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Greth
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 - 10:16 pm EST : |   
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Not much difference, the rocket has grown a bit tis all
Suddenly lots of jonquils flowering here.
A little bit of action in the side bed.
The daisy flowers...
lavenders are looking good now
This is picture 6 in the last set. the weeds have gone, and veggie bed just gets bigger.I have now removed the fence at the right, easier access from the house.
and here is the view back up to the house, you can see how much weeding I have to do!
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Greth
| | Posted on Sunday, October 01, 2006 - 08:36 pm EST : |
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Its a lot of effort getting photos for this thread, not going to spend $20 doing a new set for October if noone looks or cares.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Gardenshowlady
| | Posted on Monday, October 02, 2006 - 08:56 am EST : |
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it is lovely, Margaret... I look at most threads, but don't always comment. Do what makes you happy regarding sharing pics of your corner of the universe. Speaking for myself, it is appreciated.
Gardenshowlady
- SC Lowcountry,
Zone "8B"
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Starzgarden
| | Posted on Monday, October 02, 2006 - 09:57 am EST : |
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Enjoyed your pics very much,Greth. I especially like the daisies and the lavenders are stunning!
Starzgarden
- Michigan,
Zone "five"
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Rosesarered
| | Posted on Sunday, October 08, 2006 - 02:50 pm EST : |
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The second photo reminded me of myself. In every one of my photo, there's always little bits of somethings out of place...like the sprinkler hose or the watering can or my shovel....it's really good laugh when I look at them again. I burst into laughter when I saw your toppled watering can. Looks like your still have lots of space. Fill them up Greth, with lots and lots of blooms. Thanks for sharing your photos. Do post more....as they bloom....
Rosesarered
- Ennetbaden, Switzerland,
Zone "borderline 6 and 7"
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Suzyqt1968
My Favorite Photo
My Garden Journal
My Weather
My Garden
| | Posted on Sunday, October 08, 2006 - 03:27 pm EST : |
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I have really enjoyed this latest group Greth. You have so much room to work with! Love that blue sky in the first two.
With regards to posting. I would say only do what makes you happy. I am posting mine for a reference for myself more than anything. I was actually drawn to the Gardenbuddies site after accidentally falling upon this forum a couple of years ago. So I do enjoy this sort of thing. Thanks for sharing!
Suzyqt1968
- Washington,
Zone "7-8"
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Greth
| | Posted on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 07:34 pm EST : |
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I just take them on the day, toppled watering cans and all.
I'm doing my best to fill up the space. We have had the driest winter on record, and the ground is undiggable now - I'm still suffering from bad RSI caused by digging. For weeks I havent been able to lift a coffee cup without pain. In the ornamental garden, there is a rock ridge running down the left front area (photo 1) I have to use a mattock and it takes hours sometimes to remove a single rock. Gardening at its most primeval.
My DH has decided that I need more garden space, so he is fencing off another 50x25 metres (roughly equivalent to yards). Lets see, I can clear about 1 square metre a day, I should be in the nursing home before it is half finished. In this area, I will put a growing tunnel for seedlings and cuttings, a shade area protected from possums and bunnies for plants which are growing on, and hopefully this will be a sales nursery area eventually. This is the area behind the side bed in photo 3. Being below our house water tank means we can easily arrange drip irrigation, so we will try to put orchard trees here. They will have to be netted to keep out the wildlife, the parrots and possums will not let us keep a single fruit or nut otherwise.
Most of my work in the last few months has been on the veggie garden. Tomatoes grew brilliantly here last year, although they got planted late and most of them were cherry tomatoes. It should still be frost season, so too early to plant them out, but the season is far hotter than usual this year, I'm just starting to take the risk. But mostly I'm working on clearing the weeds, removing the many many many rocks, and giving it a good layer of compost/chicken manure. I'm dreaming of having a cupboard full of yummy tomato and onion base sauce for Mummylasagne. With lots of oregano and basil and garlic and parsley of course.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Gardenshowlady
| | Posted on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 10:34 am EST : |
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Sorry to expose my ignorance, but what is RSI? Despite the pain you push through...You are a real trooper, Greth! Your pics are always so interesting...
Gardenshowlady
- SC Lowcountry,
Zone "8B"
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Nibbs
My Garden Journal
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 12:27 pm EST : |
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I think that's Repetitive Strain Injury, Caroline. It's not surprising, Margaret, that you have pain associated with your gardening. I'm not the only gardenbuddy that is in awe of your strength and fortitude when it comes to gardening in your corner of the world. Your posts are fascinating and educational, and it I admire your diligence and your sense of humour!! Well done!
Diane British Columbia Zone 7b |
Rosesarered
| | Posted on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 03:44 pm EST : |
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When you have RSI, you really ought to review your garden plans. Trying to change too much the garden layout against all odds is a real HUGE challenge. Do it smart and do it right.
I once broke my ribs from a fall while working in the garden. My garden is also very stony and extremely steep. There is even a natural climbing rocks behind my house about 40 meters high, so you can imagine the kind of rocks I have under my clay soil. I get those contractors with excavating machines to level out some terraces. For smaller garden beds, I use the spade most of the time for digging into my hard pan compacted claysoil. I normally do my digging after a day or 2 of rain as the clay is much softer to carve. Too wet it does get very sticky, awfully heavy and slippery too. I never use my upper body when using the spade, instead using my body weight by stepping on the lever of the spade. It kind of slide easily into the ground making a nice cut of clay chunks. I never use the shovel for heaving the dirt like men usually do, instead I pick them up with my hands (not shovel) and stack this clay chunks somewhere else to create a new mound of clay berm. That way I have never had upper body muscles strains. Knock on wood...
