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 8

Attack of the moths!  Having left the garden to fend for itself for a week (we have again had very cold and wet weather so not nice to be heading outside!), I managed to bypass checking for caterpillars and moths and found two big, plump specimens on the broccoli plants at home!  They have really had a go at two of the plants so here's hoping the plants will still do well and continue to grow.  It just means that I will need to keep a really good eye on the plants and squish as I see them.

The two containers - the peas are doing fantastically well!

Not exactly sure what these are!  Maybe droppings?  They were also on the new shoots toward the centre of the plant.

 Little villan on plant

So the Cabbage Moth apparently lays its eggs on the underside of leaves where they hatch and feed mostly on new growth.  These caterpillars are very well fed and are at least a couple of days old.  The best way to deal with them in a small garden is to spot the little villans yourself and kill them as you come across them, along with any eggs you find on the underside of the leaves.

I will have a look at the EcoOil as well and see whether it may help with the problem.  First things first, I have investigated whether companion planting might help the cause.  As a quick solution on Friday afternoon before we heade away I tied a bouquet of herbs to the stakes to ward off any of the moths over the weekend.  There weren't any eggs when we came back so I hope this might be a solution!  The other recommendation is to place crushed up egg shells around the plants.  Apparently this tricks the moths into believing that there are already a lot of moths hovering around the plants and they look for somewhere else to lay their eggs.  Will try that with the egg shells from breakfast this weekend!

 

The two little monsters - squashed!

A temporary solution - bouquet garni of mint, rosemary and sage

The last of the Spring Onions are well and truly ready to be planted!  Once we have constructed the final container this weekend they will be free of their black plastic pot.  The Parsley is also doing well, along with the last of the Kale, also to be planted into the container.  The Beetroot is yet to germinate but should do soon!

Luscombe Street - Week 6 Update

It was a very quick visit down to the plot on Friday afternoon as we headed away for the long weekend!  I very well earned and lovely break, but it meant the garden both at home and at Luscombe Street has been neglected a little this weekend :) So it's a quick update for this week!

 Root / Fruit Bed

The carrots have gone wild!  There are many, many seeds that have germinated in the bed, it will be interesting to see how many I will need to thin out.  It was a bit of an experiment to see how many would actually germinate - it seems that many have!

 Lots of little carrots and radishes!

 Legume Bed

The broad beans are doing wonderfully well as well.  It took them a little while to germinate, but since then they have just shot up so quickly and continue to do so.  I am really looking forward to heading out and seeing how much more they have grown over a week and a half.

 Broad bean seedling

Brassica Bed

 
The Brassica bed continues to grow.  It will be interesting to see whether any cabbage moth has come in to eat the seedlings over the last week.  As you will see, they have well and truly settled in at home which is really frustrating.  A bit of a challenge to figure out how best to deal with the situation!

Allium Bed

Luscombe Street - Week 5 Update

The first Sunday of every month is Working Bee day at Luscombe Street, so there was a lot happening in and around the plot this weekend.  We're installing a second water tank down near the front of the block which will make watering the apple crates a lot easier!  Not that we have needed to the past five weeks - it has been raining an awful lot.  It makes life much easier only having to head out to the plot once a week to check up on things!

Very exciting news - the broad bean seeds have germinated!  In fact all of them have germinated so there may be a glut of broadbeans over the next couple of months!  Doesn't worry me - you can easily freeze or dry excess beans for use later on in the year.  The other plant that is going really well is the rhubarb.  It was only when I had returned home and took a look at the photos that I realised how green and healthy the plant is.  If you compare it with the photos, even from just last week, the plant has just grown from strength to strength.

There are little sprouts making their way up across the plot, having spread the heap of lettuce, rocket and herb seeds last week.  It will be great so see such a variety of foliage over the next couple of months taking over the plot.

Root / Fruit Bed

I thinned out the radish seeds a little this week, just relocated the sprouts to other parts of the bed.  The carrots continue to sprout and the nasturtium plant is growing well.

Legume Bed

 The broad beans have sprouted!  You might be able to see them surrounding the bottom edge of the photo, and also towards the centre.  There's probably 10 or so that have sprouted.

Brassica Bed

 The rhubarb plant is going really well, and the bok choy continues to sprout.  The purple sprouting broccoli is changing colour and looking really beautiful.

Allium Bed

I planted out some of the spring onions this weekend so this bed will be chock full of onions come spring.

I stocked up on bulk Seaweed Solution at CERES on the weekend and noticed that they also stock a product called Fish Emulsion, which I had heard of, but knew nothing about.  It is a great liquid fertiliser for the garden, particularly for fruiting and leafy vegetables.  It contains all essential nutrients your plants need to thrive.  The helpful person at CERES said to think about Seaweed Solution as more of a tonic for your plants, where Fish Emulsion provides a balanced and comprehensive fertiliser for your plants.

So all of the plants received a generous dousing of both Fish Emulsion and the Seaweed Solution this weekend.

Luscombe Street - Week 4 Update

Prior to heading out to CERES on Saturday, I popped past the Luscombe Street plot to see how thing are going.  All of the beds are going well, things are going a bit slow but all the plants are very healthy which is a great sign!  More of the radish seeds have sprouted and will need to be thinned next week to make sure there is enough room for them all to grow.  I planted one of the nasturtium seedlings in this bed as well as a few chrysthaninum seeds in the Allium bed - go the companion planting!

