28 Mar 2014

garden share collective: april




We’re on the tipping point of the seasons: the mornings are darker and cooler, but the days are still warm and sunny and delicious, without the fierceness of summer. Many here will tell you that autumn is the best time of the year, and their favourite season. It certainly is mine.

It’s also a tipping point for the vegie garden. Some of my crops are showing signs of slowing down or finishing; the tomatoes are one. With only four plants in the ground, I feel it keenly when even one decides it’s time to give up; that’s a quarter of my crop! I still have some fruit coming on, but I’m picking maybe once or twice a week, not every day.

 

This is true of the beans and peas too. The lazy housewife beans continue to thumb their nose at whoever named them, producing a handful of slim green pods very couple of days; so does the row of mixed climbing beans – yellow, green and purple; a haphazard, pretty line. Some of the peas planted in the first week of January are only just starting to turn from soft white flower into tender green pods. However, they are a disappointing supply; despite the consistently warm and sunny months and diligent watering from me, those peas and beans sown after Christmas have been poor performers.

This time of the year invites reflection on what has worked and what hasn’t. My first attempt at growing zucchinis was a modest success; each time I harvested a politely-sized specimen I got an inordinate thrill – I’ve grown a zucchini! Sadly I wasn’t overwhelmed by zukes, but I proved I could grow them, so they’ll definitely appear again next year, and in greater number.


What I won’t grow again is beetroot – a lot of time for a ‘one-off’ crop, and I don’t think that’s practical in such a small garden. ‘Come and come again’ things like peas and beans and tomatoes and silverbeet are more efficient, spreading the harvest and joy over many weeks.



And against all expectations, the basil grown in pots was far lusher than that grown in the ground. So back to pots, positioned in a sunny spot close to the back door, for quick dashes from the kitchen.

Currently growing and harvesting
  • Basil.
  • Beans.
  • Beetroot.
  • Capsicum. My goodness, this is slow! Like beetroots, may not re-appear next year.
  • Lettuce. Though soon salad season will be over!
  • Silverbeet.
  • Tomatoes, though not for much longer.
  • Zucchini, though not for much longer.

Things to do
  • Keep watering (though we are getting some very welcome rain) and seasoling.
  • Start planning the garden expansion – I want to convert more lawn space to garden beds so I can grow more tomatoes and maybe even corn.
  • Collect the gnarly old borlotti beans that hid under leaves and became monsters! I’ll collect the beans for next year’s planting
Don't forget to see others in the Garden Share Collective. Click on the logo in the column at right to see more green thumbs.

29 comments:

  1. Did you know that every time I type a comment and press publish it disappears? Then I have to type it all over again! Some kind of glitch methinks.

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    1. oh dear. i'm sorry lizzy.
      is anyone else having this problem?
      would anyone know wat we can do?

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  2. I agree E, Autumn is a lovely time of year. I enjoy the colours and foliage changes. On a beautiful day like today, it is hard to imagine the winter to come.

    Your bean selection looks pretty against the leaf and stripes.

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    1. and wasn't the weekend a perfect example of autumn? i was out in the garden as much as possible, soaking up the rays.
      thanks SB - i love the colours of the purple beans, so inky. such a pity they lose that when cooked.

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  3. Lovely. I too love autumn. You have so much still going on in your garden!
    Capsicums have been especially slow for me too - but I still try them most years. Surely there will be a good capsicum year soon...
    I look forward to seeing/hearing more of the garden expansion. I gradually turned my entire front and back yard into garden beds and eliminated all grass, and I love it!
    Don't give up on beetroot just yet - you might want to try interplanting it amongst taller plants. I grew it in my corn bed this year, and it did really well, getting shaded from the sun but still growing well and not bolting. They were a bit slower to grow than the stuff in more sun, but were still worthwhile.

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    1. oh bec, i'm not going to let my father read your comment. he says i should convert my disastrous front lawn into vegie space (instead of threatening to get fake turf)!
      you should really meet my dad. when i told him i was giving up on beetroot, he said the same thing as you! he also suggested beetroot borders, and i must admit, how lovely would that look? thank you for the words of encouragement.

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    2. lol, that is so funny, as my dad hates that I have no lawn! We constantly differ as to views on gardening methods. Are you sure we weren't swapped at birth??? :)

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  4. Yes I love Autumn too such a lovely time of year to reflect on your veggie garden. I don't have a veggie patch but planted a couple of tomato plants months ago and was very excited to see four green tomatoes appear now I'm watching them like an expectant mother.

