Hi Mark,

All good, I worked out what you meant. That explains it I guess. Frost is good for some things. Citrus! Ours are very late here, but still delicious when they do fruit. Its an old tree, so one of the old sour varieties- great for juice. I can taste the vitamin C!

I planted today...Yay! Rocket, and some of the tomatoes, a tropical variety. As promised, I am varying their growing conditions, so I can see what works best. It has rained a little bit tonite already, more is forecast. I also moved some compost, after letting the chooks eat some bugs out of it. The pile is about half the size it was, before the rains.

Tomorrow hopefully I'll plant the rest of the tomato seedlings, and get beans and silverbeet in.

One of my spaghetti squash seedlings made it, so planted that too.

The garden was a good place to be after family easter lunch. So glad I had lots of work to do. It worked out some of my aggressions! More on my thread tho.

Cheers,

J*

Hi Jstar sounds like you have been busy in the garden.Their has been some light steady rain here yesterday and more today which will give my seedlings a good start .I haven't grown spaghetti squash for years.My mum use to grow it and grew it when I first moved out of home.
Take care,
Mark.

Hey everyone,

HAPPY EASTER! I ate far too much chocolate for weeks before and kept eating it!
It's been FUN!

I love how everyone is getting into their gardens!
I dream of being able to do more of those things one day, for now...

Update on the turkey mound lol
I can't believe it BUT I stopped counting at 100 x 10L buckets of soil from the turkey mounds. I was getting depressed counting lol!! I stopped counting but KEPT GOING... gosh the beautiful black soil and 10cm long earth worms were magnificent! That soil is now in all sorts of spots around my garden lol.

Apparently my traps (shoulder to neck muscles) have grown considerably, noice lol.

Then I had to build lots of 1-2ft retaining walls all over the place with planks and bricks.
I didn't waste a trip to the back yard when I emptied the buckets and filled them with bricks to bring up... there was the "trap" work lol.

EVERY time I went inside to get a drink, the turkey began building it again!
Finally I realised I could bring my daughter's dog out to stay guard lol.

I needed a rest over those 14 hours, so cut my grape vine back which made the whole front porch railing look neat!

It was well after dark and the turkey was still lurking, he sat on a compost heap the entire day watching me lol... I brought big branches for protection all over that garden area.

I need to dig out more soil to lay pavers in a path from the laundry drain to the retaining wall, so the water I clean the laundry with can go out that way.

Yesterday I found a long thin strip of metal to help drain the water away.

Will try to build the paved path this afternoon.

I need to clean the laundry, where my chickens decided to live the past year plus.

THEN the roofing capers begin.

Wish me luck! I'm going to need it lol.

Love EM

Good luck Em!

I was going to suggest you get one of your kids to build your path, but it's really better to do some things yourself isn't it. That way you'll be happy with the result.

I hope the hard work is good therapy this week darling Em. Our gardens are just the best aren't they? Even when they present us with problems, there is satisfaction in being able to solve them, unlike other areas in life.

Mark, happy to hear you got some seedlings in. Did your daughter help you? That rain sounds like just the right amount.

No rain here today, overcast and sunny, at the same time. So I watered. Am loving seeing progress in the seedlings.

Cheers all,

J*

I may have mentioned I can destroy artifical plants!

I have just planted 8 lavender plants and my partner resisted the urge to replant them.

I like lavender as we had loads of lavender in my old garden at my old house which is now weeds and grass.

Hi quirkywords Lavenders are really hardy to grow.Mine thrive on neglect a long with my rosemary. The bees love the flowers on them.I am sure they will grow well for you.
Take care,
Mark.

Needed a nap after reading that one em.

But eh , l did put in a new yukka,so there.

Wonder if a turkey would hang around my place l want one now .

Well , lots of rest and movies for me over easter , and 1 beach day , no canoeing because my trailer needs a wheel and no rack on the car as yet , cry.

Over and out. rx

Hi randomx I have had scrub turkeys in my garden at my old house and they certainly made a lot of work of the garden.They had a big mound where they laid their eggs.It was always so cute to see baby scrub turkeys.

Mark can you tell me any more thrive by neglect plants especially herbs and scented or edible plants. I have rosemary and mint but they have nit grown at all.

Hi quirky here's a few that come to the top of my head.Nasturtiums,pineapple sage,oregano,thyme,chives and yarrow it thrives on neglect.

quirky geraniums are anther plant that thrive on neglect.I hardly water mine.I got heaps growing here all different coloured flowers .

