My Kiwi Garden

Moss v Me: Round 1 to Me!

2010-05-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

So, i've undertaken my most significant attack on the moss in our garden today --- i've raked out a significant area of the garden, removing huge amounts of moss (+ some grass). This comes one week after I blasted it with moss killer, and it had indeed turned quite black.

However, the issues is that there was so much moss out there, that huge patches of the garden are now completely bare. So, i've reseeded the whole affected area with Tui seed which is supposed to be shade tollerant. Unfortunately, i'm a bit late on the seeding as it supposed to be done in march, not may!! With a little luck it won't be too cold this week, and we'll get a fair bit of rain ... meaning the seeds will germinate and get somewhat of a foot hold before winter sets in ...

Brocolli, Brussels and Cabbage transplanted out

2010-05-22T20:52:00.001-07:00

So, I transplanted my Brocolli, Brussel Sprouts and Cabbage which i've grown from seed in my tray in doors. However, I didn't harden them up first, so I guess we'll have to see if they can hack it outside!!

Brussels here we come!

2010-05-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

... brussel sprouts that is! I sowed some for the first time today, along with some Broccoli, Cabbage and more Carrots. The Cabbage I sowed a while back now is doing pretty well, in fact. I got down to some weeding as well, and put some slow release fertilisers and weed killer on the lawn. It's been quite a while between posts ... but i've been out of town! Got stuck in the volcano saga ... still at least I was at home with my family, so no major crisis ...

Relish those Tomatoes!

2010-03-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are ... it's the first jar of Tomato Relish ever!! Obviously, I wanted to make Chutney ... but that was way too much effort. This relish took about 40 mins all up. It's got garlic, tomatoes and chilli from the garden, as well as some dried appricots, sugar, fennel seed and paprika. Tastes yum!

Winter season begins

2010-03-13T22:05:00.001-08:00

So, I've planted out some rows of carrots, cabbage, spring onions, spinach, lettuce and peas. I guess it's going to be interesting to see what happens over winter. In particular, the spot where the vege box is doesn't get much sun and, already, it's loosing it. So, i'm not sure how useful it's going to be over winter ... but we'll see!!!

Summer Season Review

2010-03-13T21:42:00.001-08:00

So, the summer season is getting close to finished. Here's a round up of things:

My tomatoes were a total dead-loss. I grew them from seed in plenty of time for labour day. Too much time, I think. By the time labour day came around, they were already completely overgrown in their pots and probably this stunted them thereafter. Certainly, the plants are pathetic little buggers, even after I put them out into pots. The tomatos also seem waxy, compared with usual and not that great tasting.
The carrots and parsnips went pretty well, all things considered. We're still picking them and the snips have fattened up quite a bit. The carrots are mixed, sometimes stunted, sometimes not. But, overall, pretty easy to grow.
The cabbages didn't get far. Bugs ate them.
Spinach didn't seem to go very well, it just grew heaps and didn't give that many leaves to eat.
The peas grew pretty well, and we got quite a few pods. Not sure that I planted them at the right time of year to maximise production. Also, I didn't do a good job of giving them stuff to climb, which caused problems.
The cucumber was a mixed bag. Early on, it was going well. Then, something happened (I think maybe I yanked it a little), and it pretty much stopped. It's back again, with some cucs growing ... but we'll see.
Courgettes ... they're so easy! This one plant was probably my most prolific producer over the summer ...
But, the capsicum was a dead loss. Not a single one has matured to anything bigger than a pea. Not quite sure why. Certainly, the lack of sun and the abundance of rain was probably a problem ... dunno
Garlic was a goodie for me. We've still got several bulbs hanging in the shed. Easy to grow, although it does take a long time. The bulbs didn't fatten up that much, but that was because I planted late. I'll definitely put some more in over winter.
The basil has definitely a been a winner. Two plants have been producing for me all summer! They're on their last legs now, but I think that's because I didn't water them for a week or so, and they really dried out.
The spring onions went ... ok. I didn't plant them very methodically, and so we ended up getting the odd one here and there. But, if you leave them, their blubs really do get quite big!
The normal onions were a complete disaster. I pulled up a few last week when I dug over the box. They were still pretty tiny. Only one looked half decent, but still not bigger than a golf ball. They seem to take ages to grow and, frankly, they aint a good option for my limited space.
The chilli plant needed better care! First off, it's massive. I should have probably cut the main leader early on, and let it bush up a bit. And, I only did one around of manual pollination and ... only one chilli actually grew :( So, i'm thinking of either taking a cutting, or saving the seed from that single chilli and growing in a smaller pot.
The lettuces went pretty well ... but again needed more care. I just let them grow and grow and grow! Next year, I think we'll get a half wine barrel and put them in that ...
Brocolli did good. But, I planted them all at the same time, and we ended up with a whole heap of brocolli at the same time ... much of which was wasted. It also takes up quite a lot of space, I have to say, for what it delivers. Probably not the best option for our limited space ...
The goosebury bush has set in well, and hopefully next year it'll be a goer. We got a couple of gooseburies but that's all.
The strawberries were a mixed bag. Certainly, the plants produced fruit. But, I need to do the netting better, as it's really restricting the plant. Also, they're in a pot, but the shoots are coming out everywhere and getting into other pots! I'll probably just digg them in directly around my box.

