SPRING!!!

Spring has sprung, the grass is ris
I wonder where the birdies is!

Surely this must be any gardener’s favourite time of the year! So many things starting to emerge after too long in winter hibernation, including myself. Its been time to clean up the detritus littering my garden and my first day out in the garden needed hot showers and a couple of days rest to ease my stiff and aching muscles. Still, its a small price to pay to witness my garden emerge fresh and beautiful from its slumber like a butterfly from its cocoon.

Several trailer loads of SuperCompost from Corkhill Bros and 20 bales of lucerne mulch await their new homes. Perhaps I have been a little excessive on the lucerne, but I tire of paying for multiple deliveries when I underestimate the quantities involved. The compost I can put down immediately and water in, but the lucerne will have to wait for the next big rain.
I topped up my vegie patches and have planned out this years crops, according to my crop rotation plan. This minimises the need for adding fertilisers and prevents against nematode build up in the soil. The vast majority of nematodes are beneficial, but some are particularly problematic for tomatoes and potatoes. Try not to plant these vegies in the spot as last year for this reason – nematodes are tiresome to get rid of once you have them.

The plan from left to right is:
Bed 1: Peas and snake beans (followed by greens)
Bed 2: Pumpkins, zucchinis, carrots and beetroot
Bed 3: Tomatoes
There is a new bed that you can see in the top left-hand side in the picture above, in which I’m trying my hand at potatoes for the first time. It was an old sandpit that the neighbours left out on the road and I rescued it, knowing full well I’d find something to plant in it. I’ve filled it with kipfler potatoes – far too many I’m sure, but we’ll see how it goes. I also picked up some “Dutch Cream” spuds that I need to find a home for somewhere. What to do? Maybe another wine-barrel – I’d only fit a couple in there though and I hate wasting seed potatoes! If anyone in Canberra would like a few potatoes to try out, send me a message.

I have asparagus in the main garden to the right of the picture and for the first time I’m able to harvest a few spears. They’re magnificent! Nothing at all like the terrible, wilting green twigs you pick up at the supermarket (and don’t start me on tinned food). Good asparagus shouldn’t need cooking. We had a few spears sauted gently in butter with salt and pepper for breakfast this morning – they were perfect.

I’ve planted the seeds of five different types of heirloom tomato inside to get them started before the move to bed 3. They are: Black Russian, Tigerella, Pink Brandywine, 3 colour Zebra mix (for a surprise) and Tommy Toe (cherry tomato).

Now all I need is some warm weather and I’m ready to get planting!