After a few busy weeks doing all sorts of non-gardening related fun stuff, it was wonderful to have two full days to dedicate to the Hawthorn Garden this weekend just gone. It was so action packed that I didn't have time to pop past Luscombe Street! So it was one of the first weekends that wasn't drizzly or raining which was great - we had made stencils to put on the planter boxes about a month and half ago, so got out the black paint and stenciled away so that the paint would be dry before the rain returns early this week. I thought it would be a great idea to have the containers numbered so that I can take note of the plants that have been in each container season by season, making managing crop rotation that much easier. Corny I know, but we have also put C & D for Claire and Dan on the bottom of each of them - well we made them together so I thought that would be nice :)
The worm farm is going full steam ahead, so much so that it has reached the time that a new tray be put on top of the initial tray ready for the worms to be transferred and the first lot of worm castings harvested. You can see below how much matter the worms have worked their way through since setting them up a couple of months ago. I'll leave them there for about two weeks to move on up into the new tray before taking the old one away to use.
We relocated the containers on the weekend into what will be known as the 'Spring' configuration - all containers lined up in a row on the eastern boundary, so that they receive the most amount of north and western sun during the season. I love how they all look stacked up in a row, and it means that we have more space to use during the warmer part of the year.
All of the veggies in the containers are doing really well. We continue to pick from the baby spinach a couple of times each week for evening meals, and the snow peas are blooming away. Whilst we haven't picked any peas yet, we're almost there, and hope that they will continue to provide yummy peas through Spring.
The mushrooms have also just gone crazy over the past week - we're just about to harvest a whole heap of Swiss Browns! Honestly, you see a little shroom coming up through the ground and within 3-5 days its big enough to eat. Just amazing! The broccoli continues to flower and has been bothered by a few aphids here and there, but nothing too crazy. I have just blasted them off with a hose whenever I have seen them munching away on the yummy new flower growth.
The beetroot is growing really steadily, and will be ready to harvest in the coming few weeks which is great because the next batch of seedlings have been taken out of the hot house and are hardening up ready to be planted in two or three weeks time. The garlic is also going great guns!
We also spent some time finishing off the three herb pots, made from scraps of the timber we used for the containers, that can be moved from container to container when required as companion plants. It was really important that they could be moved, should the plants need them, throughout the year. So we have a pot with mint, a pot with sage and another with lemon thyme. Useful as companion plants, and for additional herbs for cooking! We might look at making a couple more during the year depending on the types of good and bad pests we begin to attract to the garden.
So all going very well in the Hawthorn Garden. Its great to be at a point now where we're harvesting what we're growing, and being so proud of the work that has gone into the garden over the past couple of months.
Mushroom!
Lots of Mushrooms!
New tray placed on top of the inital worm farm
Worms eating away the last of the scraps in the lower tray
Beautiful containers all lined up in a row :)
Looking back the other way toward the new Potato bags!
Beetroot are kicking on - this also shows the stencilling on each container
Beetroot!
Broccoli is flowering! Have had to flick off the odd aphid but they are doing pretty well.
We finished off the small herb planters - companion planting boxes that hang from the containers via hooks and can be moved when necessary
Garlic and prostrate rosemary
Baby spinach continues to thrive. We pick and eat from this container once or twice a week.
Potatoes! Bags were bought at Bunnings after a sad failed attempt to obtain recycled hessian bags from local fruit and veg shops. Apparently they aren't receiving veggies in hessian bags anymore??? At least we can use these from year to year, and they have a little peek-a-boo flap on the bottom for early harvesting!
The next batch of Beetroot are on their way. Parsley is still growing away, and the random seeldings (not sure if Fennel or Warrigal Greens!) are growing away as well.
Pumpkin seeds have been sown ready for planting mid Spring
And I almost forgot....we have potatoes growing in the backyard now too! After heading down to our local green grocer, I realised that not many producers are using hessian bags anymore to store their vegetables...which baffled me! I would have loved to have reused something to grow the potatoes in, but I eventually gave up and went down to Bunnings to buy a couple of specially made potato growing bags for the 6 'seed' potatoes that had sprouted in the bottom of the cupboard. Yes, I think people recommend that you buy seed potatoes to grow at home, but these were ones that I had bought from CERES, that were grown at their market garden organically, so I thought would be fine to use for growing at home. The bags actually have a little peek-a-boo hole at the bottom of them so that during the season, whilst you are piling up the compost in the bags as the sprouts grow, you can harvest new potatoes from the bottom of the bag. Pretty neat! They seem so easy to grow, so it will be interesting to see how they go :)
Oh, and the first of the Spring / Summer seed planting has begun with pumpkin seeds that I had saved earlier in the year from a CERES pumpkin going into the hothouse this weekend :) Exciting times! I can't wait for Spring to come along!
