on the road again.....

It's been a pretty busy month in the garden, and a lot of changes have happened, although not all of them have been surprising changes.

Firstly, the weather! That has been surprising, it has continued atrocious since forever it seems - rain, cold gusty howling gales, bleak, grey, and miserable for the longest time. We had a very short autumn, and a harsh winter, and it seems to be continuing on into 'spring'. There have been a few sunny days, about four or five in the last eight months! For a sunshiney person like myself, this has been very hard to live with, especially in a place which is completely exposed to the weather, with no shelter whatsoever.

The wind has been a real problem too, howling and excessively strong, all day every day, with no let-up, and most of the nights too, since April. It upsets my personal equilibrium, and I feel like I'm being picked up and shaken vigorously all the time, which is not great. The house physically shakes! It's a wonder it hasn't flown off down the hillside yet.

Such excessive wind makes working outside much much harder, and much more unpleasant, than working in a sheltered spot. Wind affects the house by making it colder, for longer, because of the wind chill factor. It also affects the plants, damaging their leaves, battering them about and weakening stems, and often breaking off plant heads, which means that they don't grow, and they are miserable too. I haven't been able to put much spring planting outside, because it just won't survive in this weather, so that has greatly slowed down progress of the vege garden.

And finally, the biggest change of all - we are going to be on the road again! No surprises here: The landlady is putting up the rent on the property, to more than I can afford, and way more than the property is worth, so I am moving myself, the cat, the dog, the 6 chickens, and the garden, to somewhere that we can stay for a long time, and call home. We will all be gone from here by 29th January 2012 at the latest.

Most of the garden has gone already, to friends, and to a new community garden being built at Peacemakers, in Parakai. I am happy that the plants have a chance to find a stable permanent home, to put roots in the ground, and grow to their full potential. They will help to feed the wider community from there, as part of that community garden project. As above, so below - I am looking for the same for me too. The garden looks very bare and bleak, and reminds me of how it looked when I first came here. This gives me hope, as I can see how much more beautiful the place was, with colourful plants around, and veges growing, and a sense of new life becoming possible. It's obviously not possible here, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

I have learnt, throughout my time at the garden, and throughout this process of getting ready to move, that often change is challenging; but it is possible, and essential, to see it as a blessing, a time of determining what it is that I truly want, and how I want to live, and a time of thankfully receiving and living that vision. I have grown and gained so many treasures, from being at this place - I still have cuttings of all my precious plants, and new treasures such as macadamia trees, new herbs, and lemon trees grown from seed during my time here. When I moved in, I came with a good selection of plants in pots, and a cat. I leave with a cat, a dog, 6 chickens, and a whole bigger trailer load of old and new plants, a whole lot more knowledge, equipment and tools to set up a new more efficient garden, and an orchard! I also have a solid confidence in myself, my abilities, and the rightness of growing food and edible flowers.

I have no doubt that it is good for my health, and therefore the global health, to grow food and a garden. I have no doubt that it is do-able, and that I can do it. I have no doubt that this move is a godsend and a goddess-send; and that my household and I will connect with the place which will shelter, nourish, and support us, so that we may grow, thrive, and reach our full potential. Bring it on! and watch this space.....

Let There bee Bees on Earth, and Give Bees a Chance Too (if we want to survive, that is)

from 'Trees for Bees', published by the Federated Farmers of New Zealand (http://www.fedfarm.org.nz/)


'The future of farming is reliant on all farmers playing their part in protecting the honey bee'.


That's a pretty strong statement, Federated Farmers of New Zealand! What's so important about bees? Aren't they just another tiny insect that buzzes around making honey? Surely they aren't that big a deal. Some people don't even like honey! Why do we need them so much?


Well, apparently, the FF of NZ tell us that:


'The bee is one of the hardest workers in horticulture and agriculture; about $3 billion of our GDP is directly attributable to the intensive pollination of horticultural and specialty agricultural crops by bees.'

Ok, so they work hard - well, who doesn't these days? what's so great about that?

FF of NZ:-

'Of all the food we eat, about a third of the calories and three-quarters of the diversity rely on bees for pollination.'


Hmm. Okay, that sounds pretty important. It sounds like, if there were no bees, there might not be too much food around, or much of a range of food. But why should we humans take care of them? can't they do that all for themselves, busy little things that they are?


The farmers say:

'The honey bee is in trouble. Worldwide, bee numbers are declining. The bee is being attacked by an increasing number of bee pests (e.g. varroa mite) and diseases. Featuring prominently in this equation is the severe decline in floral nutrition resources, creating a shortage of quality pollen for the bees to eat. Malnutrition severely compromises the bees' resistance to pests and diseases.'

