Saturday, August 1, 2009

The Accidental Gardener

Hello and welcome to my blog ;) What a funny thing to be saying. I always wondered who these people were and what they had to blog about, and now, here I am! This blog is my attempt at keeping a journal for my garden, more for myself (as I can't imagine that my ramblings will be of any use to anyone), but if you are out there and reading this, please feel free to leave a comment or advice. I may need it! Please be kind ;)

A year ago, my husband and I bought our apartment from my parents. I had briefly moved out and was now back in the place that had been home for most of my life. It is a small apartment, perfect for a young couple, in an ideal urban location close to the city. My dad had left a couple of pot plants on our little balcony which he had to keep reminding me to water. Enough is enough I thought, if I have to water these things, I may as well grow what I want!

I loved the idea of a veggie patch but what with such a small balcony, that was impossible. Or so I thought until I read about container gardening and stumbled across a multi-tiered pot on the net... Did these things really work? There was only one way to find out.

That was back in April and in these last 3 months I have discovered a love for growing things I never knew I had.

It's so lovely to have a little space in the world that is mine and which I can do with what I will. It is the most amazing feeling to plant a seed and see it grow- I've even harvested a few. Now that has spun me out! How exciting! Lol. I feel like such a dork but its true.

I am very much a beginner gardener. I've tried to read up as much as I can which, really, amounts to very little in the scheme of things, and have no practical experience whatsoever. I am so glad however, that I decided to give it a go. Who would have ever thought gardening would be so much fun?

Here is a picture of my vegetable garden when I first started with a couple of seedlings and lots of seeds.



Here is the latest pic from a couple of weeks ago.





As you can see, things are actually growing! When I started it was autumn, seasonally, I planted the wrong things, I had no concept of space and really, didn't even know what half the plants would look like! And yet, they grew =) I think its testimony to the fact that you should just give things a go. My tomatoes are flowering and now fruiting in the middle of winter, yes, the middle of winter! If I had listened to what I was "supposed" to be doing and hadn't tried it for myself, I wouldn't have tomatoes ripening now.

Saying that, I think I should make a point. Sydney is a temperate climate, and I believe I have some micro-climate happening on my balcony! For reference, it is north facing and we are on the top floor of our building. I am assuming, since my tomatoes are flowering in winter, I am going to have a hard time in the heat of summer. Just how hard a time, we'll find out.

So here's what I'm growing =)
The edible things anyway!

cherry tomatoes (pearly pink and tommy toe)
lettuce (mesclun mix, rocket and osaka purple mustard leaf)
spring onions
baby beets
baby carrots
snow peas
dwarf broccoli
dwarf cauliflower
broccolini
silverbeet
parsley
thyme
majoram
mint
chives
strawberries

was growing zucchini, RIP. A victim to powdery mildew.

Not quite a banquet, but with the idea to suppliment what we buy with fresh and organic (food mile free!) produce. So far I've harvested loads of lettuce (definately not growing that much again =P), zucchini flowers, broccolini, snow peas and of course, herbs. The pic below is what I'd garnered to add to dinner one night.





And so that's my story. My attempt to beautify a little of the world, create my own thing and learn- Learn to grow yummy and nutritious plants, and learn to grow in appreciation of all around me. Hope you'll stay for the journey.







1 comment:

  1. I liked your pot garden, its like pyramid.

    Just like to share with you a famous quote...

    "The voice of parents is the voice of gods, for to their children they are heaven's lieutenants. " -- Shakespeare

    You can get more famous quotes at http://quotelandia.com

    ReplyDelete