Africanaussie

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I have been on a quest to grow consistently healthy happy microgreens.  During the wet season, anything I leave outside in the weather is going to flood, get attacked by bugs, fungus and all manner of other afflictions. I tried growing microgreens in the tray from MrFothergills, which only grow in water, no soil or soil type medium.  Standing water in the tropics is calling for disaster, attracting mosquito larvae at the drop of a hat.  I tried it again with coir seed raising mix, but I think in this climate I need drainage. MrFothergills kindly sent me a multi layered seed sprouter and I have been enjoying sprouts with regularity, but wanted more.... I purchased some different microgreen seeds from the seed collection, and tried them outside under the shade cloth, but it is already too hot and humid, but then I thought to try them in the greenhouse. and aha!  this may be the answer.   Loo...

As you know in 2016 when I went over to America I took a busy book for my grandson.  Here it is. Now he is turning four and that busy book has been busy being played with by both him and his little sister.   My daughter insisted that they both need a new busy book when I go over in May! He loves ducks - he has a favourite to sleep with, a favourite to carry around all day, and then hundreds of other options,   even so one of his pages is the mother duck and five little ducks that go out to play. (they slide under the fabric on either side)   I rather like the way the little ducks and their mom turned out - I adapted it from a paper pattern.  Then he has a pizza with different amounts of pepperoni so he can learn to count.  They are attached so that they cannot get lost (also to make it a little easier for him, but dont tell his Mom that!  I coudnt resist making this monster that you feed with pom poms (or anything really!) ...

Living on the edge of the Daintree forest I can see firsthand how forests are such an awesome self-sustaining culture.  The leaves and fruit drop on the ground and breakdown to form a wonderful thick rich humus. It makes sense to try to replicate that system in the area of our gardens where we grow food.  That is where the idea of food forests in permaculture was born. I like trees that just give a little filtered light because the fact is that sometimes I still do need to have some sunshine. Living in the tropics, full sun is just too much for most plants.  I find that I am continually cutting branches back to let light in or planting new shoots to create more shade in another area.  Those branches that I cut back are returned to the floor of the food forest, either as green mulch or into the compost and added later.  I am going to focus in the next few posts on each of the main trees I have as the upper layer in my food forest. A while back I planted a mori...

As you know, I really enjoyed making the two memory quilts for my two grandchildren. Here is the one I made for   my granddaughter  , and I do not have a photo of my grandsons quilt.  That will have to be rectified when I go over in May.  I was left with a few table runners and tray cloths that my Mom had painted.  She did that later on in life at the retirement village where she lived.  Such a lovely lady did the classes, and I remember how she included everyone and worked with them according to their abilities.  My Mom made some lovely tablecloths and place mats that I use often.  I really wasn't using these. My older daughter said she would not mind a light summer quilt, so I laid out all the bits of tray cloths and some other quilting fabrics I had lying around.  At one stage I had a bit of a swap here on the blog, exchanging fabric squares so that we could all make a "blog hug quilt"  I never got enough to make  a quilt...

Some things I just keeping trying even though they have never worked in the past.  Are you like that? One thing is grafting -  I tried both a lime and a lemon tree grafted onto a citrus that grew up from the rootstock of a lime mandarin.  I cut a pointed edge on the scion and then inserted it into a slit.   I rested a moist bit of coconut husk into the branch above the graft to allow some moisture and then placed a plastic bag over the entire thing.   Tied up nice and tight with grafting tape. The other thing I have not always had success with is pollinating pumpkins.  I see lots of bees and flying insects, but supposedly pumpkins have to be hand pollinated.  I have let a volunteer pumpkin have its way in the back veggie patch because at least it shades the ground.  I have heard young pumpkin leaves are very tasty, but I have never tried them.  This little thing was right beside the path so I got a female flower and broke away t...

On the way down to some doctors appointments in Cairns I lucked out when I arrived in Bunnings just as their monthly garden group began.  They provided pots, plants, decorations and soil to make your own Christmas centerpiece.  This is my favorite store, but now it has been elevated!  Look at what I made.  I love that dichondra silver falls - they are always talking about that on Gardening Australia, and I even got another lipstick plant which will eventually have to go into its own hanging basket. The pointsettia should be in an area that does not get light in the evenings to help it keep its colour. It is more of a welcome basket than a centerpiece, and gives a lovely christmassy welcome feel to the entrance.   I do surveys to accumulate points which I then trade in for Bunnings coupons, and there really is nothing better than free shopping in my opinion.  I had accumulated 70.00 in coupons, so had fun looking for bargains to make my free money ...

Last night my neighbour called me and told me that the dragonfruit flower had opened.  this one has dropped over onto her side of the fence. It seems to be night blooming, lovely huge flowers, so there we were, cameras in hand, recording the event. Just look at those stamens....  This morning the flower was already beginning to droop and close up.  then all the energy will go into forming some yummy dragonfruit.  There are two other flowers forming.