Lavender field as at end January 2011
Vegetable garden as at end January 2011
January has been a very hot month, with a few spots of very wet weather to keep the weeds growing. I have also been stuck at home with two preschoolers for the entire month and not been able to get as much done around the place as I would like. And it's probably the month where the most stuff needs doing.
I haven't managed to get down to the lavender field at all to do any more weeding. I mowed the grass once.
One thing I have managed to do is a lot of weeding in the vege garden and the herb garden. The zucchini and cucumber are doing very well. The lettuces did very well and almost all have been picked now. Have started planting some more to see us through the end of summer. The broccoli have been attacked by something (I assume cabbage moths although I haven't seen any). Have a pumpkin plant taking over half the garden and spreading like crazy, didn't seem to have any fruit but have just noticed two finally growing. Plus two other plants which grew wild and I transplanted into the vege garden. The tomatoes are not doing well at all. They are growing, but very slowly. Probably because it's been so hot and dry a lot (and I didn't water them) I guess. Have got some growing in the garden and some in containers on the deck. The swan plants on the deck are also not doing well. They both had caterpillars on them in early December, which ate all the leaves and then disappeared in search of more food. One plant died as a result but the other managed to come back from the brink. Now they have once again been subjected to an onslaught of caterpillars, as well as aphids, and I doubt that either will survive this time.
Potatoes: Still got heaps. Some of them are almost ready to be harvested.
Lettuce: Have eaten 4, 2 ready to be picked and 1 new one growing
Brassica: The original 6 are struggling along and I have planted 1 new one in a different part of the garden.
Tomatoes: Not sure of the exact count - about 4 in the garden and 3 on the deck
Zucchini: 1 and going strong
Cucumber: 2 and going strong
Capsicum: 1
Pumpkin: 3 plants, 2? fruit
Corn: Have planted 1 plant so far, with 5 more still in their punnet to be planted out one a week (or fortnight?). When I see how large the corn are in the fields around here, I think I started these too late.
Strawberries: Keep forgetting to check on them.
Blueberries: Keep forgetting about these too. The bird netting keeps blowing off in parts so I think we've lost a lot
Plums: Got a dozen or two fruit off it before they were all gone
Walnuts: The tree is starting to drop its nuts, have gathered about a dozen so far. Looks like it will be a good crop this year (if I remember to go and gather them regularly)
I feel bad that I haven't had much time for the garden over the summer. Hopefully with the kids going off to school/preschool in February I will be able to get back into the swing of things again.
-M
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