We were away for much of December but that didn’t stop things happening in the garden. My watercress, for instance had been sitting there doing nothing for ages – I wanted to ave seed from it so I’d left it in. During my holiday it decided it was time to dump all of its seed over the lawn with innumerable seedlings the result. (This may actually improve my lawn which is currently a disgraceful mess of non edible weeds). At least a few seeds landed in the beds though:
On the tomato front the plants are doing well, I have tied up all the growth which happened while we were away and aside from the a few tops missing they survived the Christmas Day hail relatively unscathed. I am particularly impressed with my Broad Ripple Currant and Rouge de Marmande plants. The currant provided the first fruit and the Rouge de Marmande has stacks of nice big looking tomatoes on it.
My tropical plants are starting to look a bit happier; the ginger and turmeric have both emerged above soil line, although there is no sign of the galangal at all. The Lemongrass is starting to put on new growth since its repotting and the curry leaf tree has greened up and grown heaps.
Sunshine has entered the garden:
My overwintered capsicum has set lots of lovely fruit:
Unfortunately my overwintered eggplant succumbed to something – perhaps hail damage, perhaps disease – just as it was beginning to set fruit.
But mostly this month has been about growth; if its not potatoes trying to swallow up the lawn:
Its beans taking over the pots:
I’m pretty sure my ginger has rotted in the pot… 🙁
You could probably have a look without hurting it too much. I would dig in out and replant it if it is showing signs of life.
A watercress lawn… how much would the chooks love the lawn clippings then! I wonder if it could work?
It looks like you have a very happy garden !!
Love the idea of tossing it all into the lawn and turning it into something edible!
Lots of lovely things growing so well, the green in my garden looks so much paler. What’s your secret?
Could be water, could be nitrogen levels in the soil, could be that my garden is very sheltered so I do get a lot of green growth but that doesn’t always translate into lots of fruit due to a lack of sun (too much shade fromk next door Eucalypts).
I’ve been meaning to try growing watercress – we had some growing wild in our pond but I didn’t fancy eating that just in case I had wrongly identified it – interesting that it doesn’t seem to need to grow in water!
It doesn’t seem to need water – in winter/spring it gets pretty rampant in my garden. Those seedlings there look a bit sick now as its not too keen on the heat, but other than in summer it seems pretty happy, comes up where it wants and is pretty productive, not to mention delicious. I don’t really water it much more than the rest of the veg.
Your gardens look lovely!!! Thank you so much for the picture of the sunflower. It looks so cheery. 🙂
Lynn
All looking very green and fruitful Liz, your potato patch is quite something! And is that a lime tree I spotted covered in fruit in that last picture.
I have loads of eggplants that are just now flowering and starting to set fruit, but for some reason one plant has curled up its toes and died. I’m hoping it was hail damage and not something that is going to effect the other plants.
I’ve also been thinking about your curry ingredients and wondering how they are growing, glad to see they seem to be doing something now.
That is actually an orange, but I do have a similar sized potted plant with some limes on it as well. I got a little overexcited one day at CERES and bought 5 dwarf citrus. After cutting the fruit off them last year I’m leaving them to fruit this year and I have to say its extremely exciting!!!!
Interested in what you say about Watercress. I wouldn’t have thought it would do well at all in your climate, still less in a dry environment. I grow Landcress which is nice, but not as good as Watercress. Where I live (Hampshire) is noted for the commercial production of Watercress – it’s grown in huge beds filled with running water.
I know I wouldn’t have thought it would grow either but it seems to have the ability to adapt to a soil site. I would definitely try watercress in your normal soil, the Australian summer is a bit hot for it but the rest of the year is fine and mine grows really well. Mine tastes the same as what I ate as watercress in the UK (probably grown in Hampshire) so I’m pretty sure it is the same plant.
Welcome to Blotanical,
un saludo