Gardening – Page 2 – Veggie Patch Anywhere

More succulents and my winter garden plans

10/03/2024Posted in Gardening, grass, plants, pot plants, succulents, veggie patchLeave a comment

3 Mar 2024

I have started propagating a few more succulent leaves by laying them down in some soil. This is day 1 so we’ll see how this goes.

I again spent a little bit of time clearing out the veggie patch and turning over the soil – even the cleaning up is a full time job I think 🙂

Then I contemplated maybe buying two recycled steel containers and filling it up with fresh soil and compost to plant the winter crops in, but I’m not 100% sure yet if I’ll do that… watch this space.

I’ll be keeping some of the larger pots to grow cucumber and peas in next season. They are quite compact and the cucumbers and peas seem to like the pots. As long as you remember to keep them moist by watering them often and take good care of them regularly.

They also don’t take up a lot of space and you can put them just about anywhere – under a patio or a veranda – as long as it gets a bit of sun every day.

You’ll learn how to look after them eventually and they should give you a nice tasty crop with not too much effort at all.

Recycling cardboard boxes to stop weeds

10/03/202410/03/2024Posted in Gardening, grass, home made, plants, veggie patchLeave a comment

2 Mar 2024

A couple of weeks ago I trimmed the fig tree again and pulled out a couple of shoots that were growing out of the base. I decided to plant one of the little off-shoots because it had some roots at the end of it and it has taken off. It’s a lovely little tree in a little black pot. So now my fig trees have multiplied to 3 – I don’t know where it’s going to end. All depends on how much room I have in the garden I guess.

The tomatoes are all gone now. I’m still getting some scraggly little cucumbers which are still very tasty though.

Everything else now looks nice and neat. I did plant a few lettuces and spread out the strawberries into a standard pot and then I covered them with bird netting to stop the birds from digging around and destroying everything.

I’ve also decided to brush away some of the bark and soil and laid down some flattened cardboard boxes – then I covered them with soil again. This is a good way to contain some of the weeds and grass shoots that are coming through under the fence from my next door neighbour. I did this before and it works a treat – the cardboard gets wet, compacts and creates a nice barrier against any weeds that are trying to poke through. You can then cover this back up with bark or mulch and it controls a lot of the weeds while you’re also recycling cardboard boxes at the same time and doing your bit for the environment.

Some dead leaves that I clipped off the cucumber plant

Succulents

02/03/2024Posted in Gardening, succulents, veggie patchLeave a comment

19 Feb 2024

I’m sitting outside today on this lovely sunny day with the gnomes keeping an eye on my little pot here.

We have a new addition in the pot – it’s a very very colourful elephant. I think it looks extremely nice as a centrepiece amongst the plants.

I’m also propagating quite a few new succulents in one of my little greenhouse. They’re taking off quite nicely too. It’s been about three weeks and the roots are just starting to form – quite easy to grow. Hopefully the rest of these succulents will take off and start growing too.

The little gnomes are also extremely happy going about their work, taking care of my garden 🙂 .

The gnomes helping me out with the gardening

Lawn Care

02/03/2024Posted in Gardening, grass, veggie patchLeave a comment

18 Feb 2024

Today I used some of the soil from the veggie patch cleanup to top up the bare patches and low points in the lawn. This is a very good use for all the soil that I was left with after the cleanup. The vegetable soil also contains a lot of nutrients still so it is really good grass food essentially.

The piece of grass I like to call my golf practice area will definitely appreciate the loving care.

I also pulled out a whole heap of weeds and hopefully it will green up in the next few weeks and end up looking wonderful again.

Veggie garden soil used on top of the grass here

Veggie Patch Cleanup and Strawberries

25/02/2024Posted in Gardening, trees, Vegetables, veggie patchLeave a comment

17 Feb 2024

It’s that time of the year again – to clean up the veggie patch after the season ends.

This year I had a total of around 300 tomatoes (big and small), six cucumbers (mostly very large ones) and then it all ended with a whole heap of mulch and mess to clean up.

I have some lovely bunches of basil that I’ve put into a couple of pots – making the veranda smell amazing. That will definitely be used used for cooking over the next few weeks.

During the cleanup process, I also found three more strawberry plants that were growing quietly on runners. They’ve been divided up into individual plants and put into a pot – one of the stand-up pots. These stand-up pots had quite a bit of sun damage, are quite brittle and are just breaking up so they’re probably going to end up in the bin after this.

