Garden Day
Gardening day! I've waited a long time and it was worth the wait.
My beer traps a few months ago seemed to stave off the slugs from my broccoli seedlings and now they are middled sized - hopefully ready to feed us in a month or two. I've left some of the borage seedlings to grow for the bees and today I planted soldier (flanders/ANZAC) poppies amongst the broccoli. I thought the red and black would contrast well with the blue-green of the broccoli leaves. At the very foreground of the photo is my ever present companion, creeping buttercup. I left a green wall of creeping buttercup to the left of the photo (not visible) when I planted the broccoli, with the idea of it being a windbreak for my salad greens which I sowed at the same time.
This is my salad greens plot, and the windbreak does seem to have helped. Tomorrow I plan to dig out the windbreak before it breaks out as the ground warms and takes over.
Globe artichokes doing okay. Perhaps this year will be the one when I actually cook and eat them. Again, several self sown borage plants left to flower.
My rhubarb has gone to seed here. Last year one (different) plant did this and I cut it out. This time I will leave this one to nature and see what happens next. Although all round it are miniature rhubarb plants and the entire plot seems to need uplifting, weeding, mulching and replanting. I gave lots and lots away not long ago.
In the closest corner of the punga raised bed is the celery which I planted today. I added blood and bone and plenty of lime first. I had wonderful celery in my first two gardens at this house and pretty terrible ever since. I think it has been the absence of calcium in the soil, so fingers crossed this time. The piles behind and beside the celery are from the poultry palace. I did think it was fantastic fertiliser at the time, but reading since has me wary. The wood shavings are not broken down so despite being mixed with chook poo, it may still steal nitrogen from the soil, the opposite of what I want to achieve. I may yet shovel it back into the wheelbarrow and then into the compost bin. Alternatively, I have considered leaving it there and spreading fresh grass clippings on top.
This is the old chook run garden, which Brighid considers to be hers. The clump of daffodils (leaves only at this stage) used to be in the front garden until this afternoon. It rarely flowers, and then only one, out the front, because of the low sun levels. Today I planted iceland poppies in front of the kale. We are still eating kale regularly and what doesn't get eaten in the next few weeks will turn into beautiful yellow flowers for the bees.
This is the other end of the old chook run garden. Brighid chose the pink of the polyanthus. I chose the pansies colossus. In the back left corner are leeks for spring eating.
Today I was almost all about flowers. I bought a red begonia and a blue Chatham Island forget me not. I would love to have blue forget me nots along the back of the wall and the deep red begonias all along the front. One step at a time, given they were $5 each. It's new for me to splash out on flower plants apart from the occasional rose, but hobbies do evolve...
The convalescents on the home run to good health. Is her face always dirty or just in photos? Hmmm.
This manuka is currently in a pot in front of the lounge. I'd like it in the ground but I'm a bit wary of the cables underneath.
My beer traps a few months ago seemed to stave off the slugs from my broccoli seedlings and now they are middled sized - hopefully ready to feed us in a month or two. I've left some of the borage seedlings to grow for the bees and today I planted soldier (flanders/ANZAC) poppies amongst the broccoli. I thought the red and black would contrast well with the blue-green of the broccoli leaves. At the very foreground of the photo is my ever present companion, creeping buttercup. I left a green wall of creeping buttercup to the left of the photo (not visible) when I planted the broccoli, with the idea of it being a windbreak for my salad greens which I sowed at the same time.
This is my salad greens plot, and the windbreak does seem to have helped. Tomorrow I plan to dig out the windbreak before it breaks out as the ground warms and takes over.
Globe artichokes doing okay. Perhaps this year will be the one when I actually cook and eat them. Again, several self sown borage plants left to flower.
My rhubarb has gone to seed here. Last year one (different) plant did this and I cut it out. This time I will leave this one to nature and see what happens next. Although all round it are miniature rhubarb plants and the entire plot seems to need uplifting, weeding, mulching and replanting. I gave lots and lots away not long ago.
In the closest corner of the punga raised bed is the celery which I planted today. I added blood and bone and plenty of lime first. I had wonderful celery in my first two gardens at this house and pretty terrible ever since. I think it has been the absence of calcium in the soil, so fingers crossed this time. The piles behind and beside the celery are from the poultry palace. I did think it was fantastic fertiliser at the time, but reading since has me wary. The wood shavings are not broken down so despite being mixed with chook poo, it may still steal nitrogen from the soil, the opposite of what I want to achieve. I may yet shovel it back into the wheelbarrow and then into the compost bin. Alternatively, I have considered leaving it there and spreading fresh grass clippings on top.
This is the old chook run garden, which Brighid considers to be hers. The clump of daffodils (leaves only at this stage) used to be in the front garden until this afternoon. It rarely flowers, and then only one, out the front, because of the low sun levels. Today I planted iceland poppies in front of the kale. We are still eating kale regularly and what doesn't get eaten in the next few weeks will turn into beautiful yellow flowers for the bees.
This is the other end of the old chook run garden. Brighid chose the pink of the polyanthus. I chose the pansies colossus. In the back left corner are leeks for spring eating.
Today I was almost all about flowers. I bought a red begonia and a blue Chatham Island forget me not. I would love to have blue forget me nots along the back of the wall and the deep red begonias all along the front. One step at a time, given they were $5 each. It's new for me to splash out on flower plants apart from the occasional rose, but hobbies do evolve...
The convalescents on the home run to good health. Is her face always dirty or just in photos? Hmmm.
This manuka is currently in a pot in front of the lounge. I'd like it in the ground but I'm a bit wary of the cables underneath.
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