Good timing

Even though Victoria has received above annual rainfall this year, 'ending' the drought, we are still very water-conscious.  With our ever-expanding garden, additional water storage is a must. So finally, MMSTL and I plumbed in another water tank this weekend. We already have two smaller ones, but this is much bigger. It was an Ebay buy -$150 delivered - and holds 1200 litres but because we had been debating for so long on what type to get, where to put it, and how to plumb it into the existing system, I was a bit concerned that we would have missed the spring rain.  Luckily that was not the case. Over the past few days we've watched the level go up... and up.. and when I last checked it was almost full.  Yay! almost 2000 litres of water storage.

It's connected to the existing tank with a storm water diverter so that when it fills up, we can divert the water to the smaller tank which has an overflow pipe (the big one doesn't). Neither MMSTL or I have plumbed in a tank before so it was an interesting exercise trying to figure out what we needed from the local hardware store and how the pipes would connect, but it does seem to be doing what we hoped!

Doin' the Florida Weave

No, I haven't joined a line-dancing class. I'm trying a new technique of tying up my tomatoes. Last year I tried sturdy stakes but the plants soon got out of control. So this year, inspired by fellow tomato-enthusiasts on my favourite gardening forum, I decided to try a new way.   The Florida Weave involves putting posts or large stakes every two plants and stringing twine between the posts so that the plants are “sandwiched” between the twine and is suitable to long rows of tomatoes, so it's good for lots of plants and much less fiddly than tying up individual plants.

Image from www.finegardening,com

In my set up I've used a star picket at each end of the row and a sturdy stake between each plant (although 2 plants can be placed between each post) .  On the smaller bed of tomatoes which has 4 plants in one row, I've weaved two rows of twine  and so far it seems to be working well. The plants are  about 50cm tall and seem to be well supported between the twine.  Any stray leaves or stems have been tucked in, taking care not to trap the flower trusses and I'm keeping the plants well pruned by taking off any suckers (the small branches that appear between the main ones).  I'll post some pictures of my toms soon. How is everyone else tying up their tomatoes this year?

Why I love my backyard

Where do I start?  Well, the fact that no matter what kind of day I've had, I can stand in the backyard, look at the trees and flowers and veggies, listen to the birds and chickens and just feel calm and happy.  I love how the garden changes with the seasons, and that it is a habitat for all sorts of bugs and birds - I even found a tiny praying mantis there the other day. But the best thing is seeing LittleFB and his friends hanging out there: picking beans, swinging in the hammock and having adventures.  I was pleased to read an article in The Age today that 'informal' backyards are much better for children's development by allowing them opportunities for imaginary play, socialising with other children and interacting with nature.


Sometimes I do think that the garden could be tidier. Sticks and toys are always strewn all over the place. Straw escapes from the beds and the chicken house and finds its way everywhere.  Leaves pile up and weeds take over the paths, but I would never swap my slightly chaotic garden for the type of manicured, paved perfection that many people seem to aspire to. I'm sure that LittleFB would agree, even if it was just for the snail race opportunities.

Harvest Monday - November 22nd

It's been all about alliums this week.  The rest of the garlic has been harvested and, if I have to be honest, I'm a little disappointed.  Compared to the purple monaro which had big, fat bulbs some almost the size of my palm - you can see one at the front of the picture - the silverskin was quite small, mainly around the size of a 50c piece, and some even smaller.  Never mind, it's still great to have home grown garlic on hand. I've plaited it into a long rope and it is now hanging in the kitchen, making it look like an Italian trattoria.

I also had some success with my red onions. Some were quite big, and others on the smaller size, but still quite usable. I think I planted them too close together. This is what my Italian neighbour is always telling me anyway. I'm learning though. This year my tomatoes are positively wallowing in their own space, although it took a lot of willpower not to squeeze a few more in.

In the space vacated by the onions and garlic some soybeans (Edamame) have gone in.  Not enough to make soy milk (or soil milk as LittleFB likes to call it), or tofu, but to boil the pods whole in salty water so that the beans can be popped out and eaten, Japanese style.

Beautiful bottlebrush

In the corner of the garden there is a bottlebrush which, when at its peak in Spring like now, is just stunning. This year it has been particularly beautiful - the blooms looked luxuriant, spilling over the branches and adding vibrant colour to the garden. The bees and native birds love it; a reminder how important it is to create a diverse habitat for all the helpful garden creatures.  The blooms will start to fade now, and drop red confetti all over the garden beds, and the tree will stay green until it puts on its spectacular show again next year.

