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Does anyone know what this might be?
I suspect it of being a fruit tree. It’s self seeded in a bed I was prepping, and was hiding behind a tomato. It’s shot up in the last week and I have to decide whether to transplant it or bin it. But I’d like to know what it is first, because it’s in clay soil so it’s not going to be easy to dig up – is it worth the bother?
This is not the only thing having a growth spurt in my garden. On Sunday, the kiwi fruit was finally, finally reaching out a tendril towards the verandah. Sunday evening it had made it. Monday morning, four more tendrils were following it, and it was creeping up the rail. I had to run out and buy some wire to start trellising it. That’s been the last three evening, putting trellises on basically every upright structure, some with shadecloth behind the wire to stop the plants burning in this wicked sun we’re having. Very satisfying to not feel behind the eight ball for once. I’m sure it won’t last but I’m enjoying it while it does.
‘Garden’ is such a lovely word. Is that just me? Sounds soothing and promising at the same time. It’s a paradise. A place with fairies at the bottom.
Well, my garden is not a paradise, and I’m pretty sure the chickens would eat any fairies.
But it is quite nice at the moment. Not very edible – the squash is ripe but has mildew, everything else is either not yet ripe (tomatoes and potatoes) or gone to seed (leafy things). I’m hoping the new drip watering system will slow down both mildew (not on this one, it’s too far gone, but on future squashes) and seediness, as most of it came from underwatering on hot days.
Pretty squash flower with telltale signs of deadly overhead watering. It's gotten very mildewy since this photo, I'll have to pull it all out when it's less hot but I've already had lots of good feeds from it. I know zucchini glut is supposed to be terrible, but I will take all of it that I can get. Yum.
Lettuce gone to seed. I'm letting it, until I have other things to plant. The bees like it.
The tyres are full of potatoes - two dutch creams and two sapphire. The frothy looking bed behind is mostly potatoes, but the froth is seeding silverbeet. It smells lovely and sweet, and that plant was amazing. It grew like woah, and lasted a year before I forgot to water it in a heatwave, so I'll be saving the seed when it dries.
Sapphire potatoes. The stems are more purple and... nightshadey... than the Dutch creams.
But despite the lack of actual food in it, it is very green and pretty. The sunflowers grew themselves, presumably from the chicken food. I left them even though they are in inconvenient places because they are so beautiful. And will make good chicken food when they’re done.
There’s a certain time of day that I can’t resist hanging out in the garden, often taking gratuitousness photos. The light is just so beautiful. It’s about a half an hour before bird roost – the chickens in their dome, and the local lorrikeets in the big tree two doors down. These long summer days it’s a good couple hours before sunset. Just as the earth is starting to cool down a little. Everything glows.
Even the weeds.
It makes my scrappy little garden, full of weeds and overgown things, into a magical place to be.
Here are most of the things I’ve knit this year. A few things weren’t big enough to photograph – mostly a huge stack of dishcloths.
1. Garter kimono 2, 2. Aviatrix hat, 3. Mr fox, 4. June 015, 5. Cowl, 6. Paired, 7. Pair, 8. July 059, 9. Hanging out, 10. Cowl 2, 11. FBS, 12. Cloths
It looks small, in that little mosaic. And the fox stole seems over represented. Only one (adult) jumper. I knit about three more, in ripped ones, though. Oh, well. Two on the needles at the moment, but I’m trying to churn out that baby blanket (it’s huuuuuge).
I’d love to show you some of the sewing I’ve been doing, but don’t have photos. Might have to have a shoot. Not today, it’s yet another 40 degree day out there. Yeesh. Only 35 tomorrow. ONLY THIRTY FIVE.
On the plus side, I did get the drip watering system in, in time to save my poor drooping plants and also to squeak in under the cut off for the State Government rebate. I win that one.
