So what have I been up to the last year you may ask? Well
besides doing the invoicing and bookkeeping for my husband’s business I’ve also
been getting my edible garden up and running that’s what. Add joining in on an
occasional fishing expedition thrown in with my fella to my list of activities and that about sums it
up. There seems to be a running theme here between the two of us all our
leisure time is spent catching or growing stuff to eat. Let’s face it gardening requires time and
effort and ornamental plants are exactly that…ornamental so why bother I say. They look nice and all but other being something
pretty to look at they have no other use… Not un-like models in that sense. :P I personally like plants the reward you for
your efforts and growing fruit, veggies, herbs and spices, certainly does that.
Where to start… Sings: Let’s start at the very beginning; it’s
a very good place to staaaaart-tah!’ Uuum okay maybe I should stop referencing
songs from ‘The sound of music’. But the beginning is definitely the place to
start. Reading and research - I spent many an hour reading up about all the varieties
of edibles available. Carefully working out what plant types that would, fingers
crossed both suit our Gippsland climate and also be something that we would
really enjoy eating. After all fruit
trees are an investment of both money and time. What could be worse that patiently tending a
fruit tree for years only to discover on partaking of your first harvest that
the tastes was just well, ‘Meh’.. or even worse ‘Blaaah’.. Yep those are the technical terms for it. I
also became a member of the ‘The Diggers Club’ http://www.diggers.com.au/ It’s a
gardening club that I had always thought about joining but was waiting until we
lived in a place that allowed me the space I needed for growing food. Their philosophy
is in line with mine. That is preserving and using non-GMO heirloom seeds and
plants and growing real food with real flavor. I wanted to get my fruit trees planted
as soon as possible because they can (depending on the variety and also
depending on whether or not they are grown from seed or grafted) take a few
years to get a harvest, so the sooner you plant them the sooner you’ll get a
crop. Only logical right? So in first 12
- 18 months this is what I have planted… (Some trees/plants in the ground and
some dwarfed trees in large containers to make maximum use of what space I
have)
 |
| My first garlic harvest.. pulled up only yesterday. |
Lemon - Meyor
Lemon - Lisbon
Lime - Finger
Lime - Makrut
Lime - West Indian (Key)
Avocado - Wurtz
Avocado - Bacon
Imperial Mandarin (x2)
Persimmon - Ichikikei Jiro
Bay Tree
Tangelo - Minneola
Mulberry - Red Shahtoot
 |
| Mulberry -Red Shahtoot |
Apple - Sundowner (AKA Cripps Red )
Apple - Winter Trenorden
Cherry - Stella
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
Garlic
Mint
Strawberry – Hokowase
Strawberry - Cambridge Rival
Lemongrass
Curry Leaf tree
 |
| Unexpected apples on my tiny tree. |
Japanese Pepper - Sichuan
Spanish Liquorice
Wasabi
Galangal
Turmeric
Chillies (a plant that my Dad gave me so not sure what variety it is)
White Sapote
Olive - Manzanillo
Pomegranate -Rosavaya
Mulberry- Dwarf Black
Pomegranate - Ben Hur
Saffron
Saffron
And now I’ve finished getting my raised veggie beds set up and my Spring/Summer seasonal vegies seedlings and seeds gave gone in and are showing signs of growth. I’ve planted…
 |
| My raised beds.. |
Tomatoes
Snow peas
Capsicums
Eggplant
Basil
Carrots
Beetroot
Lettuce
Spaghetti squash
Cucumber
Spring onions
Stevia
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a decent crop. I must admit fruit
tree collecting has become quite an obsession, just when think I’ve planted all
the fruit varieties that I could possibly want, I stumble upon another variety that
makes me think ‘oooh that looks delicious, I wouldn’t my trying to grow
that!” But then I must say there are
worse things to be addicted to that growing organic healthy food…Am I right? Phyllis
Theroux once said ‘I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest
one can come to being present at creation’, and I couldn’t agree more. I hope I never lose the sense of awe I feel
when I see the first few leaves pushing its way through the soil and also the
sense of satisfaction that I had a part to play in making it happen in my
backyard. I’m also hoping that we’ll be in
are in a better place financially next year and that a greenhouse for my yard
might be on the on the shopping list. This will allow me to get a head start
growing seedlings and also give my more cold intolerant plants a safe haven
during the frosty winter and also allowing me to grow tomatoes in containers out of
season. I'm even hoping to be able to grow a dwarf mango in a container there. A fruit that would be impossible to grow in our climate otherwise. So for now I’ll sit outside at least once a day sipping a hot
cuppa, watching my fruit trees and
veggies swaying the breeze and dream about the bounty that will one day be….
