Planting beetroot you need to soak them first

One of the keys to growing beetroot from seed is to soak the seeds in warm water first. Warm not boiling.

If you want to know which beets are which you'll need to keep track of your soaking seeds.  I put a few seeds in small bowls and tuck the seed packet underneath until I am ready to plant.  Stagger your plantings and your harvest by planting every two weeks.

How to transplant onions the easy waay

I used to find transplanting onion seedlings back breaking and tedious.
But, ah, here is the easy solution.

Dig a trench and push the soil taken out to the right.

Place one seedling at a time along the trench, roots at the bottom ,leaves lying against the soil on the left.


As you push the soil from the right into the trench use your trowel to gently squeeze against the wall of the trench, at the same time you will create a new trench.

Don't worry about trying to stand the seedlings upright, over the next week they will stand up by themselves.

Vegetable gardening on a clear autumn day under the falling leaves

A mid week flex day is a wonderful luxury - I wish I could drop to 4 days work and make this permanent. The bonus was that despite yesterday being a wet, dreary day, today was clear and fresh. A perfect late autumn day. So I spent it in the garden.



Last weekend I planted two beds full of garlic.  Today I planted some winter vegetables.

In this area of New South Wales, Australia we plant the following seeds in May:
Broad beans
Garlic
Lettuce
Onions
Pak choy
Peas
Radish
Spinach
Silverbeet

And seedlings:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Leeks

June is the same.
When I topped up all the garden beds with compost last weekend I covered them in lucerne mulch. Now its easy enough to poke seedlings down through mulch. Seedlings don't always germinate and push up through all those layers however.

This is the solution I came up,  I pushed the mulch back to provide a barrier between different seeds, it will still keep the moisture in.

Planting garlic

I have planted my garlic at last. I have been trying to get it in for a few weeks but it kept raining. During my five week break I only had a few days when i could get out into the vegetable garden. I concentrated on weeding.

I have been back at work two weeks already! Last Saturday was warm and sunny and I could - should - have gardened. But it was such a nice day!  I voted for a last kayak as I knew we'd have to put the boats away for winter after that.

So today was the day for the garlic.

First I emptied my two compost bins.  All that lovely goodness that used to be kitty litter (rice bran), wood ash, food scraps, chicken and horse poo, leaves and more had turned into lovely dark soil.   I sprinkled the beds with a handful or two of blood and bone then every garden bed got at least half a wheelbarrow of compost. The beds with a lower soil level got a little more. The everything got a layer of lucerne mulch.

 The garlic I ordered from the Diggers Club has taken up two beds - no problem as there isn't that much to grow over winter anyway.

I got all new varieties this year. In fact its probably three years since I planted any garlic.

I am growing the following:

Fino de Chincko (harvest Oct - Nov)
Argentine Purple Stripe (harvest Oct - Nov)
Russian (harvest Oct - Nov)
Rose du Var organic (harvest Nov-Dec)

 I need to thin out some kale that has self seeded and plant brassicas and greens. Then there's a wild and wooly area of the veg garden where there aren't any beds - I need to weed (de-grass) and mulch to lay dormant until spring when planting season goes mad again.

I am going to leave you with an image of my neighbour's cows who I upset very much when I spread the lucerne over my garden beds. I was tempted but I didn't give them any.

My first mandarin growing quietly in the garden

I have a little mandarin tree that has been quietly, and slowly growing in my vegetable garden for years.

Last year the blossoms turned into tiny fruit but they all blew off.

Imagine my delight when I ventured into the garden and found a  crop of little mandarins.  

I am very excited and hope they survive the autumn wind and rain to ripen. 

5 weeks break - day 15 Harper's Mansion, Berrima

I don't know if you ever play the tourist in your own town but I do sometimes and its fun.  A great way to discover new treasures and see your home through fresh eyes.

In Berrima, a small historic village in the Southern Highlands of NSW, there is a splendid grand old home called Harper's Mansion.  It wasn't open to the public when we moved here and when it did open about 6 years ago we'd spend many an hour in the village already so didn't ever go into the house. Until today.

I had a great time!

I was shown around the house by a knowledgeable guide who told me the history of the house from the mid 1830s until 1970 when the last tenant left and the house was a complete ruin. The Southern Highlands chapter of the National Trust own the house and have restored it beautifully. They rely on donations, ticket sales and use of the property for private functions.

