Sprouting broccoli

We usually grow sprouting broccoli, which looks more like the broccolini than the regular big stems that we normally see in the supermarket. I often wonder if broccolini is just the commercial name for sprouting broccoli. I like the sprouting broccoli because it can be picked similar to a perpetual lettuce, where florets can be picked as needed and the plant continues to grow.

They are great in steamed or in stirfry. When the florets start to open into the little flowers, they add some colour to the dish. And with so much nutrients in the stems, we actually end up eating more stem with sprouting broccoli.

My children love broccoli, and the idea of eating flowers is rather exciting. My daughter is in kindergarten and has decided that she wants to bring in some of her amazing edible broccoli flowers in for her news at school. I love that she finds these things exciting (and tasty!) and wants to share them with her classmates.

Evenings in the garden

The warmer weather and start of daylight savings has given us more time available for gardening. When eating dinner outside, the garden is so inviting, calling us for a potter and a plant. Seeds are going in several times a week and meals are containing more of our home grown produce.

I can only hope that there is not going to be another frost before summer, but to safeguard, all frost tender plants are still in the green house or inside. Everything is starting to take off with gusto and I'm remembering the joy of warm weather gardening.

Right now, we are harvesting lots of lettuce, asparagus, carrots, radish, broccoli, snow peas and an array of herbs. It seems like at this time of year there are new varieties to start harvesting every few weeks!

The nectarine has masses of little buds and the apple has some buds and flowers. The raspberries have taken over the bed that they are in, and I am expecting a huge harvest this year. The strawberries, boysenberries and blueberries are flowering... I think we may not have enough freezer space to store the excess, so I may venture back into jam making this year. The little quince and cherry are a few years off getting fruit, but just having them there is exciting.

So I am thankful for my evenings in the garden and the serenity and sense of balance that they bring to my life.

Everything is happening at once...

It has been a very busy month in our house. While work hasn't completely taken me away from the garden, it has allowed less time for blogging. I have finished one big project now, and the weather is celebrating accordingly with gorgeous gardening weather.

This is a picture from in the shared vegie patch. It is coming into its second warm weather season, and the 'free or cheap' method is starting to pay off. We allowed plants to go to self seed, and I am in the process of moving the plants or seedlings into suitable spots. As you can see, the chard is going strong and giving a plentiful supply; we have enjoyed 'spinach' pie twice in the last two weeks.

I have planted a batch of potatoes that were unearthed from our children's garden bed when I was turning it over. I thought I had collected all of the gorgeous purple potatoes that they grew, but there must have been a few rogue spuds in there, because we managed to plant out 5 rows in the patch!

The herbs are looking delightful and even though there is far more than the three house holds need, they look pretty and smell lovely.

Inside, the windows at overflowing with plants in window pots. I love having them inside, even though they could equally be in the green house for frost protection. Unfortunately, they are getting quite big (well, I suppose that should be fortunately!), so the window adornments will soon be in the greenhouse or planted out into the garden. My children have taken ownership and pride in these plants from when they scattered the seeds and lovingly covered them in soil, so they will no doubt be very excited about the big 'plant out'.

And my garden... Well it is coming along slowly. More time and more sunshine will certainly help. I'm looking forward to the weekend already!

The first day of Spring

Today is the first day of Spring. Mother Nature has placated our fears of a never ending Winter, and although there were chilly temperatures and a frost last night, today is absolutely glorious.

My daughter has been photographing crimson rosellas in the back yard. I have been enjoying the sun and Spring air while hanging out the washing. I'm really looking forward to spending some lazy days gardening in the weeks ahead.

The garden centers are selling frost sensitive plants already, but they still need to be protected from the cold temperatures. We have basil and tomato seedling growing on the window sill inside and other seedlings growing in the greenhouse. It's exciting to see their growth, but I have to remember not to get ahead of myself and plant them out too soon.

First sprouts of Spring

Just as the cold a dreary wintery days are taking their toll on my time outside, there are some sprouts of hope for the Spring ahead. To be fair, my work has been keeping me inside just as much as the weather, but my work load has decreased slightly so I have more opportunity to get into the garden.

My children recently bought some window box planter kits with herb, flower and tomato seeds. The boxes were planted out eagerly. As these have been kept inside, the seeds have germinated rather quickly. While my seed trays in the greenhouse are taking their time to produce sprouts, the window boxes are excitingly full of life after only a few weeks.

Seeing these sprouting seedlings and thinking of the planting and growing in the weeks and months ahead I am both excited and invigorated.

Handy tip for purple carrots

Now here is a handy tip for purple carrots. Don't use them in soup as they tend to colour the soup in an interesting way.

A day in the garden

A day in the garden in mid-Winter is not always an appealing prospect. I have gotten out there a few times but the littlies have made it somewhat difficult to get much done.

Today it was their choice. Their choice of seeds, with their names on the plant labels. They were ready to garden in a flash and so keen to plant out their carefully selected seeds.

It's a mild Winter's day today so that made it nice too! I even got to do some much needed tidying up. To top it off, we also have a lovely harvest of carrots and potatoes to go in our dinner. What a successful morning in the garden.

Perhaps tomorrow we'll even tackle some gardening in the patch...