Summer Report

I haven't posted for a long time, but the vegetables haven't been as slack as I have.
Above is a photo of our north-facing vegetable plot in early December. Capsicums small but growing left front, lettuces growing up and to seed, tasting bitter. Tomatoes thriving but no fruit ready yet. Zucchinis spreading and some eaten, carrots looking good, onion and potato plant also healthy.


Our original plot is mostly empty (and unloved) we haven't been quite sure what to do with this one since pulling out the last straggling plants from winter.


The tomato plants now are well and truly fruiting, we have eaten about four of them and there are over 40 growing on the four plants.

Some of them have been beauties.

The taste has been quite sweet and mild compared to shop-bought tomatoes, they don't have the strong taste I normally dislike about tomatoes.

Delicious in bruschetta with basil.

I have saved the seeds of the beauty above on papertowel as described by Lolo.

The capsicums are slowly producing:

a banana capsicum

a green capsicum.

I pulled out the lettuces, as they were too bitter to eat, and planted 3 beans given to us by Fay at church, they are the white variety.

We didn't plant them immediately and Fay thought it was too late to plant them now, but I thought I'd try it and now about 2 weeks later 2 beans have sprouted, no sign of the 3rd one. I've saved 3 beans for next summer (to plant earlier)




The carrots are doing pretty well, considering. We have eaten a few baby carrots. A couple we pulled have had carrots about 2mm by 2cm, but most are about 8-10cm at the moment, we think. We planted radishes amongst the carrots, but they were nearly all eaten by something (lizards? mice?) and we missed out.

The herb pot is happy but taken over by chives and shallots (can't tell which is which anymore, either. The basil has been a bit disappointing, but maybe it just hasn't got enough room. We have eaten some basil, just in small amounts.


The peppermint is thriving in the shade and I cut some every night for my peppermint tea.

Next to the compost bins a tomato has self-seeded, and is doing well.

Max next door has tomatoes on his side of the fence, and corn growing.

Broadbean Harvest

Almost our entire harvest of broadbeans, just a handful!

We picked a few more about a week later, but that was it!
We have ripped out the plants now.

Shelled, most with the outer skin still remaining.

We steamed them enjoyed them bruschetta style with parmesan, oil and garlic.
Delicious flavour.
But would I grow them again for so little result?

New Vegetable Bed Planted

Over the last 2 weeks we have gradually planted seedling in our new bed.  This bed receives much more sunshine than our original bed.

The bed is divided into quarters and at the moment are:
Bed 1 - Leafy vegetables (plus 2 roots at the end that wouldn't fit in bed 2) - 3 varieties of Lettuce
Bed 2 - Root vegetables - Carrots & Radishes sown in together
Bed 3 - Fruiting - Zucchini
Bed 4 - Fruiting - Capsicums & Tomatoes

The carrots & radishes were sown straight into the bed, then we left an old nightie over them for a couple of weeks till they germinated (note: next time sow carrots 1-2 weeks before radishes).  The zucchini were germinated in toilet rolls indoors.  One tomato plant is self-seeded from the compost, and the onion is growing from an onion in the kitchen.  The rest are seedlings from the nursery.

Starting on the new bed

Snowpeas!

Today Steve discovered a few snowpeas growing! I was sick yesterday so didn't check the garden once, then suddenly there they were today!

One of the broccoli is being eaten by something


but the beans are looking very happy.

Tonight - a feast fit for a king!

Bok Choy & Tatsoi Recipes

Completely forgot that the seeds I planted on the north and west side were Bok Choy - I planted the Tatsoi seedlings around them and later wondered exactly what they were. Today I finally looked at my original seed packets and - der - realised what they were.

So we had a bok choy stir fry for lunch!
Bok Choy
Onions
Ginger
Tamari
Long life noodles
Yum!

Last night we had the below recipe for dinner, which we ALL enjoyed. I added a small tin of salmon. (I didn't have sage)

Browned Butter Pasta with Tatsoi
Serves 2

Your pasta of choice, preferably curved or with ridges
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
Leaves of 2 to 3 bunches of tatsoi, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped sage
Freshly grated parmesan
Lemon wedges, optional

Cook pasta to al dente in salted water.

Garden in September

Every day there is something new to be seen in the food garden, the plants are growing overnight.

Snowpea blooms are appearing daily

Tatsoy are going crazy - we are eating them daily for dinner, mostly with salad but the other night a stirfry.

Capsicum seedlings (bought) are happy

Broccoli are getting huge but STILL have no heads growing

Broadbeans are flowering, white flowers with black spots

Chives are happy, basil is getting eaten by something ...

The garden still receives no sun at 11am but is getting more in the late afternoon.
Am really enjoying picking and eating and watching our vegetables.
Thinking of starting a new plot ...