Garden Log: 27 Jan 08
With no significant rain(not enough to show a reading in the gauge)
falling in the last five weeks...
...the garden is drying out in the summer heat
...the water tank is empty.
My attention is focused on growing seedlings for Autumn
and harvesting from the fruit garden.
and harvesting from the fruit garden.
Spurred on by joining the Hills and Plains Seedsaver's blog I've been collecting seeds this week:
- Dodonaea viscosa ssp. angustissima - Sticky Hop Bush
- Acacia acinacea - Gold Dust Wattle
- Nepeta mussini - Catmint
- Apium graveolens var. Secalinum - Celpar/Parcel
- Perpetual Spinach
- Helichrysum italicum - Curry Plant
- Broccoli Green Goliath
- Mini Cauliflowers
- Red Drumhead Cabbage
- January King Cabbage
- Senposai
- Corn Salad
- Red and Green Shiso
- Royal Mammoth Leeks
- Native Lemongrass
- Angelica
- Poppies
- Catmint *
- Celpar *
- Perpetual Spinach *
Sunday morning saw a top up sowing of Tip Top Carrots on Bed 4 along with a row of Parsnips.
Monday we were out adding to the potting area shade. We still have some sorting out to do in this area but at least we can work under the shade now.
Wednesday's Full Moon meant garlic and crushed pumpkin seed in the chooks mash as a worm deterrent.
Having cleaned out and re-lined their nest boxes I haven't had to search under bushes for eggs this week!
Out in the garden the Eggplants are going strong
and those Purple Capsicums really are purple.
and those Purple Capsicums really are purple.
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9 comments:
Intresting, I did not know so many plants that grew in America would grow there too. Do you have any plants unique to your area?
Hi Greg II
Most our our food plants were brought with the white settlers from the Northern Hemisphere. Only fairly recently there has been an upsurge in the use of indiginous food plants, 'Bush Tucker' as it's become known. Unfortunately I haven't found too many that I enjoy eating yet!
It's becoming clear that we need to study these plants in more detail as they require a lot less water and are obviously better adapted to our dry climate and 'older' soils over here.
I grow many 'native' flowering plants in parts of my garden to attract the local birds and insects and these plants tend to look after themselves which allows me more time (and water) to grow the food plants.
Your blog is very interesting...well done!
all look so healthy and ready to go ...what a bumper crop you are going to have ...well done
Hi Mandi
They go well as long as we get some rain...
Hi Lover
I, for one, am very proud of your efforts in trying so hard to get stuff to grow.
You are a credit to all great gardeners everywhere.
As long as you grow stuff, I will cook stuff LOL
Love, Hubby
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What do you do with the Acacia 'wattle' seeds? this is something we don't get over here. I've heard it is like vanilla?
Hi Matron
I'm only collecting these seeds at the moment to regrow. It is only certain species that are edible and some are quite toxic.
I have some acacias in the chook runs that produce edible seed for the chooks and I have planted some Acacia victoriae which has edibled seed but these aren't very big yet.
These links will tell you more about this group of plants:
Wattle Uses
Acacia Seeds
I have spent over an hour this morning looking for more blogs about vegetable growers in Austalia, Europe and anywhere different and exciting. It is a fruitless task ! Your blog sets the bar so high that 99% don't get added to my link list.I notice that your blog is often on other people's lists though ! Well done Scarecrow, you are an inspiration to growing food, especially in hot and dry places.
Thanks Kate
I search the net for others in similar situations and now am looking for dryland permaculture sites...some of those have some interesting ideas on them. But not many 'blogs'.
I need to do more exploring too I think! ;)
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