THE INSIDE

Luckily my family a) doesn't notice things and b) is very lovely because every room in our house has been invaded by seeds and all other stages of a plant's life. I found a soggy old cucumber behind the beans, in the veg garden, and was very happy because I thought I had eaten them all and not saved any of this lovely yellow one for seed. For some days it sat on the kitchen bench with a note telling others not to throw it away. Yesterday I cut it open and scooped out the seeds and the 'jelly' they were sitting in and read in the Seedsavers Manual to leave them until the goo has rotted away. Lovely. Now it rests in a little crystal bowl, just the right size, that my mother recently gave me to serve pretty little desserts in, until it is ready. Oh well, we don't have dainty desserts much.Good crystal should be used, I hear her say !
In the kitchen there is also my big bread-making bowl filled with olives soaking (see recipe link), and a pile of pumpkin seeds drying off before being stored. Next to the stove is a little glass jar holding about 10 black bean seeds with a note reminding me to think about what the hell they were from !!
Last night I sat in the lounge and sorted out all my various bean seeds into containers, now they are all dry (I hope). They are still there because the laundry - where I try to keep seeds - is full of other seeds all doing their thing. Even the dining room table has succumbed to the disease as that is where the seedpods are that I assembled to take those photos of the development of a 'Butterfly Bush' seedpod (see photos link). I can't bare to throw them away, they are so gorgeous with their silky beards, still held in the bird-like pods. Does anyone want some ?
In the spare bedroom are all the pumpkins that I didn't sell to Wilson's - it is very cold in there and I hope they will keep well. Over the bath in the main bathroom hang all the garlic I grew and harvested last December - very handy as all the mess falls in the bath and no-one ever has a bath here anyway.
I apologised to Barb about the state of my house the other day but she kindly said it is a home and shows that people live here. (Not many people do live here actually - there is much more plant life.)
On top of the built- in -oven is a shelf which gets some light from a high window and is nice and warm and there I keep my Curry Tree, in winter. I am thinking of putting my newly- acquired Fish Herb there too as it is not looking that happy in the lounge, by the window. Three pots of lemongrass are attempting to overwinter by another window - god, I need a glasshouse. I have drawn up a plan for one - I just need a husband with time !............
It is almost too much. I feel, on the one hand, elated at the connection I have with the earth but, for the first time ever, that maybe I really have gone completely insane !

Plants 'recognize' their siblings

Plants are able to recognise their siblings, according to a study appearing in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.
Researchers at McMaster University have found that plants get fiercely competitive when forced to share their pot with strangers of the same species, but they’re accommodating when potted with their siblings.
“The ability to recognize and favour kin is common in animals, but this is the first time it has been shown in plants” Susan Dudley, associate professor of biology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, said. “When plants share their pots, they get competitive and start growing more roots, which allows them to grab water and mineral nutrients before their neighbours get them. It appears, though, that they only do this when sharing a pot with unrelated plants; when they share a pot with family they don’t increase their root growth. Because differences between groups of strangers and groups of siblings only occurred when they shared a pot, the root interactions may provide a cue for kin recognition.”
Though they lack cognition and memory, the study shows plants are capable of complex social behaviours such as altruism towards relatives, says Dudley. Like humans, the most interesting behaviours occur beneath the surface.
Dudley and her student, Amanda File, observed the behavior in sea rocket (Cakile edentula), a member of the mustard family native to beaches throughout North America, including the Great Lakes.
So should gardeners arrange their plants like they would plan the seating at a dinner party?
“Gardeners have known for a long time that some pairs of species get along better than others, and scientists are starting to catch up with why that happens,” says Dudley. “What I’ve found is that plants from the same mother may be more compatible with each other than with plants of the same species that had different mothers. The more we know about plants, the more complex their interactions seem to be, so it may be as hard to predict the outcome as when you mix different people at a party.”

THE LAZY GARDENER STRIKES GOLD

One cold, wet evening, when the compost bucket was full to overflowing, the kitchen gardener had had enough of the garden filling up the kitchen and just wanted somewhere to throw the remains of a lovely celery given to her by a friend earlier in the week. It was a big lump of a thing, with roots attached from which all the edible bits had been removed and put in the fridge. I walked out onto the verandah and dropped it over into the dark soil behind a row of plectranthus. Done..........

