Woo-Hoo! I Scored the Spring Flush Posted on November 5th, 2008
All of the seedlings I planted from the last post have sprung from the ground at such a rate that you would suspect steriods were involved. Somehow I managed to get lucky and plant them all just before the spring flush. This occurs every year, but since I had missed it every time, it had taken on a mythical, urban legend feeling to me. But no, it exists! And as a result I have vines now instead of seedlings. They are still quite small, but considering I only planted them a week or so ago, it appears that a miracle has been performed in my garden.
With all this wonderful growth has also come the October rains. Yes, I know it’s November, but every year here we get rains late in October. They just came little later this year. With all the talk of an especially bad bush fire season, it was only to be expected that they would be delayed - or nonexistant. I’m just glad it’s not the later option 
But with all this wonderful plant growth has come the realisation that I will have to hook up my greywater system this weekend. It consists of a long black hose that leads from my laundry tub, out the window and down into a green wheelie bin. Because our laundry is up so high, I only have the option of saving the entire load of water everytime. This is not ideal for vegie gardens because of the high contaminant levels in the first lot of water. So long as I water only the ground and don’t splash any water up onto the plants, it all should be fine. I can understand why people shy away from encourageing greywater use on food gardens, but so long as people are really careful in what they are doing, then there shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, if anyone in the family gets ill why we are using greywater, then their clothes are washed seperately and the water in not used on the garden.
Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Garden Nut)
Planting Frenzy Posted on November 1st, 2008
The other day I ever so quietly snuck out into the garden. In one hand I had a small spade, and in the other a handful of pumpkin seedlings. While no one was watching I planted them in a mad flurry. Shhh…next in went some spaghetti squashes and ten cucumber seedlings. Heaven’s knows what we will do with TEN vines of cucumbers come February. Especially since the next lot of seedlings to go in were 8 Lebanese cucumbers!!
Yes, it is THAT time of year again. I am planting like it is going out of style. Like a silent maniac I also planted the following:
*Hale’s best rock melon (6 seedlings)
*Sugar baby watermelon (8 seedlings)
*Fenugreek (loads)
*Luffa (6 seedlings)
*Romanesco zucchini (only 1 seedling, but next to 9 other established ones)
*Amish paste tomatoes (5 seedlings)
*Nigella (about 6 or so)
*Cos lettuce (12 seedlings)
*Some more lettuce, but this lot from the neighbour (LOADS of these went in)
I think that if the recession really does hit, I just may be able to feed the ENTIRE street. Well, I would like to think so anyway
As I gardened, I noticed that my broccoli has started to head. I had to smile at this. Everyone told me I was planting them at the wrong time of the year. For two years running I have planted broccoli at the ‘right’ time of the year. Each time it resulted in no crop what so ever. So I went with my gut instinct this year and planted them when ever I damn well felt like it!
Tomorrow I think I will plant some more. I still have basil and apple cucumbers and poppies and more lettuces and tomatoes and…
Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Garden Nut)
Cold Snap Posted on October 22nd, 2008
Last Saturday it was 32 degrees! Ever since then it has been cold enough to have to turn the heater on of an evening. Ditto the electric blanket.
Of course this is typical, you see on the weekend I planted out all my Curcurbitae seedlings. So now for the entire week I have been torn between rushing out of a morning to check on my precious little babies and desperately hiding away and hoping that by not looking at them they won’t die.
Every year this seems to happen. The last frost passes and I get the urge to plant, and then a cold snap hits. So far, I haven’t lost anything, but I’m not entirely convinced that they will all survive if the cold weather lasts much longer.
Today I am looking out at sunshine (even though I still had the heater on until 10.00am this morning), I feel bad to be smiling at the heat, because in all this cold weather, we actually had very little rain. The ground is so dry out there that even with the overcast skies and the morning dews, I was still watering seedlings that were sagging in the parched ground.
{sigh} I guess it’s only human nature that we are never happy with what we have…
Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Garden Nut)
Seed Saving Posted on October 19th, 2008
A big part of our vegie growing venture involves saving our seed from year to year. Well - in theory anyway. I have a lot of leek and carrot seeds - most of which are cooling their heels along the side of the house where I plucked them from the earth and then dumped them until I had more time on my hands to process them. There they patiently wait, sighing as they watch the rest of the garden grow. The oats reseeded themselves from the pile I pulled up and left to dry. Luckily my silverbeet, marigolds and borage self seed themselves at will all over the place (sometimes I have fantasies about neighbours eating our self sown silverbeet).
