Once again I am posting my Sunday post on a Monday but I can be forgiven because it's a long weekend here, so it really is like another Sunday today. We started off the weekend with a huge bonfire. I love sitting out under the stars adding wood to the fire, especially now the nights are a little cooler.
I did a forage around the garden this morning and once again managed to collect a basket full of goodies. Check out the huge white egg...bet it's a double yoker! I can see the start of a nice frittata in this basket.
I made a beautiful, tangy lime relish with some of the excess limes.
We have some new family members. The chook pen has proved a success and I am confident that it will keep any predators out. These are beautiful Rhodesian Reds and a Black Australorp cross. I also have my eye on another couple of laying chooks from a friend which will bring my total flock to eight. These are young girls and not laying yet, so it has been interesting to watch the pecking order in the pen.
With the unusually long season, weird things are popping up in my garden like this young rockmelon...totally out of season.
These are the beautiful tigerella tomatoes. You can just see the tiger stripes.
Another wild rockmelon.
The brussel sprouts are getting very big...so fingers crossed they will produce.
My most beautiful cabbage...not eaten by pests yet.
The gooseberrry has changed so much in just one week. The berry is inside this 'cape' and when it turns yellow it will be ready to pick.
I have enjoyed a few sweet strawberries.
I finally managed to grow one calendula.
This narrow garden bed is set for an overhaul. I am going to expand it to accomodate more edible produce.
The garlic in the bed behind are growing bigger. I will be thrilled if I manage to grow some.
The few tomato plants I left during the drought are fruiting again now.
The Lemonade tree is producing well.
At my Permaculture meeting on Monday I asked about my no dig garden and a few people suggested newspaper works better than cardboard, so they sent me to the Red Cross and I picked up 150 kilos of newspaper for $20...bargain.
I also managed to source my cane mulch cheaper, via the store I buy my chook food from. It is organic and a coarser grade, but at $6/ per large bale it will do just fine. All set to expand my food forest.
This little tree was planted from seed years ago and has died off a few times but it is finally coming good. My husband sourced the seeds on the net because it is his favourite tree...a pink trumpet tree.
I couldn't resist a few more seeds from the permaculture meeting...20c a packet. I will pot the spring planting ones for my hot house, but will plant some of the pigeon pea in the next few weeks when my food forest mulching settles down.
I also picked up these dragon fruit cuttings from another permaculture member. It's fun to go to the meetings and swap seedlings and produce. I took along two bags of limes which were well received.
I hope you are having a great weekend, and that the weather is wonderful where you are...must confess I am still in singlet and shorts today, and wondering where winter is.
What have you been up to?