Harvest Monday, November 15th

This is actually yesterday's harvest but it was so bountiful that I thought it was worth sharing (plus today we were so busy chopping down trees, loading skips and buying a new water tank that I didn't have time to do a proper harvest).  Anyway back to this harvest, which was our first entire garden dinner for a while.  The potatoes - 3 different varieties - were roasted along with some home-grown garlic and thyme and accompanied by lightly cooked carrots, salad and soft boiled eggs.  Simple, and quite delicious.  There is nothing quite like potatoes that have just come out of the ground. The kipflers in particular were very tasty.

The recent rain is just doing wonders for the garden. everything is looking so lush and healthy. Unfortunately this means that the snails are out in force, although LittleFB finds them endlessly entertaining and amused himself for ages by setting up snail races in the garden; lining them up on one side of a stick 'bridge' to see which one got to the other end first.  I didn't have the heart to feed his new 'pets' to the chickens (their usual fate)  so they are probably off munching my basil as we speak.

A tour through the Spring garden (and finding my garden zen)

This time of year I get up a little bit earlier so that I can spend some time in the garden before work. It's my calm time; an opportunity to feel connected with nature. I find this especially important as my job is office-based  and much of my time is spent in front of a computer. 

I eat breakfast outside and then usually wander around barefoot, with my coffee, having a look at what has grown, pulling out weeds, and sometimes even planting a few seeds. Then I feed the chickens, give them fresh water and some greens, hop on my bike and go to work feeling refreshed. After the recent warm spell and the spring rain, things in the garden are really starting to take off. Join me on a little tour around....

Climbing beans (purple king and blue lake) and bush beans (dragon's tounge) in front. Broccoli and Cavalo nero behind, and garlic and onions hidden behind those. Right at the back, blueberry, kaffir lime and herbs and lettuce.

Tomato bed 1: Rainy's maltese, Grubs mystery green, Cheroke purple, Kantika cherry, Ace 55 and German Gold.

No dig potato bed (kiplers and Sebago) and Tomato bed 2: Green zebra, Doodies, Orange beefsteak, and another variety.

In front of the chook run: Strawberries and Rhubarb, Roots (carrots, beets, parsnips) and alliums (leeks, shallots). 

Basil, lettuce and grapevines (the net is to stop the pesky birds)

Not a great picture, but these beds are planted up with cucubits (cucumber, pumpkin and watermelon) and corn, plus some garlic chives that have been there for ages.

I hope you enjoyed the little tour. I'm looking forward to mine again tomorrow :)

Harvest Monday - first garlic!

I've been umming and arring over whether to pull up my garlic.  The leaves have started to die off, but there are still between 4 and 6 'good leaves'  left. One of the variety that I planted is a hardneck called Purple Monaro which should produce scapes, but these are only just starting to form on some plants.  harneck garlic doesn't store as well as softneck varieties, which don't produce the scape.

A quick inspection today shwoed that some of the stalks were starting to look a bit floppy so I decided to dig up half a row, and am pretty pleased with the result.   I planted my garlic back in March (which means that it takes about the same time to grow garlic than it does to grow a baby!)

The bulbs were quite variable in size, ranging from about golfball to 50c piece.   The plan is to save some for seed for next year, dry some for storage, swap some and eat lots!  Tonight it is going into my pasta sauce with home grown herbs.  Now if only the tomatoes were ready....

Felling the broad bean forest

I mentioned that the broad beans had done well this year.  The plants were huge - taller than me - and starting to bend over with the weight of their pods.  I was considering leaving half the bed to carry on producing, but I had lots of tomato seedlings that really needed to be planted, added to the fact that it was a glorious sunny day perfect for gardening. So I decided to chop down the lot!

Ten minutes chopping with the seceters and the stalks were down. I always leave the roots in the soil because they are full of lovely nitrogen nodules, ideal for hungry crops like tomatoes. MMSTL and I spent the next hour or so happily stripping the stalks of their pods. I realise that some people may think that shelling beans for an hour is a complete waste of time but sitting there in the sun, looking at the garden, chatting away we couldn't have been happier.  Time very well spent

The larger beans were podded, some went into a fresh dip and the rest blanched briefly for the freezer (Little FB wanted to write the labels, and apparently the beans are for sale, oh and I just noticed that I still think that it's October!).  The smaller finger-sized beans were blanched and frozen whole.  The stalks and leaves were chopped up and put on to the surface as mulch.  I also left a few stalks with the fattest pods to dry in the shed for beans for next year.  Broad beans really are the most rewarding crop to grow.  Easy, practically maintenance free and good for the soil.

