well after worrying about my runner beans, I suddenly have heaps, and button zucchini - try them, so cool! Little ufo's lol . Pumpkins are going really well, well half of them I have three in total that are getting huge, adn some smaler ones from buttercup and butternut varietys. Going through a cauli and broccoli glut now, over the cabbage one. Thought I sowed them all everyly, never mind, still eating everything though. strawberries are on their second wind, and bigger too! corn is coming on fine, and Ive just planted some winter vegs. Phew. I filled the veg space in my fridge up yesterday with everything. leeks , spring onion, zucchini, cabbage, red cabbage, cauli, broccoli, spuds inpantry. :) cheers.
misskittydragon,
Feb 10, 7:55pm
I had to come in to share We have just harvested silver beet, cabbage, Nectarines, pears. Cavolo Nero,cucumbers and tomatoes. Our plums have gone a go slow but that is ok. I am so over the moon. Its exciting. My pumpkin is getting big. I remembered the advise from the board and put it on a board to stop it rotting. The rain has been so welcomed for the Orchard and veggie garden.
jules.,
Feb 11, 3:02am
its been SO hot and MUGGY here. but other than having 3 showers a day cos its so hot and sticky and gross, its been great, the garden is loving it. we now have capsicums coming out or ears too. crap, i didnt check the cougettes, there are probaby some marrows now. didnt check the golden queens today either, hopefully they are still ok, that will be my job for tomorrow. will have to get the ladder out, and even then the tree is so tall i wont be able to reach the top ones. oh well, fingers crossed :)
juliewn,
Feb 11, 4:44am
I'm checking my pumpkins and Butternut's every day. the growth rate is amazing. I'm so looking forward to enjoying them for meals.
willow4,
Feb 11, 2:05pm
Yes, the pumpkins grew from seeds the chooks didn't eat. Easiest vegetables you could ever grow! There are tomatoes too but the pumpkins are crowding them out.
sit1,
Feb 11, 3:53pm
Its RAINING! *woot* Does a little dance. grow vegies grow!Its been so dry here for so long I'm scared of how my water bill is going to look.Other exciting news- the first of my cocktail kiwis are ready and after waiting nearly 4 years for them I am pleased to report they are delish. Like eating Kiwifruit flavoured grapes :-)
stevee6,
Feb 11, 5:17pm
Bump for Cassie.
cassie3,
Feb 11, 6:10pm
Thks stevee6 I have joined for the newsletter and it's sounds like a fab idea. :0(
cassie3,
Feb 11, 6:10pm
opps:-) .
jules.,
Feb 11, 6:29pm
well the summer crops are coming to an end (not that they really got going), so they are all coming out this weekend. will give the garden a good composting and fill it up a bit, then it will be ready to have all the winter crops go in.
whats everyone else planting!
jardinet,
Feb 12, 2:10am
Hi again Re: 126. Temco1: haha ??
juliewn,
Feb 12, 2:46am
Hi Lynda. I am very much enjoying your Get Growing campaign.and am enjoying growing a wide variety of veges. That's great news that you have the time on Sunrise. I've set a mobile phone alert to remind me! That's great also about the reprint of Homegrown - it's the most browsed book in our home currently. everyone who visits has been picking it up and asking where to buy a copy. I highly recommend the book, from the viewpoint of being a keen vege gardener, fruit grower, and as someone who enjoys using home-grown veges and fruit inmeals made for my family and friend's. plusmaking a wide variety of preserves, pickles, chutney's, relishes, jams, jellies, sauces, etc.etc.
juliewn,
Feb 12, 2:47am
We're currently doing a trial run of growing lettuce, silverbeet and parsley in a pot in a well lit place inside our home, with the hope that they will grow successfully inside. The aim! My daughter is going to University this time next year. and if we can find a way to successfully grow veges like these indoors, Jenni will be able to grow these veges inside a student flat in downtown Wellington - and thus have freshly home-grown veges to use. Wish us luck! She is a creative cook - and having fresh veges will help with limited student funds as well.
juliewn,
Feb 12, 2:48am
Actually, maybe that could be a part of the Get Growing Campaign for the NZ Gardener magazine!- an article giving suggestions and information on growing veges indoors - which would be great for the many people now who live in apartments, flats, etc. without any space being available to grow anything outdoors.
