Gumboot fashionista

My poor my Ugg boot style slippers were not up to the wear and tear of my gardening escapades. As much as I loved them dearly, I have had to lay them to rest. I am now on the hunt for a highly fashionable pair of gumboots. Or Wellies as my fellow Brits would say!

Now I just have to decide which ones to buy. Decisions, decisions ..........

Seedlings, ponds and husbands!

Had the day all planned......a pedicure and some retail therapy at the Sunshine Plaza. When I got there, the nail bar place was full and I couldn't be bothered to wait. Not too much of a drama I thought as my toe nails won't be seeing daylight until things warm up a tad anyway. 

As for the retail therapy ....well I picked up some real bargains. 3 sets of pyjamas, 2 pairs of slippers, 5 tops/T-shirts, 3 singlets, a pair of trousers, a necklace and four bangles! Oh and I bought everyone home sushi for lunch and spent under $100 all up!

When I got home Neil was busy out the back smashing the banana tree to pieces...that's another story. Anyway, I set about planting out some of the seedlings I have been growing in my mini greenhouse. Here are some pics. 

Cucumber

Bok choy

Cauliflower

Beetroot

Spring onions to go into wall baskets tomorrow

Now, back to the story about Neil and the Banana tree.  After being inspired at the Qld Garden Expo by the ponds they had on display he decided he wants to build ANOTHER pond. I thought the novelty would wear off but he seems to be on a mission. The only place it can go is in the side garden. The only problem is that a huge banana tree with a base of about 2 metres stood in it's way. Notice I said stood and not stands...the banana tree is no more, RIP. I knew I shouldn't have left him home alone!

Growing cauliflower tips

First things first, visit the gardenate website http://www.gardenate.com/ to check the growing season for you area. Then decide where you're are going to plant them. If you are planting the cauliflower with other vegetables then make sure they are with veggies they like to be with! 

Avoid growing cauliflower with: Climbing (pole) beans, tomato, peppers (chili, capsicum), eggplant (aubergine), strawberry, mustard.

Cauliflower are compatible with: Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs like sage, dill and chamomile.

Follow the instructions on the seed packet for planting depth and width etc. Not rocket science, but you would be surprised how many people get this part wrong. If you are planting into a container make sure it is big enough to accommodate a fully grown cauliflower.

Cauliflower are pretty heavy when full grown which makes it prone to being top heavy. To overcome this when planting out seedlings plant them up to where the first set of leaves start, this will make it more sturdy.

The cauliflower has very demanding nutritional needs so feed them weekly with potash, liquid seaweed or compost tea. As heads appear a drink of worm wee or liquid fish fertiliser will improve size and shape of the heads.

Watch for the white butterfly. Apparently, large pieces of eggshell can be scattered amongst cabbages to confuse the white butterfly. The theory goes that it will mistake the eggshells for other butterflies and leave the area looking for less populated plants to lay its eggs on.  

When the white cauliflower head starts developing you'll need to protect it from the sun and rain. One way to do this is to tie two leaves together over the head using rubber bands/twine to prevent the curd becoming discoloured.

Keep the water up for your cauliflowers, especially if things start warming up. Remember to water the soil, avoiding watering the white head.

When they look good enough to eat, they are! So go ahead and pull them out!

Ok... so you got a bit carried away with planting...and now you don't know what to do with them all!

Cauliflower cheese

Piccalilli

Indian spiced potato and cauliflower

Cauliflower soup

If that's not enough to wet your appetite then you could always freeze some for a rainy day! Or if you're feeling generous I'm sure the neighbours won't say no and don't forget the compost bin won't say no to the cauliflower leaves!

Happy planting!

.

I want a trug!

I knew I should have bought the trug I saw at the Garden Expo. At the time I thought I would be able to pick one up quite easily. But, I haven't seen any in the shops around here. 

http://ourkitchengarden.com.au/

I remembered the name of the stall that had them for sale at the Expo and luckily they have a website so I can order one online. Actually, they have a few things on their site that I might just HAVE to buy! Anyway, can't stop I have a shopping cart half full! 