From convict beginnings to this grand house in a few short years, sadly James and Mary Harper didn't get to revel in the splendour for long as James died only 9 years after its completion. Situated on top of a hill, the symmetrical two story house has a straightforward charm and would have dominated the village throughout its history.

The extensive gardens are modern but contain many heirloom roses and interesting herbs.

Pineapple sage

The original well from the 1830s

I walked through the maze. My first ever time in a maze. It was so much fun. I went round and round in circles giggling all the time. The other people going through laughed as they kept bumping into people from different directions to the last time they saw them.  The maze is made from Leylandi and it smelt gorgeous, trimmed to perfection. I want to go back and do the maze again.

If you are in the area I recommend a visit: www.harpersmansion.com.au 

5 week break - Days 9 and 10 Mulching garden waste

The rain has let up so we're out in the garden, pruning, trimming, weeding.  As they say, autumn is a lovely time to garden and it is indeed.

On Sunday (Day 9) we spent hours trimming the front garden, making things neat. I feel like we have neglected the garden for months, but I find once established it can be put back into shape with just a few hours work.

By the end of the day we had piles and piles of garden waste.

So our big job today (Day 10) was to turn all the garden waste into mulch.

Meet the mulch monster:

This monster machine turned all our trimmings into bags and bags of super fine mulch for me to spread throughout the garden as I continue my weeding. It chops it so fine in fact that it always makes less than I expect.

Howard is the expert in using this monster, I'm merely the fetch and carry girl.  Here are some tips to making mulch:

Tip 1 - a big petrol mulcher doesn't like moist, fleshy materials so no grass or weeds. Alternate between woody material and green twigs and leaves to keep it working.

Tip 2 - keep your pile dry. If it gets caught out in the rain it may be weeks until its dry enough to mulch.

Tip 3 - be safe!

Enjoy your mulchings, your garden certainly will

Artichoke and spinach bake yum

Tonight's dinner was so divine it deserves two posts. Don't eat enough greens here are two easy ways to eat more.  Yum! The zucchini, feta ball recipe is to follow.

Artichoke and spinach bake

1 bunch silverbeet
2 fresh or 1 can artichoke hearts
3 eggs
parmesan grated
1 tub ricotta
1/4 cup milk
eschallots, chopped
herbs and seasoning to taste
butter, optional

De-vein and chop silverbeet. Steam or saute in butter until soft.
Meanwhile whisk an egg, milk and ricotta in a jug. Toss in parmesan and eschallots.
Grill the artichoke hearts until lightly browned.
Lightly spray a baking dish with oil, and toss in the browned artichokes.
Fold the cheese mix in to the cooked silverbeet.  Pour over the artichokes.
Bake in a 180c oven for approx 20 minutes until firm and browned.

Serve with crusty bread and other vegetables and enjoy muchly.

Beautiful busy bees in my blooming lavender

Making Channa Dhal: great vegetarian dish served three ways

Channa Dhal is a delicious, nutritious and versatile vegetarian dish. I recently cleaned out my recipe file and found this gem. Unfortunately I don't remember where it came from to give credit.  It is quick and easy to make on the stove or would work well in a slow cooker.

You will find the recipe below but first of all some serving suggestions to whet your appetite.


A simple bowl of dhal topped with plain Greek yoghurt and fresh coriander.

A steamed golden nugget pumpkin stuffed with dhal and topped with cottage cheese and watercress.

Your favourite green leaves filled with dhal, rolled topped with a tangy tomato sauce.  Suitable leaves are cabbage, silverbeet/komastuma red mustard greens, shown here. Whatever is growing in your garden. Bake until leaves are soft.

So are you feeling hungry yet? Here comes the recipe:

Channa Dhal
Ingredients:
2 cups yellow split peas
1 onion, diced
grated ginger
minced garlic
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 red chilli
salt and pepper

Method:
In 5 cups of water, bring split peas, onion, ginger and garlic to a boil. Toss in chopped cauliflower. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Stir in the coriander, turmeric, garam masala and tomato paste. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until split peas are soft.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the mustard seeds, cumin and chilli for 2 minutes.
Add to cooked dhal and season to taste.

