tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844789170260734932024-03-13T21:22:35.279-07:00Quest for Self SufficiencyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-47012945561116494222013-10-12T22:23:00.000-07:002013-10-12T22:23:34.770-07:00Cucubits! :)I was amazed at the growth after a few warm days in the greenhouse this week!
So looking at a fabulous tray of cucumbers, squashes and pumpkins I decided they were big enough now to go out and enjoy the sunshine!
Last year my cucumbers all died :( , failing miserably to give me even a single cucumber! This year I’m DETERMIND that we will have cucumber FEASTS and they will give us Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-32141479537105700212013-10-04T16:22:00.000-07:002013-10-04T16:23:33.106-07:00Family Competition Time!
This year we decided to have a family seed competition with some sunflower seeds!
The kids were so excited with the idea they had to race out to plant their seeds in their pajamas!
Such a great learning experience for them and a fun family thing to do! Even hubby got into it!
I'm quite keen to give harvesting the seeds a go this year too - who knows if this will be easy Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-20553969512408412682013-09-29T22:21:00.000-07:002013-09-29T22:21:21.798-07:00Potatoes and garlic!
Garlic!
Again this year I was late putting the garlic in. But that doesn't seem to have bothered the garlic! Its already about 10cm high with growth! Great stuff! The garlic we grew last year was fantastic! Hope that we have the same luck this year!
As for the potatoes... Last year I just shoved each spud that was in the seed bag in - so I had about 8 plants. I realise after a bit more Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-29922980095688193842013-09-21T22:26:00.000-07:002013-09-21T22:26:28.465-07:00Lightning... Flooding... Yet something SURPRISING!
Tomatoes!
After the nights storm and flooding we had, with at least a foot of water surrounding the house and a few waterfalls coming from the property above us - I really didn't think my poor pin-tacked greenhouse would be in survival mode!
But shock! Look at these babies that got lightning shocked out of hibernation!!!
The stunning day that followed the lightningUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-14031417256498304102013-09-17T22:34:00.001-07:002013-09-17T22:34:50.720-07:00You say potato... I say Oca?
Two things that my family LOVE are Kumara and Yams! There is nothing like a roast dinner with sweet potato and yams mixed with gravy :) mmmmmm... makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
I've never seen them in the shops to grow though... and as I've found out - they are hard to track down! There isn't much information out there - especially on Yams. The American's call NZ's Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-45641082355521259112013-09-14T19:33:00.002-07:002013-09-14T19:33:51.429-07:00Planting the first seeds...
According to the books, although I've been somewhat sceptical - it's time to start planting some seeds to be ready by the end of October to plant out into the garden.
Although most of the things I want to plant are probably not going to thrive with this cooler weather around at night still, they recommend planting out tomatoes, capsicums, silverbeet, spinach, beets and radishes Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-7957008732346078322013-09-12T00:55:00.001-07:002013-09-12T00:55:30.206-07:00Out with the Old... In with the SPECTACULAR New!
I had a great adventure last week - making new bean supports! I wanted to still be able to rotate the beans... so I needed the support to be stable and sturdy, but able to be moved from bed to bed.
My good old bamboo trellis from last year has this rather bizarre unknown black sooty looking substance on it. Google couldn't help me. Neither could scrubbing. So I don't trust it to not kill off Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-46754919897429847092013-08-27T19:09:00.000-07:002013-08-27T19:09:11.634-07:00Fruit tree heaven!I'm finally feeling like I'm getting the structure of the garden under control. I've made various sections about the place - vegetables, fruit/orchard, a cottage garden and 'native' entertaining areas. After the longer autumn-feeling weather we've had - they have had a bit of a random burst of growth and are finally starting to take shape about the place! A long way to go of course! But does a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-457952549575180132013-08-23T01:53:00.003-07:002013-08-23T01:55:54.697-07:00Its that time of the year again!!! :)
Well its that time of the year again to prepare the beds for the next exciting summer vegetable garden! :)
I'm feeling like I'm not as in the dark as I was last year - so I have much braver plans on how to use the space in my garden this year. We wasted space last year with failed crops and crops that we didn't fully use or preserve, so this year I plan to use everything that comes out Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-32929314378835542992013-06-29T22:01:00.002-07:002013-06-30T17:27:25.800-07:00Renovating the Pond
Well... not much happening in my garden! I can honestly say the winter crop has been a dismal failure! I found a stray potato plant looming there with a few beetroots. Carrots have been eaten by bugs and my my brocolli and Kale have disappeared from either slug infestations or random alien attacks!
Nothing much I can do now for a couple of months when things get warmer and start growingUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-35729483104665094072013-05-27T20:51:00.001-07:002013-05-27T20:51:47.513-07:00Winter Blues.. :(
I had it all planned and seeds planted to get winter veges off with a bang! But have been too sick to do anything in the garden and my poor un-green-fingered hubby has not been thrilled about the prospect of taking over for me.
So the garden has had plenty of weeds and not much else happening. How weeds still grow in drought is beyond me! But we have gone from drought to hail and thunder Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-39201705540237006162013-03-05T16:38:00.001-08:002013-03-05T16:38:29.392-08:00Cottage Garden Paradise!
I decided that all hard working gardeners need to have a sanctuary to be able to sit back, relax and enjoy their gardens! So I've mulched area in my garden that I've named the "Cottage Garden".
I leveled and paved part of the space (as everything here has a bit of a slope!) to put the swing seat on and my plan is to plant it out with fantastic scents and gorgeous flowers!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-15662788358671338872013-02-25T16:55:00.004-08:002013-02-25T16:56:32.750-08:00CHECK THIS OUT!!!!!
