Thursday 21 May 2020

Food Growing in our Garden

While I dream of an entire backyard devoted to growing food, in reality our main veg patch extends just down the length of our back ramp. While not the largest of patches, I still manage to home grow a variety of foods that we enjoy picking and eating. 

Little yellow globes of goodness.

These little cherry-like tomatoes are an heirloom variety, called 'Lemon Drop', that I've not grown before. I will be saving a few seeds though because I want to grow them again. They are delicious in salads and a lovely colour contrast to the usual red cherry toms.

Crisp & crunchy snow peas.

Snow peas are one of my favourite garden snacks. I can't walk past them without picking one to munch on! Besides walking around the garden and eating them, I've been harvesting small handfuls and adding them to stir fries. They've grown so well this season. 


A frilly fancy lettuce.

Lettuce has so far been a bit of a hit and miss affair this Autumn. I planted some which were bitter after a blast of heat earlier in the season. These frilly fancy lettuces are doing well though. The leaves are being used on sandwiches and in salads. 


A little purple eggplant.

I'm not a huge fan of eggplant so just planted one this season. These are a small variety and perhaps, once they get a bit bigger, will make their way onto a pizza somehow or maybe into a bake of some kind. There's no point in growing what you don't enjoy eating!

Bright green basil. 

Sweet basil is flourishing in the garden where it self seeds happily. The bees and I love it! There's been such an abundance that I've been able to give bunches away to friends who want to make pesto too. Here is a recipe for Macadamia Basil Pesto which is so delicious.

Tall spring onions.

Spring onion grows in our patch all year round. I cut some almost every day and use it in everything from our morning omelettes, salads, stir fries and I always garnish nachos with sour cream and chopped spring onion.

Leaves & stems of silverbeet.

Then there's  silverbeet. It's the most dependable veg in our patch, there's always an Autumn abundance of it and it's so nutritious. One of my favourite recipes in which to use our homegrown silverbeet is this Impossible Pie from Fiona over at Stay Home Instead. Perfect for lunches!

A garden volunteer.

This is the last pumpkin from those that grew on the volunteer vine that popped up in the garden. I picked it after I took this photo as it's time to pull the vine out now and make some more space for new plantings.  Of course, I will roast some of it as that is one of my most favourite things to eat in all the world!

What is your garden growing?

Meg

38 comments:

  1. Wow your veggies are looking amazing...just replying to your mention of exercise - check out youtube "Sam Wood TV" as he has posted daily 28 minute free workouts. He and his wife and the toddlers do a live free workout at 9.00 am every day to help people through this Coronavirus lockdown and then it's on youtube permanently so you can do it anytime you want. You could try doing 15 minutes of the 28 minutes to start with. Walking is great and I have been for a few more walks myself too. Kathy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy to be growing veg in this cooler Autumn weather, Kathy. Summer is a different time altogether and I don't plant much then as it's so hot. Thanks for exercise info.
      MegXx

      Delete
  2. It’s true you don’t need much space to grow a little, I always say growing veggies is an act where the sum is greater than its parts. It’s not just about supplementing the groceries, it’s about connecting with the Earth, stress relief, patience, persistence, sunshine, developing a sense of awe...how does that tiny seed grow to be that! So many reasons to garden in my opinion.

    I’m harvesting my snow peas too atm, and they were saved seeds from last season, literally free food! They are so nice fresh, as you say a wonderful snack!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you, Cheryl. There's so many more benefits to gardening than just harvesting some homegrown food.

      Have you watched the short documentaries by Happen Films? There's quite a selection but I really enjoyed the two about the Limestone Permaculture Farm at Stroud.

      MegXx

      Delete
    2. Yes I have watched some of the happen films documentaries, I can’t remember if I’ve watched those particular ones, I’ll have to look them up. I get so much motivation from those films. Also I went to the movies back in February for my birthday and saw The Biggest Little Farm, such a good movie!

      Delete
    3. I will have to check this movie out, Cheryl. It sounds like just my kind of film. Meg🥕

      Delete
    4. Cheryl, I downloaded and watched The Biggest Little Farm movie today and loved it! I think you may be like me and not-so-secretly wish for a farm just like that one...maybe with a few less coyotes. I really liked the emphasis on regenerating soil and on diversity. Such an amazing journey from where they began. MegXx

      Delete
  3. I didn't grown anything over summer as we were away in the hottest part of the year and there was no one to water. When we came back, I was surprised to see a flourishing bed of warrigal greens. Now that it is cooler I have spinach and silver beet growing well.

