Succession in the vegie garden

Lettuce is ready to harvest. Tomatoes are growing.

Succession is a great type of companion planting. The lettuces are a living mulch and then the tomatoes provide some shade and stop the lettuces from bolting to seed in the hot summer sun.

Many Hands

Thanks everyone.

The tree house deck is now done.

Garden shed

First thing build in the shed was a garden shed/glass house for the garden.

It's entrance has lots of space for hanging tools and the benches fit bread trays to hold seed trays at just the right height for me to work.

We tried to incorporate lots of passive solar; Cobble floor, water barrels for winter, north facing, at southern end of garden to maximize winter sun.

Shed door

Roof, walls and now doors.
The shed is done.

Chilli Sauce

Time to bottle sauce.

Praying mantis

I was hunting for ripe Cape gooseberries. The mantis for bugs amongst the leaves.

Artichoke flowers

Sunshine on a rainy day.

Crunchy apples

The apples are the latest in our fruit harvest along with beautiful fat purple grapes and the last of the peaches (lovely jucy golden queens). It is so satisfying after four years of TLC.

Cosmos

This year I have grown pink cosmos. They are a beautiful companion providing light shade, insect fodder and a beautiful contrast to the lush green growth.

Popping sorgum

This is the first year I have grown this sorgum. They are around 2m tall with around 4 slender tillers per plant. The seed heads are just starting to show themselves.

Piglets

These guys are such a time waster. They clean up our understories or move through the paddocks with the sheep.

Waiting

This year we had over 170 children attend our two seaweek mornings.

We made over 60 handlines, dug, splashed, build, poured, talked and even managed to catch crabs, flounder, mullet, sprats, starfish and a seahorse.

Pesto

Silverbeet, chives, parsley, tomatelloes, basil, sorrel and all next to the Lemon tree............Hey Presto!!

Essential ingredients for sumer pesto grown close to the house.

River

3 o clock swim time we will be at the river.

Bombing off the clif, kayaking, snorkelling or just cooling off.

Ice plant

One of my favourite bee plants. Bumble bees, bees, native bees...........

Cabbage caterpillars

The white butterflies are out in fource. Watch out brassicas!!!

Field garden

The field garden is where it all happens. The seed crops and crops for winter storage. It consists of 80 1.2-4m beds in a four year rotation.

Garlic harvest

One bed of garlic (1.2m-4m) = one years worth of garlicy yum.

And enough for seed for next year.

Before plaiting I dry garlic for a few weeks. Then it graces my front veranda in beautiful plaits.

Coast

Family, fun and fishing too!!

Once a year the whole family stays down the coast for a week.

Chive flowers

We have been eating more flowers this year than chives. I pick a bunch for my kitchen windowsill and they make their way into salads, dressings, omlets, and warm new potatoes. Yum!!!

In the garden they grow with my strawberries and are frequently visited by smaller pollinators.