I need to start by saying I am not a baker. When a small child came home from school with that little paper plate with a piece of paper stapled to it with the instructions to return the paper plate to school with a suitable cake for an impending cake stall, I would attach money to the plate with my own note that read: “It … Continue reading Lockdown Hot Cross Buns
Not wanting to go on about it, but the Pith Necrosis in my tomatoes (you can read about that >HERE<) has been on my mind. One of the things that made the conditions ideal for the disease was the soil was too nitrogen rich. I’ve been pondering this a lot. The general instruction to gardener is to add organic material like compost and well-rotted manure … Continue reading Checking the soil.
Find a new rhythm and look for a new normal. It is strange times indeed. Daylight savings finished the other day and it made no difference – I didn’t need to be anywhere so time is almost irrelevant. Even the garden doesn’t need me as much these days, especially after the massive harvest I did the other day. There is still the tidy up to … Continue reading Monday Message:
I have been rather busy lately. I am fortunate in that my workloads and deadlines haven’t changed and writing about gardening is just as popular as it ever was. So, I have been tucked away in my office or creating the supporting imagery to go with the writing. I don’t feel like I have had a spare moment. Even the poor garden is feeling a … Continue reading The harvest waits for no one
I love a good party as much as the next person, but when you are the host, there is a lot of work behind the scenes that needs to happen to make sure the event runs smoothly. If you get it right, your guests wouldn’t have the slightest inkling you had done anything other than put out a few extra cups and hung up some … Continue reading Party time
But that is the beauty of the garden – it is completely forgiving. Plans can be made, but nothing is set in concrete – except the things actually set in concrete like fence posts! Over the last year I have spent ages pouring over my plans, making adjustments, then working on the crop rotation and then hoping to never have to plan again. It can … Continue reading Change of plans… again
My greenhouse journey has been long and arduous, fraught with horrifying drama – mostly occurring as a shock to the bank balance! To be honest I’m not sure how much it cost and really don’t want to know. So after what seems like forever, the dome is done and I’m back in greenhouse business! Having somewhere safe to grow my seedlings and over winter tender … Continue reading Glazed Above
Our water tank has a little red ball poking out of the top. It should be on a long stick as the internal part is floating on the surface of the water letting us know just how much we have left. But it seems to be constantly positioned on a short stick as we ride the rest of this season of little rain. I crunched … Continue reading Raining there not here
All things gardening have been a bit sluggish lately. Fortunately, this isn’t a euphemism for actual slugs in the garden… now that would be devastating and have a much more dramatic heading. No, the problems in the garden have been caused by problems outside the garden and things beyond my control. The worst bit was having a couple of wisdom teeth removed and to be … Continue reading Sluggish
Aside from us coastal newbies, that is… It is always good for a gardener to know who will be sharing the land with you. I got off relatively easily at the last place in the swamp, as there weren’t all that many things trying to take advantage of my good efforts. There were slugs but not many snails. But these were easily taken care of … Continue reading Who else lives here?
