52

52! what a beautiful number.

52mm of rain.

On top of the 32mm we had two weeks ago. It's adding up to a fantastic June.

And after the first five months of well below average rainfall we now have a month of above average rainfall. I suppose that's how averages work though.

The four rows of Broad Beans I'd planted in the work veggie garden have shot up out of the ground. I'd been worried they wern't going to shoot at all. Nothing a good soaking of rain wont fix.

Cheers

Stewart.

The lowest growing broad bean.

I don't remember the name of the seeds I bought from DT Brown's seeds but it was a 'dwarf' growing broad bean.

 Perfect for exposed sites or small gardens, this is the lowest growing broad bean.

Which was the attraction.

There was about twenty seeds (maybe more, I don't recall) in the packet and I planted them all and most of them came up.

They were 'dwarf' compared to a 'normal' sized broad bean, growing to around 60 to 70 cm.

So then, from the 20 odd seeds I planted I now have well over 100 and the next step is to plant these to see if they maintain their 'dwarf' properties.

It cropped well so I'm hopeful of some good smaller broad bean bushes covered in tasty bean pods this coming winter/spring

Busy day

Busy day in the veggie garden yesterday.

Planted several rows of brown onion seedlings, a row of 'Early Crop Massey' peas seeds as well as some spring onion seedlings.

 

Also, as you can see in my previous post, I also harvested my Dwarf Sunray Jerusalem Artichoke and replanted four more tubers.

I've also been allowed to use some of the neighbours backyard for growing veggies so I plumbed in a new tap that I can use to get water there and then I set about getting a small bed of Broad Beans started.

It's a bit late for Broad Beans and there wasn't much soil prep but I just wanted to get something started.

I plan to grow some of the bigger veggies there like corn, potatoes and pumpkin but it's amazing how quickly you can run out of space.

I'll keep my yard for growing the quick pick veggies like lettuce, peas and beans, and herbs.

Cheers Stewart

P.S. Drizzly rain today so everything's getting a good start.

 

Chicken and Broad Bean Risotto

For the last three years I've been determined to cook a chicken and broad bean risotto using my own fresh spring broad beans but the planets have conspired against me.

Today though, it is on, it's on for young and old and this dog is about to have his day.

I have the Beans.
I have the Time.
I have the rest of the ingredients.
And it's now time to get cracking.

When I'm Feeling Blue

I'm feeling a little blue today. After weeks of fabulous late Autumn weather things have turned cold for us here.
And after a miserable overcast day yesterday that only managed to deliver us a grand total of four mils of rain I've decided to cheer myself up with a heap of photos that I took of the garden last Tuesday.
These were taken at around 11:00 am and the weak, late Autumn sunlight, was simply marvelous for taking photos.

 Spinach is just getting going. Made a nice spinach spaghetti with them the other day.

Two tubs of lettuce is keeping me going.

A Lisbon Lemon tree I planted on Tuesday. I've got a video to edit on planting it and then you'll be hearing a lot more about this

Might be my last strawberry now until the weather warms up again. They are still flowering but I suspect the cold will take care or that for a while. 

Same for my chilli

And tomatoes. This is a late planting of tomatoes in the warmest part of my garden in an effort to see if I can get tomatoes to fruit here during winter in Toowoomba.

More lettuce. Never too much lettuce. What I don't eat the chooks (chickens) will take care of.

Silverbeet going gangbusters 

 as is the garlic.

Peas are powering and I've sown some old purple podded pea seed I found while tidying up and they are sprouting up out of the ground too.

I came out of hospital in early July last year and was greeted with mandies from my tree so I'm looking forward to a big mandy feast very soon.

Broad beans are growing strongly.

 Biggest and best parsley I've ever grown.

This might finally be the end of my Basil too.

Rhubarb's getting ready for winter.

And sage.

I feel better now or at least not so blue.

Cheers

Stewart.

Help Wanted

I like a few broad beans with my weeds.

Slow Day

 It was a very slow day in taxi-land today and gnawing away in the back of my mind was my patch of broad beans that were getting over grown with weeds. Chickweed mainly. I was thinking all this sitting around doing next to nothing and I could be home tidying up the broad beans.

Eventually I won the argument with myself, which I'm told is a good thing, packed up the cab and went home.

To cut or not to cut.

 Help Wanted

This is where you come in. While I was weeding the first row it became obvious that the main stem has grown very long and lanky and at the same time two new shoots have grown from near the base.
What I'd like to know is, would you cut the main  stem back to these new shoots, as I did on the first row and leaving the rest, or leave them as is?

 Before

 After

 

 

 

 

 

Weeds be gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Half weeded

And done.

I'm so glad I finished work early now. I feel like I have achieved something for the day.









Cheers for now.

Stewart.

Frustrated.

Hi, frustrated here or all work and no play is making Stewart a dull boy.
6 days a week, 11hrs a day for a below minimum wage without any benefits or super isn't helping matters much either. On top of that I'm only getting, at best, a half a day a week in the veggie garden.

