Blog August 2018

Its still winter, and its cool and windy, but the plants think its spring.  In this bed I have (from front to back) Silverbeet, Garlic, Leeks, Lettuce, Carrots and Beetroot.

We have been harvesting the Silverbeet a few leaves each week for some time, and they look like they will continue to produce succulent leaves for some time yet.

We now have 180 cells of seed tray capacity in my 2 Ecopropagators.  The nearest one is new and the other recently refurbished.  They will both be needed when I start sowing spring and summer crops in early September.

This Spanish Lavender is attracting bees despite the inclement weather.

The Camelias and Daphne share this shady spot and keep us supplied with delightful fragrances and colour for most of our winter.

Our dwarf Nectarine is in bloom, and is the first of my fruiting trees to do so this year.  I just hope it hasn't made the move too early as there are few pollinating insects about at the moment.

This is a bit experimental.  There isn't really enough space in this Ecobin for 4 full size Romanesco Broccoli, but if they can reach for the light, there is plenty of space for photosynthesis.  It remains to be seen whether the roots can get by with the limited soil space.

These English Spinach, on the other hand, have plenty of space, and we have started harvesting very tasty outer leaves already.  We hope to continue harvesting them for the next couple of months.

The Peas and Broad Beans are progressing well.

These 12 Dwarf Broad Bean Plants are growing well despite the tight space.

I have been harvesting Cabbage, Lettuce and Turnips from this bed during the past month, and there is much more to come with delicious Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts and Cauliflower added to the menu over the next few weeks.

This bed is full of potatoes, but the process is slow at this time of the year and I am growing a catch crop of radish and lettuce between them as they germinate.

The above radishes were recently sown in clusters of 4 or 5 seedlings, and then transplanted here from an Ecopropagator.