out.
We don’t have any lambs of our own … shame, but a neighbour is feeding a Polwarth lamb, so I have popped in a couple of pics of this lovely little girl. Sweet isn’t she?
I thought this pic of fungus growing very happily on a dying lemonwood pittosporum was worth including, how good are the colours?
I’m sure next Garden Share Collective month that there will be lots more happening to report about. As always thanks for this great initiative Lizzie and for all those that do … Happy gardening!
PS Colin is doing just fine thanks! His dastardly ways have not improved! Let’s blame it on spring