Meanwhile we have been thinning Kiwifruit as fast as we can go. Block 1 is done ( cheer! ) Block 4 is done Cheer! ) block 2 a begins today if the weather holds - it does not look promising and showers have been fore caste.( we started with the smallest blocks to encourage ourselves with the progress. )
Most things in the garden are flourishing. The 1st round of peas have finished and been pulled out. R's 2nd row is now being eaten - not quite as great as the first. My low growing Chef's Choice beans require picking every couple of days as do my Scarlet runners. ( does anyone know why green beans make such a dirty ring around the saucepan as they cook? )
The pumpkin patch this year is on an unused steep slope, and although slow to get started is now flourishing.
It is also a haven for insects as it is too steep to have been mowed and has every sort of weed. It seems to give the pumpkin plants something to climb on. They are buttercup squash and butter nut squash.
The flowers have to be the biggest brightest flowers around. ( male I think )
But some fruit / veg are setting.
This will flower and if it gets pollinated will continue to grow in size. if not it will wither and fall off.
Note the curly tendril.
After a shakey start this capsicum bed is now looking lush. there are some flowers.
My little yellow pear drop tomato is winning the race of the purchased toms, but actually the first to have pickable fruit were my "compost tomatoes". Yes they came up in the compost I tucked around my vege patches and where there was a space I let them grow. It's quite interesting and random as to what type they all turn out.But hey they were free! ( as opposed to R's purchased grafted ones which are giants but very slow to set fruit this year. ( maybe too shaded where he has them - who knows.) Maybe they are just late this year.
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Maybe this is the year of the birds.
On Tuesday afternoon as we were fruit thinning we had the company of a very friendly little fantail ( I think some of you call it a wagtail) who got dangerously close to my secateurs. Hoping we were stirring up easy to gobble insects for it.
Yesterday morning this Mrs. Thrush crashed into the carport window -I heard the bang. She had a sore head poor dear and was lying panting in the sun, so gently I took her to a shady spot in the flower garden. Later she was gone so she must have survived.
Yesterday afternoon working in Block 4 Mrs Kingfisher decided I was too close to her nest in the clay bank and she kept dive bombing me as a warning.
I wonder what bird (s ) I will get up close and personal with today. Probably just Percy Peacock asking for fruit bread. ( the 2 chicks were still alive a couple of days ago ).
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Having put up new calendars - it was hard to decide as we were given 11 and only need about 5, and started my new diary, nothing much else is different. I do however have several significant events to look forward to this year. ( a family wedding soon and quilting Symposium in July )I will get some patchwork and quilting done at some stage and spend time writing minutes and letters as secretary for our group.
I have done no sewing, so far in 2013.. I have however done some gardening tasks. As I am working towards an event here in 8 weeks time I have made myself a detailed job list by walking around the garden and making notes. Sounds serious...not really just my way of keeping myself focussed and on track to have it all done and looking neat and bright. ( hope it doesn't then rain - That happened at Christmas and we could hardly spend any time in the garden...... still here's hoping ) .
So for now the Quilting orchardist has really turned into the Gardening orchardist - but it is a seasonal thing and as I have been a country person almost my entire life I know the weather and the season dictate what must take priority.
I do notice that today's post features ( as it often does) the colour green.
3 comments:
Ali, one can never have too much green! You can send your showers this way we would gladly take them.
Every thing is doing great in your veg garden... along with my lawns which are in need of mowing every week, and every thing else is growing oh so fast as well, I can't recall a year with growth like this one. Praying for dry weather for you HUgs Laurie x
Glad to hear the sun has come back out - as I read this in transit at Singapore airport waiting for my gate to Auckland to open!
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