Pomegranate Birthday Feast

Cheesecake topped with home grown pomegranate, calendula petals and a Brazilian cherry

Pomegranate and Quinoa Salad

Orange and Pomegranate Salad

 

We had harvested our first two pomegranates and decided that we would share these treasures with two good friends by creating a birthday meal for them incorporating them.  We made a Warm Chicken with Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad and served it with homegrown chokoes and beans. We also made an Orange and Pomegranate Salad which was also delicious. For dessert we made a very basic cheesecake into something spectacular by adding pomegranate, calendula petals and a Brazilian Cherry.

It was great to share fresh produce from our garden with friends and we were delighted with the beauty and taste of the pomegranates and really hope that we will harvest many more in the future.

Coastal Growing Successes

Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers

We live very close to the ocean on very sandy soil and ever since we started gardening we have tried to be improve the soil by using recycled or waste materials rather than purchasing garden soil. This can be hard on plants, as can the location, with a westerly aspect and temperatures between 0 and 45 Celsius degrees throughout the year. We also get strong winds and in the Mediterranean climate that we are in not very much rainfall. We do have access to a bore, rainwater tanks and grey water with each additional source improving the success rates for plants. Whilst the front gardens were originally built for vegetables these factors have meant that we have been slowly shifting to more of a food forest/cottage garden style as the plants are happier.

Apples

 We now have five dwarf apple trees in the front garden and are really pleased with how well they are growing. the Fejoa hedge protects them as does the ground cover of oregano.

Chillies

We are growing more of our annuals in the two raised beds that we recently built outside the kitchen and have successfully grown masses of chillies, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, beans and eggplants. The beans have now self seeded which is very exciting so we are looking forward to another crop of those.

Lemongrass

 Another success story is the lemongrass which we were originally given one plant of and now we have six large clumps and have given many clumps to other people. We use it in cooking and also as a mulch and it looks fantastic in the new garden bed beside the pool.

Passionfruit

 In an effort to provide both food and privacy in our back garden we planted a passionfuit vine last year. It has now covered half of out back fence and the wire above it covering an ugly shed behind and providing beautiful flowers and fruit.

Pears

 I was given this pear tree several years ago by one of my sons who loves pears and whilst it has taken a while to get established it now has nine perfect pears on it. We cannot wait to try them and have been so excited by the success that we have planted another three trees with the one planted beside it producing its first fruit after only six months.

Pomegranates

 The pomegranate is a very good tree for this area as it is hardy and attractive, we are really looking forward to finally getting some fruit.

Rosemary

 We bought one rosemary plant and have managed to propagate from it and now have several plants and have given some away. The bees love it and we really enjoy its beauty and taste and it is another plant that thrives in this area.

Strawberry Guava

 The strawberry guava has not grown very quickly as it is in a really tough spot, however each year it produces kilos of fruit for us to enjoy. While my aspiration for it to be hedged has now been put on hold we are still very glad to have it in our garden.

Sweet Potato Vine

We were given a cutting of the sweet potato vine and whilst it struggled at first it has now taken off and climbed trellis and covered large parts of the garden. We use the leaves in salads and stir fries as well as occasionally digging up a root to eat.

Pomegranates

We have yet to eat a pomegranate from our tree. In previous years the crops have been small and the parrots have got to the few fruits we had before us. This year the tree is actually covered in flowers so we are hopeful that we may even get to taste one. The Department of Agriculture in WA has excellent information on growing pomegranates in WA. ABC Gardening Australia also has some excellent information.

Our Garden Today

 This corner of the garden had always struggled to be productive, but after putting in herbs and the pine chip paths  the herbs are flourishing and so are lots of self seeded lettuces.

This is another corner that has struggled so I am hoping that the improvements we are making will assist the artichokes, lemongrass, beetroot and cauliflower that have now been planted.

This is our first, and only, pomegranate on the tree, fingers crossed it is the first of many.

This is some of our harvest today, the choko vine has struggled a little with the wild weather but luckily for us the food hedge protected the capsicum plants.

Now the compost bin has been moved into the new garden I have planted lemon balm and marjoram beside the capers bush.

In Our Garden Today

 Getting ready for the water tank and replacing the guttering, a new fence has been put in.

 Gutters have been removed and Andy is sanding them and rust proofing them, the plan is to plumb in another 5000 litre tank and connect it to the no - dig gardens at the front.

 We have had no fruit yet from the pomegranate tree but the flowers are glorious.

 The chilli plants are surviving amongst the pumpkin vines.

 The strawberry guava has produced at least 50 pieces of fruit this year so far.

 The apple trees are fruiting and getting used to being espaliered.

 Not sure what the vine is at the bottom, but the choko vine has taken off again after struggling in the storms and the heat.

 Amazing spider web in the garden at the moment.

 The jujube is still growing, as is the grape vine and banana plant in the pool area.

 The garlic chives are covered in lovely flowers at the moment.

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.

Upload Monday 21st June 2010

Yesterday we traveled out into the countryside to visit the property of a colleague who is growing Jujube/Chinese Date trees. There are not many growers of these trees yet in Australia, but they are described as being perfect for our conditions. We had a lovely time learning about the trees and also got lots of tips on pruning deciduous trees and had a very relaxing walk around the property. Above is a picture of fungus nestled in the fallen leaves in the bushland area.

 

The Pomegranate Tree has also now been planted, and soon we will plant the Jujube and Persimmon Trees that we bought yesterday. These tress will be grown in quite a small space, hopefully will provide fruit and summer shade, but will be kept compact so that they stay manageable.

We are now also extending the front No Dig garden and using sand from the tree holes and recycled pavers, there will be a central path to make access easier. You can see the Perpetual Spinach, Dwarf Kale, Japanese Turnips, Carrots and Capsicums to the right. In the back ground are the Pineapple Fejoas, and a very small Almond tree,  which one day will be a hedge.

In the front of this garden you can also see the volunteer Rocket plants, we love volunteers.