Vegie Patch

[Sally]

LOL Nat, hoping it motivates you

Yeah Lusi's garden is looking GREAT!! Love watching her kiddos out there helping and excited about it. The boys have been helping me, but Mitch has been the most enthusiastic.

[Ange]

Nat - last year I decided just to start, but knew that a "proper" vegie patch would take too long. We have since made a "proper" one but it still needs more organic material etc.. before we can plant it out.

Anyway, I did it on an extreme budget (probably about $20 - $30). The kids and I headed to the dump shop - do you know if there is one near you? Anyway, I picked up two old laundry tub inserts, the big white ones, for about $2 each. Bought a few vegies, cherry tomatoes, dwarf beans, lettuce and a couple of herbs, basil and parsley. Filled them up with dirt we had and mixed in a $10 bag of 5 in 1 compost stuff.

The kids had a ball!

The tubs are at our back steps and have not taken much work at all, I'm not a gardener either.

The kids now eat lettuce and love beans. And we've had at least a bowl full of cherry tomatoes a week. This weekend we have cut it all back and my plan is to actually plant more herbs now that our big vegie patch has been created.

So start small, it is amazing how much can grow in a small area and that way you'll know if it is your "thing" or not.

And recycle - the dump shop was heaps of fun. We bought a box of poly pipe and stuff too, which the kids just love to play with in sandpit. Some old pots and pans and utensils, which make for heaps of musical fun hanging from a tree outside. Lots of fun to be had at the dump shop. Reminds me we need to go again and see if there are any more treasures to find!

Hope it helps!

[kerriannb]

Try Reverse Garbage at West End (I think) Nat. It has great stuff. I will forwrd you on their latest newsletter which I got a few days ago. I love that place - come away with alsorts of wonderful things each time I go. My Sister, who is a teacher uses it a lot as well

[Roz James]

I'm getting mine prepared too- it's quite big so I've had to gather bits and pieces each week to afford them.

Nat I am no gardener!! But I am determined to make this work for numerous reasons- namely to have fresh, organic (as possible) and wonderfully tasting food and know where it has come from. I also want to implement it as part of living a simpler life. Also to save money in the long run!! But I am not expecting much success for at least a couple of seasons till we work out what is going to work well here and what won't lol

[KatieT]

Ditto roz

[ScrapHappy]

We are learning lots as we go along Roz, this first season is our learning time I think - and we are mainly learning what NOT to do again LOL!
For example - I had read that zucchini do spread a lot and need quite a bit of space - so I thought it would be ok to plant one at the end of the garden bed and then train it (ROFL) to grow over the edge and downwards. HA HA HA.

1) Zucchinis do not respond well to training (or pleading )
2) Zucchini stems are not pleasant to grip (think sandpaper, only uurrgghhier if there's such a word )
3) Zucchini plants like to SPREAD OUT (think massively tall teenager who likes to lay all over the lounge meant for four people - so three people have to sit elsewhere)
4) Zucchini flowers are massive, bright yellow and gorgeous (kind of like the flipside to a troublesome teenager!)
5) My first harvested zucchini is bright yellow (yes, I chose a "Gold" variety on purpose) and looks like a really large, long, fat banana. The only problem is that I probably use a zucchini every fortnight or so and they are coming thick and fast, and they dont store fantastically well ... I do need to think about that when I decide what to plant again LOL. Hope my neighbours like zucchini!

[Ali]

So I perhaps shouldn't plant out all of the 11 seedlings we have grown from seed, lol?? I can see some baking in your future Tracey - cakes, slice, quiche, patties.....

[kerriannb]

I got really creative with zuchhinis last yeat when my Dad grew them (Never let a retired farmer plant a vegie patch). They are really yummy cut in half lengthways, scopped out a bit and the centre filled with the scooped out stuff and other things like tomato, herbs, breadcrumbs, herbs, any other bits & pieces, and did I mention herbs??

[Donna]

i know it's late to be joining this conversation, but since we are planning ours, i thought i'd join in!!

Nat, I read a site ages ago by the square foot gardener ( www.squarefootgardening.com ) and that really inspired me! But also I watched a show on tele overseas about Cuba and how they have green spaces filled with gardens all through their cities and that really REALLY got me going. Anyway, all this to say - you already have an established garden you said. Can you fill in some spaces with smaller things, like spinach or herbs, or cherry tomatoes (I don't know what season to plant anything!) in between your other plants? Cuba does it organically apparently, they breed special bugs to combat others and companion plant (like garlic and chives will apparently keep away aphids from roses). It's all so interesting. Also, it can help to reduce disease because the same plants are not being planted in the same space all the time.

Haha! I sound like I might know what I'm talking about!!

Great ideas Ange! After forking out over $200 today at Bunnings just to get plants and compost for my little, maybe 3m2 flower gardens, I don't want to be doing it again for the veges, so I may have to take a trip up the road to reverse garbage and see what I can see... or take my own advice about planting in among what I just bought today!!!

[lusi]

I know you'll have a ball with this Donna! We have enjoyed it SO much I can't believe how much God has blessed the fruit of Brett's labours in particular and the kids too. It has been so fun and rewarding Keep us updated Donna!