mim5,
Feb 12, 3:06am
Feel really pleased that my daughter in her first flat has tomatoes in pots in her backyard and a variety of herbs in pots inside and out. Everytime she comes home to visit it's "what can I take from the garden mum!" and now after telling her how easy it is she is making a start on her own gardening future. Despite having had me gardening throughout her life, she is only now showing an interest. She always takes bunches of flowers along with the veges so one day it'll be plants and cuttings going to her home and another wonderful shared interest.
jules.,
Feb 12, 3:53am
my daughter and I spent an hour and a half in the garden this afternoon picking 56 beans, 14 cucumbers, 16 passionfruit, 3 buckets of plums and a bucket of big fat golden queen peaches. its great, but just means LOADS of work for me tomorrow :) whats everyone else picking!
stevee6,
Feb 12, 1:39pm
Lynda - I'm so glad you've got that wee time on Sunrise. It's nice to see your enthusiasm face to face for us provincials! I'm very proud to say I took on your microgreens idea(a fabulous way to use up all those leftover packets of seed by the way) and will be able to snip my first meal from the pot today. As soon as I get another bag of potting mix, my next pot will get started. With the drought my garden lettuces are simply fried, however much I water them, so having a pot under shelter has proven to be a brilliant idea.
em007,
Feb 12, 1:49pm
How do we find out who won the microgreen starter kits lynda!
sit1,
Feb 12, 3:50pm
I made blueberry jam last night from blueberries grown in the garden. Have had a bumper crop this year and still more ripening up. Did a few jars of strawberry jam as well perhaps the last of the strawberries I think as they are starting to wind down- or perhaps a bit like my disappearing plums the kids are eating them all while they areplaying on the swing that is in the potager garden.
owl32,
Feb 12, 4:23pm
I am so disappointed with my zucchini this year. I grew mine from seed so the expense isn't grand, but I have 6 plants. Of those six - different varieties, only 2 have produced anything. One in particular has given me about 10 so far, and has heaps on it. The othrs, have lots of flowers and are waiting, but nothing is happening, the male flowers just aren't opening. I'm dumbfounded. they are all within a short distance from another , so i just don't get it. And still haven't got any runner beans, some flowers but nothing yet. Looking at my garden diary from last year, I am about 3 weeks behind on growth as same time last year. Just hopeless. The best thing about my garden this season so far, has been, spring onions, peas, silverbeet, onions, carrots, radishes, and berries. The cape gooseberries are coming along great, I planted earlier than last year, and most of them are self seeded and looking good. My winter vegs are in and growing really well, I made another garden and sourced free horse manure :) Just had to dig it and bring it myself. with the help of my friend and her teenage son. since I've gardened in this house, my gardens have grown about 500% and I think this winter I need to manure and put more nutrients into the soil.
owl32,
Feb 12, 4:25pm
oh, and I've grown bee and insect loving flowers in my flower gardens and some in my veg gardens too to help with pollens and the general balance of things.
jardinet,
Feb 12, 11:51pm
we'll announce the microgreens winners. . in Get Growing this Friday. We had so many entries that I have to find time to read them all first (tonight's job!)
Glad to hear you're snipping salads already, it's amazing how quickly they grow huh! I've been in a bit of a seed-sowing frenzy myself since January 1. I need to stop - there's nowhere left to plant them!
Lynda
PS. I've picked two big bowl of strawberries this week. My plants are going mad in this heat.
stevee6,
Feb 13, 2:02pm
Bumping for Sarah. Lynda - glad to see you showed what happens to new plants in the heat on Sunrise this morning - it's a shock for most beginning gardeners(and a few of us less beginners too) that good soil and watering aren't enough right now.
kiwiscrapper1,
Feb 13, 4:17pm
damn - forgot to watch I have a lot of tomatoes and great size (think they are mortgage breaker of something) but they are still not ripening! with all this warmth and growing happening I thought they would start to ripen by now!
willow4,
Feb 13, 5:18pm
I also bought Homegrown, its my new kitchen/garden bible, I love it. I kept seeing it in the supermarket and tried getting a used copy off TM (as I do!) to no avail. Then I couldn't find it in the shops anymore and was really annoyed with myself - spied a couple reduced to $9.95 and bought one super quick :) Also joined the Get Growing campaign after it was suggested here - also great. It is so neat to see a revival in home growing and food production, especially in younger people with families and those on low incomes - and an increased awareness of the dangers of chemicals in our food. These are great forums of interest to me and I enjoy seeing queries from a new generation of keen gardeners and cooks, and the help they get from the more experienced ones. Its great!
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