Done and Dusted

Gardener:Northland Backyard Gardener

Date:04 Nov 2023

Blog Type:Vegetables, Flowers

With hubby and Connor up early to go up to Waitangi for a sailing Regatta, I decided to make an early start on the garden. It wasn't completely smooth sailing at home as I managed to snap a couple of tomatoes as I was taking them out of the porch. I think it was primarily because they were so tall/big. One zucchini, and one sunflower met a similar fate. Lesson learned. If I keep them in the porch for a longer duration, then I need to stake them.

As per normal, the tomatoes were planted alphabetically as it makes it easier for me to rememberwhat is what. The main tomatoes are staked for now, but as they grow, we will secure them from above. The frame will be moved at some point during the week.

The most difficult part of the day was sorting the large 3 by 3 m garden that was built for Connor's home garden project many years ago. With the kids opting out of that this year, I was on my own to strip it, dig over and replsnt.  A couple of hours later, the broad beans were picked along with a few cabbages. As there was a but of rust (must have appeared this week), I chopped the stalks of the broadbeans up and put into into the bin instead of the compost. The remaining spent crops went into the chicken coop for them to dig over as currently there is no space left in my four compost bins.

This bed is now planted out with an array of squahes (zucchinis/pumpkins) and some sunflowers in between. The chard remains in there along the fence line. At the front us a few bits and pieces. 

The only things left in the porch is the luffa, beetroot, spring onions and lettuce these will get planted in the gaps.

It was a long, but rewarding day. There is still a few little things to do (sow carrots, tidy up the lemongrass and plant our the growbags), but for now, the worst is done.

 

Done and Dusted