Today it is quite mild only reaching a maximum of 15dC/59dF with showers, wind and tonight a minimum of 4dC/39.2.
This weather will continue slowly warming back up again mid week.
Yesterday I was enjoying coffee and a book in the sunshine on my deck getting my vitamin D.
I sat outdoors on my deck marveling at how lovely a day it was. Watching the little puffs of clouds float bye.
The brown butterflies and white butterflied, bumble bees, honey bees and native bees buzzed about.
Birds chatter and song filled the air. Caw of crows, and songs of blackbirds. Wrens and pardolottes.
My washing was drying in my solar drier.
Whilst doonas, dog beds and blankets all aired in the gentle breeze and sunshine. So lovely to snuggle under last night. To me that is the perfect scent to go to sleep with. Bliss.
It is has been a while since I wrote about the veggie garden. So the dogs and I ventured outside in between showers. It is not really as cold as I thought lol. Just going from a beautiful sunny 28dC/82.4dF yesterday to this is a bit of a shock to my system.
I shall start with the deck. There is still quite a lot happening on the deck as you will be able to see. So many flowers still going. Cornflowers and sweet peas which I have had since late spring. A beautiful long period.
Things on the deck are doing OK even though they may be getting a bit wind blown and the chillier nights may not be to all the plants liking.
Herbs such as sage and thyme are still growing new leaves, as is the Greek oregano I have that grows about the wine barrels and path. I still live in hope that some of my tomatoes still on the vine will develop enough to ripen as temperatures are to warm up again next week.
I have been getting tomatoes off both areas. The deck ones I have had to pick a bit greener as some critter has been getting in under or between the netting gaps, the night before I have decided I will have those couple for breakfast in the morning.
I now I should have learnt by now never ever think let alone say out loud that you are going to pick that fuit/vegetable tomorrow.
Exact same thing happened with the grapes. I did score a few and they were delicious.
Middle Row L-R Amaranth and small pansies: Egg Plant/Aubergine with flowers: Self sown Peas and a broad bean seed growing that I just popped in there.
Bottom Photo Centre in post beet root seedlings; left front lavender, right blueberry plant;
Middle row L-R: Carrrot flowers; Spring Onion Flowers; Surprise me seedlings.
Last photo carrot seedlings
Middle Row L-R Lemon and lime trees bottomerow lemon and lime tree and sad looking brassica self sown
I have been picking a few beans every day, often eating quite a few as I wander about the garden watering or looking. Similarly with the broccoli I just eat it raw at the time or in salad raw. Too nice to cook.
The corn is swelling. I did try my first cob last night for part of my dinner. It was so sweet and tasty, some of it not so developed. I picked it because I could see something had been trying to get into it. I have a few cobs left. I know that if I were to grow corn next spring summer I will not be doing it in a three season bed. Same thing with the pumpkin.
Everything grew well. Everything has produced is producing something but in tiny amounts apart from the beans. The only thing that I feel was really successful and I feel it would have been on it is own is the bean tripod.
I have self sown rocket, red sorrel and a brassica of unknown origin or type just popping up about the beds on the paths of the Vegetable garden. I have not had plantain in my vegetable garden for years and this year I have it. I am so happy about this. This does not bother me in the slightest. Gaia is so generous if we allow her.
I keep thinking I should pick some Rosehips, and make some Rosehip syrup.
The dogs enjoyed being outside between showers, and sniffed, played and rolled about in delight. As I picked and ate some blackberries. I also looked at the wild apple tree in the hedgerow and picked a couple of apples off it. They look a bit green to me.
The middle photograph in the top row is of a watermelon plant that was planted as a seedling back in November. It is only just flowering now. I do not like my chances of getting any fruit. Oh you have to gamble some times. I feel the position of this bed and the metal walls protecting it were to much contributing to it not doing well.
The middle row shows the dogs and I looking at the hazelnut shrubs. I was picking hazel nuts off the branches, and off the ground. Noting that some thing has been eating them.
It is interesting to note that almost every nut on the ground still has no nut inside. How do these critters know this?
Busby likes chewing the shell and seeing if their is a nut inside. The two he got that I had dropped on the deck both had nuts in them.
I can find it hard to distinguish if there is a nut or not. I have four different types of hazelnuts so do not understand why I am not getting fertillised nuts. Something to research.
As the garden heads further into Autumn I am thinking of what I need to do to prepare for next spring.