On another note, the fig tree has fully rejuvenated fully and it’s looking quite healthy so maybe there will be a “saving the fig tree part 3” soon 🙂

After the cleanup. Some cucumbers still growing on the left.

Flowers and the Fig Tree

25/02/2024Posted in flowers, fruit, Gardening, trees, veggie patch1 Comment

12 Feb 2024

I just have to show you guys these beautiful flowers… they are absolutely stunning and the aroma is almost too much. They are Oriental Lilies. I will have to try and grow some of these.

The fig tree has rejuvenated and is looking great. It took three tires, but my determination eventually paid off. Now an actual tasty fig would be worth the wait!

Daycare Veggie Patch and Nonno’s Garden

25/02/202425/02/2024Posted in Gardening, veggie patchLeave a comment

8 Feb 2024

Daycare Garden

After a fun-filled summer at the Daycare of growing salads and herbs, mulching, watering, and engaging in activities in the veggie patch, it’s that time of year to clean up, mulch, water, and start planning for a winter crop – perhaps some carrots and broccoli.

The activities and hands-on involvement of children is crucial and very satisfying – for them to see that this is where food comes from and not the supermarket – a very valuable lesson or 2 was learned here.

Stay tuned for before and after shots when we get around to doing the cleaning up.

Nonno’s garden

Last time I visited, Nonno was busy attaching and joining up bird netting to safeguard the figs in the scorching heat and dry soil. He also covered two water tanks to stop mold growth, and with eleven 250-liter drums and two 1000-liter drums, he has plenty of water to go around so I’m not sure what he plans on doing with all of that.

He also loves this plant he calls the Pope’s B*lls ! 🙂 (see pictures)

He has a buch of cucumbers that he likes to pick when they are slender and sweeter. He also has some pumpkins growing of the garage roof – I really hope he is careful when he decides to pick them at 83 years strong!

Mandarines and the Fig Tree

17/02/202417/02/2024Posted in fruit, Gardening, trees, Vegetables, veggie patchLeave a comment

27 Jan 2024

Mandarins

I’m exploring all the plants in the garden and have come across our first mandarin. The tree is a great little plant that is very green and compact; not much needs to be done.

There is something wonderful and tasty about homegrown mandarins. I am partial to citrus fruits; in Sicily, there are thousands of lemon trees.

I also enjoy the brilliance of the Pansies; they give the garden a lot of color, and they are my wife’s favorite. Absolutely beautiful!

The Fig Tree

My ongoing saga with saving the fig tree continues. Too many offshoots have dried out the soil, and the plant has withered, losing all its leaves. It is a stubborn plant; I know it’s very hard to kill.

I decided to repot it with new soil and get rid of all the offshoots, except for one that I pulled out weeks ago, and it is doing well.

Additionally, I placed some old newspaper sheets underneath the mulch to retain water and slow down evaporation; hopefully, the weeds won’t thrive either. Today, I noticed new budding leaves.

I also collected a bunch of unripened tomatoes and am letting them ripen in the sun. The wildlife is very hungry and will eat anything, even before it’s ripe.

I have collected over 180 cherry tomatoes so far and have enjoyed many garden salads this summer—very delicious!

More cucumbers and some tiny succulents

11/02/2024Posted in Gardening, veggie patchLeave a comment

21 Jan 2024

It’s a short one today… 😉

Just wanted to check to say that I harvested another couple of beautiful cucumbers and around 30 tomatoes to make a nice fresh sauce to go with spaghetti and plenty of basil too.

I also spent a bit of time propagating some succulents. I picked some Gollum Jade sprigs and laid them out in potting mix inside the mini greenhouse. Let’s see what happens.

Saving the fig tree (part 2)

11/02/2024Posted in fruit, Gardening, veggie patchLeave a comment

18 Jan 2024

After so much rain and floods my fig tree looks shocking! 😦

I decided to trim all the limbs growing out of the pot and leave only the two main stems. I took one of them and planted it in another pot – we’ll see if it takes off.

I replaced some of the soil with fresh potting mix and gave it a good watering and a dose of Seasoil solution too so hopefully it helps all the tiny root clusters just below the soil.

Two years of growing these figs trees and still no figs. I guess the waiting and patience will make them taste all the sweeter I’m sure. It is one of our favourite fruits and they’re very expensive at the shops so I’m not giving up yet.

Watch this space!

