Oopah: just as I was about to start a new post, I saw that the Early November update expired 3 hrs ago: I was deep in the garden conscious 3 hrs ago, and am only now popped back up to the house to share :-D Heheh!
First of all, the chayote/ patate o melanzane invernale is excelling itself! Several fruits/ veggies had dropped to the ground, probably to protect the plant from not snapping from the weight of it... The plants are incredibly prolific, especially this year, and right now they are maturing beautifully. I brought them home and immediately snipped off the spikes as well as I could, as if they harden as they dry out, they are VERY difficult to handle!
Two spinaches - one climbing and one 'matador' I think it's called, are doing amazingly too; the climbing one is above, and has these lovely flowers that are complimenting it's graceful climbing form:
The matador spinach is immense, and putting out these gloriously flamboyant leaves!
Usually it's only the self-seeded bietole which make leaves so grand; it's wonderful to have such a good plant that has been sown, as often sown ones are more pernickety.
The wilder bietole are below; they are also thriving magnificently, alongside the borage and other wild greens in several places in the gardens - where I've encouraged them to do what they do best!
Another wonderful surprise (though I was already aware of it!): the zucche are still growing - and it seems like at least another 10 + will be harvestable soon.
This is a great boon, when I'd only left the plants to flower for cooking with the flowers: as the air cools, I will pick even the wee tiny ones, which are very cute, and make them into something delicious...
...possibly a pasta with the flowers too, and tuna - yum!
And the best surprise!! A gorgeous SAGE PLANT which I had thought lost to the undergrowth at least two seasons ago! It was growing merrily under the bigger plants, like borage and bella di notte! I ADORE when this happens - as plants which grow without our interfering are invariably perfectly situated and much stronger.
Talking of which: this fig grew by itself in a pot which had other cuttings in it: it is doing very well by itself. :-D
Behind the young fig in the pot, is an old sink which has a couple of interesting plants which are flourishing happily; first, this succulent - called piante grasse - which is funny, because it means 'fat plants' essentially, haha!
They were planted by the owner of the garden, and left neglected a long time: they were glad to be left alone, as you can see:
Also in the same pot as the small fig, are a series of twigs which I've either pruned off other trees, or which have snapped through wind or the weight of fruits:
I broke this twig (below) this morning, as I was using the big hook to pull down oranges: I cut it more appropriately and popped it into the soil in the pot, which I keep damp, and occasionally a twig turns into a small tree.
In the big pot with the succulents is a lovely Russian sage: this is a terrible photo, but I just wanted to share the colour and splendour :-)
The Lunga di Napoli ('Long Of Naples') is still growing... I hope it will continue to expand in all directions, as it is still very warm and the ground has lots of moisture in it: the plant looks like it is still very active - yippee!
A lovely snapshot of the tufo - porous volcanic rock - which is velvety bright green with the moss that loves to colonise it: I have several feature edgings on beds, with these jewel-like stones in them - I love watering the stones and seeing the moss develop.
And this is a path that I made, before the disturbed mosquitoes started really biting me! Ha ha - it doesn't look like much, but it was a joy to create: as I cleared the sides of the paths in particular, it is visible how beautifully friable and rich the soil is on either side!! This is another great surprise - if you've been following me a while, you'll know that this garden had an extreme lack of topsoil (or any soil at all!) in it, and that I've worked very hard permaculturally to grow the soil and have adequate planting space to grow things in!! It is a great reward, physically and mentally, to see the rich humus unfold!
Oooooh, and the oranges!! What a dream it is to pick them under the warm sun; to smell the citrus medicine smell as they are squeezed a little when I grasp them, and when the twig that they're held by to the tree is cut. Such a great gift of abundance: I now have at least 3 crates of oranges, and will be doing a shedload of juicing very soon!
(That was a rare wee selfie, which I hate doing, but sometimes I just want to prove that this is me, not someone else, doing all this magical work in the garden!) This other orange photo is a papoose that I made out of my scarf, to carry home even more oranges which didn't fit into the very full basket.
This last shot is through the main gate: the olive trees that I cut last week are looking better already, and their lowered height means that folk (like myself!) can see the glorious panorama framed through the iron grid, as they pass. If they're coming up the Via Dietro Gli Orti from the west, this is particularly spectacular, as there are a few houses blocking the view until you reach these gates - then suddenly you're presented with this!
LOve to you in your garden endeavours!!
Clare.