Plotting Like Mad

Summer Report

2010-01-08T15:58:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-17T02:16:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T05:25:00.001-07:00

Snowpeas!

2009-09-16T01:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

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 ...

Flowers!

2009-09-04T23:45:00.001-07:00

At last, some pea and bean flowers. Five snow pea and one broadbean flower. The broadbean flower seems to be attracting ants.

During the week I planted 3 spinach seedlings and 6 capsicum.

Enjoying Tatsoy

2009-08-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is warmer the Tatsoy has grown like mad, faster than critters can eat it.
Reading back in an earlier post where I was not sure if I separated the tatsoy out enough, it seems to be quite happy fairly packed.

We enjoyed a tatsoy salad with a dressing of
Olive 0il
Sesame oil
Garlic
Soy sauce (tamari)
and macadamias - yum!

Now the first of the tatsoys have flowered, they are bolting quickly, time to eat them up. Note to self: next time plant in stages.

Broccoli is looking much better but no heads forming yet.
Broadbeans and Snow Peas growing up but no flowers.
Coriander happy and also shooting up.

Have planted some basil seedlings (from Thursday Markets) in a large pot with some chives, they are happy with the CMC in that pot.

Tonight will try fresh peppermint tea for the first time.

Seedlings

2009-06-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

I had to give up on some seeds :-( so bought some seedlings - non-organic :-(

On Wednesday I planted:

Broccoli: Broccolette (at the back) and Green Dragon (at the front).
Today we have returned from a weekend away and one of the broccolette plants is all eaten, the others are fine.

Coriander

Tatsoi - but I don't think I've separated it out enough.

A few of the original broccoli seedlings have survived and leaves are growing, but still only the two leaves on a long spindly stem. I left them in to see what they do.

The Broadbeans are very happy and about 25cm tall now, the snowpeas are all starting to open up those first few leaves.

We have been having constant rain and it looks like it will continue that way for a few more weeks.

Day 3

2009-06-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well after 3 days in the garden the broadbeans are very happy (8 out of 9, the 9th never sprouted). The broccoli are feeble and don't look like anyone else's broccoli seedlings, so I'm trying again in toilet rolls, this time with more sunshine and LS. I've started the snow peas and one more broadbean in toilet rolls also, which I planted on Sunday. They haven't done anything yet.

Planting Time!

2009-06-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of sunshine for weeks, and we have planted most of our stir-fry garden!

The beans were taking off quickly in the toilet rolls, and the broccoli looking spindly and long and in need of a real environment, so we did it!

Broadbeans - about 4 days after sprouting inside

Planted today:
In middle between 4 stakes: 9 broadbeans seedlings (one hasn't sprouted yet, and may not)
In corners: 12 broccoli seedlings
In front and left sides: 20 bok choy seeds
In back and right sides: 18 coriander seeds

Still to go: 12 snow peas (presently soaking in a water and LS solution)

I have covered most of the seeds and seedlings with the results of my council-clean-up scavenging - old trays, dishdrainers and fridge drawers, to protect the seedlings from birds.

The engineer is not content with my attempt at tying the stakes, so is re-tying them using real knots, and taking a long time about it, too.

Time for some afternoon tea, I think, although he might still be up to his 17th clove-hitch-double-boy-scout-girl-guide knot. I'm sure it will be more sturdy when he has finished, however.

Beans at last

2009-06-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

The beans are finally sprouting, they took a week to germinate. Broccoli are looking thin and leggy and a few have second leaves now. The toilet rolls are covered in thick mould. :-(

Mouldy Seedlings?

2009-06-01T04:28:00.001-07:00

The toilet rolls have developed white fluffy mould on the outside. It has been raining for weeks here, so the air is moist. Hope it doesn't spread mould around the house or cause problems in the garden when I plant them.
The broccoli seedlings have 2-3 tiny leaves and a hair-like root just showing at the base, and the beans haven't sprouted at all yet, but I started to dig one up and it is germinating, maybe I planted them upside down? Next time I will soak them before planting.

Herb Pot

2009-05-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

Today I dug out the huge green plant pot and, finding it full of clay started to prepare it to grow herbs in a couple of months - added compost and cow manure.

Seed Choices

2009-05-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

These are the seeds that I ordered from Greenpatch Organic Seeds

Broad Bean - Long Pod (Vicia faba)

Snowpea - Melting Mammoth (Pisum sativum)

Broccoli - Green Sprouting (Brassica oleracea var. italica)

Bok Choy - Chinese Cabbage (Brassica chinensis)

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)

And the mustard and cress seeds came from the nursery.

Seedlings in Toilet Rolls

2009-05-28T19:27:00.001-07:00

This is my method of seed-raising, as described in One Magic Square

Seeds are planted in seed-raising mix in toilet rolls.
Toilet rolls are in a plastic container (which packs of apples are sold in in Woolworths, they conveniently have holes in the base)
These containers are then in a large plastic bowl to keep our living room dry!
In this way the seedlings are out of the elements and away from birds looking for a tasty morsel.

So far I am growing Broccoli (planted on Sunday 24th May) and Broadbeans (planted Wednesday 28th May). The broccoli has started to sprout up. Each time someone brings home a half-drunk water bottle I keep the bottle by the seedlings and use that water to water the little babies.

Who knew that broccoli could be so much fun?

We are also growing mustard and cress on the kitchen bench, on damp paper towel and a disposable plate. Cress is shown in the foreground. Next time we will plant them more densely. They are going very happily and I look forward to eating them on a sandwich on Saturday - maybe with boiled egg?

In the beginning - the plot

2009-05-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

This is my food garden - before I started to dig on 14th May - end of Autumn here. It is a small section of ground where lavender used to grow, and a year or so ago Steve dug out the lavender and the erigeron which had taken it over, leaving this plot, flat, and now covered with weeds.

This is what it looked like after some vigorous digging and weeding. It's not actually a square metre, wider in one direction and narrower in another, but it will do for now, because it is bounded on 3 sides already, and doesn't involve cutting up the so-called lawn. Some compost has been added, and next I bought some manure a few days later.

But while I was enthused I build a birdbath nearby, using recycled bricks and a pretty bowl waiting for a use since 1999. (sad but true)

And now, at the end of May, I have made some more progress.

At a nursery I bought:
cow manure
dolomite
bamboo stakes
blood & bone
sugar cane mulch

At a hardware I bought garden twine

and at Greenpatch Organic Seeds I ordered seeds (more info on seeds in the next post)

On the weekend we worked on our compost and in the bed, now the soil looks beautiful and dark. We have also had lots of rain. Yesterday I built this structure which is the foundation of the garden I am planning.

The garden is ready, and now I'm just waiting on seedlings!