Oh wow, in a blink January has gone – and what a hot, dry month it was too! Still, before it left the skies opened and we received a few days of much needed rain. Nothing like a good soaking provided from above. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the place greens up and that lovely lushness returns.
What’s more, it is Garden Share Collective month … a beaut initiative where a group of global bloggers share their veg patches. The trials and tribulations of growing your own. Pop on over to Lizzie’s blog from Strayed from the Table and meet the crew!
As you would expect, there has been loads happening at our place! And not all of it good either. I hauled out a tomato plant the other day (sniffing at the time). I suspect that as December was so wet and married with Auckland’s ‘humid climate‘, that some nasty fungal disease has nailed our heirloom toms. Such a shame as they are cherokees with the most divine flesh and flavour. I’m now down to 2 plants – although the Scoresby dwarf seems to be ok.
Then there is the arrival of the green shield beetles – they never do things by half. One day a couple of them are basking in the sun, the next day there are scores of them procreating in my salad bed. One consolation, I can kill two of them at once! If you are unfamiliar with these smelly suckers – they also enjoy eating tomatoes and beans. Shame on them.
Do you ever do silly things? I seem to do them often. I over plant, let things grow that shouldn’t (a cucurbit growing very happily in a pot with our dahlia – this has disaster written all over it), try to do to many things at once, plant stuff that we don’t eat (go figure), plant so many flowers that my veg beds look like the botanic gardens! LOL Ah, such is life, would I change any of it?
Harvest
I love growing my own organic food! How good is it skipping out to the garden and grabbing food for dinner, lunch or a filling for a sandwich. What have we been eating you may ask?
Lettuce, beetroot (gorgeous baked with other veg and garlic, lemon juice, water, olive oil, oregano), spinach & the NZ variety, sorrel, spuds, loads of beans, zucchinis (help does anyone have any brilliant recipes) spring onions, baby carrots, garlic, rocket, red and walking onions and herbs – think loads of them!
As happens, egg production is on the decline. I have a chook who is moulting (bad bad hair day), plus Gladys and her buddy Edith are clucky. Sally isn’t and has resumed her daily flights over the gate and into our back yard!
To Do list
- Stitch up the hole in the netting!
- Keep squashing those rotten green shield beetles – best day over the weekend in one bed 30+
- Remove peaches from the orchard the birds have taken over from the possums
- Weed, feed and talk to the garden – especially the pumpkins
- Put up barricades, my flowers are falling all over the chillies (which by the way are looking divine)
- Mulch flower gardens – if you don’t mulch then go stand in the naughty corner
- Get my brother on to that worm farm ..
- Jump into the canna lily gardens and haul out the bind weed
- Whizz up and see how much of the wandering jew has regrown (take box of tissues)
- Get cracking and do the plan for my winter garden – now that’s exciting. The what goes where and when 🙂
- Check out my seed collection, time to buy more seeds
- Sit down and get out the tutorial for my camera
- I have been thinning out those carrots Bob, but I need to get really serious about it!
- Stop grumbling about no olive harvest this year – we still have 10 litres left from last
Too lucky …
Happy gardening!
And for all those cat lovers .. Eric!