Planted out

Posted on 15/09/2013 by Me

In the front garden

Salady seedlings from Hobart Kitchen Gardens, 2 x each of :

  • Butterhead Lettuce – Buttercrunch
  • Cos Lettuce – FrecklesCos Lettuce – Paris Island Cos
  • Looseleaf Lettuce – Australian Yellow
  • Looseleaf Lettuce – Green Oak
  • Looseleaf Lettuce – Red Salad Bowl
  • Mizuna
  • Tatsoi

And under fruit trees against the house, 2 each of strawberries Tioga and Red Gauntlet.

Hmmm. . .under our bedroom window a week or two ago I planted out broadbean seeds.

In the courtyard

Two climbing tomato varieties, also from Hobart Kitchen Gardens:

  • Climbing tomato – Gardeners Delight
  • Another climbing tomato – I forget the 2nd variety!
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Sown this evening

Posted on 02/09/2013 by Me

Snow peas in the front garden (from left to right if your back is to the road):

  • Mammoth Melting
  • Cascadia
  • Yukomo Giant

In the lime pots until sprouting, first 3 are in the pot closer to the house:

  • Lettuce Amish deer tongue
  • Lettuce buttercrunch
  • Lettuce red velvet
  • corriander
  • basil
  • rocket
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Phenology for Spring 2013

Posted on 26/08/2013 by Me

I’ll update this post with more observations – not that I’m doing a great job at observing!

27 July: magnolia
1 August: Almond and main apricot (check variety)
17 August (?): Front nectarine under Eskil’s window
27 August Daffodils and the apricot under my bedroom window
31 August 1st California poppy, maple tree leaf buds burst
5 September

 

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New Beginning

Posted on 15/11/2012 by Me

The previous owner of our new house popped a mud map of the front and back gardens into the letterbox last night.  I can’t wait to get my paws dirty – but unfortunately am still busy moving stuff from the old house.  I’m going to need A LOT of netting!

Front Garden

Back Garden

Posted in New garden in South Hobart | 2 Comments

Moving On. . .

Posted on 16/10/2012 by Me

Since the decision was made, I’ve been to apprehensive to post about this – but I think it’s safe to now!  Lottie’s Lot will be moving to South Hobart!  I’ve wanted to leave this house behind for years, but I didn’t think my husband would ever leave.  Ever.

I’m a little sad to leave a garden just getting on its feet.  The berries are finally well established.  The asparagus and broccoli are yummy.  The raised garden beds are fantastic.  So I have to admit I shed a few tears one afternoon out in the garden, but I am looking forward to the new house.

We are hoping the new house is our forever house.  The garden was loved, and by someone who was interested in fruit and veggies.  The garden isn’t as big as our current one, but it does have some fruit trees and a veggie plot.  This morning the real estate agent told me the vendor would be happy to show me around and let me know what plants are where, so of course I said I would definitely like that!  I know there is an almond tree in the back, espaliated fruit trees in the front garden, including a cherry.  I saw potatoes growing in the veggie patch and various berries.

So I want to find out what is there, then think about what I want.  Maybe more raised garden beds.  Maybe (definitely) some articokes.  Raspberries (if there aren’t some already).  More herbs.  I’ll move the tree we have in wine barrels to the new patio.  It’s rather exciting!

Almond Tree

Almond tree in the new back garden

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Preparing for Winter

Posted on 08/05/2012 by Me

Well the baby takes priority over gardening, and gardening takes priority over writing about gardening, so this blog has been sorely neglected. If I remember to sort out some settings before logging off maybe I can blog from my phone, but we’ll see! All I seem to harvest or cook winds up like this:

11 of 12 Making More Eskil Food

Last weekend I cleared out big red, big blue, and big yellow.  All three also have a bag each of sheep and horse manure in them.  There were baby leek sized spring onions that I couldn’t eat in spring or summer because they would give my boy gas; last night they became a beautiful quiche with feta.

I have now planted:

  • Big Red:  broadbeans and garlic
  • Big Blue:  green manure
  • Big Yellow:  cauliflower, broccoli, savouy cabbage, lettuce (Amish deer ear, red velvet, and buttercrunch – I can’t find all my seeds!), spinach, carrots, and yellow beetroot.

