Green Zebras

It's all Green Zebras and Black Russians around this joint at the moment.
These two tomato plants have been incredibly successful in the vegie patch this year.
Tomatoes really are quite easy to grow.
You just plonk 'em in the vegie patch - stake them as required - splash a bit of Seasol on them every now and then and that's about it.
They don't really taste any different from red tomatoes but I'm always up for something of novelty value.
They come from my "go to" vegie man - Diggers.
Next year I think I'm going to go with one of those fat brain looking ones and some little yellow cherry ones.



Last year I made 37,000 jars of different jams and chutneys.
My absolute favourite was Peach and Tomato chutney.
I only made a couple of jars and really only made it for my Dad.
But it was fabulous - especially with cold chicken.
So when our peaches finally are ready - usually April - I hope I have some tomatoes still growing.




Photos:
1. Feb, 2011
2&3. April, 2011

Do the Funky Chicken

Summer - 2011
A magpie having a shower under the hose out on the footpath.
He was having the best fun.


Photos: Feb, 2011

Abracadabra!

Look!
I grew these from sticks.

My first propagating experience.
Next year they will be tall enough to hide that weird ugly fence.
What IS that kind of fence? - looks like something used in a pig pen.
I was hoping they would be purple but they are kind of pinky mauve.
I think I might have to acidify the soil a bit more to get them purple.
They are past flowering now.
There's a few stragglers.
They'll get a haircut soon.


This is them the same time last year (in the picture below).
Haven't they grown a lot?




photos:
1. iphone - Feb, 2011
2. Feb, 2011
3. Jan, 2010


PS. Comments turned back on, by special request!

Should I?

Summer 2011
The BBQ table found at the tip.
Should I paint it?
Or should I live it a bit rustic-like?

There's no bricks holding up the bench anymore.
It's got 6 legs now.

I think I may have hit the saturation button a bit hard - look at those orange roses - they are glowing!



Photo: Feb, 2011


PS. I turned the comments off on this blog, coz I'm easily confused.
Sad, but true.
I always miss comments when they are posted here and I hate to miss them.
The freefalling blog is "where it's at" when it comes to blog comment action.

Teeny Tiny

Isn't it the most adorable thing?
It's a teeny tiny punkin (that's what Dad calls 'em).
Our next door neighbour Ally gave us a punkin seedling from his garden a little while back.
Now it's growing out the back near the white mulberry tree.
And it's made it's first punkin.
I've never grown a punkin plant before.
I don't even know what kind it is.



Photo: 22 Feb, 2011

Casualty No. 2

Earlier this year my beautiful pink flowering gum, snapped off at the base.
I was very sad.



And last night it happened again!
This gorgeous rose - Double Delight - that my mother-in-law kindly struck for me, snapped.
B#st##d!
It wasn't even that windy.

That's it!
Every plant in the garden will be staked within an inch of its life!

(and I'll take a cutting from the rose to see if I can grow a new one).


Photos:
Jan, 2010
Feb, 2010
Feb, 2011

WooHoo!!

The first Black Russian Tomato.



Destined for bickies with that there little onion (one of ours)
and some cheese.



Photos: 13 Feb, 2011

6 Weeks Later

It's been 6 weeks since I took this photo of the white strawberries.
Fraises Des Bois.
(As Julie pointed out, that's Wooden Strawberries for those who don't parlez the francais - wink).


As well as sitting in front of the strawberry patch and just scoofing them straight from the plant, I whizzed them up with some little strawberries off the Golden Leaf Strawberry and made some very delicious warm strawberry sauce.


Anyway.....
6 weeks later and the plant is still fruiting like the clappers
(what ARE the clappers?).
I have 6 different strawberry plants and this one is the most prolific.
I thought the Fraises Des Bois would be the least successful of the 6 as it is an "alpine" strawberry.
Just goes to show - you just never know til you have a crack, do you?


Photos - Jan, 2011

Gentle Encouragement Goes a Long Way

You may recall I had to have a word with the carrots and explain the manner in which I hoped they might grow - I gave them an example to follow.

Well...
They listened!!


Here are the Heirloom Carrots.
Purple and white and pale yellow.



And here are the Mini Round Carrots.


Bravo carrots - well done!
And to show my appreciation, tonight they are heading for the roasting pan.
To feature in this Jamie Oliver dish.
roasted carrots and beets with the juiciest pork chops




Photos: Home - Jan & Feb, 2011

Aren't Seeds the Coolest?

Look what they can do?
'Mazing!
innit?
I only put these in 9 days ago and look at them already!
The problem is I have to thin them out.
It's just like that movie "Sophie's Choice"!



Photo: Home, Ararat - 4 Feb, 2011