November Garden Share Collective

It’s garden round-up time for the Garden Share Collective hosted by Lizzie at Strayed from the Table.

I can’t believe it is already November This year has really flown by. Everything in the garden is also growing at a very fast pace. I think it is the combination of some really hot days plus the amazing thunderstorm of last week that bought some well needed rain. Thankfully the rain has filled our rain water tanks that were already close to empty.

In the backyard the capsicum, eggplants, squash and cherry tomatoes are growing well; most are beginning to fruit already.

 

We direct sowed some perpetual spinach seeds in-between the eggplants, they are popping up nicely.

As is the rocket in-between the capsicums.

The snow-peas have come out and a load of compost has been added to the bed in their place. We have planted one cucumber there so far.

On 17/10 we planted black and yellow zucchini and pumpkins into seed trays. 5 days later they looked like this:

They grew amazingly quickly and on the 19th, just a week after sowing, Jamie transferred the seedlings to bigger pots.

Two black zucchinis and a yellow straight-neck zucchini are now planted in the empty galvanised bed. Some seedlings we gave away to friends. A few are still growing in their pots to be planted at the community garden.

We also planted leeks and echinacea on the same day. They are still in their seedling trays.

The broad-beans plants were removed today.

The remains were shredded and dug back into the soil; some were kept for composting. Green and yellow beans will be planted there in a few weeks and hopefully a trombino zucchini as well.

There are the beginnings of grapes on the vine.

A self-seeded sage is growing over one of the garden steps and attracting lots of bees.

In the front garden the leeks are getting taller, the toilet rolls tend to blow off whenever there is a strong wind, but they are clearly protecting the plants.

I have experimented with one of Lolo Houbein’s tricks and planted a couple of brown onions from the pantry straight into a bed a couple of weeks ago. Lolo says to use the green shoots as you would spring onions.

While one is a little slow to start the other is greening up nicely.

Jamie has built some tomato cages for the cherry roma and yellow teardrop tomatoes.

The Siberian are a squat bush that apparently does not need staking. We are leaving them for now and will improvise later on if need be.

The front garden is attracting the local wildlife.

At the Happy Patch community garden the watermelon and  zucchinis are growing strongly in our first plot.

The corn and sun beans have germinated.

While we had some bush beans pop up in the second plot something appears to have now eaten them. We are going to plant some more this afternoon and cloche them.

The capsicums, eggplant and Amish tomatoes are doing well. We have put in a load of compost ready for cucumbers. We sowed some radishes plus some everlasting daisies and calendula to attract bees. They are just starting to show themselves.

Harvesting:

Broad beans (the last were picked today)

Loads of lettuce and fennel.

 

Sadly, the English spinach went to seed before we could pick it all for freezing.

Carrots.

The last of the snow peas.

Silverbeet and cos lettuce.

 

Rainbow chard, parsnips and spring onions.

To do:

Plant cucumbers at the patch and at home.

Sow more bush beans at the patch and some green and yellow at home.

Plant the remaining pumpkin and zucchini seedlings at the patch.

If room plant any other heirloom seedlings at the patch in plot 2.

Cut down the last of the bulbs in the front garden.

Start preparing the area we have designated for another raised bed out the front.

Keep picking and dead-heading the glorious roses!

 

 

 

 

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