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  5. tomatoes do that to you, catherine! and then a super-protective one, when the birds come in and find them coloured up before you do. hell hath no fury like a tomato-grower pipped to the post like blackbirds :-)

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  6. Love autumn! And I do so exjoy taking a wander around your garden with you :)

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    1. oops that was meant to say enjoy!

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    2. good morning from one bad typist to another ;-) thank you ock!

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  7. I think those are the most perfect beans I've ever seen. And your potted basil is a monster! I agree with you on the beets, but I do like to plant those lovely pink and white striped chiogga beets -- they are small, and I've had good luck with them in pots. They look so lovely shaved over a winter salad, and I never see them in the shops or farmers' markets. Thanks for the garden tour!

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    1. i have never tried the stripy beets, and i don't think dad has either. i think everyone is subtly twisting my arm to give the beets a second chance! thank you for your lovely words.

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  8. My beans and peas are always slower at producing then I would like too! We do however love growing beets. I find them easy to grow if the soil is friable and they take very little care. I am sad to see the end of my tomatoes also. I do love the change over of plants though :-)

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    1. i think i am being convinced to give beets a second chance. because i can eat the green tops as well, which are just as delicious. you're right, kyrstie, they do take so little effort - just patience! - for such a good reward. okay, the beets win!

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  9. I'm loving autumn too, especially as we're actually having autumn weather wise and not just according tot he calendar. The went straight from winter to summer last year, it was not nice for garden or human. I like four seasons thank you very much. Nice update and reflection on your garden. I watched gardening Australia the other day and they said beetroot and lettuce are good companions - so perhaps you could pop a couple of beetroots between you lettuce plants next time and not dedicate a separate space for them. I also try to grow beetroots all year round (though I'm not having much luck in my new locale) and just squeeze them around other crops - they do take a while don't they.

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    1. thanks for your informative words, barbara - i am now picturing borders around the garden beds of beetroot and ruffly lettuces. how pretty that would be!

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  10. love seeing your garden! I agree about slowness of capsicums- they take forever don't they. I'm not sure I'll plant them again either as this year's crop got infested with fruit fly and I had to dispose of them all- and after all that time waiting for them!

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    1. gah! the pain - that would be heartbreaking, ock! we are very lucky to be fruit-fly-free in tassie (say that ten times fast). i had no idea fruit fly got into things like capsicums though.

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  11. Love those beans .. and as for that basil, how happy is that in the pot! I'm going to give that a whirl. Gosh, you aren't going to plant beetroot again? I have great success with it, but think I'll axe the toms and corn next year. Bad experiences with both this year. Oh well. Thanks so much for sharing your garden .. oh and capsicum take forever, nearly as long as eggplant! LOL

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    1. everyone has convinced me to give beetroot another whirl, frogpond - very persuasive mob around here! but oh, you can't give up homegrown tomato! if i grew nothing else, i would persevere with toms, their taste is far superior to storebought ones! please have another think ... :-)
      and thanks for the capsicum tip off.

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  12. Zucchini's really love water if you want to get really big ones. The more water you give them the happier they are. For us after it rains we get a big surge of them and some end up being over 800gm big. So water is the key for the zuc next year. I too am like you and like plants that keep producing and one time crops are kept to a minimum in my veggie patch.

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    1. wow, that's a big zucchini! i actually like the little ones, and have been happy with my first ever attempt at them. not too demanding at all. if only all vegies were like that (ahem, tomatoes, i'mlooking at you). thanks for saying hi lizzie!

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  13. Your beans, zucchini and basil are amazing! Your garden looks so gorgeous and green. I know what you mean about beetroots, I still have jars of beetroots preserved from 2 years ago, one crop goes a long way and they do take up a lot of earth space. Capsicums are slow growers, we had plenty but now I think the fruit fly has found them. x :)

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    1. ah merryn, it's a selective photo range here - some of the peas are going that grey mottled dying way, and since i took these pics, the tomatoes are looking very haggard.
      ock above also mentioned fruit fly in her tomatoes. again, we are very luckynot to have that pest here in tas.
      and that must have been a bumper beetroot crop! i'm envious!

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  14. Amazing! I haven't tried zucchini but keep reading all these American blog articles where the people got stacks and stacks. I agree with you about beetroot and capsicum. I had thought I won't try either of those again. Hardly worth it for the effort in a small garden. But then I read the comment on trying beetroot in between taller plants and hmmm now I'm reconsidering! Your garden looks so awesome.

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    1. sorry for the late reply, maya. was staying away from computers over easter :-)
      i will go against the tide and say there is nothing wrong with having a glut of zucchini! there's so much you can do with this versatile vegie.
      and as i said to others, i have been well and truly convinced to do beetroot again next year. i do love the taste of roasted beetroots so much so it would be foolish not to!

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