Bandicooting potatoes

I have been bandicooting potatoes. This is a variety of 6 different varieties that will make for a very yummy potato salad. I am especially looking forward to the very dark ones, which are purple right through!

My garden floweth over

My garden is taking control of itself at the moment. With little time to spare for the luxury of pottering around of late, some plants have taken it upon themselves to self seed and spread.

Borage, tomatoes, calendula, parsley, lettuce, chives, pumpkins... All good things which I am happy to have more of. But with the self seeding is also the interesting places that they have come up in.

Don't get me wrong, I love a flowing garden, but my yard is supposed to have a bit if order and structure. I have a plan, and tomatoes in the scoria was not part of the plan!

The patch, on the other hand, is a lot more free flowing. I am encouraging self seeding there... It's less predictable in terms of germination rates, and subject to loss through accidental weeding, but so much easier with a very relaxed feel about it.

So, now I have completed my Masters degree, and finished teaching at the Uni and at school (well, almost) for the year, I have more time to collect seeds and plant them where I want them.

Rain, glorious rain

The rain is wonderful. It is filling the tanks and watering the garden. It's warm enough that popping out for a spot if gardening in the drizzle is possible and even enjoyable.

But then I think back to last November when we had this wonderful rain as well. It was all good, except for the strawberry rotting abilities of constant rain. We lost a decent amount of our harvest due to that rain. Our strawberries are so juicy and sweet, the supermarket varieties hardly compare. Chemical free and plump, I look forward to November when the daily harvest is plentiful.

So now, I am considering how to protect my berries from that glorious rain if it continues as predicted.

A rose by any other name

A rose by any other name, will still smell as sweet.

But a boysenberry by a different name would lead to less confusion.

Especially for three year olds who get horrified at the thought that perhaps their mother has chosen to eat 'poison berries'.

On another note, the boysenberries are ripening up nicely and we are getting a larger crop this year.

I love my garden

The weather is heating up and the plants are growing like crazy.

Berry season has had a stellar start with bowls full of strawberries, sweet and juicy and delicious.

Flowers are adding splashes of colour. Summer veg are taking off with vigour.

I love knowing that I have created this space and being in amongst it.

I love my garden.

Now that the Cup is over... Let's get planting!

Well there is the 'rule' of sorts, to not plant our your tomatoes until after Melbourne Cup day for the Canberra gardeners.

The Cup has come and gone and the seedlings in my green house are outgrowing their pots. So, this weekend I plan to be planting out my tomato, zucchini, cucumber and eggplant seedlings and direct sowing beans and corn.

I am excited at how beautiful the garden is looking already, with flowers and sprawling productive plants. The delight that is still to come enthuses me. It won't be long until the picture that I have in my mind for the patch, will be a reality, and the baskets of summer veg are once again gracing my harvest table.

And in your garden? Well, think about what you like to eat and the size space that you have to plant out. I find that in summer, having an endless supply of salad veg is essential. Even a small garden bed can fit a couple of 'cut and come again' varieties of lettuce, a cherry tomato, some herbs and maybe a climber or two, such as snow peas, beans or cucumbers.

Many of these can be grown from seed, which is much more cost effective. If this is too much hassle in a small patch, look for striking varieties of edibles at your garden centre. Perhaps try some heritage varieties that you can't get off the supermarket shelf, which not only adds interest to your dishes, but flavour!

Happy gardening.

Salad from my garden girl

My just turned 5 year old has been out in the garden with me today. She pottered around with me and then, with no prompting at all, started collecting ingredients for a salad.

Here is the salad that she made, with only ingredients from the garden, with only a little supervision from me. Yum yum!