Hmm. Okay, that does sound serious, and not in a good way. So, let me get this straight:

- we need bees to pollinate plants, so that we can grow food

- bee activity contributes to, and is responsible for, a really quite substantial chunk of essential agriculture and horticulture, which in turn is responsible for a healthy GDP and export revenue

- bees need flowers and bee-friendly environments, so that they can eat enough to keep going, and fight off pests and diseases

- bees currently don't have enough food or safe bee-friendly places to live and thrive. Also, they are being attacked by diseases and pests that they can't fight off when they are starving

- bees are slowly dying off, all around the world, and their numbers are declining significantly enough to pose a serious threat to human survival and economic development

Well, Federated Farmers of New Zealand, when you put it like that, it's really quite a problem! But I'm only one person, with a tiny patch of garden. How can I start helping to reverse this dreadful turn of events?


Turns out that it is really pretty easy to do something to encourage, nurture, and feed bees. As my gardener grandfather used to say, "when the old lady peed in the sea, she said 'every little helps'..." Even though I only have a small piece of garden, which is in an extremely harsh and inhospitable environment, it is amazing how many bee-friendly plants I have grown.




lemon balm in flower

globe artichoke

thyme and oregano

californian poppies

carnations

borage

berries - bees really like it when they flower

raspberry

mint

strawberry

lemon tree - again, bees like the flowering process

lemon tree, lemon balm, thyme and oregano -a bee smorgasbord







and of course, lovely lavender, a true bee favourite

borage flowers





and another classic for bees, remarkable rosemary

I have just been given some fabulous marjoram cuttings today too, which I will plant up ready for the bees to come and enjoy - many thanks to Andrea for that beautiful bounty. Other plants on my bee wish list include cornflower, marigold, and crocus.

So, Federated Farmers of New Zealand, and bees of New Zealand, take heart, I am growing a small meal for you, and I hope it will turn into a veritable feast. And take heart all would-be gardeners and bee-lovers, there are lots of small plants which encourage and nourish bees, so go on, bee brave, honey, and put some in the ground! Let There bee Bees on Earth, and Give Bees a Chance.

happy gardening,

lou

Let There Be Peas on Earth

Growing veges is great, practical as well as beautiful, and it makes total sense to me, especially in these times of financial crisis. Growing healthy spray-free food makes even more sense in the face of heavy toxic pollution of the earth and of it's natural bounty. However, I have also been thrilled to be able to grow blooming lovely flowers too, which feed the soul, so here is an update in picture form.


these are tiny bouquets of nasturtium flowers and purple sage flowers (which are also edible, now that really is practical as well as beautiful), orange californian poppies, and peas, perfect (sweet) peas.

Let there be more (sweet) peas on earth!

and give peas a chance.

Peas be upon you all, and all of your gardens.

happy gardening

lou

balmy and eggs-citing

I've been making lemon balm tea, with a generous pinch of mint for extra spice. Put a good handful of leaves in a pot, add water that has boiled, and then sat for a minute. Put your nose over it and take a good long sniff. Gorgeous! Drink as it is, or add honey to taste.

Here are happy chicken eggs from happy chickens, gradually being dressed up in lemon balm, nasturtium and borage salad

ta-daa!

Life in the garden is getting very colourful and busy. I have been looking at books in the library, in preparation for running a small community gardening class, starting next week. I have found a book called 'Holy Shit'~! - a guide to managing manure to save mankind. It's funny, because those who spend more than an hour or so in my company are aware that I say 'holy shit' an incredible amount! Guess it must be a sign.

happy gardening

lou

... and the start of something big

This could 'pea' .......












the 'pea'-ginning of something big....



















Here's garlic to keep away the vampires

This is not a has-'bean', that's for sure!

bean and pea making friends with sunflowers and radish

sunflower and radish in old plastic container, with holes in lid and bottom - safe planting to protect from slugs and snails

tomato seedlings, which have been indoors all winter, now getting ready for sunshine

pumpkin, just been taken into indoors custody for it's own protection - the snails and slugs have got to every other pumpkin I've planted so far! This one's mine.....

and, finally, beautiful basil sprouting

happy gardening

lou

strawberries, sweet peas, and spring

This spring has been bizarre and no mistake, in weather terms, with unseasonable and excessive rain, gusty blustery winds at gale force, and cold cold coooold. However, despite all of this, spring is springing in the garden! Two days ago, in a rare patch of sunshine, I dashed out to check on the strawberries which I planted last year, and which have slowly grown throughout the winter. I have fed them chook poo, and worm tea, and recently they have doubled in size, which was pretty exciting. Imagine my even prettier excitement at finding two berries all pink and red, and ready for eating! I picked them off, gave thanks for their growth and their plant, and enjoyed savouring them, all warm from the sun and bursting with only-just-ripe tart juice.

Sweet peas are climbing madly, I started growing them last year too, and I spotted flowers this morning, dotted with raindrops and glowing quietly amongst all the leaves.

They are so colourful, and blooming lovely, I'm enjoying watching them grow and seeing what happens next.

happy gardening

lou