I recently made a very productive visit to a Mitre 10 garden
centre and came home with several seedlings and some seed packets for my new
garden.
One of my purchases was five Camarosa strawberry
plants. I chose this variety because it is
meant to give a long fruiting season (light in early summer, then another
heavier crop in mid-summer), is a vigorous grower, has good flavoured large
fruit, and displays extra resistance to wet weather.
I have also planted chives, garlic chives, dill, calendula,
Red Oak lettuce, and celery, as well as sowing some snow peas and perennial
spring onions (also known as Welsh onions, or bunching onions).
Still to be planted are thyme, rosemary, and pineapple
sage. I have another area for them that
is not yet finished. My plan is to
establish a small herb garden in some cube containers.
Son has given me some mesh to cover the trough-beds with, to
hopefully give some protection from both birds and cats.
Last night was spent very pleasantly, enjoying good company
and a delicious dinner with a brother, his wife, and a visiting relation.
The older I grow the more important family becomes to me,
and so I love these times of being able to get together.
Margaret 😊
That sounds like a great variety of plants...you'll have a great garden! We always plant in mid-May, with harvest for most things beginning in August, then through September/October (depending on what we've planted). I went back to re-read your great info on weather in Hamilton...I'll have to do more reading. I never thought that you'd be planting in "winter" at the same time we're planting in summer! Once our little window from May-October is over, we're done for the year...is Hamilton "just right" for planting/harvesting year 'round? It's so interesting, but I'd definitely be lost if I lived there! Mary
ReplyDeleteWe are very fortunate here, really, as most things can be planted (or will grow) year round. It is really only frost-tender things (like tomatoes) that we cannot grow outdoors during our 'winter.'
DeleteI hope your strawberries do well and all the other things you're putting in. Those wire cages will be great to keep the birds from eating your berries.
ReplyDeleteYou really are making the most of your garden Margaret - do hope the strawberries fulfil their promise for you. Yes, the cats in particular think we garden for their benefit, so netting or other deterrents are much needed!
ReplyDeleteI have just spent the afternoon with my brother and his wife, and I know what you mean about the importance of family as we get older.
Blessings
Maxine
Good luck with your garden. The mesh is a good idea, no doubt necessary in fact.
ReplyDeleteTo gardening and to family especially! Great you had such a great day :-)
ReplyDeleteMy strawberries are all eaten by now... The plants are from 1974!
I have never heard of strawberry plants lasting that long. It's awesome!
DeleteProtection from cats??? What could we possibly want with strawberries? (Mittens? Have you asked Margaret to grow some nepeta. Tell her it's pretty. They fall for that.) xxx Mr T
ReplyDeleteLovely plans for your new garden! I just LOVE the pineapple sage - a favourite!
ReplyDeleteTitti
Pineapple sage, that sounds wonderful I have not heard of that variety of sage before. I hope all garden work bears fruit for you, it sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get a good crop come Summer, I get in trouble every time I go to Mitre 10, I usually wander around the reduced plants section, last time I was there I got a neglected looking peace lily on sale that is now looking much better.
ReplyDeleteThat mesh is a great idea. We have no bees this year. I have seen exactly one. I have two cucumber plants that are about done for the season. They have had 3 cucumbers but none of them grow right because the flowers were not pollinated. I have not seen one single bee on my coneflowers or my hibiscuses. WE have some of the little white clover in our yard and that is where I saw the single bee...normally there are bees on my cone flowers all the time.
ReplyDelete(I worked at an orchard for 19 years...and we were in business with another man. The first year we had them, we planted 50 rows, each row was 400 ft long. The next year, we planted additional rows that were 800 ft. long. I forget how many--I would say about a dozen rows.