Monday, June 02, 2008

Small but productive (and I'm not talking about Grumbles!)


I had a list as long as my arm, detailing things I wished to accomplish this weekend. Instead I was struck down with a sore throaty, feeble cough lurgy, so my accomplishments amount to snapping a few pics and doing lots of moaning about how sick I felt.
However, the Galumph was on a roll, and under the watchful of eye of his temporarily invalided wife he cleared out our front garden, and planted out our brand new vegie patch. Previously the front garden was a wonderland of odd weeds, with a few tomato plants in summer time if we were organised enough, but with food prices going through the rooft, plus lots of thinking about the negative impact of excessive food miles, I decided it was time we dug for victory and did our bit. And by gosh if I was going to do it at all, I was going to do it properly. I wanted decent beds, with paving to help control weeds and darn it, I wanted it to look pretty!
We have spent the last few weeks keeping a weather eye out for stray bricks, and on Saturday hit brick gold when we discovered a family down our street doing some renovations. We asked very nicely and they gave up all their crappy bricks ("Trust me honey, you're doing us a favour by carting them away!" I was told in a big booming Italian baritone), which we promptly laid down in the garden, forming four mini beds.
The front two have been planted with silverbeet and beetroot, and the back beds have broad beans and snow peas. Keeping these company are a couple of pots containg rocket, Freckles Brunte lettuce and Mesclun lettuce mix. All seeds are heritage ones from Diggers - not only do they ensure that genetic variation isn't lost, but they also perform like crazy!

Not bad for a wee space measuring 2 x 1.5 metres!

5 comments:

  1. Silverbeet, broadbeans and lettuce are so great to have on hand in the garden all year round. We have some chooks too, so even when the cupboards are bare there's a potential spinach frittata for tea!

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  2. Yay for vegetable growing - it's addictive I tell you!

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  3. i've been waiting to do this for the past few years now but never manage it. The one attempt i did have failed miserably, the snails and spiders ate my seedlings:( Add to that a husband who is totally useless at this sort of thing and well....you know.
    Maybe i should have another go. What is good for planting now?

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  4. Have I ever mentioned that I think I might be in love with your husband? (Who could fail to fall for a man who plants something called Freckles Brunte? And look at all that pretty edging! Even in the unlikely event that nothing takes, you can claim the plot is a decorative feature in its own right.)

    Hope you're feeling better!

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  5. Good to see the Galumph hard at work! Wish I could get my significant other to do the same. Regards from an "i" before "e" namesake.

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