This afternoon, several weeks later, I took my coffee out onto said verandah and, standing there marvelling at the lovely, sunny day, I spied a clump of green just over the edge. I abandoned my coffee and, with a quiet 'bloody hell what's that' type of exclamation I discovered that the celery had grown leaves, where once there were none ! I leapt down the steps, pushed aside the plectranthus and delved in and sure enough, the roots were lying there on the surface but masses of tiny hair roots had snuggled down into the moist soil. In the complete shade the brilliant green of the leaves and stems had, amazingly, flourished. So I transplanted it to the veg garden where I took this photo. Now I have perpetual celery; I wonder how long I can keep this one plant going.

BILL'S FARM

A brief respite in the rain allowed us all to be guided over Biopark Organic farm and experience Bill's enthusiasm to make this an organic farm to be proud of.

So much has been done in 3 or so years, to turn this from an overgrown piece of wasteland to a beautiful, organic fruit orchard and vegatable farm with plans to introduce beef cattle soon.

There are woodlots as well as plantings to regenerate native bushland and, literally, heaps and heaps of compost being made from everything available.

Water management is important and Bill is trying to both reduce the speed of run-off to allow soakage as well as using some special tractor attachment to penetrate the ground, without turning over the soil, also to increase the amount of water able to soak into the soil.

There are trial areas where Bill experiments with vegetable varieties (and enjoys eating the findings). The most amazing discovery for all of us was the strawberry patch which, in June at Mt Barker was still producing so many gorgeous strawberries we couldn't eat them all - despite our best efforts ! Sea Spray was the variety but Bill says it is only available by the 1000. Maybe one day !

Back at Bill's house we outdid ourselves with the delicious afternoon tea and Bill makes a great, strong coffee. It was hard to stop asking Bill questions and get off home. I hope we will be invited back again to see the progress....... and have a few more of those strawberries!

Thanks Bill.

HA, HA, HA !

.

ps I have put the instructions for pickling olives on the recipes link.

BIODYNAMIC METHODS

Beyond Organics: Sunday September 23rd
8.30am – 4.30pm $95

One day course to introduce the practical concepts of the biodynamic methods to farmers & gardeners. The biodynamic method is a modern organic approach that creates a holistic approach to building healthy soil, plants, animals & humans. Includes notes, biodynamic preparations, lunch & teas.
Nirvana Organic Farm184 Longwood RoadHeathfield 5153
For further enquires: email Deborah

Thanks Deb. This sounds like a great idea. See you there.

VASILI'S GARDEN

Wednesdays, 7.30 SBS

I have just discovered this show where this Greek/ Australian bloke goes around to various European home gardens in Melbourne and checks out what and how they grow vegies. It is, on the one hand, hilarious and on the other so informative. The website is also worth a look. Here is an extract from one show :

........His Napoli tomatoes are grown with two leaders to a height of 5½ feet tall. Leaves are removed from the leaders to stop diseases occurring; this also helps to direct all nutrients to the top of the plant where it's needed for the new growth. The canopy of tomatoes extends over a homemade pergola constructed of galvanised piping. The tomatoes are cleared of any leaves at the bottom of the canopy so that full sun can be absorbed into the leaders and there is a continuous flow of air around the stems, enabling them to breathe. There are just enough leaves left on top of the canopy to protect the tomatoes from frost and scorching sun. Napoli tomatoes are normally grown in spring to summer and require warm to temperate climate conditions. But Cosimo shows that he still has tomatoes growing in Melbourne’s late autumn climate conditions. Tomatoes thrive in a light organic soil, but Cosimo’s garden consists of clay soil, which is heavy, and this is why he must rake the soil to air the roots and remove weeds regularly. For a canopy like Cosimo’s, allow two leaders to develop into a bushy plant. Harvest the tomatoes and remove new leaders and leaves. Tie back the main leaders to a pole or a pergola. Repeat this process until the leaders reach a height of two metres. Allow the tomatoes to branch out over the pergola or canopy. (This is the interesting bit and I am going to try it this summer)

http://www21.sbs.com.au/vasilisgarden/