They say that the best laid plans often come unstuck, and so it has been at Maison Bleue this year thus far. Planned autumn gardening activities have become the winter catch up due to an ‘event’ that means we now have a large amount of floorboards and building materials that have provided a new ‘palace’ for The Girls (now minus one, unfortunately). It is not a lot of fun when random construction has to happen in your home, but as long as you use the best companies that can help you sort it out, like https://www.doorsplus.com.au/store-locator/melbourne-doors/, then you are okay on that end. Sporadic egg production has proved that we are indeed lucky with such beautiful eggs when they are on the lay, nothing else compares really. During my catch up period, I have been able to plant a lot more plants than I originally anticipated and even discovered some new beauties too, like the Mare’s tail pond plant. It seems like the unexpected accident has lead to some very good outcomes.
Honestly, I absolutely love buying new things for my garden. I actually get a lot of my gardening equipment from Home Depot. They have so many amazing things on the garden center section of their website. I could spend hours browsing through all the lovely landscaping supplies. Plus, the last time I placed an order, I even got a chance to use a home depot promo code that my friend had sent to me. Using promo codes is a fantastic way to save money when online shopping so I always try to use as many discounts as I can.
As for the crops in my garden though, the weather plus our absence meant a prolonged season of garden greens and late picking of the last of the beetroots and Tuscan kale. Since then, thanks to our WWOOFer Maria, who launched energetically into assisting with the renewal process and preparation of beds for winter plantings. The carrot seed I planted then has done so well that the thinnings are looking great in their mounded rows interspersed by the garlic. Spring plantings have seen us with a steady supply of salad pickings, including dandelions and fennel, so handy for the digestion. I have snuck in a few tomatoes, all the while watchful for the hasty cover-ups required when a frost is forecast.
The fun does not end there though. A few of our fruit trees are in desperate need of pruning so I think I am going to reach out to an arborist for some advice. I was speaking to a friend of mine about my trees the other day and he gave me the contact details for the best tree cutting company sydney has to offer. So, yes, watch this space. By the next time I share an update, our fruit trees might finally look a little tidier.
Anyway, hot on the heels of our unplanned house renovation was my two week soujourn in Timor Leste with CERES Global. Once more horticultural activities were to the fore and many discussions had with the locals about food growing in such a different climate. Its a poor country and the expected ‘hungry months’ each year when the food runs low led me to investigate their traditional food preservation practices.
As in Australia water is frequently the limiting factor when planning for food growing, whatever the scale. With predicted dry conditions looming at home, we are now looking to our watering system and a much larger provision for storm water capture from our block. Winter has allowed for planning so that now in spring we are in the process of The Backyard Pharmacy at Maison Bleue being less water hungry and vulnerable to the conditions to come.
