Here's something you can do with all your extra lemons, make cordial!
I tried this recipe out from Nevn and LInda Sweeny's great blog, with great effect - quite aromatic too when you include the lemon rinds - yummo :o)
The results may vary depending on the type of lemons you use - the more zesty the better I reckon!
Thanks to my new neighbourhood lemon fairy for these lemons - cordial coming your way !
Happy gardening!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Garden art project
This is a simple project that kids can help out with and fuel their (and your!) imagination about life in the garden.
We had some scrap pieces of plywood, so I drew some simple designs and cut these with a jigsaw. We drew a sun, a butterfly and a snail, but you are only limited by your imagination! The idea is to layer the pieces of each 'creature' to give a 3D effect. You can see how this is achieved in the slideshow below.
Paint each piece a different colour (use leftover paints, outdoor types if possible) - give them a good couple of coats to waterproof them a bit, then glue together, clamping to get a firm grip between the layers.
We will finish these off with salvaged bits of wire and coloured electrical wiring to make the antenna and legs.
Cool huh? It's taken a few weekends of painting and cutting in between holding/feeding/changing a baby and negotiating activities with a nearly-three-old! Worth it in the end and you could get this done in a weekend for sure.
What garden art have you made for your garden, especially kid-friendly things?
...and happy gardening!
We had some scrap pieces of plywood, so I drew some simple designs and cut these with a jigsaw. We drew a sun, a butterfly and a snail, but you are only limited by your imagination! The idea is to layer the pieces of each 'creature' to give a 3D effect. You can see how this is achieved in the slideshow below.
Paint each piece a different colour (use leftover paints, outdoor types if possible) - give them a good couple of coats to waterproof them a bit, then glue together, clamping to get a firm grip between the layers.
We will finish these off with salvaged bits of wire and coloured electrical wiring to make the antenna and legs.
Cool huh? It's taken a few weekends of painting and cutting in between holding/feeding/changing a baby and negotiating activities with a nearly-three-old! Worth it in the end and you could get this done in a weekend for sure.
What garden art have you made for your garden, especially kid-friendly things?
...and happy gardening!
Winter plantings and seedlings
Our garden is going really well at the moment and Perth has had some decent rainfall over the last month - a refreshing sight!
Clancy and I had planted beans and peas about 3 weeks ago and they are doing well too, as you can see in the foreground. We picked up some marigolds at the local gardening shop - they were going cheap - and have popped them around the outside of the bed as well. So far we haven't had any issues with insects or mildew, etc.
The brocolli is heading up well - not sure about the caulies just yet - one has bolted (the mild winter doesn't help!), but others looking OK for now.
Our backyard project is also about to get underway. We are terracing some parts of the yard so we can plant extras like lemongrass, rhubarb and comfrey (near the compost, as its a good composting agent). Then this weekend past I began preparing the ground running up to the garden bed for some lawn seed to get some grass coverage there - its all sand and ends up in the house after a bit of gardening! :o)
Next we are working on another raised bed made from some beautiful salvaged limestone blocks (why anyone would want to throw them out is beyond me!) and a sandpit under an old grapevine for the kiddies. We will take a leaf out of Josh's book (see Ollie's garden) and make some blocks into stepping stones around the sandpit too - just for fun!
The back patio is all concrete and being westerly-facing was radiantly hot over the summer months, so we want to get some shade up now while its cool, and have plans to put in two passionfruit vines. These grow really well in Perh's mild to hot climate and are great for kids too, as they can search for fallen fruit. I especially love their flowers.
Clancy and I have been putting together some "garden art" pieces as well, to brighten things up, involve the kids and add some interest to the large, open backyard - more on this in another post shortly!
Until the, happy Winter gardening!
Clancy and I had planted beans and peas about 3 weeks ago and they are doing well too, as you can see in the foreground. We picked up some marigolds at the local gardening shop - they were going cheap - and have popped them around the outside of the bed as well. So far we haven't had any issues with insects or mildew, etc.
The brocolli is heading up well - not sure about the caulies just yet - one has bolted (the mild winter doesn't help!), but others looking OK for now.
Our backyard project is also about to get underway. We are terracing some parts of the yard so we can plant extras like lemongrass, rhubarb and comfrey (near the compost, as its a good composting agent). Then this weekend past I began preparing the ground running up to the garden bed for some lawn seed to get some grass coverage there - its all sand and ends up in the house after a bit of gardening! :o)
Next we are working on another raised bed made from some beautiful salvaged limestone blocks (why anyone would want to throw them out is beyond me!) and a sandpit under an old grapevine for the kiddies. We will take a leaf out of Josh's book (see Ollie's garden) and make some blocks into stepping stones around the sandpit too - just for fun!
The back patio is all concrete and being westerly-facing was radiantly hot over the summer months, so we want to get some shade up now while its cool, and have plans to put in two passionfruit vines. These grow really well in Perh's mild to hot climate and are great for kids too, as they can search for fallen fruit. I especially love their flowers.
Clancy and I have been putting together some "garden art" pieces as well, to brighten things up, involve the kids and add some interest to the large, open backyard - more on this in another post shortly!
Until the, happy Winter gardening!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Raised garden bed - 1 month on
Well our seedlings are coming along nicely now, after a month in the ground plus a couple of good rainfalls. Interestingly, the last line of brassicas - caulies and brocolli (to the right of the picture) - are more damaged by white cabbage moth than the others - I'm putting it down to the interplanting with fennel, as nothing seems to attack that and it is quite fragrant when it's a warm day.
Clancy and I also planted some peas and beans up the other end of the bed, with some parsley as well. I had planted some Aussie red garlic in between the brassicas a couple of weeks ago too. They are sprouting well now.
Clancy also planted what we think is a kohlrabi and a broccoli given to her by her Ah Mah and she's looking after them well (i.e. hands off - it's the best way so they'll survive!!).
We have some backyard design plans in the wind - will post about that soon, once plans are firmed up. Going to be an edible back yard with interactive spaces for kids!
Until then, happy gardening!
Clancy and I also planted some peas and beans up the other end of the bed, with some parsley as well. I had planted some Aussie red garlic in between the brassicas a couple of weeks ago too. They are sprouting well now.
Clancy also planted what we think is a kohlrabi and a broccoli given to her by her Ah Mah and she's looking after them well (i.e. hands off - it's the best way so they'll survive!!).
We have some backyard design plans in the wind - will post about that soon, once plans are firmed up. Going to be an edible back yard with interactive spaces for kids!
Until then, happy gardening!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Is crop rotation feasible?
Although we only have one long garden bed, I wonder if we can still apply the crop rotation principles and not plant in same area twice in a row? Might be worth experimenting with anyhow.
I like the overview provided on the Gardening Australia website - ideal for four garden beds if you have such a set up. We also tried to rotate our beds when in Canberra, so will revisit some ideas from our successes (and failures!) there. This guide from Harvest to Table is also useful (and mentions that no garden is too small for crop rotation!).
Companion planting is also a good method for gardening and this guide is a good overview if you are interested in trying out the method, as is this guide.
More on that later; until then, happy gardening!
I like the overview provided on the Gardening Australia website - ideal for four garden beds if you have such a set up. We also tried to rotate our beds when in Canberra, so will revisit some ideas from our successes (and failures!) there. This guide from Harvest to Table is also useful (and mentions that no garden is too small for crop rotation!).
Companion planting is also a good method for gardening and this guide is a good overview if you are interested in trying out the method, as is this guide.
More on that later; until then, happy gardening!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)