I have to soon plant garlic. Possibly in the next week. Peter Cundall who was one of the long term presenters of Gardening Australia on the Australian Broadcasting Commission TV. He happens to live up in Tamar Valley in the North of the state. Used to say plant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest. This worked for the first few years I grew garlic but no longer. The season has changed.
These final photos are back on the deck some garlic that was sprouting (not my home grown ones but some I had bought as locally grown) I placed in the pots. The bounty of hazel nuts and all that was left on my Huonvalley Crab Apple tree. The rest show a hodge podge of pots on the deck with cos lettuce, mints, sage, brassica, flowering strawberry plants, cape gooseberry, a small pot with a self sown broad bean and pea.
I personally find gardening wonderful, challenging, and constantly requiring evaluation. I find for my mental well being it is a wonderful place to be. I rarely wear gloves (even with risks of Scorpion stings and Jack Jumper Ant bites) preferring to have my hands connect to the soil.
I call it being earthed. For me it brings a sense of well being of contentedness to Gaia. That perhaps things are not so bad in the world.
Blessings to You all Tazzie
Echidna Home 
The garden is looking wonderful (and good to hear you are eating the young Rocket and Sorrel leaves). Actually there are many plants that are quite palatable if eaten young.
After the empty shelves in Aldi and Woolworths I’m thinking of going to Bunnings to buy more Beetroot, Baby Spinach & Tuscan Kale seedlings. My potting soil must be fairly poor by now though so maybe a sack of some sort of compost to mix into the current soil might be worthwhile. I wasn’t going to plant until next Spring, but all this panic buying at the supermarket might mean low veggie stocks (as well as meat). At Aldi this afternoon I’d say 1/4 of the shelves were empty. No toilet paper, Kleenex tissues or toiletries. No chicken, no pork & only about 2% of the beef left. I bought that and some bacon (which I don’t often eat). Cheese (which I don’t often ea either) was low in stock. I managed to get some good fragrant coriander from the Chinese Grocer but he only had half a dozen dried-up looking Ginger roots so I bought them. Not really good enough for my home-made chicken soup I was going to make for the freezer.
I wish I had your land and in-ground garden, but I suppose the pests are around too. i was quite shocked at how the supermarket supplies have disappeared in just 5 days. There were empty shelves last Monday, but today……..very empty indeed.
The Coronavirus has well and truly arrived in Oz.
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I do feel that you might see stocks replenished but I guess they will just go off the shelves. I also imagine that there will be some specials. Many people by pass the noodles in asian areas. I have to laugh I was on a site where people were worrying about baby wipe? I as a person who is older just commented many of us alive today had our bottoms wiped with newspaper, and old bits of sheets and towels. Mothers used to carry around face washers. I sort of think that this may make many of those who think supporting the concept of no manufacturing on shore in Australia is a positive thing to get cheap junk and food off shore from china. I agree with your idea of growing these things. I have not been to my local shops or to Huonville since last Wednesday. I have no need to go again until this Thursday.
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I grew up without tissues for example. I have handkerchiefs and while some people might think them unhygenic, I consider dirty tissues in public places to be health hazards as well as killing trees. I wash every week, so it’s easy to wash and iron them. I use foil, plastic food wrap & so on very, very rarely. It’s in the cupboard – I just don’t use it if I can use an alternative. I don’t even like my takeaway sushi rolls in plastic containers and usually ask for a brown paper bag and throw it in the recycle bin. When I still did long nature walks, I carried a wet facewasher for my hands and a tiny cake of soap so could wash my hands in public toilets properly. I also take a bottle of tap water every time I go out and it gets washed thoroughly that night and drip dried on the drainer. I may be old-fashioned, but it works for me (and probably saves some money too, let alone the effect of artificial sweeteners and food colourings which give me tachycardia). If I had the land and money, I’d live the way my parents did in the 50s. I say ‘money’ as you’ve got to have some money to start your garden off (and then can seed save as my younger brother does).
I think you said you’re a seed-saver too?
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You certainly do need money to set up a garden. I can not deal with artificial sweeteners. I save my seeds where possible, and the local crop swap is beginning a local seed saving set up for replacing seeds if a fire or something else came through. The advantages of living in the countryside or a smallish village compared to city living can be adventagous at times. You can understand to how quickly things spread when tissues are just left about.
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Being connected or “earthed” to the soil and grounded is a lovely way to live! I enjoyed reading about your garden.
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Thank You so much. I also like to walk around bare foot as much has possible it all helps my mental health.
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