Now is a good time to start to organise for the new growing season. With hope in my heart, I began taking dreaming about the next season to the next level and started making plans. Last season was a complete washout – literally! I only used my irrigation system a couple of times. Ironically, the only time it should have been used but wasn’t, was … Continue reading Turning dreams into plans
Today is the longest day and finally I have something to be joyful about. The weather seems to have turned. It is sunny and warm; the sky is blue and the cicadas are singing. Now that is kind of summer I’ve been looking for. The garden is bursting into life. The plants are putting out tender new leaves, accentuating their old weather weary leaves that … Continue reading Joy in the garden
I just wanted to quickly fill you with what I’ve done in the garden so far this year, and to be honest it didn’t feel like much, but when it came to writing it down I created a mountain of words and so decided for everyone’s sake it would be better to break it up a wee bit. If I had my wits about me … Continue reading The state of the Garden Part Two of Three (or possibly four)
There has been an imperceptible shift in the garden. Up until this point I feel like I have been managing tender young seedlings, doing what I can to nurture them into independence. They have been scrawny, scrappy and poorly and several even died. I replaced a few, more than once, to ensure the garden matched the plan I drew up during the long cold winter … Continue reading Change Comes Quickly
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
Following on from my deep and slightly obsessive thoughts about my winter crop rotation, today we are looking at cycle two. This is the biggest one as there are no permanent unmoveable crops in this group. So, it will be seven years before anyone is back where they started. No chance for disease to build up or certain nutrients to become exhausted to the point … Continue reading Cycle Two
I always plant too many zucchini plants. I can’t help myself. Those rose coloured glasses combined with teeny tiny seedlings and the gluts of summers past become a distant blur. So each summer I am faced with the same problem – too many zucchini. We have eaten them in so many different ways, but every now and then you feel like you need a little … Continue reading Too much zucchini? Make cake.
Slaving over a hot stove on a hot summer day isn’t my idea of fun… well actually – it kind of is. But that is what I have been doing. Processing the harvest. Now that the holidays are a thing of the past and the beach sand has been well and truly shaken from our shoes, the garden is getting more attention than it has … Continue reading Too much and yet not enough
BANG – it’s autumn. It is like someone has just flipped a switch. I woke at my usual time, although admittedly for the last week or so I have been sleeping a little longer, and was shocked to find it dark and cold. This isn’t how it is supposed to be. We are supposed to be easing ourselves into the cooler weather, not confronted with … Continue reading I thought about putting on socks!
