Hawthorn Garden Update - Week 14-15

My spring and summer seeds have arrived from seeds2freedom this week!  So guess what I spent my day doing this weekend?  Planting away!

It is so exciting that its almost time to think about summer tomatoes, cucumbers and capsicum.  I can't wait.  Oh and basil too!  I ordered quite a few varieties of tomatoes to try this year.  I'm not sure how they will all go, but it will be interesting to see.

Seeds2freedom are a great online store that sell heirloom varieties of seeds from their farm in Tasmania.  You can have a look at their website here.

Listed below are the varieties that I have sown this weekend;

Basil Genovese (Ocimum Basilicum)
Sugar Snap Peas (Pisum Satiuum)
Capsicum California Wonder (Capsicum Annum)
Cucumber Lebanese (Cucummis Satiuus)
Indian River Tomato (Lycopersion Esculertum)
San Marzano Roma Tomato (Lycopersion Esculertum)
Cherry Tomato (Lycopersion Esculertum)

 Cut up milk carton to create labels

So many toilet paper rolls!

 All planted and labelled ready to go into the hot house...

Tomato seeds to be planted

 The thrifty funnel!

Seeds all sorted, planted and ready to grow.

I have tried to be as thrifty as possible with sowing seeds this season, using toliet rolls where possible, and cutting up a milk carton to make labels for them all.  A really handy gadget was an orange juice bottle that I cut up to use as a funnel to fill up the TP rolls with soil!

Hawthorn Garden Update - Week 13

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!

Hawthorn Garden Update - Week 10 & 11

Wow, oops I forgot to put an update up the week before, the fornight before, last...eek!  Oh well there's a huge amount to update you all on which is very exciting!

The snow peas are going mental, and flowering like crazy, and the broccoli has also started flowering which is great!  I have had to keep a watchful eye on the broccoli though as the grey wooly aphids have made a comeback and like munching in the new growth.  I have given them a good spray of EcoOil, and will continue to keep an eye on them to see whether they need another dose by next weekend.

The beetroots are also growing well.  The seedlings in the planter are growing and I have also taken the seedlings that have sprouted out of the hothouse to continue growing in a more natural environment.

And we have baby mushrooms!  It has taken, what, almost a month and a half, but we have the first signs of little white funghi in our shed!  So exciting :)
 

 All looking very green :)

 Almost ready to pick!

 Snow peas continue to grow and flower like mad.

 The first of the Broccoli!

 Beetroot are going well.  I have also planted the last three Kale seedlings to see how they go.  The companion planting herb containers are to be made this coming weekend - how cute are they!  Dan has made one as a test and I think it looks great!  It's just made from little offcuts that we had after making the timber containers.

 The worms are almost ready to be transported to another section of their Worm Cafe.  I'll leave them another week or two to demolish the last of the food in the bottom tray and then attempt to lure them into a new upper section.

 The baby mushrooms!  It looks like the plain button mushrooms have started growing which is very exciting :)

Hawthorn Garden Update - Week 5

The propagating hot house is alive with activity at the moment.  The Kale seeds continue to grow very well, and the Nasturtium seeds have also sprouted!  It looks like three out of the four seeds have germinated which is fantastic.  I haven't had as much luck with the Catnip seeds that for some reason got completely waterlogged and were subsequently chucked in the worm farm!  I think it must have been the huge amount of rain that we have had that was dripping through the holes in the roof of the hot house onto the seeds.  Oh well, lesson learned!  I bought an established plant for kitty at CERES yesteday instead!

It will be interesting to see whether the Warrigal Greens and Radishes sprout.  The Radishes in the Luscombe Street patch have already sprouted so maybe these ones have been given a little bit too much water!

 The Hot House - Parsley seeds are almost germinated, Kale doing well, and Catnip seeds have been given to the worms!

 Kale seedlings are going really well

Nasturtium seeds have germinated

Week 4 Veggie Garden Update

So whilst all of the other exciting things have been happening, the garden at home has been going well!  The snow peas are steadily growing along with the lettuce and the spinach and spring onion seedlings have been taken out of the hot house to harden off prior to planting out in the new patch!  The broccoli plants are going well too, but have suffered a bit of an attack from what I think are moths.  The oats have now started breaking down so the culprit may be snails I'm not sure.  I'm thinking about whether or not I should plant the broccoli in the new patch or whether they should be kept in the pots at home.  I guess it will depend on what else I decide to grow out in the patch over the next week!  You will notice that the spinach seedlings have been thinned out and a few moved into separate pots.  I'm not exactly sure how thicky baby spinach can be planted so thought I would give both a densely planted and sparsely planted pots a go this season.  Lets see how it goes!

I bought a range of seeds from CERES on the weekend and have planted a few out and put them in the hot house ready for germination.  For the kitties in the neighbourhood I have planted some Catnip seeds (shown in the egg carton on the top), some parsley for the plot (small black containers), Kale seeds in the toilet rolls (a great propogating tool - no need to disturb roots when planting out! Just plant straight in the soil...) and some radish, Warrigal Greens and Nasturtium plants in the middle egg carton for planting at Luscombe Street.

