23 Dec 2023
Just sharing some more of the photos I took in South Africa at Babylonstoren wine estate. What an amazing place that is – blew my mind.
Babylonstoren (Part 2)
Category: Gardening
Roast Chicken with fresh herbs
22 Dec 2023
The tomato plant that has drooped also has tomatoes that are being eaten by something, so I spent half an hour today just picking the damaged ones and throwing away the lost causes.
I gave all of them good a water and trimmed away dried leaves. I also spread some more coffee grounds that should do until next year as I don’t want to add too much coffee grounds either.
Fourteen tomatoes and a bunch of basil – a great harvest so far! The mint, lemon, thyme and parsley that I transplanted also worked very well. I used it in the roasting tray with some whole chicken roasted with a bunch of herbs.
Delicious!!
First of the 23/24 crop!
16 Dec 2023
Big news guys … We’ve had the first taste of the 2023/2024 crop. Absolutely delicious – so sweet – nothing like the ones at the shop and zero chemicals. I decided the caterpillars need to eat as well 🙂 I did pick a dozen of them off the basil – that will do.
I tasted a tomato with some of the basil and my taste buds exploded!
The cucumbers are also comming along nicely. Next year I will buy another tub where I want to grow some zucchinni. Probably simply for the pleasure of growing and the taste of homegrown veggies
I don’t know what is happening to my tommy toe tomatoes though … There are heaps of tomatoes, but one plant is drooping and looks very dry. I’ve watered them twice and also checked the soil. I’ve put some Seasol solution – hopefully it helps. The other ones are fine – only this one seems to have a problem – very strange. Watch this space – we’ll see what happens with them.
The Elves
12 Dec 2023
The elves have been busy… from a few small succulent leaves collected at Rosebud Country Club to this beautiful pot. Trained and pruned to look like a bonsai tree.
Once the Carnations take root I will propagate more and start another pot. The flowers are very colourful – growing in masses but quite fragile. I only spray this with a water bottle once a week the rest is done by the elves. I also watered the seedlings in the mini green house as the weather has been dry and a hot 32 degrees some days. I have sprayed some vinegar solution on and around basil but it really has has had no effect except for the aroma of vinegar.
I might need to get some advice and try an eco-friendly spray. We’ll see what the experts recommend. Nonno said Windex works…. what? … Windex the solution to all of life’s problems according to my dad. LOL!
Non-chemical bug spray
11 Dec 2023
After we had some very heavy rains I decided to have a look under the bird netting and discovered some caterpillars munching on my basil.
I immediately decided to make some vinegar bug spray to try and get rid of them. You have to take 1 part vinegar and 1 part water with a splash of dish soap. We’ll see how this goes zero because I really don’t like to use chemical sprays on my vegetable patch.
If anyone has any ideas I would really appreciate it so please feel free to make a comment below.
Nonno says puréed garlic with lemon and add vinegar and then you spray that in the soil and under the leaves. Other people have also suggested to try Eco Oil Spray from Bunnings.
Reuse and Recycle
10 Dec 2023
An empty plain driveway is something I’ve never experienced growing up. Sustainability and recycling have been second nature to my dad. He would be able to reuse anything and everything he could find.
Old milk crates, old tubs, netting, homegrown bamboo tomato stakes, window frame, building supplies, torn up old linen as ties, mayonnaise buckets .. and the list goes on.
Babylonstoren (Part 1)
8 Dec 2023
Today I’m veering off the veggie garden path a little bit to tell you about this wonderful place.
In April of this year my wife and I went on a long overdue holiday to South Africa and on one of the days there, my brother and sister in law took us to an amazing place called Babylonstoren. It is an old Cape Dutch farm in the Franschhoek wine valley in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
It’s a working farm with agriculture landcare, fresh produce and more varieties off plants then you can imagine along with delicatessen hand made products, interactive activities and a wonderful cafe.
To put it mildly – this place was my heaven! We parked under an immense vine structure out in the car park. Hundreds of vehicles parked here – greeted at the gate by three very friendly donkeys. Just inside the gate we were offered some free pomegranates and they were absolutely delicious. As we walked through the building, our guide Marisa (sister in law) started giving us a tour which lasted a couple of hours or more. I was stunned at everything I saw there and I still think of this place often.
There will be many parts to this story as I experienced so many activities and sights there. Part 2 will follow soon and will be about the succulents, the snake path and open air church.
Driveway Veggie Patch
3 Dec 2023
My mum’s cousin posted his veggie patch. Lots of vegetables tomatoes and compost – all done on top of a concrete driveway.
I’m loving it. Well done Giuseppe!
Propagating Gardenias
29 Nov 2023
Today I repotted some Aimee and a Floridia Gardenia into pots.
I absolutely love the aroma of these flowers so I’ll place them in semi shade and part full sun under the bedroom window so the aroma can waft into the house when we open the windows.
The succulents were transplanted into a barren spot in the front garden.
I decided to take some cuttings and try to propagate them in water. Two cuttings from a broken branch, trimmed off the leaves. I left some on top, placed them into water on top of the bookshelf in the sunroom.
Now we wait for 8 to 10 days at a guess, once the roots appear I’ll transplant them into potting mix.
The weather has turned ugly – torrents of rain and wind so no gardening today and tommorow I’m back at work.
I’ll start a veggie patch with the children there as well because I really enjoy teaching them about sustainability, fresh food and the environment.
Veggie patch anywhere and everywhere !
Home made fly catcher
28 Nov 2023
After visiting a big hardware store and seeing the fly catcher bottles, I thought I could make my own instead of spending $14.
Sugar, apple cider vinegar and a drop of dishwashing soap was all I needed.
