October 2015 Blog Posts (13)

Hi all not long ago some of us lucky people thanks to Jan were able to purchase a rare sth american tuber.Having not heard much lately regarding on how everyones is growing I thought I would show mine to compare  with maybe  the other lucky growers .I am growing mine in a 70 litre pot on the eastern side so as not for it to be in too much sun,after all it did come from tassie and I also have it covered in netting.How is everyones?…

Well, this is different from last year. From memory, it was very dry and warm. I'm not complaining, I love the rain for my garden and the tank most certainly needs it. Lots of things are happening in the garden at the moment, which is just wonderful. In fruiting news, we are harvesting nectarines. There are not as many as there was last year but I did thin them to try to increase…

It gets thrilling when the plants you angst over start delivering...

• My Tomatillos are coming on keenly so I'm looking forward to Salsa Verde: Green Tomatillo Salsa.
• With what's coming on and many cuttings taken off in reserve, this Summer I won't run out of Katuk leaves.
• The many Pigeon Peas I planted  are taking off.
• Have I enough Molokhia -- Egyptian spinach --…

After being inspired by Jan to look further into making Tomato puree, today was my first attempt.

The Romas are still fruiting and ripening; I expect the whole crop to be finished in a week or so.

Today I pureed the first batch to ripen.

There was 1.4 kilos of whole fruit, just washed and inspected for flaws.

Yield was 1L and 150mls of puree.

I…

Hi everyone.  Well, I'll just let you know that my addictions got the better of me again.  I'm WEAK I tell you.  If I was addicted to a less socially acceptable substance, I would be in a pretty bad place right now :)  That's right, I've been trawling Daley's website again and found two new purchaces to add.  A jackfruit which has gone out where the Jaboticaba used to be near the banana's (I have pulled it up and put it in a pot where I'm hoping it will make a recovery) and a Malabar…

Many would know I like to grow my sweet potatoes in grow bags with a frame.

Frames encourage the runners to grow up to maximize leaf growth for food use. The bags keep the spuds in one neat place for easy cropping and I found I crop just as many this way as I would if I let the plant loose in the beds to take up lots of space. Turn around is usually 4mths from propagating by leaf cutting to cropping.

See the original Blog detailing my early trials growing this way…

It grows and rises up!

I've been converting the 'beds' into mounds of various sizes.

Thus the growing space has grown significantly and the photosynthesistic joy is self evident. I use fewer pots per area and since the garden comes up to meet me, I don't have to bend down so far.

I find I can hose fill uncovered pots even when standing at some distance from them.

Note the paving --old woollen carpets -- and new potting work station.…

16 October 2015

October seems to be when I travel.  I've been on a road trip out to Lightning Ridge for a week.  Yes, of course I did a video. LOL. 

Back to the yard.  The fish survived again, but the water was really low and very dirty - same for the chickens.  The grow bed was fine because I learned the "summer-proof with shade cloth" lesson from last year and made sure that was done last month.  The girls must become cranky about their water because I'm down…

After years growing stuff in different backyards I reckon the great quest is to synchronise your vegetable and herb patch activities with you kitchen needs.

Not absolutely as if  ruled by some hippiefied 'self sufficiency' dogma...but fulfilling enough  in the sense of having freshly harvested  comestibles on hand as a daily option.

I know we all say that's what we aspire to do, but allowing the garden to be ruled by the kitchen is a culinary and horticultural art. The more I…

TOMATO

Lycopersicon esculentum originally native to the western side of the South Americas, Spanish explorers brought seed to Europe in the 1500's

adrenal atrophy-function; alkalising; allergy food; alzheimer's inhibit; antibiotic; anti-cancer; anti-fatigue; anti-inflammatory; antioxidant; antiseptic; aphrodisiac; arginine; arteriosclerosis inhibit; belching; blackheads; blood cholesterol lower-synthesis inhibit/cleanse-nourish-pressure lower; bone…

Since we've completed two terms gardening at the local primary school -- and are about to tackle a third --  I thought I'd offer a few dot points on the experience.

I absolutely LOVE October -> All the flowers are out in full force.  I have a garden path that leads from my front gate to the house which has a rose arbor and is lined with hippeastrums. At this time of year, it just looks stunning (trust me on this, the photo's do not do it justice).  The rose has just started its mass flowering with hundreds of buds waiting to open.  The hippea's have all sent up their magnificent spikes and one is just about to open today. …