Fresh bean dip
Cup fresh broad beans
1/4 grated parmesan
Couple of glugs of  olive oil
1 clove garlic
4 mint leaves
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Whizz all the ingredients in a food processor until blended to a coarse paste.  Add more lemon/cheese/olive oil to taste and serve on toasted bread or pita.

2010/11 Tomato list

OK, so I might be a little obsessed with growing tomatoes.  It's something to do with the huge variety available, all the colours, shapes and sizes.  It's relatively easy to save seeds, and they  are indispensable in the kitchen. Last year I grew a mixture of varieties; some from seed, some seedlings.   This year, thanks to some kind on-line gardeners who are happy to share seeds, I had lots to choose from.  This is my list - mainly new varieties, with the exception of some favourites from last year.

Grew last year
Tommy Toe - large cherry, prolific. Loved by FB.
Cosimo - seedlings from my Italian neighbour, roma type. Lots of fruit.
Doodies - beefsteak type. Seed saved from a friend's grandad's plant. No idea of the actual variety.
Principe Borghese - good drying tomato.

New for this year (descriptons from http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/tomato_seeds.htm and http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Main_Page)
Green Zebra - Very good flavored salad type tomato. Fruits are medium sized, with a balanced sweet-acidic flavor. Fruits ripen to a green color, with subtle yellow spots or stripes making for an attractive addition to any dish.
Grubs mystery green - 8-12 oz beefsteak, amber exterior, green flesh, excellent taste, high yield.
Lemon Boy- A lemon yellow skinned tomato known for its rounded fruits that are fairly uniform in shape and color. Plants are quite vigorous and produce pretty fruits that grow to about 8oz.
Ace 55 - 75 days, det., 6-12 oz tart flavor, sweet undertone, productive, resists V and FW.
Kantinka Cherry - 75 days, indet., regular leaf, high yield of yellow cherry fruit, very good flavor.
Cherokee Purple - Dark purple/black beefsteak-type tomato. This variety has circulated for at least 100 years, and was allegedly once grown by the Cherokee's. Excellent, complex flavor, large fruits can weigh up to 1.5 pounds, great for slicing.

Break O'Day -  60-70 days, indet., Produces 4-7 oz. red globe-shaped fruit with very good acidic flavor. Fruits are smooth, blemish-free and very juicy, with light-red interior and many seeds. Fruits grow in clusters of 4-6. Medium to high yield.

Traditionally tomatoes are planted out in Melbourne on cup weekend. I've managed about 8 plants so far, all planted nice and deep into well manured, composted beds, but I'm waiting for the broad beans to finish so that there is room for the rest of my little plants!

Harvest Monday- Nov 1

I just looked back at my last few posts and they have all been "harvest monday" and not even weekly at that! A bit shoddy, I know and I don't have much of an excuse, apart from being away the past few weekends and getting to grips with my new laptop.

Despite my woeful blogging efforts, work in the garden has been ongoing and the harvests have been inceasing in size and diversity.  The greens - silverbeet, perpetual spinach and chard - have mostly bolted but there is still cavelo nero and plenty of lettuce.  The peas have all gone now. Not a good year for peas this year; I think I may have sowed them too early.  Broad beans, however are another story. There are heaps and heaps of them.  MMSTL and I  picked a big basket, had a happy half hour shelling them on the back patio, and today I made some broad bean burgers from my Plenty book. They are chilling in the fridge, ready for tomorrow night's dinner so I'll report back.

The garlic patch

I also harvested an experiemental purple monaro garlic which was a reasonable size, with about 8 medium sized cloves, but my feeling is that it is not quite ready. It's my first year growing garlic so I'm not exactly sure when to pull the plants but this one only had a few tellowing leaves and I remember reading somewhere that there should be only 4 green leaves left.  Any seasoned garlic growers out there who can give me some advice? I'm hoping that the rain at the weekend (all 58mm of it!!) won't make the bulbs rot in the ground.