Goings on in the Garden: early Spring

09 October 2018
I did mean to post an update late last month but time escaped me! So, I'm combining September and October for an early spring edition of goings on in the garden.

What a difference a couple of weeks makes though at this time of year when the weather finally shifts. There is so much happening in the garden now and the promise of late spring and summer harvests looms.

At the community garden patch I've been renewed in my digging efforts in an attempt to get it all ready to plant out. Plus at the same time wanting to get rid of the last of the couch before the warm weather breaks it out of it's dormancy.

 The broad beans are going well.



Garlic not doing too badly.

Newly erected bean t-pee...and so close to go with the clearing.

As you can see in the last pic above i'm very close to the end of the digging. Just the strip at the back which is currently housing mulch and manure. I'm hoping to get that finished by the end of the month. Which should still give me plenty of time for planting as there can often be a late October frost here in Canberra.

I've been slowly adding manure and mulching as I clear and it's beginning to look a little more like a garden then a weed plot.

The broad beans and garlic are going reasonably well. I planted these in late April. As this is my first season growing in Canberra I don't have a comparison. I didn't actually improve this soil before planting as I really just had enough time to clear the couch. I'll boost the soil with compost and manure once these crops are harvested.

Corn seedlings.

From the back: dill, coriander & basil popping up.


Lettuce starting to gain some size - hopefully will be harvesting some leaves by end of month.

Zucchini seedlings that I'll plant up and get strong to go in the ground next month.

I've made a small start at getting some seeds going. I'm hoping to have a few things advanced to get in the ground at the community garden early next month. I'm told after Melbourne cup day is the 'safe planting' time in the Canberra region. I'll probably start some more seeds this week, including some bean plants for my t-pee that I can keep protected until the soil warms.

It's interesting to learn a new growing climate. normally by this time of year I'd have so many things in the ground in Adelaide. I'd definitely feel very behind if they weren't planted out by the end of the month. The challenge in Adelaide was getting things established before the heat got intense, but here it's all about missing that last frost. It's the kind of place where being behind will probably pay off...which probably suits my organisational capabilities a little better!

Other signs of spring include.....

Flowers on the strawberry plants and lots of bushy new growth.

A few brave figs appearing.

Mulberries! This is a shatoot variety so they are long and thin.

What's going on in your garden?
Are you looking at signs of Spring or moving into Autumn?

4 comments

  1. Your garden is doing great. :)
    Did you start fig from cuttings, Laura? Twice I tried planting fig cuttings, and failed. I'd love to have a fig tree in the yard. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Nil, these are grown from cuttings, but not by me. I bought them at the stage where they had established roots.
    yes, garden is looking good with all the spring growth - such a great time of year!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Look good - especially those strawberry plants! Busy days of spring garden chores indeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes the strawberries are going gangbusters - through no help from me, it's survival of the fittest around here!

      Delete

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