Anyway, I think that covers it all ...

On the whole, some things I'll do again (e.g. carrots), while others (e.g. onions) I won't.

The Butterfly has Landed!

2010-03-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a whiley ... somehow time flies. The garden was a complete mess, now i've dug just about everything up. The cabbages are a gonna ... eaten alive, so to speak. Anyway, here's a little something I found in the garden:

That's macro mode for you!

Swan Plant Planted

2010-01-08T23:46:00.000-08:00

So, I planted the swan plant into the garden today. It was growing in a container for a while ... and doing really well. Hopefully, the Monarchs will come!!!

Carrots, Corgettes, Garlic, Spring Onion and Parsnips!!

2010-01-08T23:42:00.000-08:00

Well, as you see this is my first bumper crop!!! It's ther first time I've ever seen parnsips just picked from the ground. The leaves are really big, although the snip itself wasn't as big as I was hoping. But, the carrots were really good!!!!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-04T23:12:00.000-08:00

So, the new year has come around again. It hasn't been very sunny though, but at least the sun was out today.

Over the weekend, I got busy again doing things. I got a nice new strimmer as an xmas pressie, so I put that to work in some of the difficult corners of the garden. I also had a crack at cleaning out our guttering, which was a fairly wet affair. Sadly, when installing one of the gutter witches, I managed to drop my screwdriver down the drain. Definitely not a good idea. I guess we'll have to wait and see whether or not we get a blockage ...

Anyway, things are now really getting over mature in the garden. The brocolli heads are starting to break up. We had brocolli last night, along with corgettes and again tonight! It could be on the menu for a while ...

Otherwise, the strawberries are ripening, and the cabbages I planted a while back are starting to grow properly now. I also put in some borage that we grew from seed, so hopefully that will give us some flower action later on ...

XMAS News

2009-12-19T21:43:00.000-08:00

So, the brocolli has some decent sized heads. The Carrots are good for eating ... probably we'll have some on Christmas day. The peas have some pods, the corgette is also getting there ... time to start eating!!!!!!!

Grass Race: We have a winner!!

2009-12-19T21:32:00.001-08:00

So, I think the grass race is officially over. As you can see we have a clear winner: the Tui mix!!

Now all i need to do is sow some in the lawn :)

Carrots, parsnips and cabbage planted

2009-11-28T21:42:00.000-08:00

So, I put in some more carrots, parsnips and also a few cabbages today.

Carrots almost there!!

2009-11-28T21:38:00.001-08:00

So, Chris came over to pick up his camera today, and I asked him how he can tell when the carrots are ready. He said, just pull one up and have a look ... so we did! And, it was definitely a carrot, although still a little on the small side. I put it back in, so hopefully it'll keep going. I think those were sown in mid-august, so they've done about 10 weeks now ...

Grass Race Update

2009-11-28T21:36:00.001-08:00

So, the grass race is really hotting up now!! As you can see, the Tui seed is going strong (above). But, the Yates has got off the ground now, and is coming up as well ...

Update on the seed race

2009-11-23T22:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been sloowww going so far!!! But, finally, today I notice a single green shoot coming out of the Tui corner ... so it's looking good for them ...

Courgette Planted!

2009-11-23T21:57:00.001-08:00

So, didn't get much done over the weekend. But, I did finally plant out the courgette plant that I grew from seed ... so fingers crossed!!!

The Great Lawn Seed Race

2009-11-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't managed to do a whole lot of gardening this weekend, save for a bit of weeding of the vege box. But, I'm still trying to get some grass seed to grow in my back yard --- but all my attempts so far have failed.

Right, so it's some to apply some science here. I'm going to do a controlled experiment to compare two kinds of grass seed: Yates "Lush" lawn seed versus Tui SuperStrike "Sun n Shady" seed. I've had no luck with the yates seed at all really. The Tui see cost almost twice as much as the yates, so fingers crossed.