Vegetable garden design ideas

I have been twiddling my thumbs a bit the past week waiting for the seedlings to grow. I have planted some out but the others are too small or have refused to germinate. Namely, the capsicum but I think it's still way too cold for them anyway. I think my giving up smoking 3 days ago is also making me a little impatient, just a little though!

Some friends of ours came round on the weekend to have a look at what we have done as they want to start a veggie patch too. That led me to thinking just how fantastic a vegetable garden could look if you had the right inspiration. Here are some of my favourite veggie garden pics.

It's amazing what you can do with a small area on a tight budget and you could go wild if space and money were not an issue. I suppose everyone has their own ideas but it's good to get a bit of inspiration now and again! Happy planting everyone!

Winter planting guide

If you are looking for some pointers on what to grow in your climate through the seasons the http://www.gardenate.com/ website is a must. Below an extract from the site for the next 2 months in my climate, sub-tropical. If you are new to growing veggies this site is a great place to start your "what should I grow list"!

Planting in July for the Australia - sub-tropical zone

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

Beetroot  (also Beets)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Cape Gooseberry  (also Golden Berry, Chinese Lanterns)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Carrot	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Chives  (also Garden chives)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Dill	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Endive	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Garlic	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Kohlrabi	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Lettuce	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Mustard greens  (also gai choy)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Parsnip	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Peas	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Radish	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Rocket  (also Arugula/Rucola)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Shallots  (also Eschalots)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Silverbeet  (also Swiss Chard or Mangold)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Snow Peas  (also Sugar Peas, Mangetout, Chinese Peas)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Spring onions  (also Scallions, Bunching onions)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Thyme  (also Common thyme)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from June

Preparing for August

Amaranth  (also Love-lies-bleeding)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Asparagus	Plant in garden.	Harvest from 24 months
Asparagus Pea  (also Winged bean, Goa bean)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Basil	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Beetroot  (also Beets)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Burdock  (also Gobo (Japanese Burdock))	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Cabbage	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Cape Gooseberry  (also Golden Berry, Chinese Lanterns)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Capsicum  (also Bell pepper, Sweet pepper)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Carrot	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Celeriac	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Celery	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from December
Chilli  (also Hot peppers)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Chinese cabbage  (also Wong bok, wong nga pak)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Chives  (also Garden chives)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Climbing beans  (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Collards  (also Collard greens, Borekale)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Coriander  (also Cilantro)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Cucumber	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Daikon  (also Japanese radish, Lo Bok)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Dill	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Dwarf beans  (also French beans, Bush beans)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Eggplant  (also Aubergine)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Fennel  (also Bronze fennel)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Globe artichokes	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June
Jerusalem Artichokes  (also Sunchoke)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Kohlrabi	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Leeks	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Lettuce	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Luffa  (also Loofah, plant sponge)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Marrow	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Mint  (also Garden mint)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Mustard greens  (also gai choy)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
NZ Spinach  (also Warrigal greens)	Bring on in boxes	Harvest from October
Okra  (also Ladyfinger, gumbo)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Onion	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from February
Oregano  (also Pot Marjoram)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Parsnip	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Potato	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Pumpkin	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Radish	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Rocket  (also Arugula/Rucola)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Rockmelon  (also Canteloupe)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Sage  (also Common Sage)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from 18 months
Shallots  (also Eschalots)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Silverbeet  (also Swiss Chard or Mangold)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Spring onions  (also Scallions, Bunching onions)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Squash  (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Summer savory  (also 'Bean Herb')	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Sunflower	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Sweet corn  (also maize)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Tomatillo	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Tomato	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Turnip	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Watermelon	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Winter Savory  (also Savory)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from September
Zucchini  (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from September