planting in earnest pt I (spring 07)

Wind-rich, time-poor, but I finally managed to extract enough time between gusts of wind (honestly, you'd think 10 solid days - including one long weekend - would satisfy even the most roaring of windy deities!) to put in the plants I've been accumulating over the last three weeks, building up to an expected three days of planting on the October long weekend.  Bleh.  I got in barely an hour the entire three days.  But we did take delivery of a new bushbuggy, courtesy of th'Bloke's brother, and a lot of eggs.

The complete list, plus comments, is after the break.  It's a long one ...

Created over the last two weekends were one garden bed in the barren part of the native garden, one chookpen completely covered - when the chooks go to the native garden, this will become the dogrun when we get dogs and until the back section is enclosed.  Then it'll become ... well, I don't quite know.  Something spare and enclosed.  If nothing else, the two apples and quince will grow undisturbed, which is a good thing.

Chooks are now laying two eggs a day, with sporadic breaks for only one.  I'm re-visting egg recipes I haven't made since I left home.  A highly successful quiche Lorraine  (well, ish - it also had home-grown spinach and  fresh-grated parmesan cheese) is laying the groundwork for more "ways to use lots of eggs".  A second quiche flan dish will help a lot! - as quiche freezes quite well, apparently.  Lucky, that.

The problem is that the best egg recipes also involve cream - chooks and cows coming into their best times at about the same time.  Not that I mind, but I am trying to remain healthy, and vast amounts of cream aren't likely to be good for the lungs.  Still, one or two pasta Cabonaras (essential ingredients - fresh eggs and cracked pepper and cheese) aren't going to kill us.  I could even hand-make the pasta, just to really push the boundaries of this whole home kitchen thing ...

Yup, the long winter is slipping away, and the joy of being on our own productive land is just about to start kicking in.  Roll on a fertile (and hopefully damp!) spring and summer.

Just to note: we haven't had any significant rain in 2-3 weeks, and it doesn't feel like any good stuff is due for another couple, at least.  We may have done our rain for the season.  I hope not, for the sake of the plantings.

• Citrus, planted along the shed.
  
  • Lemonade (sweetish lemons)
  • Lemon (Meyer)
  • Blood orange (Arnold's, sourced from Daley's.  All the local nurseries are sold out of blood oranges!  I'm still planning to have a Maltese blood orange though, in honour of th'Blokes heritage)
• Natives, mostly planted in the new garden bed in the native garden.  The tetragon transplanted some weeks back hasn't completely died, but is showing the usual signs of strain that natives seem to when transplanting - it's growing fresh fronds but the previously lush older growth is turning yellow.  However, it's also going to seed, which is a good thing; when the weather really gets warm and if I can keep up a reasonable watering habit, these will take and grow out in only a few weeks, and then I'll have seedlings for transplanting.
  
  • Midyimberries (Austromyrtis dulcis).   four, plus three transplanted from the pot they've been inhabiting for the last 12 months.   Hopefully this means I might get a reasonable berry crop this year!
  • Native peppers. Five Alpine Peppers (Tasmannia xerophilia), plus three standard pepperberries (Tasmannia lanceoloata), all in a brand new bed above the dam.
  • Rivermint (Mentha australis), in the herb gardens around the house.
  • Pigface , in the native garden bed, for its "salty fig" fruits.
  • Red wattle.  Given to us as a housewarming present and planted out as soon as the weather was warm enough to manage.  It's in the native garden, in full view of the house.  Thanks, Libby :)
  • Atherton raspberry (Rubus fraxinifolius): one to start forming prickly barriers in the native garden, another in the chookpen to do the same
  • Strawberry gum/forestberry herb (Eucalyptus olida), for the scented and edible leaves.  Two, in separate far locations in the native garden.
  • Illawarra plum/plum pine (Podocarpus elatus), for the fruits, near the strawberry gums above.
• Herbs, all around the house (for instant flavour gratification in cooking).
  
  • tarragon
  • savory
  • thyme - I had lots of lemon thyme, but little ordinary, and it's my favourite herb.
  • wormwood (not for eating, but lovely smell and excellent insect repellant)
  • dill
  • basil
  • Vietnamese mint
• Veggies - many of these are frost-sensitive and I'm about three weeks early in planting them, but I've either protected them with cut up juice bottles, or have planted around the verandah which is relatively frost-free.  These have gone into the no-dig watertank beds, around the verandah, and/or the new bed created in the bare patch of the native garden.
  
  • tomatoes
  • eggplant
  • zucchini
  • potatoes
  • beetroot
  • cucumber
  • pumpkin
• Salady things - for salads and quick stir-fries and things.
  
  • kale
  • chard – ruby, golden
  • lettuces
• Plums - two, leafing up nicely, in the "native" garden; just next to the new garden bed.

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