Recently though I collected pak choi seed. For some strange reason I adore collecting brassica seed. The pods, when dry, split so easily and the seed slips right out - quite often overshooting the collection bowl. I always smile in following months when I find little plants popping up from where I last collected seed. This time I sat at the front step and listened to the little wrens flit through the fernery. In a few months time no doubt I will be collecting pak choi without even having to step foot onto bare earth.
This morning I collected great big heads of wheat. We have grand plans of growing enough wheat to make our own flour. But right now the wheat is propped up against the cherry tree, drying. Somehow I think this wheat may be sending its roots down there rather than getting ground into flour - I may be wrong…but then again, I know myself too well…
Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Garden Nut)
True Love! Posted on October 3rd, 2008
I know now that there is no one else for me - not after my hubby spoilt me rotten. Most women prefer diamonds or flowers. Me, well I prefer what my husband came home with on the weekend - a basket full of vegetable seedlings! I had been busy planting seedlings I had raised from seed so that I could fill the seed trays with even more seeds. Right at the moment when I decided that it would be nice to be planting out tomato plants that were bigger than an inch tall, in walks my hubby with two flowering Black Russian and one Beefsteak tomato. He also bought me two more Hokawase strawberry plants and a small Habenaro chilli. Heaven!
Besides planting vegetables, I have also been weeding my herb patch. It has been the best year ever for Borage and as a result, I have had to clear the entire herb garden of its wonderful blue flowers. Now I have room to plant out all the spices I have attempted to grow after raiding my spice jars in the kitchen. My SIL was amazed the other day when I handed her kids a bag full of kidney beans. She thought you could only eat the ones you bought from the supermarket. But using seed purchased from the supermarket is often an excellent way to obtain cheap seed. Mustard can be grown from the seed from the shops, so can lentils and caraway and lima beans. In fact, after raiding hte spice rack, I am attempting to grow: Cumin, Green Pepper, Fenugreek (this is sprouting after only two days), Cardamon, Fennel, Caraway, Poppy, Coriander and Nigella.
Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Garden Nut)
‘The Happy Minimalist’ by Peter Lawrence Posted on September 24th, 2008
Recently I was approached by the author of the book ‘The Happy Minimalist’ to review it here on my blog. I have been approached in the past to review books on many varied topics, but have refused due to the fact that I haven’t been too keen on their content. This time though is different.
The author Peter Lawrence, has come from a simple beginning. He was born in Singapore and has now retired (at a wonderfully early age due to his minimalist lifestyle) in the USA. In between that he has gathered degrees from universities in two different countries and lived the very life that has led to the publication of his book.
He discusses not only how to be happy in a life that contains the minimum of material wealth, but how important it is for us to live this way. While many people before Peter have written books on how to live a happy and simple life (Living The Good Life by Linda Cockburn springs straight to mind), this book explains more fully why we must as a whole change our very attitude to the unsustainable lifestyle so many of us in the western world lead today.
And thanks to the kind permission of Peter, I am able to include an excerpt from his book. I think this first paragraph sums up nicely both the book itself and the very lifestyle that myself and many others are now trying so desperately to live by:
What is a Minimalist?The Compact Oxford English Dictionary explains it as:
1. an advocate or practitioner of minimal art or music
2. an advocate of moderate political reformMy scope of a minimalist is broader than the typical dictionary definition. I describe a minimalist as a person who minimizes everything and anything to what is absolutely necessary. According to Greek philosopher Epicurus, whose thinking encapsulates my view, the troubles entailed by maintaining an extravagant lifestyle tend to outweigh the pleasure of enjoying that lifestyle. He recommended that what was necessary for life and happiness be maintained at minimal cost, believing that anything beyond what is necessary should either be tempered by moderation or completely avoided.
Unfortunately the book is not yet available here in Australia. It can however be purchased via Peter’s website or at Amazon
Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Garden Nut)
How Many Seeds are Too Many? Posted on September 24th, 2008
I sorted out all my seeds. There are now 3 containers, one is for seed packets, another is for seeds to be planted out, and the last is for the empty packets that will eventually be filled with saved seed. This organising inspired me to plant the following:
*Butternut Pumpkin
*Extra Early Sweet Corn
Super Sweet Bicolour Corn
*Hollow Crown Parsnip
*Romanesco Zucchini
*Spaghetti Squash
*Luffa
*Pickling Cucumber
*Lebanese Cucumber
*Sunflowers
If anyone has been paying close attention to my recent plantings, you will notice that if all the seeds I have planted recently germinate (actually, if only 20% germinate), then I should have a bumper crop this year. That is of course if I can hack my way through the vines at my front door and actually get to the garden.
