Vegetables for the table year round.

The first thing you notice about my home vegetable garden is that it is well fenced to keep poultry and dogs out.

The large banana passionfruit vine is a good deterrent as they can’t see through and see what they are missing.

As you enter there is always a vast array of vegies, some growing, some ready for the table and some going to seed to ensure future crops.

Established in 1983 the annual  garden is 10 x 18 m and includes a tool shed (in need of new door!) propagation area, cold frames and its own compost area.

THIS VEGETABLE GARDEN IS DESIGNED TO PRODUCE A STEADY SUPPLY OF TOP QUALITY PRODUCE WITH MINIMUM WORK. THE BASIC FEATURES ARE : *PERMANENT RAISED BEDS. The soil from pathways was used to build beds. Each bed is enclosed to keep soil in. The width of the bed ensures easy reach. GARDEN BEDS SHOULD NEVER BE WALKED ON!!!! *VEGETABLES ARE GROWN IN SOIL ENRICHED WITH OUR OWN BIO DYNAMIC COMPOST. * EACH BED HAS ITS OWN IRRIGATION SYSTEM. *THE SOIL TILTH REQUIRES MINIMAL EFFORT IN CULTIVATION. WEEDS ARE EASILY HAND PULLED, SOIL RAKED & THEN SEEDS PLANTED. *THE AREA IS KEPT IN BALANCE BY PROVIDING HABITAT AREAS AROUND THE PERIMETER (THE WILD AREA) FOR BENEFICIAL CREATURES. SEED+ SOIL+COMPOST+WATER+SUNLIGHT=HEALTHY VEGETABLES

Cold frame & parsley	Broad beans & broccoli
There is always something for the table.	Garlic crop
Garlic & chicory. Meals revolve around what’s in the garden mixed with what has been preserved.	Flowering turnips
miners lettuce & mache	Green wave mustard
Cabbage	Kale
Snow peas	Cardoon
New round garden fed and watered by worm farm	Borage grows wild throughout the garden. Great for attracting bees.

Behind this area is the perennial garden and herbs. Perennial plants need different attention so it made sense to separate them.This is a relatively new garden established in 2000.A fenced off area 12x 10m which contained 5 old apple trees, sour sobs, other bulbs, grasses and clovers. The area received the morning sun especially after the removal of a large pine on adjoining property.Artichokes, rhubarb, strawberries,asparagus,hops, comfrey, nettles, rue,wormwood, valerian and 1 apple tree all share this garden.Camellia flowers provide a great fairy carpet mulch.

The successful growing seasons can be simply extended by the use of cold frames which are easily constructed and a 6 x 4m tunnel which is a thin sheet of plastic which can keep plants growing during the cold wet winters. Although many things grow outside in winter they are often sitting there which is great for the root crops that get sweeter but lettuce just gets bitter so its ideal for indoor growing.Capsicums never ripen outdoors here so they do well along with the sweet potatoes and ginger. There is also a heated propagation area to get summer veg off to a early start.

  

Want to learn more about producing  vegies for your table everyday and how to grow them successfully using proper organic methods.Deb shares 30 + years of experience of how to do it easily. Workshop Details

  

November in the Garden

Now the teaching season is over, the orchard weeding almost caught up I can, weather permitting get stuck into the gardens around the house including the vegetable garden. Its been an ‘average season’ which is great as we have had a several drought years where there was no subsoil moisture. The plants especially the trees have responded well and look lush and happy. The flowers have been  abundant as have the bees.

The Elder is abundant with flowers. Yesterday I made a batch of elderflower cordial and next week a couple of batches of elderflower champagne.






In the vegie garden the main seasonal  harvest is of broad beans and asparagus. While many of the winter vegies are going to seed (many to be saved) there are still plenty of greens,the last of the carrots, the peas are almost ready, the garlic is looking good as is my crop of rye , planted to make a traditional dough raising basket from the straw and a few grains of rye for the bread as well. The new crops of tomatoes, capsicums,  eggplant, cucumbers and pumpkins all grown from seed planted back in August in the tunnel house have been planted out and excess given away. Regular seed planting  continues (see sidebar for what I plant). Overall from now til Autumn is regular plantings, harvests and a little watering to provide a majority of our vegie needs. Out in the orchards the fruit set is looking good so hopefully it will be a more productive harvest than last year.

Garlic, Broad Beans , Rye	Broad Beans
Asparagus	November Plantings
Nasturtiums	Herb Garden

Keeping cool in a heat wave

The days start early with poultry, irrigation, mulberry picking and a general overall check before the morning heat becomes intense and its time to retreat to the relatively cool house. Our 1870’s house usually stays cool with its thick stone walls, thick curtains, high ceilings and well insulated roof. Inside cooling is via a ceiling fan plus a portable fan. We have a routine of opening it up as soon as the outside temperature is lower than outside. In prolonged heat the stone finely heats up and last night it was very late before the outside temperature dropped enough to open up the house. This morning its cool again compared to outside

Here's some highlights of my early morning stroll through the vegetable garden.

Pumpkin patch

Austrian oilseed pumpkin

January plantings

January plantings of winter vegetables

Black Salsify

And the herb garden

Angellica

Artichoke- imperial star

Mexican Tarragon -tagetes lucida

More pictures of the summer vegetable gardens