And they're off...

The Melbourne Cup has been and gone - the race, they say that stops a nation and on that first Tuesday in November not only is it day off work in Melbourne, it's also the traditional day for planting out tomato seedlings if you want ripe fruit by Christmas. I know for a fact in the Belgrave area this isn't likely to happen and I wonder if this is actually true for other parts of Melbourne. This wisdom is more of a guide pointing to the soil being warm enough for planting and that we're in the clear regarding the threat of frost.

In my previous post I was set on getting my hands on San Marzano tomato seedlings. They were plentiful last year but the nurseries in the area didn't have them in stock this spring. However, I settled for four KY1 bush tomatoes, an heirloom variety developed in Victoria that doesn't require staking. Interestingly it's also known as 'Scoresby Dwarf'. Belgrave happens to be close to Scoresby. Is that somehow significant? Who knows! As the plants get bigger I'm going to spread a bail or two of peastraw mulch. This will help conserve moisture in the soil and keep the fruit off the ground. They're looking good and have some fruit forming already - I just might be lucky and get some tommies at Christmas after all!

But its not all about the tomatoes. Dwarf beans and sweet corn have been sown. Seedlings of Lebanese cucumber, basil (sweet and Thai), lettuce, pumpkin and for the first time leek have been planted into compost enriched soil. So far it's all looking great.

Weather wise it's been a rather dry spring and with above average temperatures forecast for the coming months I think I'll be doing a lot more watering than the past two summers. There is plenty of water in the dams yet I'll still use it wisely. There's nothing like a decade of drought to make you appreciate every drop even in a time of plenty.

It's been nearly two years since I started this blog, how time flies. Again, I say thanks for visiting and I hope you can take away some ideas you can try in your own garden.

Roses have been fantastic this spring.

Pelargoniums have been spectacular everywhere and I love the vibrant red of these beauties.

 

 









KY1 tomatoes with Lebanese cucumbers at the fence.

Cheers.

It's bean a while...

It's bean been a while since I last posted, a little over six months now. Winter was mostly occupied with weeding, clearing the odd fallen tree, planning and working on smaller projects around the place. The patio area is nearly complete - I had to rethink the design keeping grading in mind. I just need to put in a small drainage grate and bring in some Dromana gravel as a topping.

I must confess sport on the TV has kept me away from the blog. On top of three weeks of the Tour de France there was the London Olympics of which I watched more than planned followed up La Vuelta a Espana...you get the picture.

Now that Spring is in full swing it's time to prepare the soil and plan what to so. I've head a head start. Cos lettuce and rocket seedlings went in a few weeks ago protected from the ravages of slugs and snails with 'beer traps'.

Some potatoes started sprouting in the kitchen cupboard and instead of tossing them into the compost I put them in the ground. It said 'not for planting' on the bag but I thought it couldn't hurt and the label is probably there to discourage people from growing their own potatoes. After a few weeks some healthy plants have popped out the ground. Would be good to get some nice potatoes of our own.

Top of my to grow list are the San Marzano tomatoes that were star performers last season compared to other varieties (with no help from the tree loppers who dropped a a branch on them from next door). Then there's the usual on the list including dwarf beans, basil, capsicum, sweetcorn (which I didn't plant last season and really missed) and cucumbers.

I'm so looking forward to getting the veggies in, the ground is still a bit cool but it won't be long before the heat is on!

Cheers.

Nothing says 'Spring' like a tulip, except a daffodil, but I don't have daffodils so these will just have to do.

Some orchids by the side of the house. They never cease to amaze.

 

 

 

 

The azaleas have been wonderful this year and the colour seems to intensify on a grey day.

May it ain't sow

May already and it's starting to look like winter. The veggie patch is one big mess, time to dig the remains of the plants into the soil. Green beans are particularly good as the are a rich source of nitrogen, essential for healthy vegetable growth. Tomato plants will be disposed of in the green waste collection to minimise diseases breeding in the soil or compost.

Unfortunately the veggie patch sits in constant shade in the winter due to the position of the property, not very conducive to growing winter vegetables. At least the soil has a breather before spring planting.

My patio landscaping project is progressing nicely. I've been re-grading the surface to allow for proper run off. Heavy rain during the week has been a good test. I'll be installing a section of drain with a grate attached to a length of PVC pipe to divert water onto a lower section of garden bed.

Two Bougainvillea have been planted next to the trellis fence. I think they'll be fine in that spot. Bougainvillea is easy to care for provided they have good drainage and get sun. Another tip is to ensure fertiliser is not so nitrogen rich (no beans for the Bougainvillea then) as this tends to promote lots of green leaf growth and fewer 'blooms' from the bracts surrounding the insignificant flowers that gives the plant its brilliant colour.

I'll leave you with this Everyone's a Critic piece I found in the Sydney Morning Herald online from writer and broadcaster Helen Razer (on Twitter @HelenRazer) reviewing the current series of the ABC TV's Gardening Australia. After reading this I reckon Helen deserves a gardening column gig. When it comes to gardening, her head and her heart are in the right place.

First flower of a Strelitzia or Bird of Paradise planted in February.

Cheers

Happy Autumn, Happy Easter

It feels like the year has barely begun and here we are at Easter already. Melbourne has turned on some absolutely delightful weather and its on those days I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. But autumn also means many things are finishing up in the veggie patch including tomatoes, basil and the green beans. The capsicums have been delicious, the eggplant is fruiting nicely and have been picking some red hot birds eye chilli peppers. Managed only one mini-pumpkin though, having a tree branch fall on the vine didn't help. It's kind of sad to see the veggie plants dieing off but that's nature and already I'm thinking about preparing for spring.