I also made Impossible pie for lunch. If you have never heard of this, then it could be basically described as a quiche once it is cooked. The bit that makes it amazing (or impossible), is that all the ingredients are mixed together and poured into a pie dish. Due to the some strange and mysterious reaction that occurs, the ingredients actually separate out so you are left with a pastry crust and a quiche on top - amazing stuff! This one was wonderfully homegrown. It had eggs from our chooks and greens from the garden and tasted so wholesome you could have sworn it had came right out of an Amish kitchen.
Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Garden Nut)
And So The Insanity Continues… Posted on September 13th, 2008
It was wonderfully warm today - warm enough to wear a t shirt at 8.30 in the morning. Warm enough to lay in the grass and make pictures in the clouds. And warm enough to bury my hands in the dirt once again. I planted the following seeds today:
*Sweet delight capsicum
*Hot chilli pepper
*Dill
*Bush champion cucumber
*Hale’s best rockmelon
*Sweetie tomatoes
I finally finished weeding the monster weeds down the back and planted in all my pumpkin seeds: Jen’s bush pumpkin, Kent and an unknown variety that I saved from a pumpkin a few years back.
The celery seedlings got planted, so did my one remaining passionfruit and two alpine strawberries. Last, but not least, I planted out two heads of garlic.
Now I just need to hook up my greywater system to the washing machine, and I should have enough water for it all…
Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Garden Nut)
Just a Rant… Posted on September 13th, 2008
With all this talk of global warming, carbon offsets, climate change and greenhouse emissions, I am wondering what is so wonderfully great with the human lifestyle of today that the government seem to reinforce? We live in a society today that does not notice an old lady who died alone in her house. Nobody knows who their neighbours are nor what they have been up to. Depression and mental illness is skyrocketing but ironically no one seems to care. Debt is rising, yet everyone seems to own a mobile phone - we are always contactable but eternally alone is a world that speeds on by. We have all these labour saving devices but are left with no time to ourselves. Obesity is rampant, yet we have no time to exercise.
So what, I ask the government, is so truly wonderful about all this? Why do you insist on maintaining our current lifestyle and try desperately to fit the climate change challenges around the misery? Humans are funny beings, we are known to be highly intelligent and have proven time and again throughout the course of history that our brains are incredibly adaptable. Yet, and history once again shows us, we are as stubborn as a mule when it comes to voluntary change.
What are we all scared of? That life could get worse? And yet, that is the way we are headed if we remain with our heads in the sand as we wait for the government of today to decide how much change is enough to maintain this miserable existence.
Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Garden Nut)
Spring Tides Posted on September 10th, 2008
At the moment I can feel the Spring tides rising through me like the sap is rising through our fruit trees out the back. Without rhyme nor reason, I can be found at any given spare moment digging holes, or sprinkling seeds or pulling up weeds. I actually don’t think I could control myself - even if I wanted to. It’s the same year in and year out, spring comes and I just have to drop everything to get busy in the garden.
Last week my daughter and I sprinkled flower seeds everywhere, hopefully summer will see sunflowers and zinnias and poppies and a dozen other types of flowers. Of course I say ‘hopefully’ as spring has brought about the completion of the moult for our chooks and they are now freely flying over any fence in sight to get to the aforementioned seeds
After the flower planting frenzy, I moved onto my summer edibles. I think it’s too early down here for watermelons, zucchinis, snake beans and cucumbers yet, but they have been planted anyway. Ditto tomatoes…and by tomatoes, I actually planted out half of my saved seed! Corn has gone in as well. I still haven’t planted all of the packets from the other week, but I have made a big dent in them.
A few days after that planting, I pulled out my seed boxes and sorted them all. As a result, the following seeds also got planted:
*Lettuce - Cos and Australian yellow leaf
*Cucumbers - Lebanese and Pickling
*Gourds - not sure on they type, maybe Bottle
*Rockmelon
*Nasturtiums
*Capsicum
*Butternut pumpkin
I also started clearing away the weeds from down where the chicken coop was last year. I can now attest to how well plants grow on chook poo - these weeds were like prehistoric creatures that fought valiantly as I hacked them from the earth. This patch is where I am going to plant the bulk of my pumpkins this year. They can just ample all over the place down there without the fear of them engulfing the rest of the garden, or any small children for that matter…
Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Garden Nut)