Sit and Watch the Leaves Turn

Garden Log 11 May 08

Everyone must take time to sit
and watch the leaves turn.
~Elizabeth Lawrence


Cool days, chilly mornings down to 2C
Winter is coming
But the garden is still growing!

Time to tuck up the frost sensitive plants...
...frosts are on their way!

Wrapped up to keep the cold out.

Time to pick the chillies and string them up to dry.

Taking cuttings (soapwort) in the cooler weather
when they don't dry out as fast.

Growth...the pathside bed greens

and some of those Legume tree seeds are emerging!

Just enough warmth left for this ladybird
to munch the last of the aphids

off the bronze fennel. Thank you.
(you may like to click on the photo to see it)

Nearly forgot the pumpkins for Matron...
the last of the Rouge de'Etampes (we ate the rest!)
and the little volunteer that braved a late start
back in the March heatwave.

Goldenrod

Goldenrod Solidago canadensis

Native to Canada can grow to 1metre
Can be invasive (very) needs to be kept under control.
Bees love it also butterflies.

I need to clear it out occasionally but it always comes back.
It's insect attraction is it's saving grace...it also adds some height to the garden.

According to these links is a very useful herb too.
Botanical.com: A Modern Herbal by Mrs M Grieve
Plants For A Future: Database

Things are moving...

Garden Log 4 May 08:

The greens in the pathside bed
have doubled their growth
with some welcome rain this week.

At last we've had an almost wet week
Total rain for the week 20mm
The garden loved it!
Hints of more to come look promising.

Cooler weather meant we really felt like getting out in the garden this weekend.

We started by taking down the shade cloth covers from all the veg beds, they had a nice rinse in the rain and now look white again instead of the red dust tinge they'd acquired. They were all folded and put into storage in the caravan.

As we removed the shadecloth we discovered some healthy Rhubarb ready to pick.

Bed 2 was full of surprises too...the Kale was well grown, the Goldfinger Zucchini had fruit on it and some volunteer potatoes are well grown and have small new potatoes under them! I'll see how long we can keep them growing before a frost gets them.

The other wicking bed on bed 10 has only been slightly raised as this is mainly for root crops and didn't need the extra compost etc that I've used in the higher beds.
It will be interesting to see how the Beetroot, Onions and Kohlrabi go here. Some Telephone climbing pea seedlings from the shadehouse were planted along the trellis.

We sorted where the new fence was to go, dug the holes and the posts are in!! Doc's measuring up for a gate for the entrance and we're hoping to re-use the mesh from the existing fenceline on this new fence. The new design will have it's own post very soon...

While Doc was off being busy in the garden I connected up the fittings for the new tank. I have run a 19mm hose along the side of the workshop to a tap for easy access.

Granny Smith Apples

I picked these Granny Smith Apples this morning...
...enough for a Crumble and Cobbler I reckon!
Interesting...
...not one damaged by codling moth...

Total rain for the weekend was 16mm
all caught in that new tank!
Also got the house tank flowing again
for the first time in 4 months.
This morning's temp dipped below zero.

The best thing one can do when it's raining...

...is to let it rain. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Garden Log 27 Apr 08

The asparagus is changing colour
and is nearly ready to be cut down for winter

Saturday night it actually started raining!
6mm overnight and more on Sunday.
With a cold blast of air on Sunday.
Winter is on it's way.

Despite the recent lack of rainfall the garden has come to life. The sun has lost it's summer force. Evaporation rates are dropping. The Autumn growth flush. The garden is surviving on it's once weekly dripper sessions and little additional hand watering is needed.

I'm grateful again for the wicking beds and boxes I took the time to build. They are growing away and only requiring topping up every two or three weeks.

I've raised two of the outside wicking-beds to give a deeper growing area.

The first one at the end of March has settled down well and the brassicas etc are loving it...minor grasshopper damage but still going strong.

A new one built up on Bed 10 this week has been planted up...

In the Pathside Picking Bed the warmer weather has kept the Cabbage white butterflies and grasshoppers active...hopefully this weekend's weather change will discourage these beasties.

I've soaked and planted a collection of legume tree seeds:

• Tagasaste - Chamaecytisus palmensis,
• Acacia - acinacea, A. saligna and A. victoriae
• Siberian Pea tree - Caragana arborescens
• Carob - Ceratonia siliqua which although a legume doesn't fix nitrogen here.

That new tank is all connected and filling up with this rain...
...we got it connected just in time!
Thanks Doc!

More on those Wicking Beds and Boxes:
Making the Wicking Boxes
Update on Wicking Boxes
Building that first wicking bed