Winter is that time of year when fruit and vegetables still grow in our climate here in Melton West. Even though it has been a bitterly cold week in the single figures (Celsius that is), the citrus is nearly ready, and the winter veg is growing well. I have even cheated a bit with tomatoes, basil, coriander and chillies blooming in the greenhouse!
So, where are the photos, I here you ask. Well as luck would have it, Kim went shutter happy on Tuesday and here are the fruits of our gardening labours (pardon the pun).
Mandarins (nearly ripe)
Lemonade (sweeter than a lemon). Small snails ate bits of the rind when the fruit was forming, but the insides are fine.
Meyer Lemon, perfect.
Tahitian Limes, nice in home made Mexican beer.
Common Mint (great as tea)
Free-loading native pigeons who eat the chicken feed. Look how fat they are!
Detroit Globe Beetroot
Leeks (two year old) and more beetroot seedlings
Lots of brown and red onions with a few more leeks
Broad Beans (fava) growing strong
50 odd garlic.
4 x 1 metre tomato plants (variety unknown). If you look hard enough they have flowers!
More tomato seedlings rescued in the warm autumn.
Wong bok (back) and Pak Choy (front)
Coriander (front) and Basil (back).
Enough spinach to keep Popeye happy!
Rainbow Chard about 4 week from planting out.
Oregano to be put in a large container
Sprouting broccoli looking for a garden bed of their own.
Cayenne chilli still surviving.
The Faejoa cuttings starting to strike. A few might not have made it, but I am still hopeful.
And finally, some dwarf sweet peas that I planted for Kim. Can’t eat them, but they will look nice in bloom in a few months time and smell divine.
Unfortunately, Kim only took pictures of one side of the garden. Over the weekend I will urge her to take a few more snaps of the chicken house side of the yard, and some of the front orchard. But before I let her loose in the front, I have a bit of weeding to do. Bloody soursops (golden oxalis) are everywhere!
Awesome stuff, as always! You are going to have so many broad beans… just like us! Huge amount of garlic there too, think I will go plant some more myself. The citrus look great, and hey, you got a slingshot?, you might be able to eat those pidgeons in really desperate times!!
Your greenhouse is working a treat… we have a mini one, but need to work on a large size walk in greenhouse soon…
it was definately worthwile doing the shadehouse to get tomatoes in winter time
You have got a nice garden. It was nice going through your blog. Keep on posting.
Looks amazing Gavin! I long for one day in the future when we have a yard to plant in!! xo m.
You have the same idea for limes as us :-).
When we moved into our new house late last year, the 4-metre-wide lime tree was laden with fruit. First thing my wife said was “you’ll have to start brewing lots of cerveza” – that’s a Mexican style beer, like Corona.
I’m never one to go against what the wife says…
Looking good!
Just watch those pigeons — they’ll pass lice and mites on to your chooks (scratches self reminiscently). Keep the food well away from the chook shed (or remove it for the middle of the day). You can get a pyrethrin spray for the chooks, but of course they hate being sprayed as you have to make them soaking wet.
Thanks for all the great comments!
@ Dixiebelle
Nothing like lots of beans to put into spring casseroles, and the garlic keeps for ages. The reason I planted so many was that we just ran out of last years so bloody fast. All the bulbs I planted were the biggest ones from my first crop.
@ Dad
The greenhouse is worth the money, if you have a sheltered spot to put it. I don’t think it would be very good in a gale.
@ Ann Flowers.
Thank you for reading.
@ Megan
So do I. It is a good feeling to get your hands in the dirt.
@ Darren
Mate, putting down a batch of beer tomorrow. Just love the limes in cerveza!
@ Chookie
Thanks for the pigeon advice. I think I will move the food back into the cages area where the fat pigeons can’t get to it.