The seasonality of gardening is a profound reality. There is no getting round it. I think in our modern, urban culture, we are so divorced from the seasons, so used to having strawberries in autumn and apples in spring, that it is easy to think we are boss of the seasons.
These days I plant even carrots out as advanced seedlings.
This time of year is perfect for leafy greens in my frost free garden. The various kinds of cabbage moths and web moths have all disappeared and my predator population can keep up with everything else. The days are still shortening as we head towards the winter solstice so they are not in too much of a rush to bolt to seed. The cooler weather makes it much easier to…
I’ve noticed that a couple of corms of garlic that hid in my garden and escaped harvesting have sent up green shoots. So I guess…
For large seeds like peas, it is not worth the seed germinating stage. I plant directly into a seedling raising mix that is mostly good compost with a bit of creek sand for drainage. For alkaline lovers like peas and beans I add a bit of wood ash to raise the pH.
The dam is full of azolla – a little water weed that I encourage because it is symbiotic with a nitrogen fixing bacteria. Like legumes, it can grab nitrogen out of the air and stabilize it in a form that feeds soil and plants that are not so handily endowed with an in-built fertilizer factory.
My perfect storm is at an end, and life is returning to its usual very busy but kinda balanced state. To celebrate, I used this…