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Friday, October 31, 2014

Garden Share

I'm not sure how it got to be the end of October so quickly but, it has and I am here posting my Garden Share. How can that be?

This month has been overwhelmingly hot. I know there have been cooler days but I can't seem to remember them. The maximum temperature (measured on my veranda) has been 38.7 degC and the minimum 5.5 degC. We have had 20mm of rain this month but you wouldn't know it looking at the paddocks and our 'lawn'. I've been watering the garden almost everyday.

 Harvesting
  • loquats...yum
  • asparagus
  • spring onions
  •  cauliflower
  • strawberries
  • broad beans
  •  peas
  • sugar snap peas
  • snow peas
  • radish
  • lettuce
  • carrots
  • leeks
  • garlic
  • herbs
Tomato Jaunne flamme

 The tomatoes are all at various stages. The self-sown are coming along in leaps and bounds and the seeds I planted are growing well and should give me a long harvest window. I will direct sow some more seeds this week. I think they are hardier that way than the greenhouse sown ones.

 The asparagus is almost finished for the season. There are a couple of plants that aren't rushing straight to fronds as  the days lengthen. The asparagus bed really needs a tidy, they don't like competing with the weeds but most of those weeds are larkspur plants so I don't like to pull them out. I'll have to compromise, the asparagus won't.


 Planting
I've been planting in earnest this month. Seeds, seedlings and some plants from the garden centre too. I loosely base my planting guide on the list on Gardenate but I do find I have to modify it for my climate which in the winter is cool/mountainous and in the summer it is more like temperate with a bit of arid thrown in for good measure (like most of Australia really)

Here's my list of seeds I've sown
  • beans (7 varieties)
  • beetroot- red globe, albino white
  • carrots (6 types)
  • gourds
  • cucumbers
  • luffa
  • okra
  • squash
  • soybeans
  • radish
  • rosella
  • rockmelon
  • watermelon
  • zucchini


My poor cauliflowers have given up. I think they have been putting out some sort of mercy call because if the sun and wind didn't finish them off, the cabbage moths have finally descended after being absent all winter (which was a pleasant change). I've pulled them up, spruced up the empty beds with compost and deep watering in readiness for something that doesn't mind following on after brassicas. The chooks have enjoyed the leaves and we have been enjoying eating our last caulies until next year.
 
I'm also pulling out all of my peas. I left them in long enough to dry out the seeds for saving and sharing. I'll be using the dried foliage as mulch because affordable mulch is hard to come by around here at the moment. Hay that would normally be relegated to the mulch stack is sought after now as fodder for the less discerning animals. It's not cheap either.
 
To do in my vegetable garden in November
  • weed
  • water
  • composting
  • keep planting
  • the usual stuff
 
Now here's all the information the Garden Share.

"The Garden Share Collective is a group of bloggers who share their vegetable patches, container gardens and the herbs they grow on their window sills. Creating a monthly community to navigate through any garden troubles and to rival in the success of a good harvest we will nurture any beginner gardener to flourish. Each month we set ourselves a few tasks to complete by the next month, this gives us a little push to getting closer to picking and harvesting. The long-term goal of the Garden Share Collective is to get more and more people gardening and growing clean food organically and sustainably." taken straight from Lizzie's blog.

If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of then write a post about your vegetable garden and head on over to Strayed from the Table at 9am on Monday and share it with the other members. It's easy, even I can do it. There's a Facebook group too if that's more your thing.

Tracy



8 comments:

KERYN B said...

You do such a great job in your veggie garden I think I will have to come up for lessons..

Sunnybrook Farm said...

I am beginning to think that it is just as well to plant tomato seed directly in the garden as the volunteers seem to be so much more vigorous. It is one degree below freezing here and 63F inside so I turned on some heat for awhile before sunrise.

Anonymous said...

It's been hot and dry in Adelaide too - so frustrating this early in the season. Your garden is looking amazing and very productive.

lizzie {Strayed Table} said...

Many farmers are saying its going to be a rough dry summer. I am nervous about this so fingers crossed for more rain for all of us. Meanwhile your garden is still producing well and I am envious of your seven varieties of beans. I have had bean mosaic and need to rest my beds and plant out with something else before I resow them.

lizzie {Strayed Table} said...

Fingers crossed for some rain for all of us. The weather has been rather cruel so far this spring. We had 40'c day last week - not great for those leafy greens. I am envious of your seven varieties of beans. I had bean mosaic in the garden and have need to rest the beds and do some major crop rotation before resowing. As per usual your harvests are fantastic especially that cauliflower - wow.

africanaussie said...

Tracy,
I love the photo of your dried peas with the bright pink flowers in front of them! Wow you have a huge variety of veggies, I am in awe.

Anonymous said...

Your harvest list is very imprssive.

Bek said...

I too have given up on the peas, and have saved some for next year. I'm impressed your caulis have lasted this long!