At last our tomatoes are ripening! So today for lunch we are having a freshly picked assortment, seasoned with Majorcan black olive salt, which was a gift from some of our visitors over the break.
Read MoreAuthor: Stephen Carlin
Three sisters at 10 weeks.
The Three Sisters are one of my experimental plots. Having the space and climate means that I can give things a try, and as I outlined in my previous update, the Three Sisters mix of maize, beans and melons is a technique that I have wondered about, which seems pretty neat and sustainable. The Red Aztec maize that I planted seemed to do well through our dry Spring, and I only watered it when it wilted. The rain finally came nearly 3 weeks ago, and here’s a photo of the…
Read MoreNo-dig beds: A trial.
No-dig beds are a great idea, incorporating easy establishment of new garden beds with minimal disturbance to the soil. Permaculture, intensive horticulture, organic gardening; there are plenty of techniques to follow in your garden, and a purist might decide on one, rigorously apply it, and actively defend or promote it. I’m more interested in what works, and if that means different techniques for different spots, then great.
Read MoreChristmas trees
With Christmas coming in the longest Summer days, Australia and New Zealand have a range of trees that flower spectacularly now, and so are called ‘Christmas trees’, even though most houses have a plastic or even real pine tree over the presents.
Read MoreSunflowers for Christmas
They’ve had a season of mixed fortunes, but by a combination of hardiness and good fortune, the sunflower beds have made it through to flowering, and will be putting on a show for Christmas.
Read MoreGrowing basil: there’s plenty of choice!
The light this morning made me stop and admire the colours of the basil. It was a bright morning after rain, and the basil is just coming into its own after surviving the dry weather. In particular the Dark Opal showed up nicely against the Holy basil. Basil has to be one of the favourite herbs to grow for the home gardener, with good reason. First of all, fresh picked basil from the garden is so much better than bought basil. Either you buy a bunch that has been battered…
Read MoreMung beans – good and quick.
What do you plant when you’ve got to the end of your sowing list? Mung beans are a good way to fill a spare bed. I prepared a bed down at the main vegetable garden but didn’t have anything that urgently needed sowing. So on a whim I thought that mung beans out of the pantry might be a good summer crop.
Read MorePecking order / chook fights
The chicken world can be very unglamorous, even red in beak and claw.
Read MoreA fly
Sometimes you see extraordinary fleeting things, and thanks to technology we can now share what was previously impossible to describe. This fly was sitting beautifully on a zucchini leaf in the mid-levels. I don’t remember seeing one like it before, and may not see one again, just one of those moments.
Read MoreThe solar pump – technology to the rescue.
The solar pump at the dam has a story. When we first moved in and had a chat with the previous owner, they said to be careful with machinery down by the dam, as there are solar panels and a pump down there. So we pushed through the shoulder-high grass and eventually found a change of level underfoot. Beneath a thick layer of grass that had fallen over everything we eventually located panels, then the electrical control box, and to our surprise, when the grass was off the panels the…
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