Jennii, Jennii quite contrary how does your garden grow? Quite well considering we experience such soggy and wet winters in our valley! Although winter has its own natural beauty it is always welcoming to have the first day of spring arrive and I have been watching the flowers blooming (and the weeds) so I knew it was not far!
That means a few hours in the vege garden and a little effort today, to have some nice spring vegetables later! I have spent several years to get my garden to this stage and I love to watch it grow fuller with more variety each year. A bit of trial and error, figuring out what suits my climate the best and a few other growing tricks I have picked up along the way have resulted in my delightful pocket of life! I am pretty happy that this is as bad as it looks after the bleak winter.
So off to it I go.... The two large piles of hay are courtesy of the chook house.
They need spreading out to help fertilise the soil.
My fan club are never far behind me! Waiting patiently for the odd worm that meets the fate of the garden fork.
After turning the soil I planted a row of seeds. Peas on the left and a mixed row of snow peas and some broad beans on the right! Yumm!!
Then its over to the potato patch... Lots of new potatoes growing. I had a shelter that I made to keep them covered over winter as potatoes do not like lots of rain, which is unfortunate because that's what I get alot of!
I'm glad I made the effort to cover them because it was worth it. Home grown potatoes are so full of flavour, I was rather surprised! Here is the other half of my potato patch, ready for harvesting.
Any baby potatoes, not so good ones, or potatoes that get a tough time with the garden fork go back in the soil for the next crop to grow. Lucky for me, I missed them all today!
I cover all my newly planted areas with a bit of pea straw, it mulches and protects the soil and is another way to help to continue improving it over the years. Here are a couple of tomatoes in mini green houses to keep the rain off them a while longer.
Then its time to tie up the best looking coriander that's going to seed...
And the best rocket plant. These herbs are in the permanent section of the garden bed and are self sowing so I generally have them all year round.
Then its time to pick some broccoli....
Bok Choy...
Rainbow silverbeet...
And a cabbage...
Check on my cauliflower.... Not quite ready yet!
And head inside. I am very spoiled to have such a beautiful day in my garden!!
How does your garden grow?
What variety of vegies suit your climate?
Do your chickens think you are one of them because they see you dig and forage! Or am I spending to much time with them?
Happy spring to Australia!