I often end up still gardening after dark. We share a right of way that is 40 metres long, then our own 30m long right of way comes through to us here, and can be seen by the people at the other houses as they drive out from their homes.I've got most of the fencelines planted now, and it's looking very pretty - and I'm having lots of lovely comments from friends, and my neighbours, who have all asked "we know you've planted it all, but when have you done it!". the answer: just on or just after dark! A streetlight shines part way down the main drive, so that helps. it's so lovely outside at that time of the evening.
juliewn,
Nov 16, 4:56am
Thanks too Jules. for your note above about the Get growing Diary - I'm just catching up with emails and hadn't read that yet, so thanks for the note. have just ordered one, and another for a gift. Thanks Lynda and the NZ Gardener Team. :-)
juliewn,
Nov 16, 8:27am
Just went looking for the thread. nice to see your posts in the other threads Stevee.
How are all your garden's growing! Not long till berries, peaches, nectarines, plums, etc.etc. can't wait.
whiskey13,
Nov 17, 5:42am
Have just been given a guava tree and a greengage tree as an early christmas present. Man i'm loving this self sufficient phase I'm going throu
melissaliam,
Nov 17, 3:33pm
Oh Thank you.NZ Gardener is fantastic from a person that does not do much gardening!
Thanks for the great tips and read ups!
jules.,
Nov 18, 1:39am
bump. aagggghhh, we were on the second page! we have been picking around 12 strawberries a day, the kids love it. on the weekend they had pancakes with wipped cream and strawberries, YUM :)
juliewn,
Nov 18, 7:31pm
Hi Everyone. and welcome Melissaliam. hope you find some tips to help. I sure have.
Hi Whiskey. those kind of Christmas gifts continue for a life-time. wishing you great harvests.
Great raised beds Ords. I'd planned to add some more - had posts, timber, etc. here, then injured my shoulder and elbow - on opposite arms! Had a cortisone injection in my shoulder under ultrasound scan guidance - and told 'DON"T do anything for some time!' So. I took the timber back, and will purchase again when I'm able - easier to use fresh timber than that which would have dried over the weeks before I can use it. Placemakers haven't had timber returned because of an injured shoulder before!
I'm having trouble getting beans to germinate this year - seeds are both those I've gathered and have purchased - not one has germinated so far. am trying again - usually find them failproof. wish me luck.
I'm harvesting broad beans most days - some going into the freezer, plus regularly using silverbeet, parsley and other herbs, strawberries and alpine strawberries. she who waters the gardens gets the strawberries!
Have a great weekend Everyone. :-)
jules.,
Nov 19, 1:13am
wow ords, those gardens look great!
Juliewn, hope you are on the mend, nothing worse than wanting to get something done and not being able to do it.
We are getting around a dozen strawberries most days, yum. The lettuces have been great and I planted 10 more plants last weekend, they have more than doubled in size already, plus we have had a good showery day today so everything will be loving that. The onions are forming good bulbs, the shallots are coming on great guns and am watching for the garlics, no bulbs foming yet, should I be worried! The peas are flowering. Rhubarb and silverbeet for Africa. Rumaged around and got 3 lovely big red spuds from under 1 plant the other day, am waiting patiently for a few more weeks before I start digging them up. The first lot have flowered but not dying off yet, the second lot should be ready around Christmas. Figs are looking rather plump, the plum tree is loaded as is the peach tree. Apples have flowered and feijoas are in full bloom.
All in all its going great, hope it keeps up. Apparently we are in for another long dry (er) summer this year than last.
whiskey13,
Nov 19, 5:05am
Hi-ya jules don't be worried about your garlic. It's in the last few weeks that they start fatting up.I planted mine on the shortest day and was planing to dig up on londest day but it's two days out from my holiday so I'll wait 10 days til i get back and then do it.Am off to Thailand on 23rd Dec get back on 1st Jan
Hi-ya juliewn don't panic about your beans, mine seemed to take forever to germinate but they all came up and are now making up for lost time lol I don't even eat beans. Im growing them to save the seed to make a decorative glass jar full of beans of all different colours( you know the ones i mean lol) so i'm growing 2 plants of 3 different types each year and so it should take me 4-5 years to fill the glass jar lol ( yes I'm weird doing things like that !)
stevee6,
Nov 19, 4:31pm
Bump for the new enthusiasts.
simplesean,
Nov 19, 6:06pm
I just used my flybuys to get a 12 month subscription to NZ gardener. yay!
jules.,
Nov 20, 1:51am
Hi Whiskey, you must be really looking forward to that trip, sounds fantastic! Hope you have someone to look after the garden while you are away.
