The first Garden Share collective post of 2015!
Happy New Year to all of you! I wish you all lots of Health, Wealth and Happiness!
Dear Lizzie at Strayed from the table has her post up and running ready to link up to. I really enjoy seeing how everyone elses garden is faring, although I must admit after looking at Lizzies okra I have okra envy - I really thought okra would grow well here, but mine is struggling.
The humidity and heat over the Christmas season was really oppressive, and then over the weekend it rained! When I aded these stones last year I dug a bit of a ditch on the outer side, but clearly that was not quite enough for the quantity of rain that we have.
I started to make this path a little lower, hoping that the water would run down there and soak into the ground to be used up by the plants. I discovered that the asparagus roots are reaching out into the path, so moved the side of the perrenial bed over a bit, but probably need to make another plan, maybe just a skinny little path here. I also cleaned out the gutters, and cut back some overhanging branches so that the leaves dont fall into the gutters.
I noticed that one of my eggplant is yellow - not sure if it has gone yellow from age or it started out that way. I might have missed it as I thought that box just had purple ones.
Like this one - I love having eggplant again!
This is the other kind that I have - little round white ones - I think they are Thai as I bought the plant from a Thai lady at the markets.
I also have coffee beans :)
My avocado tree is not looking too happy, and I have sweet potato growing as a ground cover over the middle bed.
All my spices are doing well, ginger, lemongrass, turmeric.
The wet season is a time when I dont plant or harvest much although it does look as though I will have quite a few eggplant through the season. Maybe Lizzie will send me her okra secret and my okra will take off :)
Dear Lizzie at Strayed from the table has her post up and running ready to link up to. I really enjoy seeing how everyone elses garden is faring, although I must admit after looking at Lizzies okra I have okra envy - I really thought okra would grow well here, but mine is struggling.
The humidity and heat over the Christmas season was really oppressive, and then over the weekend it rained! When I aded these stones last year I dug a bit of a ditch on the outer side, but clearly that was not quite enough for the quantity of rain that we have.
I noticed that one of my eggplant is yellow - not sure if it has gone yellow from age or it started out that way. I might have missed it as I thought that box just had purple ones.
All my spices are doing well, ginger, lemongrass, turmeric.
The wet season is a time when I dont plant or harvest much although it does look as though I will have quite a few eggplant through the season. Maybe Lizzie will send me her okra secret and my okra will take off :)
I'm no eggplant expert, but the calyx (?, leaves) doesn't look anything other than young. Maybe just call the path a water feature? Everything just looks so good - love this time of the year.
ReplyDeleteLinda, clever observation! I plan to pick them today and give them a taste - the white and yellow and will see if there is a difference. I wonder where the yellow one came from? I suppose that is why people get garden designers in, they would have planned the veggie garden to slope down away from the house....
DeleteRain? What is that? Please send some down here :) Glorious looking eggplants and as always I am envious of all the amazing spices you can grow.
ReplyDeleteOh this is supposed to be our wet season where we regularly get flooding rain. So unusual to have a drought up here. I love growing unusual spices, and of course cooking with them!
DeleteThe eggplants are mouthwatering to see. I hope your okra gets a grip. Okra is one of my favorites. The only tip I have is that it loves heat.
ReplyDeleteJean,
DeleteI have never tried it before, and i must say I read blogs where they talked so casually about it that I thought it would be a cinch to grow. It has been very hot and humid, but maybe it will take off now with the rain.
You have lovely egglants and I love your new waterproof garden path. So clever to divert the rain away when it comes and be able to move easily about. Your garden, as always, looks very pretty. What wonderful coffee beans, how old is your tree to produce beans? :D
ReplyDeleteMerryn,
Deletewith bacterial wilt in the soil I am glad I persisted with the wicking beds, as the eggplant seem happy in them. I hope that the diversion does work....I use the weed mat and then throw the weeds onto it, When I turn it over the weeds go back into the ground where they cant grow up again and I have clean paths. I have had that coffee plant for aobut two years now, and it doesnt have coffee beans on all branches so I am thinking that next years harvest should be better.
Gillian you will be happy to know that my okra crop last year was a big fail and I am super impressed with this years crop too. I got seeds from Eden Seeds and I think one of the varieties is the crimson. I have had no luck with eggplants this season, last year I would have picked over 10kg of the things but this year I am still waiting. Surely soon. Happy New Year to you too.
ReplyDeleteLiz,
DeleteWell I wonder what made the difference? Mine was called Okra burgundy and I got the seeds from the seed collection. All of their other seeds were awesome. I wasnt sure if I should grow it during the wet or dry season. Maybe I planted it a bit late. If you are saving some of your okra seed maybe I can send you some eggplant seed in exchange? The little white ones are lovely. Hoping my okra will just take off now with the rain.....
Happy New Year to you! Not much happening in my garden - two Christmas trees in pots are flourishing and there are signs that daffodils are coming up but no flowers - too wet and soggy to walk on so no closer inspection this month!!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh isnt it too early for daffodils? we will be wet and soggy for another couple of months!
DeleteGosh I have never seen a yellow eggplant .. I wonder. Gosh that was some down pour you had. Got to be good for the garden :) We don't have much luck with avos either .. They are extremely fussy ( Well I think so ) good luck with that coffee!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen one either, but clearly this is another type that i have got from somewhere. I am still holding out hope for the avo....
DeleteThe white eggplants are thai ones I am sure. They grow to a much smaller size than the regular variety, so pretty! You really did get a lot of rain! I hope that the drainage issues are sorted for you now. We don't tend to get the amount of rain you do but I sympathize as we have battled draining issues around our home. Have a lovely month.
ReplyDeleteYes I have been buying those white eggplant from a Thai lady at the markets for some time. I hope so too. I also relaly need to figure out how to widen the asparagus bed without losing my path....
DeleteWow - that amount of rain is amazing! I love the eggplant - I'll be waiting until around March for mine so am very jealous.
ReplyDeleteBek,
DeleteWhen I get a good eggplant it can go year round, I am hoping these will do that!
Lovely garden pictures as always. Happy 2015 to you too. I wish I could grow coffee just because it would be fun to grow coffee . I tried and the frosts got to the plants.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I doubt I will grow enough to make a cup of coffee, but I also find it fun to grow unusual things.
DeleteI love your 3 eggplant colours and the fact that you're growing coffee at home.
ReplyDeleteYes it is rather fun to try different ones. We have bacterial wilt in the soil so I am always on a quest to find resistant varieties to grow here.
DeleteThree different varieties of eggplants in your garden....good for you!
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit skeptical at starting over with vegetables in my garden after the killer caterpillars last year. I only have herbs planted now....I will give the veggie garden another go later this year.
Glad you had some decent rainfall.
Happy New Year!!
I didn't know I was getting three varieties, but am happy about the success. I think every year my plants get better and better as my soil gets better and better.
DeleteWow! Your eggplants colours are unique... have not seen these before, Gillian. And you've displayed these beautifully in your images. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed and joyful New Year 2015 with God's overflowing goodness all year round. :)
Thank you Jacquie, I pray you have a great year as well. I thought you had lots of different and unusual vegetables there!
Delete