One day when I replant the front garden I’d like to include more plants for bees. Been watching Gardening Australia.

I miss gardening. Other stuff going on. Did get out on a bush walk though which was good. So much new green growth.

Ahh right , my yards just a normal yard now in the burbs here so it doesn't sound like turkey's are gonna fit too good. l'll have to see if l end up on acreage again .

quirky! "I may have mentioned I can destroy artificial plants!"

NO! it's time for the BB Gardening thread intervention lol...

I KNOW there's a Green Thumb in there somewhere...

Sometimes we kill our plants with too much "love" - over watering, over fertilising etc.
Maybe your MINT would like a shadier place to live?
I haven't watered it for about 10y.
Mine lives in a shady area but it gets overflow water from our tank down the back... we have to mow the stuff.

Almost ANY Mediterranean plants will thrive on some neglect... you can Google search some.
Oregano does really well.
I put very nutrient rich soil in the pot and squash chook poo straw down the sides of the pot when the soil shrinks from the heat.
Mine is in a HUGE pot but I still have to care for it a bit, mainly bec it's in the absolute HOTTEST place in all seasons and gets killed back with the heat but comes back!

Nasturtiums are pretty AND edible.

quirky, if you think about what YOU like to EAT, list those.... then come back and ask about planting each one.

You'll get there, it's going to happen!

Love EM

Haha I didn’t mind the bush turkeys when the backyard was mainly scrub. But when it came time to sell, it was a bit stressful trying to keep it looking neat.

Our neighbour at the time, got really cranky with the turkeys. She had an incredible garden. It was fun to visit.

Lavender is wonderful to have around. Nurseries or markets have so many types now. I don’t quite have the room for it at the moment but will have to find a spot somewhere one day.

Another tough and reliable plant (a native) is Westringia. Available in colours like light blue and purples to white. I have a few growing happily. Can be clipped into tight balls or left to it’s own shape. Pretty grey foliage.

Hey Mark! Thanks for ALL your awesome advice! What are those plants called that spread everywhere and have pretty little flowers but I think they like the shade? lol big ask... I can't remember the name right now... bit of a guessing game. Sorry! xxxx

Hey J*

Thankyou yes, it's VERY satisfying lol... I did it all JUST in time bec moving my children into "more independence" aka 'do your own washing, here's how' lol... caused a FLOOD in my laundry, home, linen press today....

LUCKILY the laundry drain was cleared by my work!!
I had a dentist appt so it was ALL up to the kids to clean up lol.

I hadn't done the paved path "drain" thingy yet and wow was there some erosion after that... so I know the drain's cleared! LOL!

I still haven't paved, opted for a nap after a big family lunch here... the "nap" lasted 5 hours!!
So YES I pressed HALT lol. xxxx

Hey rx!

Mr Tomato Man lol... better than Mr Pumpkin Man?
I'm Turkey Girl!

You are definitely "missing out" not having a Brush Turkey live at yours... you can have one of ours for FREE, any time rx lol...

you can live your Turkey Life vicariously through my life if you prefer lol.

My front garden looks like Fort Knox now.
My life Goal is to get smarter than these Turkeys one day lol... Grand Goal hey? xxxx

Hey Lilly

That's a really altruistic aim to have more plants for bees, we DEFINITELY NEED them!
And for Butterflies too!

I love Plumbago for butterflies.
ANY flowers help bees... having SOMETHING flowering in our gardens all year round is really supportive for bees.

Letting ONE of our favourite (and best) herb plants "go to flower" is good for bees AND us... the bees get to have the flowers and we can collect the seeds.

So glad you got a nature walk in, hugs... xxxx

Happy gardening experiences everyone!
Love EM

Hi Quirky,

I meant to mention that Westringia isn’t a herb. But was thinking in terms of low maintenance and those who like the grey tones of Lavender, may like the similar grey tones of Westringia :)

Hi EM, are you thinking of violets? Just a guess :) They are lovely too.

Hey Lilly

I have "accidental" native violets growing wherever they want to in my garden... apparently according to Josh Byrne - Gardening Aust... they're REALLY difficult to grow bec they're so sensitive to all sorts.
So I've never 'weeded' them out.
They seem to LOVE the shade.. and lots of water! But I don't water hardly at all... like maybe once a year and only in some places, so mine seem to love living where natural water flows readily during and after rain.

