I can’t believe how quickly September flew by, not sure what happened to it really. I do know that I watched a lot of seed germinate,
and that the garden started to look a bit prettier though when the sweet peas arrived.
Flowers aside September in Melbourne is pretty much all about growth. The potatoes got big lush leaves, the silver beet started to grow flower shoots and the pile of tomato stakes that need cleaning up before I use them next month seemed to get bigger (this last one was an illusion, not bigger but certainly not any smaller…).
The fruit crops were starting to show signs of productivity. The first figs are beginning to form, and the first strawberry flowers are appearing.
The fruit I’m most excited about though are my new blueberry plants. Now a more patient person than me would pick these flowers off and tell the kids to wait until next year for their first crop, but I don’t do patience so I sit instead, impatiently, waiting for these to swell into berries.
One fruit I shouldn’t have to wait long at all for is this, out of season (for the variety I’m growing), solitary passionfruit. It’s sat on the vine all winter and finally looks like it might ripen soon. Strange eh? Actually the year we moved into this house the vine was fruiting when we moved in which was July but since then it has only fruited in late summer.
One crop I will have to wait quite a bit longer for is the garlic. It’s growing nicely but it will still be a couple of months before it’s ready for harvest.
There are some crops which are ready for harvest now, there’s the herbs, spring onions, some of the potatoes, the watercress, a few carrots and radishes etc but most of all there’s lettuce, and lots of it. Here are just a few of my ‘Freckles’ lettuces being ‘cuddled’ by a mustard:
And here are the ones I will start harvesting from next month:
Pretty aren’t they?
Well that was my garden in September, what about yours?
Your garlic looks really good. Mine is a complete failure this year.
I’ve planted out most of beds now – the tomatoes are in and only the corn is yet to be sown. Bring on summer!
I haven’t managed any corn yet either and I still have quite a few things growing on in pots. I’m waiting for a favourable weather forecast but they aren’t particularly forthcoming.
Passionfruit is a strange creature. I had a couple of fruits that fell off and had to ripen inside over winter. My garlic were also hopeless I pulled them out so I could transplant some silver beet from the veggie patch during the renovation.
Love freckles I really should start planting up some lettuce first. You are right about September though it snuck up and has done a great job of hiding. Perhaps October will be kinder?
Its cold so far though isn’t it (Thursday notwithstanding)? I had to turn the heating on again tonight.
Beautiful photos of a very busy garden. Lettuce looks yummy. I’ve got Marvel of Four Seasons growing in my garden.
I haven’t tried Marvel of Four Seasons but if it lives up to its name then it sounds great.
September here means the end of the summer – so while you’re starting to harvest potatoes and carrots, I’m looking forward to leeks and parsnips!
Leeks and parsnips are both delicious and well worth harvesting – I’m too impatient to grow them very often so I appreciate them all the more.
Time flys when your busy and by the look of your garden (which is looking lush,green and productive) you have been very busy Love those freckles lettuce, and your garlic looks great(mine have a few purple tips on leaves,rust?) question: what do you usually plant in your bed once you have pulled your garlic?
Have sent you an email, re kale seedlings.
I am hoping to plant climbing beans and cucumbers – I have other beans & cukes growing so the idea is that this next lo will provide a succession. Good in theory – we will see if it works.
So many nice things growing. Love all that garlic and your pretty freckled lettuce and sweet peas are one of life’s great pleasures. What variety is your blueberry? I am hoping to pick my first Nelly Kelly’s this week.
I have 2 Nellie Kellies- that is one of them and I can’t remember what the other one is its a deciduous one but its way behind the Nellie Kellies.
I wouldn’t pick off the flowers either – if the plant wants to fruit who are we to stop it!
Ah yes leaving nature to take its course – always one of my favourite excuses.
Your garden looks great. My blue berry is flowering and already has quite a few berries that will be ready to pick soon. I have completed all my planting and most are now shooting which is very exciting for the kids and I. I have probably planted too many beans but am hoping that i can freeze some of them. This is my first year growing kohlrabi it is doing well so far. I have so many other things growing in my garden it will be bursting with delicious produce in no time. I love my Veg garden and am glad its becoming more popular amongst children its a great thing to watch and help something grow knowing you get to eat it.
I’m really missing having beans at the moment so can’t imagine having too many but I probably will too but they are so nice to have fresh. My daughter is very excited because she found some beans seeds and duly planted they and they have just germinated. I know what you mean about being glad the kids enjoy it. I haven’t tried growing kohlrabi although I have bought some seed for what will hopefully be an Autumn crop, glad yours is doing well.
My blueberry looks surprisingly similar, though most of the flowers have now fallen away and the fruit is swelling beautifully – it’s funny that my garden seems a little ahead of yours despite living relatively nearby. I have just one solitary, but faithful, lettuce in the garden at the moment and not much else happening on that front. I have two hanging baskets planted with seedlings (which I fear I was inpatient and transplanted too early) as an experiment and have planted more in the seed trays which I will try to grow on to a bigger size before sticking in a pot somewhere. I have one small patch of garlic that looks like yours, the rest has been pretty much a failure. I today I bit the bullet and bought a couple of tomato seedlings from the farmers market, I bought Rouge de Marmande on your recommendation.
My thoughts on my garden being a bit behind is that mine probably gets a fair bit less sun. I get almost no sun after about 2pm due to the neighbours eucalypts and I reckon that would have an effect on the plants progress. Hope you enjoy the Rouge de Marmande they were my best peformer by a long way last year.
I love reading your posts Liz! As my garden dies down for the Winter, yours is starting to burst in to life. A cheery thought or two in these darker, cooler days this side of the world!