So, the experiment is simple: i've put some compost into two lids, and sprinkled the seed on top. Then, I water and keep moist until the seed germinates. I've put the lids into the "shed", which gets less sun than the garden --- so should help to keep it moist. The Tui seed is supposed to germinate in 7 days, so it won't take long to find out the answer!

Weekend update

2009-11-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

So, it's wednesday already, and i've only just got around to writing up about the weekend. We had a pretty busy weekend in the end. Lots of planting!! I decided it was time to put out the tomatoes, so we planted some into pots, and some straight into the ground. We've got 8 tomato plants, so that could be a little excessive! I'm also going to put a couple into a hanging basket.

We also headed down to the garden center and picked up some other things. A Chilli plant, a cucumber and a capsicum plant, as well as a passionfruit vine. So, it took a while to get everything beded in ... but it's look good now!!

Lawn Update

2009-10-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, this stuff is spreading through our lawn from the back. I'm going to spray the stuff today. I'm not sure what it is exactly ... it's definitely not Oxalis though. Something similar I guess ...

Goosebury Upate!

2009-10-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

So, my recently goosebury bush has flowers already ... yay! Now, where are those bees ... I haven't seen many yet :(

Strawberry Update

2009-10-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

So, I made an executive decision to relocate my strawberries today. I had them in the lower garden, but they just weren't getting enough sun. In fact, they hardly look bigger than when we bought them, which was probably 6 weeks ago at least. So, i've put them into a pot in a sunny spot ...

Borage here we come

2009-10-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

So, I finally got my hands on some borage seeds ... yay!! I'm hoping to get the bees in to do their pollination thing with a little help from some borage. I also got some hormone stuff for doing cuttings, and took two cuttings from the Lavendar plant out front. Again, i'm going to be putting these (if they actually make it) near the veges to get some more bee action.

Anyway, i've been watering the little patches of grass i'm reseeding, but so far no obvious change. Growing grass seems to be a little more tricky than I realised.

Oh, and I got me a shiny new fork after breaking the last one last week. I haven't finished off the aeration though ... maybe next weekend :)

Labour day !

2009-10-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

So, it's labour day again1 Apparently, that means its time to put the tomatoes out ... but I think i'll hold off on that for a few more weeks. This spring has been so wet and col, i'm sure there's more to come !

Anyway, I repotted my larger tomatoes, washed the car, mowed the lawn and aerated it as well ... except that my fork broke half way through :( It was cheap, and I had it a while, so probably about time I got a decent one. Aerating is supposed to be good for the lawn, and given that ours is in such a mess, hopefully it will help. We've got lots of moss and quite a range of different weeds. I have done a fair amount of deweeding, but the task is just enormous. I've also put some lawn feeder down, which is supposed to help supress weeds ... somehow, I'll belive it when I see it!!!

So, I tried reseading some bits of the lawn a while ago, but mostly the grass just didn't grow. I'm not sure why, but it may be because it was still too cold, or perhaps I covered the seed too much. Anyhow, I'm trying again and reseed a few bare patches in an experiment to see what happens. Fingers crossed that the seed gets stuck in and helps the lawn! Coz, if it works, then I've got a big job raking as much moss out as I can, followed by a more serious reseading effort ...

Rhubarb Woes!

2009-10-18T22:13:00.001-07:00

So, my Rhubarb is looking a bit dodgy. It's rained so much over the last few weeks, that it's really taken a battering...

Tomatoes and More!

2009-10-18T21:51:00.001-07:00

So, it's supposed to be spring here, but it still feels like winter. The cold and rain seem to go on forever :( Anyway, to get things going, i have Tomatoes, Basil and some lettuce growing on various window sills that get sun.

Lemon, Feijoa, Goosebury and Olive!

2009-10-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

So, here we have the Olive Tree (nice engagement gift), lemon tree, Feijoa (just planted over the weekend) and the Goosebury bush (planted a month or so ago). There's also a lime tree I planted near the lemon tree.

Veges!

2009-10-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

So, here's some of the veges growing in the vege box. You can Garlic and Brocolli mostly, also some pea shoots. I've also got carrots, parsnips and onions.

The Vege Box

2009-10-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

Here's the vege box I built! Surprisingly easy. Although, I slightly screwed up and used treated timber. Apparently, this can be a problem as toxins can leak from the timber. So, to compensate, I lined it with plastic sheeting.

The "Upper" Garden

2009-10-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

So, here's a photo the "Upper" Garden. The lawn is need of some serious TLC. There are some herbs over in the left corner, and in the right corner behind the bench are the lemon and lime trees.

2009-10-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

So, this is my first post. The idea behind this blog is to help me keep track of what going on in my garden, and the things I'm planning to do!