MY BLOG HAS MOVED!

You can now find this blog at www.gardeninginamberley.blogspot.com.  Since we have moved it seems the sensible thing to do...I am not in Cromwell anymore.

October and it must be planting time

Mother Nature has not forgotten to let us know that she has not quite finished with colder weather yet.  Just to prove it, yesterday HAIL and today a frost.  Still, I braved the morning cold, and set out mit gumboots to conquer the garden.

Here is a shot of what it looked like before I started today.  The cleared off bit is what Albie and I did a week ago, which took us a whole morning.

I managed to clear two large rows and plant 26 seed potatoes (Jersey Benne).  We also unearthed some more spring onions, and leeks which the previous people had planted.  It's starting to look like it should do, a proper Mr McGregor's garden.

A row of carrots went in, and Hamish very kindly put plastic  around the rest of the fencing,( and tidied up the fences I had already done, apparently they didn't meet his strict quality control).  Our chooks, not content with the 12 acres to roam, got into the garden through the fence the other day and ate 6 small cauliflower seedings, hence the drastic plastic measure.

Montana-Rose helped me to plant some lettuces also, and had fun hunting for more beans.  There  are a whole heap of dried beans on dead vines against the fence, and she has been podding them for me.  I have no idea what variety they are, but am placing my bets on scarlet runner beans.  Time will tell, as I plant to pot some up and see what comes up.

In the afternoon I finished sewing M-Rose's latest dress..

Clearing the new garden

We are moving house...*sigh*, but the good news is that the very historical home we are moving into had wonderful previous gardeners.  Their vege patch must have been a glory.  It is now overgrown with chickweed and mallow.

But today Albie and I spent the afternoon making a start on it.  We have slashed and dug and raked and hoed, and now there are some free beds where we have transplanted some of our seedlings from our current house.  In went garlic, in went cauliflower, in went rhubarb, in went snow peas and in went a raspberry cane.

Now we are exhausted.  Photos to come soon, I promise

A third snow

Can you  believe it? we had a third snow morning.  Just a dusting of icing sugar for the grass, and a good frozen one on our cars.  It is virtually unheard of to have more than 1 snow a year, we have been so privileged.

The garden didn't seem to mind.  Once the snow melted it left puddles everywhere and the garden had needed a nice drink.  Even a week later we still have some big puddles.  And with warm weather, well everything is growing.  I found a tiny rhododendron bush in the undergrowth, and the jasmine has started to flower.  Such a beautiful fragrance in late afternoon when I walk past.

My basil hasn't come up.  Whether the seed just wasn't viable in the first place, or whether I have done something wrong trying to germinate them, I'm not sure.

This week we ate leeks and carrots and sprouting broccoli which had overwintered in the abandoned garden of what is destined to become our new home!  the leeks were enormous! and delicious.

Daffodils are out

The first daffodils have come out into flower.  I picked them and brought them inside, hopeful that spring must soon be on the way.

My motherinlaw had given me a bag of daffy bulbs earlier in the year, and seeing some in flower reminded me all about them.  Up until now I had only given them limited thought, but all of a sudden the rush was on to get them into the ground.  Some were already sprouting..eeek.

I also planted my first seeds.  Some basil.  I have been saving those plastic containers that lots of food items seem to come in, in the supermarket.  Plastic, with a lid, they look like mini cool frames.  So I have experimentally put basil seeds into one and if that is successful I will do all my seeds that way this year.

Yay for spring!

Snow, snow and spring

Well, for the 2nd time this winter, we have had snow and LOTS of it.  It's pretty much unheard of for Christchurch to have so much snow.  For 3 days the snowstorm raged in wages of cold and hail and then snow again.  Several dumpings over the days ended with about 18cm of snow.

With the thaw came lots of puddles and slushiness.  The garden sloshed in mud for days and is only just drying out now, a week later.