photos and updates

As you can see, this is the garden project, on the move.

Everything that wasn't given away to be grown or used somewhere else,

was packed up on the trailer, probably several times!

The deck garden was completely packed up and moved, leaving a bare, bleak space,

and all of the outside gardens were removed, according to the landlord's wishes.

Personally I think it looks a little sad and bereft, and honestly it was a shame to see all that hard work have to be take down, just because of someone's hunger for cold hard cash.

Still, them's the breaks, and people have to live the way they choose, and take whatever comes of it I guess. It has been a blessing for my household, as we are now settled in a cosy, warm, comfortable, and less expensive place, with greater potential, and only two minutes' slow walk from the sea! We have moved to the Bay of Plenty, which sounds and feels much more auspicious all round. Of course there are challenges - moving house, especially to a completely new area, is always a mission. However, Bay of Plenty is right! There are masses of avocado orchards, kiwi fruit orchards, vineyards, and an organic orchard growing all sorts, right at the end of my road! The neighbours are friendly and helpful, the weather has been so blissful we were swimming in the sea right up until just past Easter, and I have successfully auditioned for a part in a local community theatre, which means that very soon I will be treading the boards! A dream come true indeed.

I also have sunflowers and pumpkins growing, which is amazing because they are completely out of season! It has been so warm and sunny, I am going to keep them under cover, and try to kid them that it's a very long slow spring, so that they will be ready to grow big and strong when it's their time. My new house has a beautiful rosemary bush, which was a big reason for moving in, and also lots of mint, and heaps of little yellow cherry tomatoes. I have put in a winter garden of lettuce, broccoli, and spinach, and will be adding silverbeet and beetroot seedlings very soon. Watch this space for photos...

happy gardening,

Lou

luddite country

hey to all, I have moved house, finally, and me and the animals are gradually settling in. However - no internet access! am working on it, but won't be up and running for a little while yet unfortunately. Hey to Kat, have sent you an e-mail back, hope it gets to you - and to Cat in the UK, sent you one too, hope it got there! love to all, and happy gardening

St Jude

well there have been many miracles on the road in the last month. There will be a full update, with photos, in the very near future. However, I would just like to thank all family, friends, and supporters, who have made the last month do-able, and I would really like to thank St Jude for so many miracles! Here, for those in need, is his prayer:

"May the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Be Adored and Glorified, Loved and Preserved,
Throughout the World, Now and Forever.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pray for Us,
St Jude, Worker of Miracles,
St Jude, Helper of the Hopeless, Pray for Us"

say this prayer nine times a day, for nine days, and by the ninth day your prayer will be answered. Publication must be promised.

Thank you St Jude!

happy gardening, lou

up up and away!

Up, up, and away!

I am in the last week of packing and getting ready to move. Shifting day is this weekend, so only five or six more sleeps left here.

I have been busy dismantling and packing up the garden:















so that it is ready to come with me.

The Fabulous Woofer caravan is up for sale, to help finance the move:













check out www.trademe.co.nz, listing number 435278752 for more information.

I have been preparing Sally the Cat for his third house move,

and going exploring for our new home, in the beautiful Western Bay of Plenty,

with Max the Dog

and the newest addition to the household, Little Bobby

who was dog-tired after his big day at the beach!

It has been a full-on two months, and I am looking forward to our next adventure; finding the space for, and building, the new garden and chook-home, and growing heaps more. This really will be the New Project Grow!

Watch this space, and happy gardening

lou

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