But I'm not sitting here wallowing in self pity, I'm putting a plan of action together to see if I can dig myself out of the hole I'm in. Resumes are flying left right and center and with some luck I hope to get a job as a disability support worker with better pay and conditions and more respectable working hours leaving more time for myself. Driving a cab is enjoyable and rewarding work but the low pay and long hours are wearing pretty thin.

As for the veggie garden there is some progress with Broad Beans, Peas, Lettuce, Garlic and up until last nights possum attack I had some cabbages. Spinach has suffered under the hands and chewing of the possum as well.

The strawberries have had some TLC in the form of compost and some cheap composted cow manure I purchased from Masters.

3 from 4 of the bunching shallots have sprouted and the 4th is just sitting there and might get around to it anytime it likes.

I've also planted a punnet of Tomatoes in the warmest part of the garden as an experiment to see if I can get any tomatoes during winter. I'm thinking with the cold nights and short day length that it will be unlikely but you've got to be in it to win it.

Anyhow that's about it for now, I have to go out and put some cut up apple in the possum trap to see if I can save what's left of the veggie garden.

Cheers and don't let the possums bite.

Stewart.

P.S. I nearly forgot to mention the best bit. The veggie garden received 26ml of rain last Thursday and Friday. Doing the happy rain dance.

Not the deadly

I had to hand in my enrollment paraphernalia for my prep course at uni today so I hopped on the deadly and rode out there.

It's about 9k's each way and mostly up hill on the way there and obviously down hill on the way home.

And for my 47 year old ex squash playing knees that don't do much more than lean on a brake peddle or accelerator in the taxi, I gotta tell ya that's a long way.


My plot at the Toowoomba Community Organic Gardens is on the way home, and as seen as I haven't been there since the last lot of rain I popped in to see how things were going.

When I first got my plot I planted some Violet Sicilian Cauliflower by seed which I planted in a spare raised bed close by. (behind the bike in the above photo)

They're doing well but I've got to get some blood and bone and sulphate of potash on them, as well as some mulch.


The peas are still growing well and will need to be stakes soon (I think I said that last time as well).













Weeds? What weeds?

This is a red cos lettuce the seeds of which I got from diggers. Never grown them before but they look good so far.








Leeks and spring onions.

I'm growing the leeks on at the moment, when they get about 200mm high I divide them up in to individual plants for growing on.










These are the broad beans I planted for a green manure but I'm finding myself attached to them and not wanting to turn them in.

When I get chance I'll ask the pres if I can have some more space for my potato planting plans and then I can keep the BB's.









Cabbage is doing well





















Broccoli Romanesco, same as the Violet Sicilian Cauliflower I planted some of these guys up.

They seem a little slow off the mark, but look healthy enough.

And same again, I've got to get some blood and bone and sulphate of pot ash on them, as well as some mulch.








Also after the recent rain the weeds are having a ball. Looks like wipper snipper time.

Well that's it for now, after having little to do for the last month the veggie gardening jobs seem to be piling up so I'd better get cracking and get into it.

Cheers,

Stewart

Wednesday walkthrough.

Hi all,
I just put new batteries in the camera, went for a walk around the garden and here are the results.

First off is the purple flowering broad beans which are doing quite well if I do say so myself.


Click on the photos if you want to see a bigger photo.



Next is the freshly sown onion bed. Not much to see, Just a nice photo of of some fresh soil, but can't you just see the potential?













I love a good yellow rose as much as the next person so here's one to share.














A small selection of dwarf and mini brasscias.
There's red cabbage, mini cauliflower and mini cabbage as well as a Broccoli.

All growing well thank-you very much.








This is the hard neck garlic which is the first time I've grown it and therefore have nothing to compare it to so I have no idea if it is growing well or not, but it looks good to me.










Baby cos lettuce, three in a row all ready to eat.

Luv this gardening.

Cheers and happy veggie gardening,

Stewart

Done Diggin', for now & Kylie's Rose

Well I had a good productive day in the garden today.

In my home garden I managed to weed and mulch the Italian garlic, Purple flowering Broad Beans and the Strawberries as well as giving them a dose of fish emulsion.

I'm still chasing the Grey aphids that seem determined to keep having a go at my brassicas.



Then after lunch I went down to the community gardens to finish digging the last third of my garden plot.

As this bed is mainly going to be used for a spring planted crop of potatoes I'll probably plant more peas in here mainly as a green manure crop.

I'll let them go until I get at least one picking of peas off the bushes and then dig the whole lot in.





I also went down yesterday (Sunday) to plant some Leek and Spring Onion seedlings. The photo is a bit short on detail but you get the picture.











The ' Greenfeast' peas I planted are up and going strong.

I also mulched them with some aged horse manure that is available at the gardens, so that should help them along as well.







Kylie's Rose.

This is a photo of Kylie's Rose who is my step daughter.

I can't remember how I came by this rose and I don't remember what it is called either, but we attributed it's beauty to Kylie and it has been with me now for 17/18 years (the rose and Kylie that is).




We lived on the Gold Coast at the time I purchased it and when we moved here to Toowoomba Kylie's Rose came with us.