Week 2-3 Veggie Garden Update

I spent a great day in the garden today, preparing our backyard for bulbs that I bought during the week along with general work in the veggie garden.  All of the plants are doing well, with the exception of a couple of broccoli plants that have been nibbled by what appears to be nocturnal snails!  The snow peas are doing incredibly well and I have already begun harvesting lettuce leaves for my weekday lunches.  The baby spinach and shallots are also doing well - I spent a bit of time today thinning the spinach seedlings out.  They are now spread across four pots so it will be interesting to see how they go.  I wasn't sure whether moving them at only two weeks of age would be ok so I have left a heap in the initial pot just in case.  I have also taken the top off the makeshift greenhouse now that the seeds have sprouted and covered them with cheesecloth to deter any birds or possums that might want to have a nibble.  It was nice to have Arrow and her friend from next door, Mirin, helping out today!  Mirin was keen to check out the rolled oats I had put around the broccoli to deter the snails!

So I also planted the first of our bulbs into the garden today, the Dutch Irises, that don't require any chilling prior to planting.  I have planted in four sections of the garden, three bulbs per area so it will be interesting to see how they go.  We have put a packet of tulips in the crisper in the fridge to chill for at least 4 weeks prior to planting out the front of the house.

It's so nice to be able to get out into the garden, particular on days like we had today.  I'm about half way through a great book at the moment in preparation for a course I will be starting next week at CERES - I'm very excited!  I'll be doing an Introduction to Permaculture course over two weekends which will be lots of fun.  I highly recommend, if you are interested in the topic, reading 'The Basics of Permaculture' by Ross Mars.  A very easy but interesting read!

PS Thanks to my boyfriend Dan for taking the photos today!

Week 1 Veggie Garden

So we start in early April, Autumn in Melbourne.  Melbourne's climate is quite well suited to Autumn planting - quite different to Canberra where frosts are frequent meaning that many vegetables cannot be grown during this time.  Well, they probably could be grown but would need a lot of care to ensure they weren't frost bitten and received enough sunlight throughout the day.

I went down to CERES over the weekend for the first time - I'm not sure how many of you might have heard about this wonderful place before?  It's such an inspiring place and I urge you all to head down there if you live in Melbourne.

http://www.ceres.org.au/

They have a wonderful food market on Saturdays selling organic vegetables that they have grown onsite along with vegetables grown by other local organic gardeners.  They also have an organic food shop, supplying a variety of grains, eggs, and other organic store cupboard items.  What interested me the most this weekend was their nursery - my mission was to buy a selection of seedlings to plant to get my autumn gardening up and going.  They sell not only organic seedling produced onsite, but other seedlings for a vast array of vegetables and flowers.

I love snow peas, and was determined to give them a go in the garden.  I have had success with them before in Canberra, but haven't grown them in pots before.  As long as they have a trellace to grow on apparently they are very easy to grow in pots and only require a weekly feeding of seaweed solution to grow happily and healthily.

We had a spare polystyrene box that was perfect to slide the pots in and to hold a sheet of metal mesh to act as a trellace for the vines.  I hear that it isn't wise to grow plants directly in polystyrene boxes as nasy chemicals leech out into the soil - not sure about this as many people do grow in them?  I had picked up a few free pots from CERES anyway so thought it best to just grow in them instead.  Another tip that I thought was great was to plant a quick growing veggie alongside your peas, like lettuce, that will provide whilst the peas are growing (I planted some butter lettuce!).

The other vegetable that I love and thought would be worth trying in Autumn is broccoli!  CERES have grown their own broccoli and snow pea seedlings so I thought it would be great to get a head start and plant these straight in the ground.  Two to a pot - it will be interesting to see whether they are overcrowded in the pots?  Time will tell!  We're really lucky to have a north facing courtyard, so I have tried my best to position the pots in spots that receive the most amount of light during the day.  With a two storey townhouse nextdoor to us it can be tricky to find areas that aren't in shade for the majority of the day.  The peas are in prime position, with the broccoli positioned to the west receiving most of the morning sun up until about 12-1pm in the afternoon.

The following weekend I went down to Bunnings and bought a couple of packets of seeds and have had them germinating in a make-shift hot house made from a clear storage container with holes drilled in the top and bottom for drainage and ventilation.  It has worked a treat and as you can see the seeds have already sprouted!  I have planted spring onions and baby spinach, both of which we eat a lot of which is great.  I think its really important to have a steady supply of the vegetables you know you already eat, along with a few different vegetables that you would like to try.  My aim is to grow most of the vegetables we eat all the time, and dapple with a few different varieties here and there.

You can see the large sprouts are the baby spinach that sprouted in less than 5 days (the packet said they would in 10-14 days!).  I think the hot house is definitely doing its job!  The spring onions have only just started peeping their heads up a week after sowing.  The pictures below are of the broccoli, snow peas and lettuce a week after planting - they're doing well.  No sign of pests yet (only a few nibbles here and there).  I have tried to water all of the seedlings everyday and provided them with a seasol feed once a week as well.