First New Season Potatoes

I just couldn't wait any longer... the potatoes were looking so fantastic to I just had to take a peek. The first new season potatoes went straight into a pot of water and then got dressed with just a little butter, salt and pepper... WOW! Can wait until we can harvest them properly ... so much better than the crap you buy at the supermarkets, and better than the farmers markets due our hard work being encased inside these tiny little gems.

The Clothes Line

After much discussing and planning we finally have our clothes line up and functioning! I toiled over the type of timber, and just as much about where to get the timber from, getting really nice outdoor hardwoods is not as easy to source as one may think. After circling Canberra and scoping out all the specialty suppliers who would have thought we'd get what we wanted from good ol' Bunnings!

It looks seriously awesome out the back. I'm sure the neighbours are more than just a little bit jealous lol. I have plenty more photographs to post in order to update my blog so stay tuned... it's been a very busy time in the garden and so much is happening that you just wouldn't believe it!

First Seedling is Up!!

Well we've had a crazy weekend of weather, over 50mm of rain and winds of up to 95km/hr!  But despite all that my first seed has emerged from the compost.  Cabbage Mini is the first to brave the weather, it's leaves have not even separated yet so it's very early days, however I'm confident it will produce a bountiful harvest :D

Much that was planned for the weekend was put off due to the horrific weather, however we did plant our Bay Tree and two shrubs.  Pink flowers of course, but I left the tags at the shed so it will have to wait until next post before I can tell you what they are.

The snow pears around the fence line have started to blossom, but the weeping cherry looks to be a week or two behind, but very close to blossoming none the less.  All the berries are looking great and yesterday Steve and I set up our two mushroom boxes.  We've got one of regular button 'shrooms and one of Portobello's.  Can't wait to get those into our bellies!!  I'm not quite brave enough to try any mushrooms that we find in the fields despite there being plenty - especially after the recent rains, I'll leave that to Dad who is quite the shroom afficiando!

Please remember to vote for my Yates Vege Challenge :)

Until next we meet...

A Busy Week...

Well it's been a busy week in the garden preparing for Spring.  Mother Nature has turned on her best this weekend and provided two glorious days, perfect for pottering in the garden.  The major push towards preparations for Spring began last weekend when Steve and I began digging in the first few beds of manure crops.

During the week Steve finished the rest off - we've now got 10 beds ready for our seedlings.  It's now been a week since I planted my seeds - they must be sick of me looking over their shoulders, but I'm yet to see anything poking its head through the soil - only the peas that I planted about 8 weeks ago.

So hopefully it won't be too much longer before my other seedlings emerge.  The whole outdoor table is pretty much covered!

Back to work tomorrow - another week before I get to play down at the block and enjoy the beautiful weather.  The weather has been so nice in fact that I'm considering riding tomorrow - ask me tomorrow how that goes!!

Oh one last thing, Yates are running a vege competition which I've entered - so you have to vote for me :D  Here's the link to my Yates blog 

In Go The Seedlings!

The time has come to plant all my spring seedlings. With the exception of my carrots I've planted up runs of tomatoes, herbs, cabbage, lettuce, spring onions, sprouting broccoli, leeks and others that slip my mind right now.

In the actual garden I've got all my canes and berries in with only my red currant still to come. I've also received my black mulberry tree, so need to plant that up as well. My strawberries have also started to poke their little heads up thru the much.

It's all starting to come together and before long we'll be eating the fruits of our labours :)

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RIP Sprocket : 2002 - 2010

Sprocket, our little Pug passed away on Monday night and will be missed dearly by Jacob, Steve and myself.  She'd been ill for quite some time and suffering from neuropathy, apparently not uncommon in Pugs.

She died peacefully in her sleep, not appearing to have suffered greatly, as sad as it is, I feel it was her time and is now in a better place.  We have placed her in a lovelly spot at our block under a beautiful weeping cherry and surrounded by some coral bark maples, a beautiful little gem magnolia and a pair of crepe myrtles.  A peaceful spot to just sit and be.

Delicious Berries

Today we finally went out to take a look at the Yarralumla Heritage Nursery. Wow!! Not as big as the ones out at Pialligo but a really nice selection. We got several different raspberries (summer and autumn), a blueberry, a white currant and three coral bark maples which are just gorgeous!!

Looking forward to a day out at the block tomorrow planting my goodies :)

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The Bathroom Door

Well it's a job I've been putting off for many months, having never hung a door before I finally took the plunge and decided to wrestle with this beast. I contemplated purchasing a pre-hung door, figuring I would save myself many hours of frustration, however in the interest of saving money I went for the cheaper, buy everything in bits option o.O

Today I seriously wish I had an extra set of hands at times! Steve was on nights and Jake was happily enjoying the start of the school holidays by writing some new riffs and dusting off the ol' x-box. So it was up to me to take on the challenge and put this baby to bed.

In the end it wasn't really as hard as what I was thinking it was going to be - I only wish the old chisels we had were a bit sharper lol. Next on the agenda for the bathroom is doing the architraves, plastering the outside (that's a job I've definitely been putting off!) and painting. I've chosen Hog Bristle for the walls and will be doing the architraves and door in Rolling Pebble. It's a good opportunity to test out some colours I've been thinking of for the house.

The Compost Bins

Well it's been on my agenda for a while but the compost bins are finally done. With the help of Steve and two rare afternoons off together we managed to get it all put together.

The posts are made from redgum and the back and sides are some left overs from the shed roller doors. I'll be using some old decking boards for the front. We routed a 22mm rebate in the side of the front posts to allow for the boards to slide in.

Now I just need some "stuff" to put in it :D

The Manure Crops Are Sprouting!

After a lot of work and many days off spent contemplating my vege garden, my first crops are showing their faces to the late Autumn sunshine. I prepared the beds in early May with a light sprinkling of Gypsum to help break down the clay a little and a generous amount of moo poo and a some water crystals for good measure. The soil was quite hard on the surface but the tiller went through it like butter - I'm very pleased with the results.

Late May I broadcast a combination of Oats, Barley and Fenugreek and covered it with a generous layer of Pea Straw. If everything continues to go to plan I will turn them into the soil in early September before they go to seed. With luck my beds will be all the better for it and my vege's will thank me for it :D

The list of vegetables I have planned is getting longer by the week - so many awesome heirloom varieties that I just can't wait to grow and taste. The first year will be lots of varieties to determine which ones taste and grow best, and we can save the seeds for the best ones for the following year. Just how many types of beans can one family endure???