Had a short rain storm yesterday evening, a welcome relief for the garden which instantly freshened up. The rain brought with it a cool change and fresh earthy scents into the garden. The damp ground, cool fresh air, and early morning sunshine provided wonderful conditions for my walk around the yard with the dogs this morning.
On days it doesn’t rain, I provide daily hand watering of the kitchen garden and potplants. They are pleasingly healthy, we’ve been having meals with fresh herbs and asian greens, although I had to fight off the caterpillars for the last of the bok choy. Today I noticed my first baby tomatoes of the season on the larger of the two bushes which gave a little thrill.
I’ve recently added a new “wing” to the vegie patch, using the “no dig” approach to gardening*. You start off with a thick layer of newspaper over the lawn, cover this with a layer of lucerne hay, sprinkle some organic fertiliser (I used Dynamic Lifter) and cover with a layer of straw. Another sprinkle of fertiliser and then add your compost layer where you plant your seeds or seedlings. I didn’t have compost so used some good quality potting mix.
I planted some capsicum seedlings in one section, and some Roma tomato seeds in another. Also popped some silver beet seeds in the first bed where the bok choy were – there is only one bok choy left, which I’ve let go to seed. I’ll grow some more after the hot part of the year is over.
* A funny little old lady called Esther Deans developed her “no dig” gardening method on poor soil similar to ours. Poor health prevented her from gardening in the traditional way, with lots of back-breaking digging. Instead she dreamt up this way of building up her garden through organic layers on top of the soil. A very practical approach for anyone, but particularly for those who are physically challenged. Esther’s books include anecdotes about people in wheelchairs building no-dig gardens on top of old bedsteads, to raise the garden up to a more accessible level. Don Burke (who wrote The Lazy Gardener) also promotes this method of gardening.