Tomatoes and Cucumbers galore!

11/02/202411/02/2024Posted in Gardening, Vegetables, veggie patchLeave a comment

09 Jan 2024

Lots of rain, roads flooded and small lakes forming in all the fields around where I live.
Lovely cherry tomato salads for work lunch straight from the garden with another cucumber from the crop – very nice, sweet tasty.

I have noticed though that the stand up vegetable tubs do dry out quickly so I have to keep a close eye on them.

There are also at least another 20 smaller cucumbers on the 3 plants in my 45cm tub. Next year I may have double the plants if possible because they seem to be doing really well in the tubs.

15 Jan 2024

I just did another bit of harvesting again and my count today was 88 tomatoes and 2 huge cucumbers.
The heritage tomatoes are a bit of a hit and miss unfortunately – lots of worm holes and mush but a few are still hanging in there.

The tommy toe tomatoes are doing great. I had a huge heavy crop and it’s still growing – so much that I need to fold the plant over to let it run on a trellis for support.

Happy harvesting and enjoy the bounty!

Salad, Pesto and the Day Care Garden

03/02/2024Posted in Gardening, home made, VegetablesLeave a comment

05 Jan 2024

Today I made a beautiful salad with basil, cucumber and lots of tomatoes of course!

I trimmed all the dried, lower tomato leaves and picked a few bunches of basil. With this I made some pesto that I will freeze and use in the future. I think I need two more tubs at least 🙂

The children at the day care are picking all the salad leaves and herbs in the veggie patch at work for the “Grow your own salad” project. It’s a joy watching them smelling all the different herbs, watering the plants and chatting away about their little adventures.

I will transplant the sweet potatoes into the veggie patch and see if it takes off. I have also mixed in some coffee grounds and buried some compost from the compost maker.

Biodiversity

03/02/2024Posted in flowers, fruit, Gardening, treesLeave a comment

28 Dec 2023

The lemon tree has shed some of the smaller lemons – I think this will give the other lemons a better chance of growing.

Lots of bees and butterflies hovering around too – probably because of the very colourful Petunias I planted with the lemon and mandarin trees.

One thing missing in my garden is a green canopy and a micro climate. I would love a few trees for shade and for cooling the house down.

The rabbits have eaten all the green waste from the kitchen to the point where they set off the security cameras a few times – probably looking for more 🙂

A huge flock of Rainbow Lorikeets are circling the house – probably trying to get to the apples in the surrounding orchards. We’ll visit one of them again soon for a coffee and some fresh produce… miles and miles of bird netting looks very strange – like cloud puffs in the distance but keeping the birds from eating the crop no doubt.

Bonsai and Costa’s World

03/02/202403/02/2024Posted in GardeningLeave a comment

27 Dec 2023

I received a lovely Christmas present from my daughter in law – a Bonsai kit with seeds. I’ve never grown a bonsai from seeds before so will see how it goes. Watch this space…

The peat tablet soaked up more water than I thought possible and quadruppled in size. I planted the seeds in two tubs – one in my little portable greenhouse one on top of the bookshelf. Would love to see something sprout. I have no idea what the seeds are though so a surprise is coming.

I also got Costa Georgiadis’s new gardening book as a Christmas present. It resonates with me so much – very interesting and practical ideas about gardening, sustainability and much much more. Also many other little things you can do around the house and garden like micro climates and rainwater saving to name only two. It has plenty of photos too. I’ll definitely try a few things from this book in the garden.

I want to try slow the runoff of rain water in our garden. Rock pathways slow down the runoff and waters the grass for days so I can turn off the watering system for longer periods of time.

Great book Costa Georgiadis! I’m definitely a fan.

Bonsai seeds planted in the expanded peat tablet

Calla Lillies

03/02/202403/02/2024Posted in flowers, GardeningLeave a comment

27 Dec 2023

My dads garden is flourishing. He has a few tomatoes and has somehow managed to clean the green mould in the rain water tanks. He loves collecting rainwater but still loves to water the concrete too 🙂

The two yellow Calla lillies from the horse farm have now multiplied to 8 – from 2 plants there are now 3 and at our local golf course 2. I also gave 2 to my son and planted three in the empty corner of the front garden. I do nothing to these … zero care except for some watering and they just keep coming back every year. When they die off, I dig some of the bulbs up and replant them in pots or elsewhere.

They make good filler plants – very hardy, colourful and also attract many different kinds of birds.

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