Garden Share Collective: June

Would you believe me if I told you I've only spent two and a half hours in the garden during May? It's true. And it's typical of winter in this tiny urban garden. It's not as if there's nothing going on out there... there's heaps... but there's not that much for me to do, except wander and ponder, pull the odd weed, chop off the odd dead bit, and be grateful to have such a happy piece of paradise under my care. And it really is a paradise. Even with the cold temperatures, short days, the storms and snail plague, there are some really beautiful things going on outside. My work as a gardener this month was mostly to slow down and look closely.

This is my June post for the Garden Share Collective -- a wonderful online community sharing the garden love.

 

June Harvest

We're pretty much reduced to herbs and greens for harvesting. It will be like this for the next few months. The herbs that are doing really well at the moment are the ones I want for stuffing inside a roast chicken, or under a rack of lamb. Rosemary, thyme, bay. There's also a mother lode of parsley, and the good old dependable sorrel, which I mostly just nibble raw while hanging out the washing or dumping the kitchen compost.

I don't do much sitting in my high perch over the winter, but sometimes I get rugged up and take a hot drink, a cushion and my journal up there for a bit of writing first thing in the morning. It's a very special spot. The parsley and sorrel are big and lush up there.

Down in the lower level raised bed, the green onions are soldiering along and the pak choy which got decimated by the snails have started to grow back. The snail infestation is over, thank goodness. There are little bits of greens to pick in this bed now, and the self sewn lettuces will keep us in small but fabulous salads all winter long.

June Planting

Veges
I planted so many seeds last month, I didn't plant any at all this month. One chore I have been doing (almost) every day is moving the seedlings in and out of the shed. They usually have the day out on the courtyard table, and the night in the shed.

They're all doing really well, and starting to resemble the adult plants they'll become. But I haven't got the heart to put them out into the soil yet. I'll let them have just a bit more time being molly-coddled.

The basil is soldiering on, but very very slowly. I might bring the containers inside, one at a time, so see if I can get them to grow a bit faster. I do feel a bit bad trying to grow basil in the cold... they are reluctant in a way only a warm summer plant can be in winter. I do feel a bit mean for planting them when I did. What to do?

Sweet peas
Here are those sweet peas I planted last month. Good and healthy, and they seem to be loving the cold. They will need to get planted out pretty soon. I hope next month's post will show them shooting up a trellis like sweet pea rockets, heading for the stars.

Bulbs
Every year I think, I must plant some bulbs in pots, just to have at the back door for their eye candy factor. And I never get around to it. Until this year. Here's the daffodil nursery.

I can't wait till these are flowering and dazzling us with their glorious smell and colour.

It's super easy to get bulbs to grow like this. Just put some potting soil in a container -- shallow containers seem to be perfect for the job -- pop your bulbs in, flat end down, pointy end up, and press them about half-way into the soil. Water and wait. You can buy bags of bulbs at the garden for pretty cheap. These early cheers were $8 for 20 bulbs. It's a nice easy project with big impact if you're gardening in a tiny space.

June chores
Chances are I'll take most of the month off again, and limit my gardening to idle snipping, weed pulling, and picking up dead leaves while I'm wandering the garden paths. I'll definitely be watching out for the return of the snails. But mostly it will be another quiet month inside doing crochet.

I'll keep the camera handy though, just in case there are more winter surprises in store. Here's what I found out there this morning.

The Daphne is budding up way earlier than it usually does. We don't usually see these until late July, early August.

Strawberry leaves, dusted in dew, looking all hoary and furry and cute.

 This is pretty exciting. A hellebore, I think grown from seed. I can't wait to see what colour the flowers are.

 Japonica, also not due to flower until July, but showing off its little orange party dress already. 

 Did I mention I do quite a lot of crochet? I get my inspiration from the passionfruit vine!

Guavas, in season and on time. These guys are tiny and will ripen to yellow. Like little lolly fruits, perfect to pop in your mouth on your way up the path.

Happy gardening everyone. Don't forget to slow down, wander and ponder, and cherish every moment in your own piece of paradise.