In the final days before I can get stuck into the garden there was one more thing I wanted to know about this new place, so I can garden wisely. And that is the climate. We’ve only been here almost 4 months, but boy have we seen some weather! In the early days it was the height of summer and the heat seemed to radiate … Continue reading Come rain or shine
I feel like I’ve been flogging a dead horse for the last few months and this morning’s heavy frost was the final straw. We are 10 days out from winter so I’m just kidding myself. The peppers weren’t going to give me my bumper harvest anytime soon. They needed to come out. Due to the dreadful summer we had the peppers never did very well … Continue reading It’s time to call it quits
The new month certainly isn’t afraid to make its mark on the first day. May is the last autumn month before the winter and on the whole autumn is normally thought of as that kindly season that eases us gently through a period of transition. But this year it hasn’t gone according to plan. Autumn has been like that unruly classroom full of kids that … Continue reading Good morning Mrs May
Oh my goodness, winter has finally stood up and said loudly and proudly: I am here! Last week we had so much rain it broke records for the most rain in an hour for the month of June. The thing is – it wasn’t just that hour, but the hour before and after it…. well actually the days before and after it where it rained … Continue reading It’s cold outside
After weeks and weeks and weeks of cold weather (well aside from a brief trip to the sunny South Pacific, but that doesn’t count) I am ready for a change. I want to wake up and leap out of bed enthusiastically. Not sit there and shiver and dare myself to touch the cold floor. The calendar tells me that there is only 19 days left until … Continue reading Five things that say Spring is Coming! and one thing that says it isn’t.
This has been the coldest winter that I can remember. I am trying really hard not to complain, because it could be worse. It could be raining and miserable. We have had about 5 frosts in a row. This is a good thing for a gardener. It is great for building great soil structure by breaking up the lumps and any pests and disease lingering … Continue reading It’s a bit chilly
After the slight mishap the other day with the rusty trellis my gardening has been quite limited, which has been a little frustrating because we have had the most incredible blue sky days. The kind of day were you could almost believe it was a different season. Almost… the sub-zero temperatures that start the day and the fact the sun loses strength around mid-afternoon and … Continue reading The down side of winter is it gets a little cold
It is so easy to see life passing by when the seasons anxiously waited for, although some with greater excitement than others. And so we wake up today, firmly in the grasp of winter. Although having said that it isn’t too bad at them moment. It is gloomy, but not chilly and damp but not sodden. So far so good. This is a bit of … Continue reading And another season clocks in
And I wasn’t ready for it. I had my eye out for it, as everywhere south of us had snow. We never get snow, but I don’t know if I should be happy about this or not. I’ve never had the opportunity to build a snowman in my back yard and it seems like it would be a fun thing to do. The boffins had … Continue reading It can’t be a frost outside, winter is still three days away!
Bananas and breadfruit… I’ve been away. The last couple of weeks I have been cruising around the South Pacific, with exotic destinations such as Noumea, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and starting and ending in Sydney, Australia. It was such a whirl wind tour – nine wonderfully tropical locations in a 14 day cruise. It was really lovely, and I was sharing the gardening love as I … Continue reading Coconuts and Cassava
