Monday 6 October 2014

October in My Garden



This week I picked the first snow peas.
Every day now I will be picking more snow peas.
It was about 5 weeks since I planted the seeds in the ground before they started flowering.
There will be a continual supply now for approximately 6 weeks.


I weeded the asparagus patch and hubby topped it up with compost, dirt and bark.
You can see the spears peeking through, then I cut them off just below the level of the dirt.
I store them in a glass of water at room temperature for a few days until there is enough for a meal.


Here is a haul of freshly picked peaches and nectarines.
There are fruit fly traps hung on every flowering tree
and we have to net every tree to protect the precious fruit from birds.


I was so happy to see this artichoke head emerging from the top of the plant.
They will be ready in December for picking (cooking and eating, yum).


This is a second peach tree which is a different variety from the one that is fruiting now.
It is great to have unique types so they flower at different times.
There is small fruit on this tree as well.
The blossoms are purely delightful and brighten up the garden.


I have papayas and paw paw growing together in a clump. 
The papaya are a darker orange colour then the pawpaw
and I love to eat the slices with lime juice squeezed on top.


The radishes have grown so well and quickly
that we have been eating them already for 6 weeks
They are still a good size to pick and enjoy.
They stay fresh in the ground. 


I was delighted to find this lavender
'Strawberries and Cream' at the nursery on the weekend.
My bees might produce white pollen!


Broccoli in abundance, pest free, although I did accidentally 
cook a caterpiller in a batch recently;
much to the teenagers' disgust.


The first of the new season's zucchini.
We will be able to pick flowers and zucchinis for the remainder of this year.


These are the highlights of my October garden.
I am also growing lettuce, spinach, leeks, chard, endive, cauliflower, tomatoes and cabbage as well.
Bon appetito, enjoy Merryn.
P.S.  What is the strangest insect you have found in your cooking?

18 comments:

  1. oh wow that broccoli is HUGE! I can never get them to that size. Everything else is looking great too. Strangest insect would have to be a green caterpillar that I hadn't washed off the kale :)

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    1. Yes, the caterpillars hide well with their brilliant green colour, well camouflaged :D

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  2. i could very happily pick my dinner (and dessert) from your garden, merryn. my peas are a long way off. five weeks to flowering - how brilliant.

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    1. It is definitely planting them at the right time which contributes to the quick production, it was Spring, which luckily, came early here :D

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  3. Wow your garden is lovely and productive. Very fast producing. I mu7lched my asparagus with some seaweed, but need to add some compost as well. Great idea to store it in water until you have enough for a meal - I generally just eat the stalks out in the garden!

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  4. I have not thought to mulch them with seaweed, but the well composted leaf/twig cuttings did help. I have never tasted one raw, you might start a new trend :D

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  5. Oh the first of the stone fruit-how exciting! And I'll bet the birds really want to get their beaks into them :)

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    1. Indeed we have to net every tree to keep sharp, hungry beaks away :D

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  6. You have such wonderful produce in your garden - very impressed!

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    1. Thank you I really enjoy gardening it is a hobby hubby and I share whereby we can reap the rewards.

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  7. What a terrific garden you have! Our garden season is winding down, but we have some greens that are still doing well. And some green tomatoes (although the squirrels got most of our tomatoes this year). Fun post -- thanks.

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    1. Thank you for viewing my garden. You can always enjoy greens in any season. You are so lucky to have squirrels, they are adorable :D

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  8. I love that you have stone fruit already. Ours won't be ready until late summer.

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    1. Yes I look forward to the stone fruit every Spring. It is great to have different trees cropping at different times :D

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  9. Fab garden Merryn - am missing mine at the moment we are between places:(

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    1. I know that feeling Rachel but think of the enjoyment when you get settled and start a new garden :D

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  10. What a fantastic garden, Merryn! It's so beautiful!

    Our peach tree has started blossoming so I suspect it'll be a few more weeks before we get fruit. Our loquats are starting to turn yellow though!

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  11. The peach trees have the prettiest flowers and you are very lucky to have loquats. :D

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