Africanaussie

I have been busy every spare minute getting the veggie garden organised.  A couple of weekends ago we were looking at the swale/hugulkuture area, and thinking that the front part with the raised beds looked so nice and neat and didn't want to have the back area looking untidy.  Here you can see the small hand dug swale area and raised area mostly consisting of roots and branches behind the two raised beds.  I have only ever read about swales in large areas, and the same with hugulkulture, so would it be possible to combine the two into a raised bed system, and have another raised bed behind the two - essentially having the hugelkuture contained in a raised bed?  Our nearest Bunnings had run out of the same type of raised beds, so we ordered one in, and last Sunday went down to pick it up.  I had hubby assemble it, while I dug out around the mound I had created - the hugelkuture mound - I love saying that word :)  I popped it right over the top, added the gravel and suddenly t

Since I last posted there has been lots of digging going on.  Two trees were removed - a moringa in the herb spiral and the barbados cherry in the veggie bed. Those roots were everywhere, and I think were robbing the veggie beds of nutrition.    This is looking from the back, and I have collected the roots that I dug up to go into the high part of the swale -  as these roots break down they will add to the soil structure.  I am also going to empty out the compost bin and cover it with soil for the same reason.  You can see here that the soil is lower at the back of the beds and then rises up to the swale.  I still have leveling and digging of these paths to go.  I am not sure what I am going to do with the bed alongside the fence.  I like the idea of a row of those wicking polystyrene boxes as I like to  grow solanacea family in them as I have bacterial wilt in the soil. With the rest of the garden looking so nice and neat, will the polystyrene  boxes look untidy?  any other ideas?

Having done two overseas trips this year, and suffering drought conditions which led to water rationing for a year means my poor little garden has suffered.   My hubby did his best to keep watering at prescribed times, but we have had high winds, and then also visits by plenty of bandicoots.  They find a way in through the smallest possible little gap under the fence. This has of course been very frustrating, and I began to wonder if in fact I really do love gardening.  It is all so hard.... miserable .... depressing......Oh my gosh I got myself into a deep place of miserableness.  "Hello"  said the flowers on the dragonfruit, cheering me up a bit, and the golden candles seem to be thriving in this weather, Plus ....Yes!  there are lychees ripening, and I am sure there are other creatures watching for the minute they are ready to pick, just as I am!   After having the family over for  a breakfast out in the garden, hubby and I had a little chat, and both fee

I saw fennel on special last week and bought a nice big bulb for $1.00.  I always think I should like it, but then often when I get it home it doesn't live up to its expectations.  I tried roasting it and it never really softened, I thought you could roast anything and it would improve the flavour and texture!  Roasting vegetables is my very favorite way of cooking vegetables, and every week I roast a couple of trays of vegetables.  So while my tray of vegetables was roasting, I decided to make up a salad with the fennel. The one that had caught my eye combined apple and fennel, and whenever I am juicing a lemon I will grate in the rind - do you do that?  It adds so much extra flavour.  The following day I sort of combined everything for my lunch and it was AMAZING.  You have to try this.... 1/2 large bulb chopped or finely shredded fennel 2 apples, cored and sliced juice and grated rind of one large lemon 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper 4 cups mixed