Three ways to test your soil and ensure successful vegetable growing

There are three simple tests you can do a home to find out more about your garden and increase your chances of successfully growing food.  These tests can be done anytime but tests 2 and 3 are great winter jobs as you have time to make changes before the spring and summer growing season.

Test number 1: temperature


A simple soil thermometer is a helpful tool to have in your garden kit if you, like me, grow vegetables. You will find many guides to growing vegetables will give you a temperature range to follow for each plant.  Soil thermometers are easy to find at garden centres or hardware stores. Insert the thermometer well down into the soil. You want it to measure the soil temperature not the air. Its winter here, 12 degrees Celsius in the air, 10 degrees in the soil.

Test number 2: soil type


Do you know what type of soil you have? The soil in Robertson is a lovely rich red and friable. Over the years I have added lots of compost and mulch to my beds and the soil has loosed up.  But how do I know if its clay or a sandy loam?

Take a clean, clear glass jar and fill with water to approximately the 3/4 mark. Take a handfull of dry soil and add to the jar. Shake well to break up any lumps.  Set aside to settle, this might take 10 minutes or so.  When completely settled have a look at the layers that have formed in your jar. Any soil that has settled to the bottom is sand, soil floating at the top is clay. The middle is silt. Which layer is the biggest? That's your soil type.

If you have a high proportion of clay you can break it up by adding gypsum.

Test number 3: soil pH


The pH of your soil is very important, especially for growing vegetables. You can buy a simple testing kit from a garden centre or hardware store. The one I have can be used many times. Your kit should come with easy to follow instructions. Essentially you mix a little of your soil with barium sulphate, the test solution and water.  The mix in your test tube will turn green or orange/red.  Compare the colour against the chart in your kit to find out if your soil is alkaline (green) or acidic (orange/red).  Now you know your soil pH. My booklet has a comprehensive list of the preferred pH for flowers, vegetables and fruit trees" they can vary a lot in preference.

The rule of thumb is that most vegetables prefer an acidic soil between 5.5 and 6.5 pH. Most nutrients can be absorbed at this level.  Now that you know your soil's pH you can either choose plants that suit or change your pH levels. Acidic soils have a low pH which can be raised by adding lime. Alkaline soils have a high pH which can be decreased by adding sulphur. How much you add depends on your soil type and how many points you want to raise or lower the pH. Formulas are easy to find so I'm not going to repeat them here.

Here's a tip that might help you test your vegetable garden effectively. Take an egg carton and mark out by number or description each garden bed on the inside of the lid. You should be able to just make that out in the photo above.  Dig a hole in each garden bed and take a soil sample from 10-15cms down. This should be truer to type that near the top where you will have a mix of mulch and potting mix from seedlings. Your soil needs to be dry before you test it so set your carton aside for a few days, taking care not to tip it and mix your samples.  When you run your test you can take a small sample from a specific bed, test it, record your results, wash out your test tube and move on to the next sample.

I made some interesting discoveries: the soil in my potato beds is completely natural for this area, as in no compost, and tested at 6.5pH. The soil in my other beds has been topped up with compost and tested between 7 and 7.5pH, far too alkaline for vegetables.  I worked out why: my compost had too much wood ash in it. I need to add a whole lot more manure to the compost and add some sulphur to the beds. I will add a little to the potato beds too as I suspect the soil may be a little depleted there anyway. I am glad I tested now so I can adjust the levels before the main planting season comes on.

So there you go, testing your soil is simple. I hope my explanations take out some of the mystique and help you feel confident to do it yourself. Happy gardening.

Pickled nasturtium "capers"

I've always wanted to make these but thought it would be difficult. I was confused about what part of the nasturtium to use. So I took the plunge and can share some tips to assure you its easy. They have to cure in the jar for three months so I can't give any report on taste, not until late September, but you might like to check back in when I open them.


So, first of all, you need to collect the seeds of the nasturtiums. When the flowers die back the vine produces shiny seeds on the end of curly stalks. The seeds are actually a cluster of three or four.

I suggest you crouch down low to find them as they hide really well under the leaves.  Its easy to tell them apart from the flower buds, although I suspected that would not be the case. The buds are single and dull.

This close up shows the seeds in the bottom of the frame and a bud near the top to the right of the full flower.

So, once you have picked enough seeds for a small jar follow these simple steps from Sarah O'Neill's The Good Life: four glorious seasons in my country garden.