Cut the top of a soft drink bottle, put the liquid inside and put the top upside down into the drink bottle.
I made a hole in the bottle and hooked it onto the fence, an hour later there was already a fly in it so it’s definitely working!
It’s a very good way to reuse plastic bottles. The liquid won’t keep all of them away but it will get rid of some of them. Being surrounded by farms, cows and horses is great but the flies are a nuisance so I had to do something and this seems to make a bit of a difference so I’ll keep you posted.
Bird netting. It’s war!
27 Nov 2023
I recently got my hands on 8 metres of bird netting. After securing it on the fence and draping it over the pot plants I replanted the basil seedlings. The Kookaburras are laughing at my efforts – how very ironic.
I placed four skewers around each seedling to give them some extra protection and secured the bird netting to the pot plants with metal pegs. It’s easily removable for plant maintenance.
The miniature compost has some worms in it busily eating the vegetable scraps. This humid weather and sweat and the millions of flies is very irritating. So many flies!!!!
I gave the plants a good watering and diluted the out of date left over milk and gave that to the plants as well.
When I went inside, Alice the cat was trying to get my attention because the two culprits were right outside her window. I’m sure Alice would teach them a lesson but Alice is an indoor cat fortunately for those birds, and now they are both sitting on top of the bird netting, a bit of deterrence is better then none.
Why “veggie patch anywhere” ?
22 Nov 2023
After going through many different names for my blog and to put a name to what I love to do we finally decided on “veggiepatchanywhere.com”.
Anytime I see a dull corner or piece of concrete a balcony or driveway a nature strip or garage roof, all I can think of is putting a vegetable patch there – I obviously have the same genes as my father.
Growing and nurturing your own plants is very rewarding – not to mention the impact you have on the environment, sustainability, mental health and the benefits of wholesome nutritious homegrown food.
I’m also a big believer that children should be in the garden as much as possible, getting their hands dirty, smelling tasting and having sensory play in nature. It may help them build a better immune system because over the last 35 years of my career as a chef it is astounding the amount of food allergies and intolerances in children.
So here we are then. The blog was created and I’ve started sharing my veggie garden life with you guys. I hope you will find it entertaining as well as educational and please fell free to comment or ask questions if you want.
Worm Pee and Saving a Fig Tree
21 Nov 2023
As the sun sets on a beautiful day that I unfortunately missed due to the demands of my job, I decided to collect some grass clippings and spread them around the tomato plants. This should help prevent the pot plants from drying out and eventually turn into mulch. The tomato flowers are small yet stunning, with plenty of them on these plants. I checked the soil and it felt moist, so I didn’t add any water. I also inspected for pests and any stems that needed tying down.
The delightful aroma of oregano mixed with mint fills the air.
I discovered some digging done by my archenemy, a bird that looks as evil as it acts. I’m not sure what kind of bird it is, but its red gills make it a formidable foe. I sense a disturbance in the force and consider this a declaration of war!
On the positive side, the soil is teeming with worms, and I hope they produce excellent castings and worm pee. Mmmmmm, worm pee!
In other news, the catnip has grown so much in the mini greenhouse that it’s almost ready for Alice to play with.
The fig tree has been saved after going through a period of drying out and then being drowned, thanks to the unpredictable Melbourne weather. One must be vigilant in maintaining the soil condition for the fig pot, ensuring it’s neither too dry nor too wet.
According to the master gardener, Nonno, I might consider drilling another hole and repotting next year. This process involves removing the plant, trimming some of the roots, and repotting it with fresh soil. While I’m at it, I might as well give the fig tree a trim, which I plan to do in winter when the plant is dormant.
On another note, I was recently asked whether I prefer egg or pineapple on pizza and which is more acceptable. I can tolerate egg on pizza, but the only good pineapple pizza is the one that’s in the bin. As we Italians say, “Che schifezzo!”
Buona notte, people!
The Fig Tree Saga
20 Nov 2023
We started with one tree, but then I decided to save a dead one. With some care, it took off and has grown over two feet. Later, a third tree joined the other two.
Unfortunately, one of them was destroyed by rabbits, but the other two were transferred to more solid half wine barrels.
Now, we have a lemon tree, a mandarin tree, and two magnolia trees, all thriving in their respective half wine barrels.
Additionally, I found a lemon tree at a local throwaway spot and saved it. One of the magnolia trees, called a fairy floss magnolia, was particularly magnificent. The aroma of its flowers was fantastic, and it perfumed the entire house.
Talk and sing to your plants
4 Nov 2023
Cucumber and coffee grinds.
Today wandered over to our local nursery and purchased some basil seeds, marigolds, as well as oregano and continental cucumber seedlings. It’s a beautiful sunny day, and I will be pottering around with my pots and tomatoes…
A couple of hours later …
I planted the basil seeds in the leftover tomato containers, mixed in some mulch, coffee grounds, and placed them in the miniature greenhouses. These greenhouses were a surprise present from my wife – she knows me well. I’m growing all sorts of things in these greenhouses and even had some leftover wood cuttings, which I fashioned into a greenhouse holder – very easy to pick up when they need extra sun or need to be moved. I planted the marigolds and the oregano in the pots, no bending whatsoever; my back is very grateful.
The tomato plants have doubled in size, and I trimmed some of the lower leaves and pinched out some of the smaller growth to give the plants more energy. As my dad or “nonno” says: “always pinch the small growth and give your plants a talking to, sing to them; they can hear and feel you.”
I laughed when he told me this, and then he grew a tomato that weighed 951 grams and 9 others that were over 550 grams each!!! So, if Nonno says talk and sing to the tomatoes and your plants, then just do it!
Veggie Patch Anywhere 