Spring Has Almost Sprung!

Garden Log 7 Sept 08:

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"
~Robin Williams~

The Apricot tree is in full bloom this week.

The days are warming up; the chill has left the air!
Temperatures this week:
Lowest Min -0.6C
Lowest Max 15C
Highest Max 20.8C
No Recorded Rainfall

The Wicking Beds have been topped up with compost, the worms added and a cover of clean underfelt put on top to keep the sun off. The worm's feeding pot made up. The beds will sit now until October when the frosts should be gone for good...maybe...

The Atomic Red Carrots (Phoenix) are popping up
in the Main Veg Garden.
Now we have to keep them safe from the earwigs...

The Roi de Carouby Snow Peas are setting well
with the warmer mornings.

During the Greens Planting time this week
I've potted up Basil Genovese and Purple,
Lettuces (lots), Chinese Mustard, Rocket, Tatsoi.

As some ** plant seeds can be sown in either the Green or Fruit planting phases of Moon Planting, the following seeds were sown into punnets/cell trays or loo rolls (sunflowers):

Basil - Genovese (Green Harvest), Purple (Phoenix) and Sweet (Edens)
Freckles Lettuce (swap buddy on ALS)
Lemon Cucumber (New Gippsland)
Mexican Sour Gherkin - Melothria scabra syn. pendula (Diggers)
Giant Cucumbers (Gringo from ALS)
Canteloupe (Tully from ALS),
Rockmelon (Gringo - it will be interesting to compare these two),
Sunflowers - Giant Russian (Cornucopia) and Evening Sun (Eden),
Sweet Leaf - Sauropus androgynus (earlier swap buddy on ALS)
Purslane - Portulaca oleracea (Edens)
Red Clover - Trifolium pratense (Phoenix)
Native Lemon Grass (Local Seed Savers Network)

Some flowers from DT Brown:
Marigold Crakerjack
Cosmos Purity
Alyssum Carpet of Snow
Nasturtiums Jewel Mixed and Tall Mixed

Some of these have been brought inside to germinate others are in the hot house or shade house.

** Seeds of these plants can be grown in either Greens or Fruit planting Moon phases: Annual Flowers, Hay, Cereal Grains & Oil Seeds, Cucumbers, Melons, Leeks and Shallots.
I shall add this information to the post on Moon Planting.

A mixture of flower seeds, many home saved, were cast around the pond area of the Main Veg Garden, if they grow they will attract beneficial insects.

I'm aiming to have flowers as thick as these Calendulas and Spring Stars
all around the bases of the raised beds and the pond.

Links to the seed suppliers can be found in the side bar under Seeds and Plants.