I have been told you can wait till after the longest day so they will be fine till you get home. Mine look good, but the Elephant garlics I was so looking forward to have gone to seed :(
I went to a few garage sales today and found a few really large plastic pots which will be great for my tomatoes that need transfering into bigger pots now. Some have already got flowers and fruit on them!
I picked up a few courgette plants and a jelapeno chilli today, just have to find homes for them.
Was talking to a friend today that has a garden she helps with.hard to explain, but basically she has 10 unemployed people that have come from hard up bringings and she teaches them to be selfsuffient (think it might be thru the Salvation Army). They have a 3 acre plot and have gardens and 10 chooks, and they have been given 2 weener pigs too. they take any donations offered, so I gave her a heaps of pots today and am looking forward to going to help out there too. Im going to sow a whole lot of seedlings to take up too. Its very exciting to have all that room to play with!
whiskey13,
Nov 20, 3:58am
jules that sounds so exciting lucky you ( and the unemployed people lol) Yes i have someone at home to water my garden while I'm on holiday, mrwhiskey is not coming.he's just had 3 months off after having shoulder surgery so he is working through xmas. He'll take time off when i get back, so he's on watering and harvesting duties. I wonder how many strawberries, raspberries, peas, carrots and excess tomatoes actually make it into the freezer while i'm away lol
Edited to add that my elephant garlic has started growing a flower stalk too but normal garlic does too sometimes and thats still fine to eat so would our elephant garlic be alright!
jules.,
Nov 21, 11:06pm
what a great idea simplesean!
jules.,
Nov 22, 12:19am
. went to a friends farm today and collected a whole bucket of sheep poo, will be so good for the garden!
jules.,
Nov 22, 1:41am
I pulled some of the onions that went to seed and now I see some that I left are forming bulbs!
I spent yesterday afternoon in the sun transplanting my tomatoes into the larger pots (I think some are 30ish litres!), they look so good. I also went to the warehouse and got a whole lot of 99c buckets for my courgettes, capsicums and chillis. Looks like a jungle on my deck now :)
Im also making my nieces a vege trough for Christmas.its a concrete planter and I have some strawberry plants to put in and I thought I might put a couple of swan plants in too. I have got them watering cans and garden tools to go with it. Their Mum doesnt garden, but they love it.
goodbooks,
Nov 23, 1:39am
Hi - River Cottage Spring is on Prime now if anyone wants to see it - re vege gardening.
jules.,
Nov 24, 12:38am
What day is it on! i didnt much like him to start with, but hes growing on me, its all very clever and helpfull the way he does things. this rains really good for all the veges. the buckets are all filling up with rain water fast, then i have been tipping them in my 40 gallon drum to fill that up for use on the garden when the rain stops again.
jules.,
Nov 25, 3:58am
happy birthday to me.hehe.- i got some great gardening gift cards, i was totally spoiled, so im off shopping tomorrow :)
music_note,
Nov 25, 10:55am
The River Cottage programme is on Sunday's - he covered a wide range of topics this past Sunday.
jules.,
Nov 27, 10:59pm
thanks for that, will take a look sunday. how are everyones gardens growing with all the rain we have been having! mine are doing well, but not as well as the weeds! i thinned out the carrots yesterday and took a few weeds out, but then had to go and do other stuff, so they are still waiting for me and just getting bigger with MORE rain today :)
stevee6,
Nov 29, 10:04pm
Hope you got some wonderful stuff with your gift cards last week jules. Wet wet wet here - but everything is catching up for lost time in just a week. Finally took out the seedling silverbeet and mounded up the new potatoes. Loads of strawberries coming along too and the peas are amazing!
jules.,
Nov 29, 10:46pm
its been SO hot here the last couple of days (fantastic weekend!), we are all a bit sizzled. i had to put the old deck umbrella up in the garden yesterday to protect a bit from the sun, its been great and to to think we were just going to throw it away :)
jules.,
Nov 30, 2:46am
Wow, people all over are running out of water already! Friends of ours on tank water are having to buy water in! Its a horrible sign of things to come :(
ords,
Nov 30, 12:45pm
We are topping up our tank. But as bad as a drought would be for our farm, I'm really enjoying the weather.A calf got into our garden and ate all the corn. Thankfully he didn't venture into the open tunnelhouse!
Hubby purchased a couple of tamarillo trees. Says the grow to 3m. Can I plant these in the tunnel house and prune them to fit! They aren't really suited to our climate but he loves them so I'm willing to give them a whirl.
Harvested a cauli yesterday. It's a good size and totally Yummo!
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