Garden planning near and far

I have my little sheet all printed out with the plants I am going to plant this year. I sway back and forth about moon planting, but generally try to plant by the moon.  It does make sense to use the gravitational force of the moon if you can.  One thing that has never been made clear to me is - does it work the same for seeds and for seedlings? I have lots of compost brewing, as well as three buckets of worm castings.   Exciting times.

 I have seeds, and have purchased a little greenhouse.  It might seem an odd thing to do in my hot, wet climate, but in actual fact, I am hoping this will at least control the amount of water my little seedlings get.  If it gets too hot in there, I will add a shadecloth over the top.  I also plan to grow the microgreens in there as they get so many bugs out in the garden.  There has been an ever so slight decrease in temperature,
Remember my gorgeous dragon fruit flowers?  Well, they matured into lovely luscious fruit, and my grand daughter was trilled to see this one was in the shape of a heart!.
 The garden has not been empty all this time, every spare spot has been filled with turmeric, ginger or sweet potato.  The polystyrene trays have been left out and seaweed dumped on top of them, so that will be some lovely soil built up in there as that all rots down.

 Even though the heat this summer has been excessive, some plants in the herb spiral have done very well. My moringa tree has taken off and I need to keep harvesting the leaves to keep it low an bushy.  the Mexican tarragon, sawtooth coriander and lemon balm look good, and the parsley is still going strong in the polystyrene box.

As well as my own garden I am also going to be starting a little raised bed garden for my daughter when I go to visit her in America in July.  She lives in zone 7, so it is a whole different climate for me. I am thinking of getting them a raised bed, if any of my readers have any ideas of gardening in that climate please leave ideas or tips in the comments.

I also am going to have to think about making my garden as maintenance free as possible. since hubby will be left holding the fort here. 

Comments

  1. JoyfulWed Mar 15, 03:59:00 PM

    Gardening is always an adventure what with the challenges in weather. We've been having a very long, cold winter where I live but soon it should warm up. I'm going to a seed exchange in a few weeks and will begin my garden preparation at that time.

    I'm not familiar with what kind of garden to put in zone 7 as July is well into summer months which is prime growing season in America. But I'm sure you will come up with a lot of good vegetables and perhaps there are some later blooming flowers. I am still very much a green horn when it comes to gardening. Best of luck with two gardens. I'm impressed!

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    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Mar 17, 09:45:00 AM

      It seems as though July will really be too late to plant out the lovely heirloom tomatoes, so my daughter has said she will start some seeds. There are some awesome sites to check what to plant at what time, and I think I will mostly be planting fast growing greens, and kale carrots and squash that will mature into fall.

      Delete
  2. selinaWed Mar 15, 08:06:00 PM

    your gardens are looking lovely & so green! am hoping for cooler weather here, at least we did get some all night rain last night, so things might cool off a bit now.
    no idea what grows in zone 7; but it's always fun to experiment plus their local garden store should know otherwise you just ask the neighbours.
    thanx for sharing

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    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Mar 17, 09:47:00 AM

      thanks Selina, yes local knowledge is always the best thing. Plus there is awesome information on the internet. I also notice it is slightly cooler lately. I am always anxious to start planting!

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  3. SamiThu Mar 16, 12:11:00 AM

    I've never tried a dragonfruit, but it looks pretty.
    There's always something exciting happening in your garden Gill.

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    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Mar 17, 09:48:00 AM

      I think that is its main property is its looks. It is not super sweet like some tropical fruits are.

      Delete
  4. PhuongFri Mar 17, 02:20:00 AM

    The dragon fruit looks gorgeous. How did it taste? I've only eaten the white kind which was slightly tart and very reminiscent of kiwi. I have a friend who swears by moon planting, but I'm always planting a little everyday come spring.

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    Replies
    1. africanaussieFri Mar 17, 09:50:00 AM

      Phuong, I have had both the white and the red, and dont think there is much difference in the flavour. I do successive planting as well - any spare spot is filled up in case a weed wants to move in!

      Delete

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