Monday 1 June 2015

Garden Share - June 2015

My how time flies!  Can it really be time for another garden share?  The month has flown.  As before, I am joining in the Garden Share Collective which is hosted by Lizze from Strayed from the Table, Kate from Rosehips & Rhubarb and Krystie from A Fresh Legacy.  You can also find it Facebook if you want to share your adventures in growing your own food.

But this month I feel like I can actually claim to have done some good work.  Mostly on one particularly busy and productive day, but however I did it I have managed to get started with some new vegies!  Mind you it appears that after all my hard work on that day I apparently couldn't hold the camera steady - I do apologise for the blurry photographs!

I finally put in my garlic.  Whether I am a bit late we will find out I suppose, but they are actually already shooting up (although I noticed this when I got home today after a few days away and it was too dark to photograph).  I counted 27 cloves off just two bulbs that I have planted. (I initially had three bulbs, but didn't need any more to plant, so we cooked that last one!)



I bought the garlic from an organic fruit market - and to be honest I don't know what kind it is.  I read that you can plant any garlic, however you shouldn't buy them in the supermarket because they have been treated with chemicals to stop the cloves shooting.  Also they come from goodness knows where in the world.  So organic it is.  Once I peeled off the outside layer I realised these ones were already shooting.



I just broke apart the bulbs into individual cloves and dropped them into little trenches which I made in my specially made garlic patch - in the prized and much too small section of my garden which does get almost full sun.  Covered up with some good organic vegetable mix and fingers crossed for a great haul!

When I was turning the soil for my garlic I was quite pleased to find a number of worms - hoping that means my garden is nice and healthy.  After I found this one though I stopped using my trowel and used my hands instead - I didn't want to kill all these lovely earth turning creatures!



Also planted this month - 

Pak Choi - last year I had a lot of success growing these and we used a lot in stir fries, so this year I'm trying again.
  
Silverbeet - my spinach growing has not been great, but I'm hoping these might be more successful.



Snow peas - possibly not the right time, but I have saved another small part of my sunny side garden bed and hopefully the snow peas will climb up my chicken wire lattice.



Cabbage - along with some land cress to try to prevent caterpillars.





Landcress has also gone in around my broccolettes, as they continue to be attacked by caterpillars, despite my best squashing efforts.  These are some of the critters I did find.







Spring onions - always a good addition for stir fries.

Mignonette lettuce are also always useful, and I find not too difficult to grow, always good to have on hand.

So apart from my new additions, I continue to have chillis, coriander, basil, oregano, and those late tomatoes are still green but getting bigger!  I've harvested some more broccolettes and some rocket and lettuce, otherwise a bit of a lean month.



So for the next month I think it will be mostly looking after my new seedlings, and starting to plan for spring which I am sure will arrive before I know it!  Happy gardening to all.

12 comments:

  1. I hope your Landcress works to protect your brassicas. I think it will take a while for mine to grow big enough but hopefully next year they will be well established. I didn't think mine were growing as I was looking for something like Watercress and thought that the Landcress that was coming up were Heartsease. LOL! Another beginner gardener!

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    1. I cheated a bit by buying the punnet of land cress, but I really wanted to try to get rid of the caterpillars (before I have no brassicas left!) Don't worry, I am forever either leaving things that "could be" plants I want - but turn out to be weeds - and then for ages I was pulling up what turned out to be self sown petunias and vincas. I really can't tell the difference between weeds and plants - maybe I'll learn eventually!

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  2. I hope you have success keeping those catterpillars away. That garlic looks like it has a good start.

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  3. I would love to hear how you go with the land cress. I am always interested in finding ways to keep the bugs at bay. The garlic sounds like it is off to a great start I got mine in later than usual this year too and it was very quick to burst through the soil.

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    1. I've read a lot about land cress so I am hoping it works, although I really don't know how long it takes? I'll keep you posted on my success!

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  4. Get your self some Yates Natural Caterpillar killer - Dipel - for your brassica's to stop those nasty caterpillars, It is organic and you can find it at bunnings too. I swear by the stuff as I grow large crops that need protecting and I do it all organically.
    You are very right in saying you can plant any garlic as long as it is organic, as it hasn't been treated with chemicals, also a lot of Australian grown garlic usually hasn't been sprayed either (if it is not marked organic). Some times it is a cheaper option. Blurry photos and all your garden is looking pretty good for the start of winter.

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    1. I didn't know there was anything to repel the caterpillars - well nothing that wasn't going to kill everything around. So I will have to go check it out. Thanks!

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  5. Some nice harvests you have there. The cabbage caterpillars are the bane of my existence. If you can't net, I agree with Lizzie, get the Dipel. It is great stuff. Just make sure to reapply it after it rains.

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    1. I worry if I netted now I would just keep the moths in! Think I'll be checking out the Dipel on the weekend. Thanks!

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  6. We have also tried land cress around our broccoli and cauliflowers to keep the caterpillars away. Luckily after the last big frost, they are all dead (for now).

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    1. Maybe that is one good thing about having frosts :-) Even though it's cold for Sydney I don't think we are anywhere near frost temperature, so I'll have to keep squashing until I get some of that spray. Hope the frost didn't do too much other damage.

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  7. Thanks for the suggestion of using land cress around brassicas. I haven't heard that tip before but am now keen to try it.

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