Marvellous Monday...

What a great Monday morning!
A drop of rain overnight, and a rather pesky wind out there, but its going to be nice later, so I can get back out and finish what I started yesterday.
I have a few new plants, so Im looking to get out there and plant them.
I have dug around and  found a pot large enough to put my nectarine tree in. It hasnt set fruit (yet), I dont know if it will this year, but thats ok. Its six foot tall, and Im sure its dying to get into the ground and get some growing done! I keep recalling the taste of  sweet juicy nectarines. I hope it does have fruit this year :)
Ive found that the chick peas are growing. Of all place, under the overhang of the potatoes leaves. About six or eight plants, which sounds good! Ive just read up on them, and I dont know if they will come to fruition given we are in the South, but they do prefer cooler temperatures, so who knows. I will try and see. It would be a real boon to be able to have chick peas on the menu, especially later in the Summer.

The first big opium poppy flower popped open on Saturday. It is always fascinating watching the bees, you can hear them too, buzzing inside the flowers, its really cute. The flowers never last long, but there is always another one or two in progress to follow along.

We are waiting for some compost to arrive, and then we can get sorted over at the school. The garden is in need of a  good weed, and  some companions planted alongside the plants. I see someone has donated some tomatoes, which is fantastic. They have a good system in place, that means all the children get a chance to help if they want to. Strangely, they all offer to help pick or plant. Not so keen to weed :-)
Have been reading about a community garden in Northland that has just planted a massive potato garden. What an awesome idea to support the families in the area. Ive been thinking on this, the idea is awesome, and can be expanded upon given more space... Love the idea that we can help each other feed our families!!

Well best get back into it,
The compost truck is here!

Have a happy Monday,
Love 'n' Shovels!

EB
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Diggin Deep... Dirt Flyin! Seed sowing begins...

Im delighted by the weather.
However as I write, it has changed drastically, the wind is blowing furiously out there and Im picking there will be rain to follow. But today was gorgeous... Oh wait, Ive sent Mr 12 out to check. No - no wet stuff, very cold though, and bright skies...It has to clear up quick cos the past couple of days have been awesome.

Blue Borage

Heading back into the garden has meant weeding ensued everywhere. Ive dug, weeded and shovelled, composted, weeded some more, and been covered from head to foot with goodness knows what - and I loved it :)
I can barely walk for sore muscles, of course, but its done.

Starting off... 

The final dose of horse poo has gone into the compost, the raggle-taggle ends of the spent tansy, echinacea (*Magnus*), stevia, borage costmary and anise hyssop are cut back, and Ive seen the first Spring bulbs burst into flower. Theyre brave. Im sure there will be a back-lash of cold stuff still to come, say mid September - lots of wet weather - is that Spring showers maybe?

Last year we had a couple of drops of snow about then too, didnt we? I cant remember exactly, but I know once I mention the seeds Ive sprinkled, the weather will hone in...

The lettuces will grow through the year and this year I have lots -  I have a mix of  Ice King, Canasta, Frilled Cos, Buttercrunch and Danyelle - oh and a red one - Red Flame.
I cant wait for the mesculun to spring up again. Missy cant wait for the new carrot seeds to arrive. Ive dug out all of our last years varieties (St Valery, Nutri Red and Paris Ball), and the onions (Purplette, Borettana and a bunching onion) will follow tomorrow.

*Pams Choice*



Ive found so many precious little sprigs of this and that throughout the garden. 

I sprinkled foxglove seed last year - *Pams Choice* and they have only now made themselves known. Theres red opium poppies self-sown everywhere, but thats hardly surprising given the number we had last year and they have a lot of seed per head, the bumblebees love them! and Im delighted that the Echinacea has successfully split into five parts, so I will encourage the honey bees everywhere with some pretty pink shows. I would like to add more blue borage to that, some orange and yellow calendulas that self seed, red french marigold for companion gardening, and ... oh so many other plants. I want drifts of colour this year. I worked on the vegetable garden last year, this year Im encouraging the flowers for bees, but also for picking.

Calendula - Pot Marigold

Berry Berry Nice... Oranges & lemons...
Lots of strawberries have self-sown, jumping from clump to clump as they do. Im quite fond of them, as there doesnt seem to be a lot to weed around them. We have some nodules on the sticks that are rumoured to be black currant bushes so I think thats great news...
We have three of those, and four blue berries. A couple of red currants and a zillion boysenberries and raspberries... Im cutting back some of the canes, so I can hand them on to others to enjoy and we can avoid looking like a bramble farm. The boysenberries take no prisoners. I keep reminding myself its the berries I want, so I have to bear with the scratches,  and boy they do scratch!

Hazelnut trees with buds!

I think the most astonishing thing Ive seen, is under cover, the mandarin fruits have coloured up, making a pretty show. We got 12 off one, and have about another 7 to come off another tree. Theyre rather small, but taste ok. Success :) The oranges are still small, and rather hard, and Im going to remove them so the goodness can go back into the plants. The lemons have got through the winter so far, so good, and Im pleased to say, theyre fruiting well. I have seen flowers on two of them. Yahoo!

Have a whole new pile of firewood to chop. Im sure thats what I have children for, no?
Oddly enough, theyre all busy when I mention firewood, so Im getting a man in to do it *evil grin*.
He may or may not know about it yet. Ok, so he will know once he reads this.

Leeks

Ive had a big crop of swedes this year, although I wasnt sure what it was that I was growing. Im not sure Im going to be so successful giving them away, as noone likes them. To some, theyre cattle fodder, to others, they have bad memories of how they were given swedes as a child - usually the method of cooking them was what was awful. Its a shame, the humble swede is a good base for stew or soup. Handy to have IF YOU LIKE THEM, not so easy to give away if you dont :)
The lesson there is - Grow what you will use. Got that. Tick!


Well thats about it from me for now...
Im going to go out and see if I can find my washing. Im picking it will be about three blocks away now with that wind.

Love to You
E Butterfly
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The History of Carrots
- The carrot museum... Yes, theres a museum :)