The end of last week saw me pack my little family up and head down the road for a quick road trip... We travelled a whopping 846km in less than 24hrs, on a mission collecting supplies for the farm - we had hay and steel and chook feed and thankfully after a stop in at a gorgeous nursery some olive trees! I've been itching to start an olive grove of my very own and now I am 3 trees closer to that dream (not many I know but it's a start, right?)...
Today, after being cooped up in the schoolroom for far too long, I hit the yard with my 3 kid-lids, determined (and excited), to plant my overgrown tomato plants which I've been growing from seeds for what feels like FOREVER!!!
It felt so good to get up to my elbows in this rich soil... I like to scatter my vegetable patch throughout my garden and have approx 20 different beds on the go at one time. I do tend to spell certain beds at different times of the year though, and this particular garden bed has been empty since March - all that's been added is loads of manure and home-made mulch...
And yes, that's a HUGE cow pad right there next to my hand - simply gorgeous garden food!!!
Do you irrigate your veg?? I've found that drip irrigators seem to be the most efficient in my garden and I simply move them around from bed to bed as I need them - they're super cheap too... What works for you?
I have oodles and oodles of old galvanised rain water tanks in numerous sizes and this past week has seen me cutting some of the smaller ones up to make 8 of these little garden beds...
Today I added some tomatoes and next week I'm planning to scatter some basil plants (grown from seeds) round the outside too...
One thing my Miss Millie loves more than butterflies would have to be worms...
Yes, that's right, she loves WORMS! Every time we're out in the garden she can't help but get something to dig with and off she goes, collecting so to speak...
And when she's through with that she plays on the grass with her cats...
And although this gorgeous girl of mine just loves to be out doors exploring her environment she also simply loves school and today she couldn't get enough of her 'spider' craft from the book 'Hide, Spider'...
Lastly, I hosted a little 'Spring Washer Swap' here on my blog back at the start of the month and today I was lucky enough to receive my parcel from Jules...
I was super spoilt with 2 washers and 2 packets of seeds and can't wait to use them all!!! Thanks Jules!!
Your tomato plants look great! And we use a drip irrigation system in our veggie beds and on our front veranda. On the veranda the pipe goes from pot plant to pot plant, but the connection is never distracting. Just glad that all plants get watered at the same time without me worrying about that. Our summers in southwest Louisiana are so hot that irrigation is the only solution. I love "washers" and crochet them all the time. They are sometimes too pretty to use.;) Linda @Wetcreek Blog
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda! It gets really hot here too and without the drip irrigators i think my poor garden would simply die... You're right, sometimes the crochet washers are too nice to use... :)
DeleteThanks for popping by..
I like the idea of drip irrigation, must look into it.
ReplyDeleteDo Kate - you won't regret it... :)
DeleteHow do you keep your lawn so GREEN!! It is so dry here in SE Qld at the moment and in desperate need of rain - fingers crossed! Lovely travelling photo - Tobie has become a real little boy!!
ReplyDeleteI love a nice green lawn for my kids Christine and take a lot of pride in it... :) I aerate it about 3 times a year, only ever mow it with a self mulching lawnmower and apply organic feed twice a year... Keeping my lawn healthy means that I only need to water it twice a week during the hottest times of the year which is pretty good considering our temps get right up to 50'C out here at the peak of Summer...
DeleteIf I turned around and took a picture of the outside of my yard, out in the paddock, you would think that my yard was somewhere else entirely... It is soooooo dry here too and we are in desperate need of rain also. I'm hoping for some good Summer storms and I'll pray that some comes your way too... :)
Thanks for popping by.. xx
Your tomatoes look lovely Jodie, well done, I am sure they will be happy in their new home! I love your old water tank beds too, great recycling. It is fun to be out in the garden with the kids isn't it? A welcome relief from the (occasional!) frustrations of the school room. Your garden looks so green and welcoming.
ReplyDeleteYes, I irrigate my vegetables. I find in our heat, sprinklers just don't give vegetables a deep soak. Also, I don't physically have time to move and watch sprinklers or hand water, especially in the summer. Happy gardening! x
Thanks Jane! All 3 of my kids would spend all of their time in the garden if they could - too bad 'life' gets in the way... :)
DeleteTake Care...
Wow you have been busy. I only have to drive 120kms into town and back and that's enough for me.
ReplyDeleteI run out the hose every evening and water the veggies that way. It's quite relaxing in the cool looking up at the stars, something with a cold cider.
sometimes not something
DeleteI'm usually only 140km's to town and back but when we need major supplies we do the 800+km trip... I still do have a few garden beds that I water with a hose too and really enjoy stopping and taking the time to do it at the end of a long day too...
DeleteThanks for popping by... xx