Well, what started just a little over a year ago as a productive zone with no more than two small garden beds containing a few tomato plants, capsicums and beetroot has now exploded into twelve garden beds full of ridiculous amounts of food. We are officially hooked, and I sense this 'simple life' that we've somehow started down the road towards: composting, food growing, fermenting, worm farming, chicken keeping, preserving, seed saving... is only going to get simpler as this year unfolds.
I'm learning more and more that this term 'simple life' is just a more appealing phrase to sell what should be described as a very time consuming, lots-of-hard-work kinda life. But it's the kind of work that feels right, the kind of work that rewards and the kind of work that I don't think we were ever meant to fully outsource. And for what it's worth it's far more responsible, environmentally friendly, healthy and economical.
It's important to remind yourself of all these positives from time to time, to keep the 'why' really fresh in what you are doing. When I'm separating the scraps of every meal prepared into food for the chickens, food for the worms, scraps for the compost and rubbish for general council waste, I sometimes have to give myself 'the talk', "you're doing this because it's the right thing, the good thing, and should be the normal thing to do", and usually within a minute I'm back passionately walking the zillionth bucket of scraps down to the chicken coop and compost bins and feeling pretty awesome about it.
With the help of all the chicken and worm poo, compost and hard yakka the garden has really ramped up production. The rate at which it is now producing means we need to make a conscious effort to eat what we produce. The time, energy and money we put into growing our own food will only pay off if we eat everything the garden produces. So instead of meals that make sense and look right, we're now eating plates full of eclectic ingredients I wouldn't have ever imagined putting together.
Having a glut of something or an interesting mix of ingredients to work with is an old world problem, but one that I welcome. My mindset about food has changed so much recently that I would rather eat a side of the same homegrown, organic zucchini everyday of summer, than a variety of vegetables bought from the supermarket - and that's the mindset that will really make this food growing thing work for you.
New to the Patch
Our local nursery Heritage Gardens has a really beautiful cafe and gift shop. It was mid December, nearing the end of the year and D hadn't been called into work for the day so we decided to go to Heritage Gardens for a drink. We do this sometimes, to tease ourselves and test our will. So off we went, just for a drink. And maybe a browse. But definitely not to buy trees! So, somewhere in the drinking and the browsing D got buying, and ended up at the register with a couple of very special, long awaited new additions to our patch: one Pinkerton and one Hass avocado tree.
We also have an enormous array of first timers in the veggie beds: Lebanese Cucumber, Golden Nugget Pumpkins, Bohemian Pumpkins, Lebanese Zucchini, Sweet Corn, Wombok, Rockmelon, Lemon Cucumbers, Black Beauty Zucchini, Eggplant, Chilli grown from D's Grandma's seeds, Shallots and Loofahs! Yes loofahs, the big sponge things you buy from The Body Shop and use to wash yourself with - I'm really very excited about them.
Currently In Harvest
VEG: Beans Blue Lake, Butter Beans, Beetroot, Cucumber, Lettuce, Pumpkin, Silverbeet, Tomato, Wombok, Zucchini. FRUIT: Gala Apple. HERBS: Basil, Chives, Lemon Balm, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage Thyme.
Full List 'In the Ground and Growing' Summer 2015
KEY
Y = Years till harvest.
W = Weeks till harvest.
H = In harvest.
Veggie Patches
Asparagus (Y)
Beans 'Blue Lake' (H)
Beans 'Butter Beans' (H)
Beetroot (H)
Carrot (W)
Chilli (W)
Cucumber 'Marketmore' (H)
Cucumber 'Lemon' (W)
Eggplant (W)
Leek (W)
Lettuce (H)
Loofah (W)
Potato (W)
Pumpkin 'Bohemian' (W)
Pumpkin 'Golden Nugget' (H)
Pumpkin 'Kent' (W)
Pumpkin 'Queensland Blue' (W)
Rhubarb (W)
Shallots (W)
Silverbeet (H)
Spinach (W)
Sweet Corn 'Breakthrough' (W)
Tomato 'Tommy Toe' (H)
Wombok (H)
Zucchini 'Black Beauty' (W)
Zucchini 'Lebanese' (H)
Beans 'Blue Lake' (H)
Beans 'Butter Beans' (H)
Beetroot (H)
Carrot (W)
Chilli (W)
Cucumber 'Marketmore' (H)
Cucumber 'Lemon' (W)
Eggplant (W)
Leek (W)
Lettuce (H)
Loofah (W)
Potato (W)
Pumpkin 'Bohemian' (W)
Pumpkin 'Golden Nugget' (H)
Pumpkin 'Kent' (W)
Pumpkin 'Queensland Blue' (W)
Rhubarb (W)
Shallots (W)
Silverbeet (H)
Spinach (W)
Sweet Corn 'Breakthrough' (W)
Tomato 'Tommy Toe' (H)
Wombok (H)
Zucchini 'Black Beauty' (W)
Zucchini 'Lebanese' (H)
Fruit
Apple 'Gala'(H)
Apple 'Gala'(H)
Apple 'Pink Lady' (Y)
Avocado 'Hass' (Y)
Avocado 'Pinkerton' (Y)
Avocado 'Hass' (Y)
Avocado 'Pinkerton' (Y)
Cherry (Y)
Lemon 'Eureka' (Y)
Lemon 'Meyer' (Y)
Lime 'Tahitian' (Y)
Lime 'West Indian' (Y)
Mandarin (W)
Mulberry (W)
Orange 'Navel'(Y)
Orange 'Navel'(Y)
Orange 'Valencia' (W)
Rockmelon 'Ha-ogen' (W)
Rockmelon 'Ha-ogen' (W)
Strawberry (W)
Herb Garden
Basil (H)
Basil (H)
Chives (H)
Lemon Balm (H)
Mint (H)
Oregano (H)
Parsley 'Flat Leaf' (W)
Lemon Balm (H)
Mint (H)
Oregano (H)
Parsley 'Flat Leaf' (W)
Rosemary (H)
Sage (H)
Thyme (H)
Sage (H)
Thyme (H)