I'm so excited!!! It's actually GROWN! Yes, thats right! I have GARLIC!
G...A...R...L...I...C!!~!!!!
Pure grown NZ Garlic! I unearthed about 18 bulbs - about a kilogram! They aren't even small pathetic things... they are normal sized! Whoop whoop! I was so thrilled I had to jump on here straight away and share it with you!!
It smells divine! I think I'm supposed to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-80759703946480922612013-02-21T20:14:00.002-08:002013-02-21T20:14:47.379-08:00A pumpkin in the rose bush?
Today I was just reminiscing about just how big my zuchinni and squash plants got in the garden and how good it was to have lots of fresh zuchinnis to eat before the plague. Then I remembered I planted a few next to the fence because I ran out of space in the garden and wondered what happened to them? The fence obviously didn't do them justice, and even though I planted them at theUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-7213782245032022352013-02-13T18:08:00.003-08:002013-02-13T18:15:22.168-08:00Berry Glory!There was nothing better over the holiday period than having lavish berries to put in puddings, cakes, muffins and everything glorious over Christmas!
We were getting at least a bowl full of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries every second day - which was ample to eat (but of course never enough!. It would be nice to have some more for jams! :)
My favourite was having fresh berry Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-29843861338959713532013-02-11T17:22:00.000-08:002013-02-11T17:26:38.091-08:00Long time!It's been a long time since I wrote anything - partly due to holidays and Christmas but mainly because I've been SO depressed about my garden!
I got back from holiday to find that my once gorgeous and abundant zuchinnis were plaged and shrivelled with powdery mildew. My tomatos had some dying disorder and all the leaves are yellowing and falling off with no signs of ripe tomatoes! The berries Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-18988151686406683982012-12-12T17:46:00.000-08:002012-12-12T17:46:16.231-08:00Bottling Beets!
It may be a thing of the past as my hubby keeps reminding me - but if you want to be self sufficient you need to do the enevitable: Bottling & preserving. It's one of those things that I can remember my grandmother doing - but never bothered to learn. Now its up to google & youtube to teach me!
My beets grew FANTASTICALLY! Yesterday my daughter and I harvested 30 massive beetsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-10279303356286708212012-12-03T18:50:00.001-08:002012-12-03T18:50:33.921-08:00Crunchy munchy salads!
Just look at this lettuce! Dosen't it look fantasticly tasty?! The lettuce's are growing well & producing the BEST mesculin lettuce! Its so crispy and fresh! Nothing like the packet lettuce you get in the shops! We're getting fresh salads every day now!
Too add to the salads I've had large radishes & even sweet peas from the garden! Fantastic! The tomato plants are flowering now Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-67305809710372219122012-11-27T16:21:00.001-08:002012-11-27T16:21:50.434-08:00DIY Herb Shelf!
Herbs! I've love the idea of having a full garden filled with every different herb - both culinary & medicinal. But realistically there just isn't the room to have such a plot in the city! I tried growing a few intermingled with the flowers at our last house. But realistically they didn't look right where I put them and I either forgot about them or the died!
This year, I've Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-56507425521912008352012-11-16T17:31:00.001-08:002012-11-16T18:04:50.432-08:00All Things Tomato!Tomatoes are one of my favourite things to eat in a salad! I love them raw but they are such a versatile vege - you can almost eat them in every meal.
Big Beefy Tomato
www.egmontseeds.co.nz
My plan for tomatoes this year is to have such a wonderful crop that I'll have so many left over to preserve for the rest of the year! I have staggered the planting out a bit so I'll hopefully Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-46324618677453524012012-11-14T22:47:00.000-08:002012-11-14T22:47:23.931-08:00HELP - WHAT IS THAT?!
Help! Its killed my cabbages, it's starting on my cucumbers, zuchinnis & pumpkin!
What is it?! The best guess that I have is downy mildew...... but there is nothing fuzzy underneath the leaves! Anyone out there know what this evil burnt looking problem is??Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-16452656487205897402012-11-04T19:16:00.000-08:002012-11-04T19:16:55.948-08:00Berry Berry Nice!
I LOVE BERRIES! So I therefore believe that you can never have enough of them! Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries! Bring them on!
In my garden I have a big half wine barrel (pic left) which has a thorn-less raspberry & a blackberry, guarded by a vigilant pukeko! I also have 2 strips of retaining wall that I've made into berry patches around the courtyard. One is a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-75581085748202471382012-11-01T00:30:00.003-07:002012-11-01T00:30:37.436-07:00Spoon Art!
A bit more art for the week!
I finally finished some of the spoon labels for the garden! Don't they look great!?
I got the spoons from the Salvation Army for cheap & the kids helped me paint them.
They look great in the garden! Great to finally know what the plants are! Haha! :)
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-46169134955465316002012-10-23T21:20:00.000-07:002012-10-23T21:20:17.958-07:00It's ASPARAGUS!
I thought it was a weed - but NO! On closer inspection it is;
THE MOST SMALLEST ASPARAGUS EVER!
But it IS ASPARAGUS!!!!! I'm so thrilled!
There is one sprout on each crown I planted except one! There is also one that has turned into a 'fern' already which you can 'just' see in the photo below! They are so thin & small I have no temptation to pick them! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-584478917026073493.post-80508848891904184082012-10-22T00:03:00.000-07:002012-10-22T00:16:40.990-07:00Getting a bit arty in the garden!
My friend had a stack of bamboo that she generously gave me & so I decided to make my own trellis! Its amazing how hard weaving bamboo actually is. Note to anyone planning to do this: Don't use dead/dry bamboo - it will break!
Also something I never expected was the thousands of tiny, tiny splinters covering my hands from the weaving! Who knew that Bamboo would give you Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0