The broad beans have sprouted but not popped to the surface yet so hopefully next week they will be up and growing well!  I'm debating as to whether I should pop a few seedlings from CERES in as well to have two staggered plantings of the beans.  I might just wait to see how the seeds go next week!

I planted out the kale seedlings into the Brassica plot so this bed is chock-a-block and will be yielding heaps of yummy goodies in the months to come!  With the amount of work we had on this weekend I have left the spring onions to be planted out next weekend when there is more time!  We have a working bee on Sunday so will be out there again to help out :)

 Root / Fruit bed

Allium Bed 

Brassica Bed

Legume Bed

Worm Farm Update

The wormies are going very, very well in their new home and munching away on all sorts of goodies that we have put in there.  Lots of raw veggie scraps, old bananas, lint from the clothes dryer and the egg carton that had the catnip seeds that didn't sprout.  The worms are less active in winter so I'm going to leave the amount of food in there (about 2cm worth) and wait until they have eaten it all up before I add any more.

Happy wormies!

Luscombe Street Update - Week 3

After a morning spent at CERES shopping for our fruit and veg, and helping a lovely friend of mine plant out her own little potted garden for her balcony, we headed up to the plot to have a look at how things were going and plant some seeds!

Everything is doing great.  The lettuce is going well in the Legume bed - the broadbeans haven't come up yet but I'm sure they will do in the next couple of weeks.  Radishes are sprouting in the Root / Fruit bed, and the bok choy seeds are also beginning to sprout in the Brassica bed.  We spread some parsley seeds across the plot along with coriander seeds in a few of the beds.  Apparently they are a great companion plant for peas and beans so I made sure we put plenty into that bed!

Our neighbour Jill kindly gave us some horse manure that she had picked up from a farm closeby so I spread a fair amount of that around the beds as well.  I'm sure the plants will appreciate that!  The spring onions are still to be planted but that will be a job for next week :)  Everything got a good water with Seasol as well.

The other cute thing that I put up were my homemade mobiles that made use of the offcuts from the plastic cup coloshes on the plants - you can see them dangling in the photos below.  Hopefully they will keep the birds and things away!

 Lettuce doing well in the Legume bed

 Radish seeds sprouting in the Root / Fruit bed

Planting some Coriander seeds in the Legume bed

 Bok Choy sprouts in the Brassica bed

The Plot - Looking North East

Having spent time on the weekend searching for resources on planting and sowing I thought it would be great to share some of my finds with you!  Below are a selection of web resources that I have found really helpful as a novice vegetable gardener.


The Veggie Guide is an interactive website produced by Gardening Australia that shows you what to plant when for your region. 


The Permaculture Research Institute website provides a wealth of knowledge and supports the sharing of knowledge and resources.  This Companion Planting Chart is a great resource for your organising your veggie garden.


The Backyard Gardeners Blog
A local Melbourne urban gardener sharing his experiences in his organic backyard garden.



Sustainable Self Sufficient Gardening
Research blog focussing on what influences the Melbourne community's ability to garden for self sufficiency in a sustainable manner - very interesting.


The Urban Vegetable Patch
An Australian blog focussing on veggie gardening in an urban environment.


Grow Harvest Cook
A gorgeous blog written by four talented Australian ladies.


The Cheap Vegetable Gardener
Thrifty ideas for growing your own veggies at home.


iGrowVeg
An excellent website for the beginner gardener.  Back to basics information on planning your vegetable garden, sowing and growing.

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.

Welcome to Harvesting in Hawthorn!  I hope you find my ramblings about my gardening adventures both informative and entertaining as I undertake a years worth of vegetable gardening in our inner city courtyard in Melbourne.  Having recently dappled in a bit of home vegetable gardening, I thought it might be fun to seasonally chronical my success (or otherwise!) growing vegetables in a small north facing courtyard in our lovely suburb of Hawthorn.  I hope the blog serves not only as a learning experience for me as a novice gardener, but will provide you with some entertainment and enjoyment along the way.  I hope you might be able to provide me with advice along the way too!

So a years worth of vegetable gardening - an exciting challenge!  I really love gardening - there's something about it that resonates with me.  Whether its just being able to get into the sunshine every so often, or whether its seeing something you plant thrive and provide you with wonderful produce.  Its something that I have enjoyed doing for much of my life.  My grandparents have always been keen gardeners, something that has been passed onto my Mum and subsequently onto me.  Its an interest that both Mum and I share, and I have always loved heading into the nursery with her to just look around

Having grown up in Canberra in a house on a reasonably large block, I have had to readjust to living in smaller houses with courtyards and less garden to tend to.  Working full time means I just wouldn't have the time to tend to a large backyard anyway, so having smaller yards has been perfect for me.  The last share house I lived in had a small courtyard, with small garden beds that allowed for a few herbs to be grown along with a few tomato plants grown in summer.  This was great, and I loved having fresh home grown tomatoes to eat straight from the vine.  Having moved in with my boyfriend in Hawthorn, we have a similar sized courtyard but much less usable garden bed space.  We have a very low maintenance garden which is wonderful, but means that if I were to grow any vegetables in the garden I would have to grow them in pots.  I'm sure there are many people in this situation.  I have been told that it is possible to grow a bountiful crop of vegetables, just grown in pots, so I am taking this on as a challenge!  Bring on twelve months of experimenting with seed germination and plant tending!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I will!