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I ran away from teaching to the country to grow veggies. There are also some chooks and a pair of troublesome goats who were so much trouble they had to go! My simple green life isn't always as simple or as green as I'd like...but I keep trying!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Gardening lessons from nature # 1

Nature's abundance

When one is not enough...

nor two...
 

or even tens...

but hundreds of fragrant orange flowers are set
to assure some oranges in the winter.

Lessons from the orange tree:
1.  Plant/propagate more than you will need.  If some plants fail to thrive, get eaten by snails, slugs, caterpillars or goats, are scratched up by poultry, or are attacked by a disease there is still a chance that some will be left for the gardener to enjoy.
2.  Beauty is important - even in the veggie patch.
3.  Plan ahead.  While in the throes of one season, plan ahead for the next season/s.  Take care of the soil, plant a green manure crop, make compost, plant some seeds for successive crops.

8 comments:

  1. Hazel, I'm completely envious!! I cannot imagine what that smells like. Heaven.

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  2. Good observation Hazel and good advise to all gardeners. I made a similar observation when scooping out the inside of a pumpkin for Halloween. It was filled with hundreds of seeds. BTW they tasted really good baked with honey and tamari.

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  3. I agree beauty in a vege patch is important.. I bought I orange and 1 mandarin tree this year, no sign of flowering as yet,bet they smell lovely

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  4. I love the fruit on the citrus trees but I cant wait for the blossom

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  5. Hazel, don't let my lime tree talk to your orange. Hundreds of blossoms. Hundreds. Smothered in them.

    One lime has set.

    ONE!!!

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  6. Very pretty white flowers. Would look nice in a bouquet.

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  7. Great advice Hazel, I've done the first one - plant more than you think you'll need. I'm trying with the second. The third seems beyond me at this stage, I'm just not a planner, but will work on improving this weakness.

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  8. Handy tips Hazel! I can almost smell the fragrance wafting out of those photos :)

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