Garden Diary, 8 September 2005
Well, much has happened since the last entry. Where to start ? We had good crops of carrots, parsnips and potatoes, although the spuds were a bit smaller than I'd expected. Carrots worked really well, and some good-sized parsnips. Onions were a waste of time, spring onions did well, beetroot did well from seedlings (bought). Runner beans produced massively to the point where I'll only have one frame of them this year and try some different beans, e.g., kidney beans (I'd like to try growing and storing some dried beans).
In autumn I raised and sowed silverbeet and brussel sprouts. The silverbeet is doing well now (see photo), but the brussels have been a bit of a waste of time - they just seem to be going to seed. Back to the drawing board on those.
Also just planted some garlic (maybe 30 plants). Seem to be doing well.
I sowed broad beans in early March (in too much of a hurry) and they're really high now but I suspect won't crop heavily since most of the flowering happened too early, i.e., in the cold weather. Still, judging from the number of flowers and my estimate of a potential crop of, say, 10-20 kgs of actual beans, it'll be well worth trying again. Apparently they should have gone in in early May.
The main vege garden this year will have parsnips, carrots, onions (try again), potatoes, celery. I've also scored a big area around the new apricot tree by the gate, which I'll use for a different type of spud.
Strawberries did well last year, 6 plants turning into 21. If we can double that next year we should be getting a damn good supply of strawberries in the summer, at least enough for regular desserts or school lunches. The two redcurrants and two blackcurrants are also coming along well. Rhubard doing well, too - can't pick it yet because it will be too bitter, apparently. Lemon tree is still very sad - no idea what's happened there.