Monday, September 24, 2012

Potting up tomatoes.

I promised ages ago to show you pictures of my seedlings, but as usual I haven't got around to it, so today here is just a selection: perhaps a quarter of what I have been growing. A lot of these are going to family-members vegie gardens, because there is far more here than I need. Last year I had perhaps 10 different tomato varieties and we were inundated with fruit for most of summer and well into autumn; this year I am trying to be more circumspect.
All of the bigger seedlings I'm going to plant directly into the garden. The smaller plants I'm going to pot on and give away. Known varieties here are Amish Paste (the biggest seedlings, prolific and delicious, great for cooking), Black Russian (one of the better known heirloom varieties) and Wild Sweeties (tiny taste bombs). I'm also growing a ten colour heirloom mix, and a currant mix, both from Diggers.
Incidentally, today I'm also going pot on, or plant out a punnet of sage babies, and another of marjoram. Those are the ring-ins in the pictures.
Which varieties of tomatoes are you growing and eating this year?


Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App


Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

Monday, September 17, 2012

Sort of, kind of, done...

The backyard garden plan, that is. It's not exactly a fabulous work of art - I always get carried away with colour - but I'm happy with it. I particularly like my 'North' symbol. I've never attempted any kind of hand lettering before, and I think I need to work out the best kind of pen to do it with, but it's not so bad. It's a thoroughly dodgy photo, I couldn't get it lined up properly so opted to not line it up at all :S And now that I've uploaded it, I've realised I still haven't penned in the names of the top plum (actually two plums!), nor the grape I've just planted along the eastern fence by the house. Still, enough self-deprecation, it's not bad, and if it ever ends up on my wall I'll take a proper picture then. By the way, the size of the trees etc is how I see them in about five or more years, not as they are now. Indeed, only about 85% of them are actually planted!

Photobucket

Monday, September 10, 2012

And they're in!

Finally, my little plum trees are out of their pots and in the ground. There are six trees in this space: the first four are planted in pairs (a method where you plant two trees in one space and from then on you treat them as one tree, if that makes sense? It's a space saving/variety increasing method). These plants are D'Agen and Coe's Golden Drop in the first pair, and Santa Rosa and Satsuma in the second pair. The next tree along is a Wickson plum, then lastly is a damson plum. Behind all this, but very small, is one of my favourite Australian natives shrubs: Myoporum bateae, which should cope with the shade from the fence really well. Up the back is also some raspberries (both native raspberries, Rubus parvifolius, and an exotic variety, which I got from MIL's garden). Underneath the plums, along the entire wall, are over forty individual strawberry plants, all taken from runners off my older plants (I seem to produce strawberry runners prolifically, rather than the fruit we'd all prefer!). At the very first part of the wall, beside where the steps will be, I've planted a small David Austin English rose: Sophy's Rose. I've even scattered some seeds about: Yates 'Accent on Blue' seed mix, to help bring the pollinators in. That sounds like a lot, now that I write it out! I can hardly wait to see it all start growing and coming together. Next up we're making my raised vegie beds.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Great Wall of Adelaide.

Five meters down, only about 40m to go! We are busy packing all the rocks we've dug up back in behind there, and later on (today? In my dreams!) I'll plant my plum trees in the level we've created. A long way down the track the wall will be rendered to attempt to beautify it, but for the time being we are concentrating on the structure only (the 'bones'). Naturally, yesterday when D didn't have a day off the weather was absolutely perfect. Today, when he's home to help its warm, sunny and very, very, very windy. Not half an hour after I was admiring the gorgeous purple and fuchsia flowers on my Japanese snow peas they were swept off their trellis, bending and breaking half way down. Pooh!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Been aPaintin'

Just after 1am and hanging up the brushes and turning off the music for the night (soundtrack: CW Stoneking, Jose Gonzalez, Bobs Dylan and Marley, Royksopp...) First time I've been painting since SP was born over two years ago and I'm painting -what else- the back yard as it looks in ten years time (in my head). It's only half done, and apart from that old mistake of trying to use black in a watercolour, I think it's OK. Must put it all away before morning though, as the thought of a two year old near 'real' paints and paper makes my blood run cold!

Good night, all, and welcome to spring :)