Regular readers will have noticed the sporadic (read non existent) nature of my posting of late. This has mainly been due to a lack of inspiration although I prefer to blame work commitments, family, kinder committees and a raft of other excuses. The real truth is that my garden has been less than inspiring to write about, which coupled with my transient creativity has produced, well…nothing.
Normally the things in my garden effectively write their own posts, Monday Harvests, end of month round up of growth rates, seeds sown, seedlings planted and so on. The problem is that with the exception of parsley and the last of the chillies I haven’t been harvesting much of anything. Had I planted anything in Autumn this could have probably been avoided but I didn’t and I think you can probably imagine the rest….. A weed infested chaos with the odd over ripe capsicum rotting quietly on the plant. Not attractive and certainly not inspirational.
I finally got round to cleaning all the mess up last weekend ( a big thankyou to my sister in laws for her excellent broom work) and guess what I found…..
…..
along with the mass of weeds, dead plants and tomato stakes which ceased being useful quite some months ago, I found inspiration.
I hadn’t gardened but fortunately nature often takes care of itself. Under the debris I found broad beans, parsley and parsnips:
More surprisingly (it being winter and all) I also found beans and a single, remarkably healthy, tomato plant.
I had run out of traditional plant guards but figured some glad wrap may help protect it. I don’t really want to grow tomatoes in this spot again this year but when a plant is happy to withstand single digit (Celcius) temperatures it hardly seems appropriate to lecture it on the importance of crop rotation.
I hope it survives, if nothing else so that I have something to blog about……
Good to have you back.
Isn’t it amazing how plants still find a way to grow, even when conditions seem less than favourable.
Lovely to see you blogging again.
I’m always amazed at what the garden will produce even without us. This year I noticed just outside the garden fence a perfect chamomile plant. It has been two years since I grew that in the garden.
Liz, it’s great to see you blogging once more; I hope you will soon recover your full gardening “mojo”.
My fingers are firmly crossed for your rogue tomato plant… if only because its survival might encourage more blog posts!
My favorite kind of gardening — survival of the fittest!
Good to have you back, Liz. I love little garden discoveries like those – just when you think it’s all weeds, you find something growing all on its own. I had a couple of self-seeded tomato plants survive last winter, only to be thwarted by the crazy summer weather we had. Hope yours does better 🙂
Welcome back Liz…. it is indeed strange days with live in…. I have heaps of tomatoes sprouting up at the moment too… About 2 weeks ago I harvested about 3 (albeit slightly anemic) tomatoes out at the community garden.
Welcome back. Lots to be said for volunteers. I probably get more kale from the garden paths than I do from the plants in the beds.
I really must let me kale seed in.
Ah, there you are! Now, where were we? Oh, that’s right, talking about chooks and veggies and gardening triumphs and disappointments.
You’re not the only one caught on the hop, by a long shot. Though I have a few things in, it’s nothing like previous years and I’m mightily annoyed with myself. Still, there’s always next season. Though I will particularly miss the parsnips. A lot.
Have you planted anything for summer?
You came. Then you went again! You obviously have a lot going on in your life right now. Exactly the reason I don’t maintain a blog – but just wait until I retire – you’ll be sick of me, then. 🙂
Are things picking up in the patch for you, yet?
I know, I have been really inconsistent this year haven’t I? I get a ‘must try harder’ on this years blogging report.
I wonder how that tomato plant is doing? Did it survive?
Sadly no, it died about a couple of weeks after I posted.