Noooo I'm really struggling to remember the name! lol... I can ask Alexa tomorrow, she might remember. It's on the tip of my tongue! It's going to drive me crazy till I find out lol....

it's a tip for quirky... they grow prolifically in the right conditions BUT I think quirky's after easy to grow food plants.

EMxxxx

Oooh ok someone will think of it. I know what it’s like when a plant name is on the tip of the tongue haha.

Thanks EM,
Lillylane xx

Hi Em sorry I am not sure what ground cover you are thinking of.Maby when I wake up properly I might think of something.
It's raining here this morning.,I can hear the sweet spatter of rain on the roof.

IMPATIENS!!!

lol I saw "Who else likes gardening?" first thing, then remembered it!

Thanks Lilly and Mark... phew.

Hey quirky,
IMPATIENS are easy to grow pretty plants that spread quite easily ALL by their little selves when they're happy.

Also you might like to go into a REAL Garden Nursery (not a hardware store) and ask a food growing shop assistant some questions like:
~ can you tell me what HERBS grow easily here?
~ what other food plants grow well in my soil? I live THERE...

(Ignore their talk of getting your soil PH tested etc, just say "Mhm, mhm... that's okay, I have friends to help with that - lol).

You can write THEIR list of herbs and plants in your phone NOTES section.

Then pick 2 or 3 Packets of herb seeds... now it's coming into AUTUMN / WINTER, many HERBS do not thrive in these seasons... CORIANDER is an exception, it LOVES cooler spots and climates.

Then get some pots OR spots in your garden. Maybe choose THREE spots.
Split the seeds between the three spots and see which spots work for them.

This is the usual experimental phase most of use get to after years of failures lol, so you're skipping up a few levels of "Gardener".

See how you go quirky!

Remember ANY question is welcome here.... our aim is to engage people in the wonders of gardening, it's great for our bodies, minds and souls.

Love EMxxxx

That's funny I was thinking of impatiens yesterday for something.I am glad the mystery is solved.

Hi all,

Glad you got the mystery sorted Em. Impatiens LOVE shade don't they!

Pentas are my fave flower for butterflies. They need to get pretty big before the lovely velevety black ones 'see' them, and then they are a regular resting place. Also cosmos, which is a great flower for a dry spot, very hardy, and will reseed year after year. They grow very tall in their original (not dwarf) form, and can take a while to flower, but if you can prevent a tidy person like my H from pulling them out, you will be rewarded with beautiful purply pink flowers for months, buzzing with bees.

Happy gardening everyone!

Cheers,

J*

The rain is falling constantly here with the rainwater tanks overflowing again.The vegies I put in have really come to life and getting a real good start.Perfect weather to have seedlings in.
A town almost 2 hours away from here that was completely dry and trucking in water has its dam at 100% now.Its great to see it so green down there.
Take care,
Mark.

Hello All,

I ordered some plants online... a rose, some lavender & some native daisies... silly of me to order just before Easter... well 9 days after they shipped, they arrived today... the courier chap was very apologetic... he said he did water them last Thursday... but they have been in a box & without water over the break... the daisies & lavender seem to have travelled well... the rose has dropped most of it's leaves. I've given them a good drink & put them out on my verandah to get the afternoon sun

Given they will be stressed from the journey plus the Easter break... I'm not sure if I should pot them up now (just one lot of stress) or leave it a few weeks & give them time to bounce back before repotting them?

Also would it help to give them an extra boost with something like a seaweed solution?

Thanks

Paws

Hi Paws,

Thats so sad! Nice that the courier watered them for you- that was thoughtful!

I was thinking the same thing about seaweed solution. My H swears by it. And giving them some TLC for a few days sounds like a good idea. Is the rose bare rooted? (not that I know anything about them, but I know it's good to buy them this way) if so it's probably fine. Roses are pretty hardy aren't they Mark? I know mine can go for long stretches without water.

Good luck! Sounds like you chose good plants for the situation!

Cheers,

J*

Hi paws good to see you on here.Yes give them a good drenching with a seaweed solution,seasol is good.Leave them if they are in pots already to they bounce back as you can do them more harm repotting them if they are stressed.Repot them when they are looking good again.
Take care,
Mark.

If the rose is barefooted soak it in a bucket of water with some seasol.If it's potted just give it a good drenching of seaweed solution.They are pretty tough and should bounce back.