Gardening, Life at No.22

Pottering around Plot 44

Suzanne

Hello there,

It has been a while since I have shared the goings-on around our plot of dirt. Well, happy to write that she’s faring quite well, thank you very much. Which is surprising since the owner has neglected her on a few more occasions than she would like to admit. Even with the neglect, we have been inundated with fresh vegetables and a few weeds just for good measure. So much so, I have shared with visitors, other gardeners and our vertical neighbours, the vegetables not the weeds.

The Delights

First to be picked early summer was the big bulbs of beetroot, so yummy eaten raw or baked. Then following was the celery, beans and peas. As you know, bean vines are incredibly generous with the number of beans they produce for most gardeners. Our small patch of green beans grew exponentially. Have you ever gathered what you thought were all the beans in one go? Of course, you have, then with another glance at those vines, you find even more hanging there ready to be picked. How does that happen?

What has grown remarkably well under high temperatures is the spinach which I thought would succumb to my lack of watering and temperatures well over 30 degs. No, it didn’t and has been rewarding us with luscious green leaves for weeks on end. The type of spinach I’m referring to is the perennial spinach. Lovely tossed with tomatoes, red onions, and other assortments of greens that I picked such as parsley, spring onions and chives. To add more crunch to our salads in January are the colourful capsicums they like the spinach are growing well. For the first time, I grew carrots never bothered as they are relatively cheap in the supermarkets and plentiful at the local Farmers Market. So pleased I did as the taste and texture were rewarding.

The Disappointments

The biggest surprise was our tomatoes, shot away at the starting line of warmish weather and at the first bump of humid weather they succumbed to mildew. Even with rows of basil to jolly them along. Well, I can’t solely blame the plants as I did get too carried with my planting and packed them in without room for them to breathe and shake off those nasty spores. As all of the garden areas are gardened organically, no sprays are used, which is brilliant for our bodies and Mother Earth. Each of us has various ideas on how to garden, so there lies the problem and the spread of unwanted spores and weed seeds, all part and parcel of a community garden.

There is always an upside to a sad gardening story; mine is that I got to make a tasty green tomato chutney and the few ripe tomatoes from the plot were sliced up and plopped on toast. Not only did I plant tomatoes at the community gardens, but we also had a few plants in pots on our balcony. These did not disappoint, and we had more than ample small tomatoes to toss in those daily salads or to be gobbled up when walking ten paces back to the kitchen.

The Seriously Weird

Best be off on my bike, as there are vegetables to be picked and watering to be done while the sun is still waking up.

Published by Suzanne

Travel and Life Musings from New Zealand and Beyond. . . . . . .

28 thoughts on “Pottering around Plot 44”

      1. I’m not good with carrots either. I don’t know why I can’t get them to grow and I’ve tried often enough. I’m content with the things I can grow and I’m still picking beetroot and leaks from last year and there’s purple sprouting broccoli to look forward to in March and April.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. To be fair those carrots look bigger than in reality. I was chuffed that they grew so well. Lots of compost, worm juice and free draining soil is why everything grew so well. Leeks and sprouting broccoli will be planted soon. Enjoy your produce, April.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

    1. Yes, we both love our veggies. Still, very much tomato season here and I notice that some gardeners have grown the heirloom tomatoes that are doing rather well. In my enthusiasm, I forgot a few gardening tricks like buying tough stakes and airflow around the tomatoes. Even a very experienced gardener makes mistakes, and there’s always next year to improve how I garden. Well done for continuing on with your tomato plant and being rewarded to the end.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. it all looks marvellous. You obviously have very green fingers. I’m debating whether or not to grow any tomatoes this year as if we have the chance to go away somewhere I want to take it and tomatoes do not like being left alone for a couple of weeks!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Jude, I think I do possess green fingers as plants always thrive in my care. I would be interested in seeing how your tomatoes grow in your coming summer. I think it’s a home focussed summer for all of us a great opportunity to grow something new.

      Like

      Reply

  5. Your veggies are a real credit to you. Your soil must be very rich and loamy, those carrot look amazing , I had no success with tomatoes or zucchini this season due to mildew. Only growing herbs at the moment. Too hot for veggies and me during summer 🥵

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Unfortunately, both zucchinis and tomato don’t like humidity. Next year I think I will give heirloom tomatoes a go and spread them out. I could’ve easily left the plants in until all the tomatoes I decided to let the eggplant and capsicum plants have more room. Asian herbs would do well in your garden?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I valiantly tried using vinegar spray and daily cutting off any leaves showing signs of mildew. Last year I tried milk spray, that didn’t work either. Ah well I think I’ll just buy them from the green grocer in future.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.