Add to a saucepan, enough white vinegar to fill the jar, two peppercorns per 200ml of vinegar, 5ml of salt and herbs to your taste for example bay leaf and thyme. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove stems from the seeds and break apart the clusters. Add to the jar. Pour in vinegar and seal. Set aside to cool and for the button to pop down on the jar.

Label and date. Store in the fridge for three months before opening and enjoying.

I hope this makes it easy for you. Lets chat again in 3 months when I break the seal.

A little early but aren't these daffodils beautiful

Some days gardening is disheartening and I feel like giving up

Last weekend I worked so hard in my vegetable garden, weeding, mulching and nurturing.
I wondered down one morning for a little fix of paradise before rushing off to work.  Everything looked so beautiful.

This morning I rushed down to check nothing had completely dried out as we have had gale force winds since Tuesday. I mulched well but this wind has been strong and persistent. I was devastated to see my magnificent, lush silverbeet had been stripped to the veins. I had plans to eat silverbeet for dinner. Most of the plants will be lucky to survive. I never take more than a few leaves, but this raid left nothing.

But I haven't given up. I stomped around for a bit, added scraps and fallen leaves to the compost. Collected twigs for kindling so we could have a fire to ward off the winter nights.  When I calmed down I set about trying to solving the problem and protect my plants.

I screwed saddle clips on the inside of the highest risk garden beds, slid in some tomato stakes and stretched some bird netting over the top. It is not an easy thing thing to work with, difficult to stretch out and pin down.

The wind has picked up again tonight so I hope it will stay in place. I also hope it deters whoever left this behind.

I have done just a little research into scats, yes, yes I know its a weird thing to research but without an infrared camera set up in the garden how else can I work out what's doing the damage. The pointy ends suggest black rat. I've never seen rat poop anywhere near this size and yes we definately have rats near the chicken coop and in the compost.  Grey ones.  The next best guess is possum. I have seen possums in the past although not often. Not seeing doesn't indicate their absence though. Possums are lovely and native. But the rotters can't eat all my plants.

Let's wait and see if my net works.

Early winter gardening

May was astonishingly warm and sunny. An Indian Summer that we all enjoyed so much we didn't want it to end. But we can't reprogram Mother Nature that easily and June has dawned cold.  The weekend just past was stunning, chilly mornings and evenings but warm, sunny days so what else could I do but get into the garden. All through the busy weeks, the lovely weekend away and the time spent renovating and de-cluttering, my thoughts have been on my garden and the guilt of neglecting it.

I missed the warm May gardening weather so really I would have gardened whatever last weekend turned out. The critical issue was that I had the time and gardening was no longer relegated to the bottom of the priority list.  Its sad but I can't get away from the fact that other chores must take precedent and that gardening can only be done when everything else is sorted. Gardening doesn't get us through the working week with clean clothes.   But Nature smiled on me and gave me exceptionally perfect gardening weather. It was not only clear and unseasonally sunny but only a couple of days later its blowing a gale. So its good I didn't waste that perfect chance. Hopefully all the mulch I spread is doing its job and keeping my vegetable beds moist.

So here's what I did:

I weeded all garden beds and pulled carpet grass out of the open areas.

I emptied a big bin full of fine compost. Hard to believe this used to be food scraps, shredded paper from the chicken coop, manure and grass clippings.  Every bed got two buckets of this garden food.

Next I topped each bed up with this straw and soil that I scraped up from the bottom of the chicken yard.  Chicken droppings are a bit high in ammonia to put straight into the garden but this mix was been out in the rain so I'm confident its all quite dilute.

Harvey came to help me.

Benny too.

The finished garden with all beds mulched with a layer of straw to lock the moisture in. This will break down into the soil adding yet more organic material.

There are lots of 'greens' growing: silverbeet and this red mustard komatsuma.

My last task was to pop my trusty Diggers Club snail traps in the brassica beds and under the passionfruit vine with its lacy leaves shown here on the left. I don't do poisons but hopefully the soapy water in the trap will do the trick. A good weekend's work!

Antiquing at Dirty Jane's Emporium Bowral

We love rummaging around antique shops. Dirty Janes in Bowral, Southern Highlands of NSW is a favourite. He are some highlights this week.




Oh wow I wanted to buy this ticket booth. it is so very beautiful. I can see it in my garden.