The Aztecs

I began this post,

then thought of our own dear departed

Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs.

OK! so I am showing my age!

But doncha love the dancing, and the suits?

And why was I thinking of the Aztecs?

Because of the corn and the beans of course.

I waited until the corn was up and growing...

then I hilled up the soil around their roots

and planted climbing beans.

Just like the Aztecs 

(the civilization, not the band)

used to do in South America.

This combination is the absolute pinnacle

of companion planting.

The beans fix nitrogen in the soil for the hungry corn,

and the corn provides something

for the beans to clamber up.

A real win-win situation.

Of course, the Aztecs would have planted

some squash nearby and allowed it to ramble

through the lot to save space.

And no 'poison ivy' in sight!

Can't wait to see how much it has grown

when I get home.

Four corner views #2

I took these photos as a record of the veggie garden

as I headed off on my trip.

So I will be able to ascertain the difference

when I return...and, if I have to,

I will use them to whack The Cook

over the head if she lets it all die.

Check out the potatoes in front.

I have three colours of climbing beans growing up that tee pee
made from fallen branches.  It is very tall.

Oh no! 

I just got an email from The Cook

to say the creek pump, which feeds

all the taps in the garden,

has gone on the blink.

Being the mechanical incompetent

that she is, she will have no hope

of fixing the pump...

even if it is the simplest problem.

She is using buckets.

I am expecting to see the veggies

all tall and lush and

The Cook, all thin and taut

when I return.

Pumped and a little corny

I am pumped about my PUMPkin harvest.

Yesterday, I picked most of the pumpkins except for another six Queensland Blues which still have green vines.  I will let die off a bit more before I bring them in.  You will see that I have left long stalks on the pumpkins...these will dry off and seal fruit so that there is less chance of mildew.

I think they are just beautiful.

Pottimaron - Diggers heirloom variety

Queensland Blue

Butternut

This year I planted pumpkins and corn together...two of the three sisters.  I did plant some beans with them, but too late.  Next time I will definitely put all the three sisters together.  It was worth doing even with just two of them.  I had the best corn crop I have ever grown...at least two big cobs on each stalk, and the pumpkins did well too.

When I pulled them out their roots were entwined in a sisterly embrace.  Don't you love the cleverness of corn with its buttress roots to hold the stalk up.

 There were a few cobs that were past their best, but the chookies loved them.  Nothing goes to waste here!

Automatic vegetable gardening.

I recently prepared a 'no dig garden' so that I wouldn't have to dig, obviously.   I was, however planning on planting it out.  

But look!  It planted itself!  

A large part of it is full of potatoes that I obviously didn't dig up properly last year.  How about that for automatic gardening.  

This garden is inside a large netted cube and I really wanted to use it to plant veggies at risk of bird attack.  So, I did pull some potatoes out to make room for other things but then I mounded up some soil and lots of straw.  I hope they are productive so that they warrant the space they take up.  That gap in the middle is going to be a patch of sweet corn.  Apparently it goes well with tatties.

I have grown lots of tomatoes from seed this year but they are still small and may take a while to get going.  So I brought two larger seedlings.  Both are early fruiters.  This one is a 'Burke's Backyard, italian tomato'.  If you look closely you can see tiny basil and marigolds too.  Both are great companion plants for tomatoes.

I watered them in with Charlie Carp.  This is a liquid fertilizer made from European Carp which are an introduced pest in our waterways in Australia.  I like the idea of a pest becoming something useful.

If you are interested in finding out more about companion planting there is a link in my sidebar to a good site. 

Little baby carrots!

For the record

Today I planted:

• 1 Burke's Backyard Italian Tomato
• 6 Grosse Lisse tomatoes (grown from seed)
• 6 Heirloom tomatoes (mixed - grown from Diggers seeds)
• 6 Mortgage Buster tomatoes (grown from seed)
• 6 Big Momma Capsicums (green/red)
• 1 Chocolate Capsicum (Small fruit/Diggers)
• 1 Perennial Basil (seedling - never heard of that one before)
• 2 Black zucchini seedlings to replace 2 eaten by snails (grrr)
• Basil and marigolds grown from seed.

This is a lot of tomatoes but I have the space.  I plan to do a lot of sauce making and I want to have a go at sun drying some.  If you cut them in quarters, drizzle with olive oil and cook them in the oven until they slump, they freeze well and make a good replacement for canned tomatoes.  And of course, I will be giving lots away to my neighbours and non-gardening relatives.