I can see that your ground is rather undulating in contour. How about using a rototiller? I could rent one over here for a day use but my ground is a steep gradient slope so I have no other choice but to turn to my good ole spade. If you're using a mattock, I imagine you really need machines to break up those crusty layer of hardpan. I can only imagine Ayers Rock and that kind of soil you have in your garden. Maybe that is too extreme comparison eh??
If you are going to do a complete upheavel to the ground, how about renting a tractor?
LOL. You are so funny. You got me in a giggle train there. Seriously I suggest you revise your garden plans and use other approach eg: a raised bed perhaps?
That sounds so exotic.
Rosesarered
- Ennetbaden, Switzerland,
Zone "borderline 6 and 7"
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Rosesarered
| | Posted on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 03:51 pm EST : |
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Hi Greth,
After looking at your garden space one more time, I suggest that you plant some artichokes. They are ornamental looking too. They tolerates dry soil well. Once your have grown them, I'll send you the recipe for making a delicious scrumptious risotto with artichokes hearts. Guarantee you will love it.
Rosesarered
- Ennetbaden, Switzerland,
Zone "borderline 6 and 7"
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Greth
| | Posted on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 09:09 pm EST : |
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Artichokes are actually a feral weed around here, Rose. So although I know they grow well, I'm reluctant to plant them. A Landcare group is working along our road, removing weeds and replanting with local natives. I don't want to introduce any new weeds, they know where I live! I'm already a little bit worried about how well the clary sage and borage seed themselves. Also fennel, wild roses, ash trees, evening primrose and cotoneaster. Olives are feral too, but they are currently trendy so people are planting olive orchards everywhere. IDIOTS! Once all those trees grow up, the prices will drop like a lead balloon, and meanwhile poor Landcare will be pulling out seedlings all over the hills. And meanwhile customers will still buy Italian or Spanish olive oil cos they think it is somehow better, despite not being fresh having spent three months on a slow boat.
I've considered renting a rototiller type thingie, but I think if it hit big rocks unexpectedly it could get expensive.
Im digging out the veggie patch sitting down sedately with a trowel. For every bucket of weeds, I also dig out about 2 kg of stones, mostly gravel size, but some biggies.And Im only digging down about 4 inches. These go into the little red wagon, and are used on the driveway, big ones go on the retaining wall. The ground is clayish here, and you wouldn't get a spade more than an inch into it. I console myself that at least I know what the soil is like over every inch of the garden. And I just love sitting down there in the spring sunshine with my trusty trowel, and the toddler sitting in the wagon throwing the rocks out..
Somehow I have memories of my mother scrubbing the kitchen floor on hands and knees, and thinking how stupid she was not to just use a mop. I also clean the floor on hands and knees, it just works better for me.
And Rose, parrots might sound exotic, and most of them are beautiful to look at, but if they get a taste for your fruit it will be demolished very quickly. One of the first things they raided in my garden was a peppermint scented geranium, they ate every flower. I went to sleep with visions of parrots with minty-fresh breath. After a couple of weeks, they changed their minds, apparently, and the geranium has not been touched since.
And thankyou Nibbs, for your nice comments. I've only just come back from being banned, and I hope I can contribute to Gardenbuddies in a positive way.
Raised beds are a good idea, but one of the main weeds we have here is a type of bulb, called Guildford grass I think. It's small and not very annoying, but the only way to remove it is to dig down and get out every bulb. They are tough little customers, and if I just built a bed over them they would grow up again. Interestingly, the bulbs were a native Aboriginal food, the cockatoos hunt them out when it has rained and the ground is soft. They make a mess pulling them out. Our chickens love em too.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Greth
| | Posted on Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 09:20 pm EST : |
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Just took my Oct 15th pics, one day late (I was working at the market yesterday.) It is gonna look pretty dry. My first set of photos was in April, in summer every weed dies off and there is no green at all except for the trees and my plants. All those green but unmowed pathways turn to dust and dead grass. There is one native grass which manages to survive, in one section of the pathways I am planting it out - I have seen lawns done like this in a worse climate than mine with success. I'm also trialling pennyroyal as a lawn - it survived last summer still looking green, but I'm still not sure it can cope.With the driest winter on record, this is happening a few months earlier than normal. The jonquils and Belladonna lilies are also into their seasonal dryoff, so they look pretty bad too!
The daisy on the right of photo 2 has died right back with the lack of water, I will pull it out (I took cuttings first, and it won't take them long to grow) Might replace it with a rose, which will look good against the ceanothus. Tossing up between red and white roses.
Greth
- South Australia,
Zone "?"
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Perennial_lady
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 05:31 pm EST : |
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Greth Did you live the crocodile hunter.He was a brave lad. Iloved his shows.
Perennial_lady
- Ontario,
Zone "5a"
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Frostycurls
My Favorite Photo
My Garden Journal
My Weather
My Garden
My Time
| | Posted on Saturday, October 13, 2007 - 09:37 pm EST : |
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I recently discovered your diary and have been enjoying your postings. I don't look at many posts, not because I'm not interested but because my "dial-up" is sooooooooooooo slow. I admire all of your hard work and the progress of your garden but take care of yourself in the next few months.
Penny Oregon Zone 7 |
Lesliedon2000
My Weather
| | Posted on Saturday, October 13, 2007 - 09:59 pm EST : |
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I love the lavendar picture. I grew it once, but I don't think I get enough sun. I find that as I get older the work to be done just seems so much more difficult! I don't have near the area you do, thank goodness!
Lesliedon2000
- Georgia,
Zone "7"
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