Winter Wonderland

It got awful wintry here over the last week - a massive storm left us with prolonged power outages and a garden buried in hail. Where I live is usually pretty temperate, even in winter, so the extreme weather was a bit of a shock to all of us. There were a few accidents locally (due to black ice - thankfully we don't get that too often) and an old church lost its roof but otherwise we pulled through pretty well. It was sure dramatic though!

The chickens were entirely disinterested by the entire thing.

These girls don't even care.

Oh, and the potatoes have started to come up!

This Garlic is In A Hurry

It's really cold outside! The garlic is in a hurry to get growing, though, and my strawberries look happier now than they did all summer.

They do have some weird green things growing, though?

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Aside from the incoming Antarctic storm front that's due to possibly actually give us actual snow this week, it doesn't really get that cold here. But it does get Australia cold, and boy is it. I'm scraping frost of the windscreen after work and layering knitwear over my clothes as I potter around the house - not the most stylish look but dammit does that shawl+cowl+glove+lap blanket combo keep you just about warm enough.

Meanwhile the extra rain has the garden beds carpeted in green (mostly weeds that I have no idea how to keep on top of) and my water-loving plants thriving. It's also prime knitting weather, and that means it's time to cast on a new project or two for that extra variety.

Strawberries and kale... and some very enthusiastic weeds.

Here Comes The Sun

The sun is, by some miracle, shining today. It's so lovely and warm outside - and while yesterday I wore an almost uncomfortable number of layers just to keep warm, today I'm in a t-shirt and leggings. It is, in essence, the perfect day for a Chore Day. Time to get out into the garden!

Garden State: May

The garden is changing so fast! I've only been here six months and already things are growing mad. When I look at it day to day the differences aren't so drastic but in the process of taking pictures of everything that's growing I've created a handy record to compare - so today we're gonna have a little then-and-now on how much things have grown.

Sweet Peas, planted (probably?) around St Patrick's Day - two month's growth

Winter is Coming

I'm not going to lie, winter is my favourite time of year - but I'm a little sad that the intense growing of spring and summer are behind me now. Time to dig in some of the slow burners: I'm trying my hand next at potatoes and onions since, unlike some of my more whimsical choices (so much spinach! How often do I even eat spinach? And what am I going to do if any artichokes grow?!), these are staples in my kitchen. It's also the season for broccoli, carrots and snow peas. I love all of these! Goodbye corn and tomatoes, hello staples and brassicas...

Ok, but first we have to get through autumn: the weather certainly hasn't gotten cold yet, and things are still looking quite cheerful out back.

Problems!

You guys, things are going wrong. Some of my plants are dying! Something is eating the others! Also the ants got back into my house, and I accidentally got boiling vinegar smell up my nose and allow me to tell you: it is not pleasant.

The talcum powder defence has failed.

Pest Problems

Did you know that yellowing leaves on a bean plant could be caused by more than half a dozen different things? It's true, and none of them are easily identifiable, either. My garden is plagued by pests and I really just don't know what to do about it.

The Joy of First Harvest (Updated)

Today I harvested my first home grown vegetable! It was an exciting moment and as I washed the ants away and beheld the glory that was my misshapen little ear of corn I could only smile at its... irregularities.

Weeds or Wanted?

Why do baby plants and weeds look so identical?!

Lately, the first thing I do in the morning is go outside to check out the garden and see what's changed since I was last out there (ie yesterday). And the great thing is that there's usually something to see - a new sprout here, more leaves there, buds opening everywhere. It isn't all great, though. Maybe it's just my inexperience talking, but... I can't tell the difference between weeds sprouting and the seeds I planted coming up.

Grass? Spring Onions?

Branching Out

I've always loved the home- and base - building part of video games. Since the SNES I've followed the Harvest Moon games, one of the first things I played on my own PC was The Sims and the settlement construction feature of Fallout 4 has sucked up a huge amount of my playtime. And, now that I'm an adult, I've kinda become obsessed with the idea of doing some base building of my own - specifically some gardening.

I'm a little wary of some of the catchphrases of the 'organic' movement - it seems to often be associated with some stuff I disagree with, like the fear of 'toxins', praise of all things 'natural' and the distrust of medicine - but I don't deny there are some ideas that appeal to me too. I like the thought of reducing my impact on the world, providing for myself, creating things instead of just consuming them.