Summer Patchwork

One of the candy pink roses

Happy new year friends. What an amazing christmas this has been. The kids were so blessed with gifts and little do they know it now but they are blessed with memories to treasure for the rest of their lives.

I thought I would do some updated photos of the patch and what we have growing.

The patch

Here's some quotes that have tickled me over the past couple of weeks:
"I am so sick of picking purple beans"
"Do we have any soap Laura?"
"Where is that big saucepan?"
"I think we planted the pumpkins in the wrong spot. They are taking over everything."
"I found an eggplant growing I forgot I had planted - it was hiding in the pumpkins"
"Have you got enough green tomatoes or do you need another 5kg?"

Front to back: Kale, Bok choy, some random veggie and another random - Im yet to label things as we go.....its starting to kill my brain cells trying to remember! There is turnip in there though, somewhere ;)

Strawberries in the pots and the row of beans are purple and green. In the  closest plastic black bag/pot are 2 orange tree growing

One of my jobs was to make the frame for the gate of the patch - so far corregated iron and a rake do the job to keep the chooks out (and the pony!)

2 Pink Lady Apple trees

They worked! I seriously cannt believe they have worked! I've grown 2 apple trees from seeds.

Ant hwy

Apart from ant sand is there anything that will get rid of 1.5acres of ants?? I've resorted to indoor ant baits, placed them on the pavers and so far they have worked - for that area. But I have found atleast 50 nests hidden in the ground.

Ginger

A $16.95 experiment that is working well

Garlic

I thought the garlic was grass and was starting to pull it out at first.....oops

My christmas star I made out of sticks now has a heap of old keys hanging from it. So far it has attracted a mother and baby magpie rather than keep them away

From left to right at the rear: celery, carrots, brown onion, pueple beans. The middle horizontal row is green beans and the front 3 rows were corn and are now growing more corn - I think....yes yes, I know....I MUST label these things

Amy hiding behind our ornamental cherry tree (or so we've named it any way!)

We've learnt that what we thought were weeds coming up in a pot was actually the orange seeds sprouting. We would have had about 10 trees growing if it wasn't for us doing that. But we've learnt and wont be pulling them out again!

The garlic has been grown from the garlic I had bought, old tyres from tyre shops (which were for free!) have done wonders for the potatoes, mint, garlic, ginger, holding seedling trays so they dont get knocked over, and coriander. 

I'm going to keep an eye out for something like this that can be sealed to use in the garden for herbs

They aren't whole oranges but sliced with a good splash of bundy rum

Ammo, our big horse dog that has caught himself a pig or 2 recently.

I was cooking dinner, bottling beans and trying to deal with 5 pumpkins all at once while screaming at the kids to get in the bath

Before

After

Pickled onions from our garden and homemade salad dressings

Butternut Pumpkin

Christmas day snack

I know it has a little bit of a 'funny' look to it but it ends up being raw super balls made with a blend of nuts, rice syrup, coconut, chia and acai berry + powder. I vary them depending on what I have in the cupboard. Either way, they are divine!!