Brazilian Cherries and Pomegranates

This year is the first that we have had fruit on our Brazilian Cherry Tree and we think they are the loveliest looking fruit we have in the garden. They start off green, then change to yellow, and  then get redder and redder until they are ready to eat. They can be a weed in tropical and subtropical areas but are fine in WA. We are eating them fresh from the tree, only about ten so far this year, but at least it has started fruiting after being planted about 4 years ago.

 We have also picked our first pomegranate and have another one on the tree still. We have never actually eaten either of these two fruits before and probably would never have tried them if we had not grown them. It is amazing how trying to become more sustainable has expanded our knowledge and taste buds!

We are also harvesting pears, chokoes, passionfruit, eggplants, Jerusalem artichokes, beans, lettuce, apples, kale, capsicum and lots of herbs at the moment. We are lucky enough to be able to eat something from the garden every day of the year.

Today's Harvest

Today we have harvested a basket of goodies, delicious, healthy and cheap.

Garden Update

 Here is the latest photo of the new front garden, as you can see the kale and oregano are growing very successfully, hidden from view are lettuces, cucumbers, melons, strawberries, corn and capsicum.

 We now have four grapevines as they do well here, this is part of the oldest vine which was initially planted to provide food and shade, both of which it is doing very well.
 Below you can see another grape vine, plus a recently planted plumcot and transplanted lemongrass.

 This is an extension of the original grape vine, we have placed wire out to a post over quite a hot paved area, the grapes seem to love it and every bit of shade helps. There are some excellent reasons to use as much vertical space as possible, privacy, shade and extra food production all being benefits.

 Another view of the newest garden out the front, the wood chips are doing a fantastic job of holding moisture and deterring slugs and snails. Another grape vine that is twining along wire is on the right hand side and the mulberry tree is providing shade and shelter.

 We are now using the trunk of a dead palm tree and some recycled wire to get the latest passionfruit to create a privacy screen/food in the back corner of our garden. It has doubled in size in two weeks so we are very happy about that.

 We have had to pull out the Jujube as the rootstock took over, so now we have planted a Plumcot and intend to espalier it along the fence.

 The weeping mulberry that we have planted in the back garden is growing extremely well, it is a beautiful tree too.

Berries and Boards (cardboard that is!)

These are the first few flowers on our raspberry plant, last year was the first time we had a crop so I am hoping that we are able to pick them once again. Being able to pick a range of different fruits from your garden is a pleasure that is now part of our daily lives. we do not have a huge garden and we do not tend to have multiple plants of the same type, preferring diversity, so each time we get a crop it is exciting.

The Mulberry tree in the front garden appears to have finished fruiting now, however if is still providing valuable shade for the vegetable garden and a great place for the birds to perch as they swoop in and out of the bird baths. In the back garden we planted a Weeping Mulberry tree this year and are pleased that it is cropping. The fruit is smaller but incredibly sweet and delicious.

We have now decided to get rid of the small rectangle of grass in the front garden and remodel the latest bed so that it is three separate beds with paths in between. So we have laid down newspaper and two layers of cardboard as preparation, this is called sheet mulching. I have stopped planting in the newest bed until we can change it, but harvested Kale today and made some mouthwatering Quiona and Kale Patties from a new blog, Yummy Supper,  both the recipe and the blog are highly recommended.

Paths, Traps and Produce

 The front hedge is gradually becoming a hedge and now I have used newspaper and wood-chips to create a path to try and stop the grass continually growing into the garden.

 The mulberry tree is producing fruit and we are using the Mediterranean flytraps in all of our fruit trees. Hopefully this will be effective, and is less work than the exclusion bags we tried last year.

 Our kale and spinach has been very effective, now to find lots more recipes to use them in!

Here is the blueberry plant, lots of tiny flowers so we hope for fruit again this year. In the background is the fruit salad plant, we have not yet had fruit from this.

Spinach and Ricotta Frittata

We have lots of spinach, kale and rainbow chard in the garden so I am trying to cook some with every meal. So for lunch I cooked my first frittata, this recipe was very easy and I just used spinach instead of zucchini. It was delicious and we will definitely be having this more often.

Our Garden Today

Despite the cyclonic winds that we had last week most of our plants are doing well. We did lose a lot of Passion-fruits and leaves from the vine and the Fig tress look very unhappy. However, the winter veg and strawberries are fine and taste delicious.

Doing our bit for Sustainable September

Our tiny Almond tree has about nine flowers on it, perhaps we will be able to double our crop of two almonds from last year!

Today we have harvested lots of Spinach and Kale, giving some away, cooking some and blanching and freezing the rest. Transplanted tiny Lettuce seedlings and planted some more seeds, including Capsicums.

We have realized that Andy had been planting some of the seeds too deep, not realizing that each plant likes to be planted at a certain depth, we live and learn.

 The Chinese Date/Jujube finally has some leaves sprouting, we have been told we will even get fruit from it this year- fingers crossed.

The Pomegranate and the Persimmon are now covered in leaves, they both have such elegant forms and leaf shapes they are lovely to look at.

The garden just outside the front door is doing well, here you can see Carrots, Coriander, Basil, Sage, Thyme and Capers. Once the Carrots are finished we plan to add more herbs that way they will be close to a door and easy to use for cooking.

WA Update 15th August 2010

We are growing Snow Peas up the old pool fence and they have just started flowering, cannot wait until we have some to eat.

The Everlasting Daisies are looking blooming marvelous out the front, though they do seem to have enveloped  the Fig Tree!

Pulled all the  Purple Dragon Carrots out today and planted  Cylindra Beetroot and  Darwin and Cos Lettuce, The Perennial Spinach and kale are still flourishing.

The little garden we put beside the front porch is now doing well, the Basil is large and bushy and so is the Purple Sage, in the front you can see more carrots and our first Coriander grown from seed.

Have now cleared out two of the volunteer tomato bushes and planted Borlotti beans and Massey Gem peas which will hopefully grow up the fence. Have also planted some more Thyme and Oregano which will be a ground cover. Watered everything in with a seaweed mixture and added lots of shredded scrap paper and the contents of our new Bokashi bucket to the compost heap.

Planting Fruit Trees and Tidying Up

We have decided that it would be better to plant some of the fruit trees that we have in pots. That way they will produce more food, some shade and habitat. Deciding what could go out on the nature strip took a while, it is a tough position, so we finally settled on The Loquat and Fig Trees to start with. Using compost that we had made the, old pavers for edges digging began.

It looks so easy when it is all done, but it was a huge job as the grass is so thick, Andy was terrific doing it! He also scattered some of the Everlasting Daisy seeds around the bottom, so hopefully they will come up.

The other job that needed doing was the No Dig Garden out the front, so we pulled out all the old plants and lots of weeds and added compost, manure and worm castings. The we planted carrot seeds, Japanese Turnip seeds, Perpetual Spinach seeds and Dwarf Kale seeds. As well i transplanted some Spinach, Strawberries and a Marogold from the old wheelbarrow garden, it was time for that to go.

As you can see we have some fruit on one of the Pineapple Guavas, and the Pineapple Top under Mat's window is still hanging in!