Day 11: Garden Things

[ayngelcat]

Weather has stayed cooler (joy!) So did some more gardening today. HERE is the link I put on Twitter the other day showing the vegies.

I currently have capsicums, chillies, bok choi, spinach, lettice, kale, endives, basil, parsley, coriander and fennel. On the way are cauliflower, broccoli and broccolini, and there are some broad beans coming along. the cape gooseberry bush is powering, and has produced several offspring this year that I am in the process of transplanting. It's so good to just go and get lettuce and herbs instead of having to pay a fortune for tired looking things from Coles.

That tall goldeny bush is Roman Wormwood, it keeps the insects at bay.

Most of the vegies and herbs were only put in a few weeks ago. Its amazing what cooler weather and rain can do. I also use a seaweed mix called "Powerfeed" which sounds more like a brand of energon, but the plants love it! I'm amazed how much difference it made - that and managing to stay on top of the weeds this year (yes, I pulled the ones in the photo out today!).

And HERE is the other end of the backyward, which is mostly native trees, shrubs and plants, also much happier with rain and Powerfeed.

The garden is one of the most positive things in my existence at the moment and something I would miss if I wasn't in Australia any more, because there is a lot of space here! But then as dellessa was showing the other day, great gardens can also be made in much smaller spaces - and one the size of mine is a lot of work. I'm pleased with it, anyway. The back yard was a wasteland a couple of years ago.

Comments

[dellessa.livejournal.com]

@_@ Sounds exciting. Sadly the links are protected.

I'm also seriously jealous of the gooseberries. Oh man, gooseberry pie is the bomb.

[ayngelcat.livejournal.com]

I feel a twit because yes, the links would be protected *headdesks.* I'll have to try uploading some photos on the laptop, seeing as how this machine doesn't like doing that.

The gooseberries alas are cape gooseberries, which are delicious but quite the same as the kind of gooseberries you get in colder places. These ones look like little lanterns with the berry inside, and I think they might be called something else in the USA?

They're only little - you'd need a lot of them to make a pie LOL I tend to put them in fruit salads. I don't think a pie with them would be nearly as good as with the other sort which is, I agree, to die for!

When I go back to the UK I always eat a load of the other sort! Its just too hot for them here.

[dellessa.livejournal.com]

We had a Red Gooseberry bush at our old house. I have, admittedly, never seen cape goose berries before irl, but they look cool. And really it isn't a very common plant to be seen here at all. Since they are not native in the least.

[ayngelcat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Here's a good pic of CG's. They're very pretty!

[dellessa.livejournal.com]

Ooooooooo they are. =O

[playswithworms.livejournal.com]

Your garden sounds wonderful! Ooh, Powerfeed, I might have to check that out. I'm always busiest at the park during prime gardening season (and with cool wet spring we're having everything has gone nuts! including the weeds!) so I never get everything done that I want to, but it's so much fun to see things gradually take shape and get established ^_^

[ayngelcat.livejournal.com]

I'll have to post the photos because the links are protected, as Delessa helpfully pointed out. Silly me!

I love the garden - honestly, it keeps me sane at times. I like writing and then going and doing bits and pieces, planting stuff, bit of weeding, then writing some more. The two go well together. The garden's very meditative I find.

Yes - the rain we're about to get will bring weeds in plenty. And the only trouble with the Powerfeed - they just LOVE that too LOL