I have a lot on my computer gardening plate. But I need to keep my hand in the soil to keep the garden on track and stop my eyes going square in front of the screen. It is so nice to be able to take breaks to be responsible by indulging in a great love right outside my office door.
Since autumn began two days ago, I have:
I finished tidying up the tomato bed and removed the wires and posts. It is always a sad moment, not having tomatoes in the garden heralds the end of summer in such a finite way. To heal the soil from supporting the sickly tomatoes for so long I sowed a mustard seed cover crop. As the weather is still quite warm, they should germinate and grow quick and so I should have them chopped down and incorporated into the soil before I plant the onion seedlings in the middle of the winter. This bed is under control.
I also gave my poor old lime in a pot its change of season slow-release fertilizer. This poor old lime in a pot has lost it’s leaves and stood naked twice! Once through neglect and the other time due to poor positioning and the wind whipped all the leaves away in a single storm. Now it is tucked well within the windbreak right by my office, so I walk past it every day and it calls to me for attention. I can’t avoid it if I tried! Lemons are such hungry plants to it is good to feed them with a citrus specific food often but as per the directions. My poor old lime in a pot is looking up and even has new leaves starting to burst into life. I think next season it will be in a good position to flower and fruit.
I also managed a quick break to plant out some lettuce seedlings I bought last week but hadn’t got round to planting yet. My lettuce succession planting is always hit and miss at the best of times, but right now I have 3 lettuces at their peak and once they are gone there will be a bit of a break. I do have some seeds trying to germinate, so hopefully they will close the gap a little.
Going back into my office something caught my eye that completely surprised me. Another Bird of Paradise seedling had popped up from seeds I sowed back in the spring! Initially three plants popped up and I thought that was my lot. So, this new one was a lovely surprise and completely justifies my theory – never abandon a barren seed tray! Well only if it contains something you really want to grow, or it cost you a lot of money!
Back in the office was a bit chaotic. Fennel the Cat and Jasper the Dog don’t really get on but tolerate each other in the same space. The problem is they both like being with me in the garden and in the office. Jasper made himself comfy on the chair, so Fennel decided the best place to be comfy was on my desk, in front of my computer. So, I cleared a space in the corner, and put her cat house there and she waltzed right in there and fell asleep, so I worked way to the sound of animal snoring in stereo! I just need to remember she is there at the end of the day. Jasper is a light sleeper and will jump up as soon as I move so there is no danger of him being left in the office.
Come again soon – so far autumn is being kind. I just need to keep things balanced.
Sarah the Gardener : o)
Just discovered your blog. Love your honesty and humanity and stories about how your garden is going. Thaks for writing your truth.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Sometimes things can be too ‘picture perfect’ so it is good to add a good dash of reality to the mix! : o)
Your dog is adorable! I’m horrible at succession planting. I need to get better at that.
He is pretty cute and a fab gardening companion. I always try my best but the growing season goes by so fast it is easy to miss seed sowing windows and end up with gaps in the succession plantings! : o)
It’s so cool – you’re just moving into autumn, as we are just moving into spring here in Europe. Gardens are global – the need of gardening universal. In an hours reading of other people’s blog I’ve ticked through Ireland, Sweden and the States. Thanks for adding New Zealand to my morning of garden dreams
I love the international feel of gardening on the internet. Especially when the seasons change as I can enjoy the Northern Hemisphere summer garden vicariously when it is too cold and miserable to go outside down here in the South! : o)
Exactly! We used to live in Australia – we keep an eye out for gardens in your part of the world. What a cool project you have – building from scratch! Such luxury with the space and the closeness to the sea. We spent years in apartments in cities before we found our way to a country garden – but ours is much smaller than yours 🌱