The new seedlings that have been planted out are thriving in the warm autumn soil and with the hope of rain soon they should put on good growth before the frosts of winter hit. Old metal stool frames provide temporary support for the Vege Netting until I have time to put more Hoops over the beds. Friday morning was the Autumn Equinox so we are all systems go for winter. Summer was very long and hot I have to wonder what sort of winter we are heading into.
Seeds Sown:
18th to 21st March: seeds of root crops and perennials
Lotus Sunrise Lotus pedunculatus Green Harvest
Lovage Levisticum officinale Cornucopia Seeds
Lucerne Sequel Medicago sativa Green Harvest
Onion Cipollini Red Allium cepa from Greenpatch Organic Seeds
Onion Cipollini Yellow Allium cepa from Greenpatch Organic Seeds
Radish French Breakfast Raphanus sativus DT Brown
Radish Long Scarlet Raphanus sativus DT Brown
Radish Mila Raphanus sativus Country Value
Potting On: Seedlings:
Alyssum Carpet of Snow
Alyssum Royal Carpet
Chinese Celery
Corn Salad
Endive
Lettuce Freckles
Mesclun Mix Lettuce
Cuttings Taken:
Daisy Double White Argyranthemum frutescens
Lavender French Lavendula dentata
Pelargonium Lemon Pelargonium crispum
Pelargonium Lemon Variegated Pelargonium crispum variegatum
Pelargonium Pot Pourri
Pelargonium Spice scented
Rosemary Pink, Blue, Dark Blue Rosmarinus officinalis
Sage Salvia officinalis
Cotton Lavender Santolina chamaecyparissus syn S. incana
Silverbush Convolvulus cneorum
Wormwood Common Artemisia absinthium
Wormwood Roman Artemesia pontica
Planting Out:
Garlic Italian White from Greenpatch Organic Seeds...looking forward to a bumper crop of Garlic this year so I can try some of the "20 Unusual Uses for Garlic" on this link
Broccoli Albert
Broccoli Green Dome
Cabbage Verona Purple
Kale Red Russian
Kale Tuscan
Lettuce Mixed
Silverbeet Bright Lights
4 trays of mixed seedlings (Kale, Broccoli, Lettuce, Cauliflower, Silverbeet) were taken up to the Community Garden and shared amongst the "Plotters"...it was good to re-visit the site after a couple of years away. There are more Plots now but it was good to find many of the shrubs I planted at the beginning have grown well and are serving their purpose of attracting beneficial insects and windbreaks.
With all the seedlings and cuttings I have been propagating lately I needed somewhere safe for them to grow on. This little walk in green house was on special at Home Hardware this week so Doc bought me two of them. I only have room for one at the moment so the other has been stored away until we sort out the backyard a bit more! They come with a plastic zippered cover but I just needed something to attach some Vege Net onto to keep the bugs (Cabbage moths, Grasshoppers, Snails etc...) from destroying the seedlings overnight! The Back Pergola has become the Potting Area lately as it is the coolest spot in the garden!
I have been taming the Trombone jungle down in the Old Chook Run Garden to plant out the main Garlic crop in the bed on the right and planted some Collard , Silverbeet and Lettuce seedlings in the bed at the back. The bed on the left still has the Sweet Potatoes growing strongly and I may cover these with plastic as the weather cools. The beds are netted to stop the birds digging up the garlic cloves and seedlings to steal the worms in the soil.
Wow the pre-sprouting of pea seeds certainly worked well. The seedlings are growing fast!!The next lot of propagation will be Seeds of Green crops which can be sown from 3.50pm on the 1st of April until the 3rd of April. I shall pop just a few more lettuces in and maybe some more coriander. I will definitely be sowing some English Spinach because the early lot has bolted straight to seed...grrr! It will soon be too cold in my garden for many seeds to germinate.
General Seed Raising Here on this link
For hints on Taking Cuttings see This Link
For Moon Planting information please see the 2014 Astrological Calendar & Moon Planting Guide by Thomas Zimmer available for purchase from sites online including:
Greenpatch Organic Seeds
The New Oracle
Warm Earth Magazine
For information on what to plant in many regions around the world just visit Gardenate and choose the area where you live from the drop down menu at point 1 on this page.
