Good evening friends.
I spent the day relaxing today, just pottering around the house and garden. It was a rather a cool day and never reached the 17C it was meant to be. The temperature sat around 14C for most of the day.
I did brave the cold to venture outside and plant the baby spinach seedlings I didn't get to yesterday. While I was out there I took some photos to share.
Inside I kept the fire going so the house stayed nice and toasty warm.
This lovely hanging pot of herbs was a perfect gift from my youngest girl for Mothers day. I was so proud of her putting it together for me, and it is loving this spot near the window, but I will need to find a suitable place to hang it soon.
I don't think I have shared this before. Hopefully not...I had a kombucha batch to do today, and I remembered about this bottle holder. Before I had this, I was struggling to pour the kombucha into bottles without wasting any. Hubby heard about my woes {I may have mentioned it once or twice} and came up with a solution. He made this box to hold the bottles in place with the funnel and strainers. Life is so much easier now I can pour my kombucha without spillage. By the way, I took this photo after I had poured the mixture in so that is why you can see ginger and cranberries in the mix. This is my favourite add in at the moment. I do add ginger to all my mixes because it is so good for health.
I have been saving seeds for next year. Orange candy melon, Russian cucumber and capsicum. They will soon be dry enough to put into seed packets.
These are basil seeds.
Baby spinach with a volunteer celery plant.
I have planted more beetroot. I love this veggie because it can be planted all year round in these parts.
Volunteer tomato plants are popping up everywhere. We had very warm days leading up to the cold that has hit here this week. The plants are confused and will probably not survive the frosts we may get, even though I will cover them for protection.
Rainbow chard seedlings.
There are many weeds, and calendula's growing in the walkways.
More garlic and baby spinach.
Garlic shoots just poking through the soil. I have planted lots of different varieties this year.
The last of the tomatoes are hanging on, but I feel a batch of green tomato pickles coming along...
I have relocated the rhubarb to catch the rain drops from the roof. That is when it rains haha! The Comfrey in the pots behind are not looking good, this happens when you ask dear son to water while you are away. I did stipulate not to drown them, but he did lol!
The Dragon fruit seems happy.
I transferred the yarrow back into containers where they will grow better. They struggled in the bare ground although they were mulched and watered.
The basil is flowering and I have collected seeds.
The eggplant is flowering although the plants are almost finished.
I was given a Frangipani branch that broke off a friends tree. I have put it in a pot for now to see if I can keep it alive until Spring.
Winter sky and bare branches.
Oranges on the turn.
And the huge grapefruit. I keep my compost bins under this tree and look how it grows. So...I have been thinking about moving the bins around to benefit the other fruit trees. I will need to source more organic matter from somewhere though, must get my thinking cap on.
The apple tree was broken by the kangaroos but it has new shoots. I am not having success with apples so may replace these with a fruit tree that will perform better in our sandy soil.
And to finish off with tonight's belly warming tea. It was veggie loaded curried sausages {vegan}, served with rice and toasted sourdough bread. Followed by quince and custard homemade pies with ice-cream...Yum!
Have a good night everyone, see you soon...
xTania
Love the box your hubby made for the kombucha what a clever idea...
ReplyDeleteHe comes in handy for some things lol! He is a clever hubby for sure :)
DeleteHello Tania ... have just been catching up on your posts - always a pleasure to visit your lovely blog. I love it when you post. Everything is looking wonderful despite it being winter in your photos - look at that gorgeous blue sky. I think your hubby is so clever making that bottle holder for you. I love ginger too & often drink a "tea" made with just a slice of ginger & a handful of parsley. It tastes very nice. Have a great week Tania xx
ReplyDeleteHello Julie,
DeleteThank you so much for dropping in here again. Just keeping this blog real with more posts about everyday life. I must try ginger tea, I was doing some reading about it only yesterday.
I will pop over to your place for a visit later, always love seeing what you have created xxx
Lovely idea about the bottle -holding box. Clever hubby! The garden is looking good! I think each fruit tree I own would be happy to have a compost bin under it! LOL
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I didn't think about the compost bins aiding the health of the tree beforehand. I just positioned the bins in the shade, that was my main idea...Of course they are going to benefit from it, with all the goodness leaching into the soil Doh! lol!
