Hollands Ave, Marrickville

McNeilly Park, Marrickville

West Street, Petersham

Further progress

Cabbage, spinach and lettuce to the left and snow peas and broad beans to the right..

Th broad beans are just starting to flower.












I have put in a hydroponic raft unit for some lettuce seedlings. These are polystyrene boxes painted black. The pipe for the air stone is at the back right hand side and the pump is sitting under the bottom box. I have started everything off with a quarter strength nutrient

Garden Progress

Broad Beans and Snow Peas progressing nicely.

Container Vegetables - Milk Crates

I am going to be using the ubiquitous milk crate as the container of choice for my vegetables. They are modular, readily available (I buy them) and just the right size. There is wealth of information available on the "square foot garden", which is the size of a milk crate.

One crate takes one bag of compost and I can move them and stack them as the mood takes me. The only problem that needs to be managed is watering; at the height of summer a pot with something like a tomato or capsicum can dry out in less than a day. Not a problem at the moment but an irrigation system will need to be incorporated before next summer.

I shall use the phases of the moon to govern my activities. It might be a load of old hooey (and there again it might not) but either way it is a useful garden time management and reminder tool.

Get a grip!

Last year I planted out some perennial basil which has got a bit out of control over the past four months even though the bees have loved it.

It is time to get a grip so I have moved the basil into a large pot, given the soil in the pop-up bed a feed and planted out some perpetual spinach (beta vulgaris). I shall be good to it; lets see how long it lasts until it bolts!