I want to transplant the capsicums out of Big Green into the front garden then get something over them to help protect them from frost.  Then I shall plant it out with herbs, most lettuces, and other stuff.

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Harvest: Meyer Lemon Tart with Chiliwack Raspberries

Posted on 27/11/2011 by Me

Although still small our Meyer lemon tree is certainly producing fruit!  I use SO MANY lemons daily in sweet and savoury dishes, but I thought I should do something a bit celebratory with my largest harvest of lemons off the tree to date.  My husband LOVES lemon tart, so here it is.

  • Shortcrust pastry
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • grated rind of 1 or 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons cream
  • 3/4 cup lemon juice (or other citrus)

Blind bake pastry in a flan or pie tin.

Meanwhile mix eggs, sugar, lemon rind and cream.  Add the lemon juice.  Place it in thye baked bastry shell and bake for 12-15 minutes (until the centre appears to be just set)  Allow the tart to cool before unmolding.

If you’d like to jazz it up a bit, finely slice another lemon and arrange on top of the tart.  Sprinkle with sugar and use a blow torch to create a glaze.

Or just serve with the first of your raspberries and some cream!

Meyer Lemon Tart with Chilliwack Raspberries

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment

A Half Session. . .

Posted on 27/10/2011 by Me

Christina came by today for a quick half session, which worked well with Eskil’s limits!  He mostly played in his KinderKot while Lottie ‘guarded’ him.  He’s 11 weeks and 5 days old.
Lottie Garding Her Eskil While I Garden
First we cleared out some carrots and beetroot that was going to seed in Big Blue. Then as I couldn’t find my gardening gloves, Christina cleared out a lot of nettles and other ouchy weeds from around the garlic. I planted some beetroot in Big Blue (Lost Seed’s heirloom mix) and spread lots of blood and bone in the garden beds – they seem nitrogen deficient. Then we put a small teepee of beans with Blue Lake, Kentucky Wonder, and Purple Kings into Big Blue as well.

Our broadbeans already have plenty of beans for harvesting, and Chrsitina also noticed that the cherry tree we planted this year is fruiting already!! And the tree planted last year has lots of fruit.
Fruit on the cherry tree planted last year

I’m looking forward to another session on Monday! 🙂

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Harvest: Viole(n)t Sicilian Cauliflower and Leek Cannelloni

Posted on 25/09/2011 by Me

Not the most exciting post because I forgot to take a photo before we ate them all, but these were yummy!  I steamed the violet Sicilian cauliflower.  I cooked the leeks with prosciutto until soft.  Then I mushed them all up together and put them into cannelloni and baked like normal.  Yummy!!!

Violet Sicilian Cauliflour

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Eskil’s First Garden Craft Session

Posted on 21/09/2011 by Me

Our last official garden craft session with FiMBY was Eskil’s first! However we’ve already discussed continuing mentoring sessions with Christina; having someone come out to help and inspire us at least once a month is just too important not to continue – especially with a newborn providing a distraction.

Eskil's First FiMBY Session

Eskil's First FiMBY Session (6 weeks 4 days old)

Today we (I’ll need to update this list after I double check what was done):

  • Made some fertilizer as the monthly garden craft topic.
  • Big Blue Cleared out some carrots and beetroot and put in some Greeenfeast peas.
  • Little Red Put fertilizer and compost onto the asperagas bed.
  • Big Red Cleared out some of the feral parsley in Big Red and planted carrots (lubyana, purple dragon, and royal chantenay), dill, corriander, and parsley. Tied up the sugar snap peas (we’ve already had some!). Harvested fennel.  Also put in a little sweet basil in case I can get a start on it.
  • Big Yellow Chopped up the green manure, which is much more lush than last year, and harvested one of the two violet Sicilian califlowers.
  • Berry Patch Christina tied up some boysenberry branches and we all did a bit of weeding.  I need to get some leafy green seeds in in the next day or two.
Cutting Up the Green Manure

Scott and Christina Cutting Up the Green Manure

Violet Sicilian Cauliflower

Violet Sicilian Cauliflower

Posted in FiMBY Mentoring Sessions | 1 Comment