back home again

Returning to the garden after being away is always a bit exciting mixed with a feeling of dread about what might have gone wrong.

This time the irrigation popped and the hot house didn’t get water for a day. Say goodbye to a couple of punnets of seedlings. Mice have also been at work eating seedlings, but I think they’ll sprout back. Sigh of relief – well that wasn’t too bad was it? Now what’s gone right?
The sorghum crop managed to sprout without getting eaten by doves or mice.

The sorghum is a green manure crop which I’ll plow in in a couple of months time.

Out at the ilparpa plot (oops forgot to take the camera with me), we’re harvesting beans, cucumbers, small carrots and tomatoes.

The first female pumpkin flowers have appeared and the rest of the pumpkins and watermelons are going bonkers. However I’ll probably find there are no bees now to pollinate them. My theory about this time of year is that when the river red gums the coolabahs and others flower – all of the bees bugger off from the garden and concentrate on the better nectar source. Hand pollinating zucchinis and pumpkins is the way to go in Oct/November I think.
By the way does anybody know of any bee hives going begging??

My wong bok cabbages went to seed rather than to head – I think because they experienced a period of stress when the watering system was not working properly.

The rabbits. They always seem to get out when we go away. My theory on that is that when they don’t get their usual treats they get all twitchy.

All else is fine

Snake beans getting bigger

The Asparagus has gone to fern and now beginning to compete with the pigeon pea, Amaranth and gossip cabbage