The highlight of the week was trimming the out of control rosemary hedge at the back and instead of composting I bagged up the clippings and took them to work. This harvest was well received and the bags went quickly! Everyone commented about how nice it smells and ideas range from adding the rosemary to roasts to infusing it in olive oil.

I've finished re-doing the steps I was telling you about and I'm starting on turning a grassy (but more weedy) flat area on the western side of the house into a patio of sorts with some paving and gravel finished off with some large pots for decoration. There's that Mediterranean influence again. An exciting project but it requires some shallow excavation and re-grading low points for proper run off.  Dud passion fruit rootstock has been ripped off the fence and will give a couple of bougainvillea plants a go. They should do well there as they'll get a full blast of hot afternoon summer sun.

Autumn is a good time for planting and transplanting as the plants benefit from the warm days as they establish their roots without suffering in the heat of summer. If you are thinking of sowing a lawn autumn is a great time too.

With winter just around the corner I'll try and make the most of the fine days being outdoors. Autumn really is my favourite time of the year. Happy Easter.

The one and only mini-pumpkin. Oh well, maybe next season!

The brilliant red flowers of pelargonium in the new garden bed of the terraced bank contrast nicely with the blue of the salvia at the back.

I love gazanias, they are tough and produce lovely flowers.

Flower heads of pennisetum in the morning autumn sun.

Work starts on the new patio area on western side of the house. Will sort this lot out!

Cheers.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

Yep, can hardly believe its the end of summer and it's finished in a typical Melbourne manner - a couple of days of hot weather followed by something of a deluge across the state. I'm hoping for some beautiful warm March days.

In the garden the harvest of San Mazano tomatoes is gathering pace. They were amazing sliced in half and roasted in the oven dressed with balsamic vinegar, garlic and sugar. Fortunately I had these little beauties to fall back on. The other week insurance contractors were clearing up a bit of storm damage next door and removed a tree, the crown of which landed over the fence onto my main tomato crop flattening the plants. I quickly re-tied them to the stakes and they look OK but a lot of green fruit was knocked off the plants. I'm not sure how the mini pumpkin will fair either.

But the contractors work was not done. While I was at work someone had used our driveway for shredding leaves and blowing them into a corner of the garden. I'm in two minds about this. First they didn't ask and I felt our yard was used as a dumping ground. The upside though is a pile of mulch which can be spread around the garden. The neighbours were apologetic, but it's the contractors who should be doing the apologising!

Now autumn is here it's time to dead head agapanthus. For all the reasons I've highlighted previously,  removing the seedheads will doing the local bushland a great favour and we can continue to enjoy these plants in our hills gardens. Thanks to a recent edition of the local Free Press Leader newspaper for the reminder. I hope people act on it.

I wanted to add some photos but it's not working tonight. Is it the solar winds messing around with my laptop?? I will when I get the chance.

Cheers.

Tommie Harvest Time

They took their time but we're now enjoying ripening tomatoes and owing to a warmer summer they're much earlier than last year. Did a bit of a bruschetta taste test the other week with the Burke's Backyard and the San Marzanos. The Burke's Backyard impressed but I was really taken with the San Marzano which are a little more tart than other varieties. I added some to my fettuccine with prawns, tomatoes and white wine recipe and worked wonderfully well. I think they're a real winner and they'll definitely be going into the garden next season.

Work on some new steps at the side of the house is going well, if not slowly as it also involves constructing some dry stone walls.  I'll also install the LED garden light set my mother gave me. These projects do have a way of absorbing all your time and I tend to have to remind myself there are other things to keep an eye on in the garden.

Oh yes, we picked up four big clumps of Strelitzia reginae or Bird of Paradise. A work colleague of my wife is renovating her unit and dug them out from the backyard. Strelitzia have leaves a little like a banana plant and striking flowers that resemble a showy tropical bird. They should do well here originating in southern Africa. In fact if Agapanthus (another southern African native) is anything to go by then Bird of Paradise should do extremely well in the Dandenongs.

I can't believe summer is nearly over, but that's not a bad thing. It's harvest time when we get to enjoy the fruits of our labour.

A selection of Apollo, Grosse Lisse and San Marzano tomato varieties. Yum!

Cheers

The heat is on...and then not

Welcome to 2012! Hot weather arrived with the new year which meant tending to the veggie patch with a watering can. These hot days were a real contrast to Christmas Day. Areas to the west of Melbourne and the northern suburbs were hit with severe thunderstorms which even spawned a tornado at Fiskville on the way to Ballarat. Belgrave thankfully was spared the damaging hail and torrential rain, however, I feel for those who've had their summer break ruined by nature. Today Melbourne's been lashed by strong cold winds, showers and hail. Summer's taken a break!

Back in the garden the veggies have been powering along. The first batch of cos lettuce is nearly finished and a new crop of seedlings has gone into the ground.  The tomatoes are bearing lots of fruit and picked a ripening San Marzano. Last evening we ate the first lot of beans that went into our traditional bean salad. Delicious!

Being on leave has given me the chance to get stuck into some projects. This week I've begun re-modelling some steps to the backyard. They were little more than tired old sleepers holding back dirt with weeds growing out of then. I've re-levelled the runs and new sleepers will go in along with proper paving. I'll put up a photo when they're done.

Dwarf beans in flower.

San Marzano tomatoes coming along nicely.

Cheers