Garden Update # 5

There was a bit of time and a tiny patch of fine weather that allowed for gardening during the school holidays so small progress was made.

Firstly I repositioned the daisies and geraniums in "the patch" (a.k.a. the bed of clay as seen above in its original state) and then dug holes for each of them down to the impenetrable clay. Then I poured in the gypsum and the boys filled the holes with water.

While the water was soaking in we dug a little hole by the fence for a passionfruit vine. I had been musing about growing passionfruit along the fence but it was a long term plan. And then we had a "Bring and Buy" stall at church and someone brought some little pots of passionfruit vines. What's a girl to do but support the cause and buy one? So we popped it in.

Now I have read that passionfruit don't thrive when grown near big trees whose roots will compete and potentially win…but I am giving it a go anyway. And if it doesn't work, the "Bring and Buy" stall made $1 out of me!!

Then I raked the yard and swept the brick paving again. I have a good plan there…I rake or sweep into piles and R gets to earn some money for his piggy bank – 10c for every pile placed into the bin. It works for everyone – he likes wearing my gardening gloves and earning money (I make sure there are at least ten piles so that he gets $1 or more for his efforts) and I am spared the part of that job that I don't enjoy.

By then the water had soaked into the clay taking the gypsum with it and total amazement – five holes in the ground and not crow bar in sight. I LOVE GYPSUM. So we planted the plants and watered them in. And took a photo.

This is the start. There are plans for more plants – rosemary, lavender, and I'm thinking some diosma. But that will come in time as the promised plants and/or the dollars come available.

The boys have expressed an interest in growing corn, carrots and tomatoes. Interesting - because they haven't read my blog so they didn't know there was a vegetable plan. I seem to remember that when I was little we grew corn in the summer. I'll need to check out my timing there. And the section where the corn will go is my first target area for the composting project.

Good work.