Deletexx
I love seeing the photos of your garden. I will be heading up to my patch shortly as I have more seedlings to plant out. This is the best tomato growing time of year. I lost the plants that I put in at the end of April as it was just too hot for them to get strong and healthy The plants that went in early May are flowering and looking strong a lush. The plants that go in today might take a bit longer to establish but I am hoping to have a continuous supply of toms through the cooler months. Seeing your kombucha has reminded me that I really need to get a new batch made. I use the continuous process so I just hold the bottle under the tap. I have ginger so will add some of this to the batch. I am waiting for the leaves on the ginger plant to shrivel so that I can then harvest the rhyzomes. Looking forward to this. My compost bin is under my lemon tree and my lemons look like they have been on steroids. Perhaps they have. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteYou, Miss Jane need to have a blog. I would love to see and hear your ideas. I have thought about the continuous process with kombucha and my friend has just switched to this method of doing it. At first she wasn't happy with the process, but I think she is now at ease with it. In Adelaide the other day we actually looked at a twin set of jars with taps and decided no. Now I am having second thoughts lol!
DeleteMy tomatoes are slowly ripening but they are staying hard in the middle. I think it is time to put them to rest and make green tomato pickles!
The more I hear about compost bins and fruit trees the more I like the idea of adding them around all the trees.
xTania
Hi Tania, We have just arrived home and I have been catching up on your recent posts. Lots happening in your neck of the woods. Great news about the positive outcome for your legs. Great that you can travel and garden without discomfort and pain.
ReplyDeleteMy compost bins are under the citrus and the trees are doing so well. I love hearing about and seeing your garden and your parents garden too. I would garden 24 hours a day if it was possible....(I know it is not possible but .....)
Your husband is very clever to construct such a great bottle holding box that works so effectively. Our oranges are soooooooooo close to being sweet enough to eat. I love your idea of blogging each day. Your posts and pics are wonderful and full of ideas and inspiration. Love the Fire King mugs....what a great Op Shop find. Stay warm, Cheers, Jo
Hello and thank you Jo, it is great to hear from you again xxx
DeleteTania, it’s so strange that you mentioned the compost bin under the grapefruit tree. I placed a compost bin between my line and orange tree a couple of years ago, and both trees are going gangbusters! I was just saying to hubby this week that I’m going to save up and buy a compost bin for each tree in my orchard and put it next to each tree! It can’t hurt, and it’s definitely low maintenance gardening!! I don’t know if it’s an actual “thing” or not, I just thought of it one day, and it seems to be having good results 🤷♀️
ReplyDeleteI agree about the compost Cheryl. I have compost bins to use under my trees already. Over the years I have been given some and hubby has also made some from black barrels {something to show in another post}. I have one of those spiral turners to aerate the compost, such a handy tool. My main concern is finding enough organic matter to put in the bins.
DeletexTania
It sounds like you had some rain Tania. Isn't it wonderful to see the volunteer plants coming up? I think winter has finally arrived, cold days and colder nights, but as a 'woman of a certain age' who tends to over heat, I'm enjoying these temperatures very much. XX
ReplyDeleteWe have had rain Sally, but need more to keep things going. The kangaroos and emus have gone, so there must be enough green outback for them. Volunteer plants usually perform the best and I do like that they come up freely.
DeleteIt is freezing and blustery today, not much fun outside at all. I have to agree with overheating in summer for us women, winter is so much better for keeping cool lol!
xTania
Tania, you are amazing with all the fab foods you prepare and your gorgeous garden plants and trees. I'm tempted by the sourdough loaves you baked...must try that myself. Up here in San Diego, we get frost in the winter and usually cover our Frangipani (Plumeria) plant with a couple of bath towels overnight. We are actually 20 mins from the Coast and over a mountain, so it gets chilly here some nights. Just don't want your beautiful plant to die. I enjoy your blog so much.
ReplyDeleteMary B