    Love the colour on the Lemon Drop tomatoes, its always nice to be able to pop down to the garden and grab a couple of things you have grown yourself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't grow much over Summer either, Pip. It's just too hot and dry here. Lovely that you came back from holiday to Warrigal Greens. I always go straight out into the garden when we return from our beach holiday to see what's survived or thrived.

      The Lemon Drop tomatoes are lovely. I am also growing Black Cherry tomatoes which are another heirloom variety.
      MegXx

      Delete
  4. So healthy! Beautiful gardens. Andrea

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Andrea. It's the freshest of food and I always feel good picking and eating veg from the garden. MegXx

      Delete
  5. Those yellow tomatoes are so pretty! Cherry tomatoes are such a great plant to grow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Lemon Drop tomatoes are really lovely and I adore their colour. I also have Black Cherry tomatoes but they are not ripening yet. Red cherry toms self seed in the garden here too. They are an easy and rewarding plant to grow. Meg🍅

      Delete
  6. Your garden looks amazing, Meg.
    It’s a joy to pick fresh vegetables from your own garden, isn’t it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is such a joy, Nil. I'd like to expand the area for growing veg in our garden eventually. MegXx

      Delete
  7. Lemon Drop tomatoes are my absolute favourite cherry tomato. I love that slight lemony flavour they add to a salad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are just lovely, Jan. I will definitely be growing them again. MegXx

      Delete
  8. Wow, your garden looks amazing, Meg. Thanks for sharing the photos. I am growing lots of fruit. The apricots and rhubarb are almost ready to pick. I am hopeful that the squash will do well, too. They are tiny right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have a very productive garden, Stephanie. Homegrown apricots and rhubarb would be amazing...and delicious! MegXx

      Delete
  9. Lush and luscious Meg! Would love to see a full shot of your garden?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will endeavour to take one for you, Nanette. It's been looking pretty dry but we got some rain yesterday and hoping for more today. Rain always helps the garden here. MegXx

      Delete
  10. What a great little garden you have and good size so that there is no waste. I have planted some veg. this autumn and hope mine thrive as well as yours. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope your garden grows well, Rosie, so you can enjoy homegrown veg too. MegXx

      Delete
  11. It all looks so great. I only have very little space in the garden here but try to make the most of it for growing. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jules. Things always do better here in the Autumn. MegXx

      Delete
  12. Those yellow tomatoes look gorgeous. I love colourful food and I bet they make a pretty addition to a salad. I have never tasted silver beet so am going to look it up to see if it will grow here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Silverbeet is also known as chard, Cherie, so perhaps you have heard of it before? MegXx

      Delete
  13. Meg, how I wish we could grow tomatoes here in winter but it is too cold. I have saved some seeds from a mixture of tomatoes I bought at the farmers market which are like your yellow ones. I will plant them when it gets warmer. You have quite a lot of veggies growing in a small space. It all looks lovely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The past two days have been ever so windy and cold, Chel. It's a ahock to my system this wintery weather! I got these tomatoes going when it was very warm early in Autumn. They are not liking all the wind at moment though. Hopefully, you'll have a tasty selection of tomatoes when it's warm up your way. MegXx

      Delete
  14. My garden does bring me a lot of joy too, Laurie. I garden in the sub-tropics where it never snows and frosts are rare. I would have no idea how to grow a garden in such a cold climate. You must look forward to the time each year when the soil is warm enough to plant. Thank you for visiting me here. I love to read your blog and see your beautiful paintings. MegXx

    ReplyDelete
  15. I agree that you can still grow plenty in a small space, that is all we have too but if you put it to good use it is amazing what you can fill it with isn't it. I love seeing what grows well in different parts of the world, thank you for sharing your wonderful produce with us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love seeing what grows in other parts of the world too. I like to read about and see how others garden and what they grow. MegXx

      Delete
  16. You have a lovely garden. I have one with flowers and fruits fenced by Metal gate Singapore. Love to try some of these. My space is limited, as well. I have a tiny space in the front and a backyard. On the sides there are trees. With all the pandemic homegrown food is the in thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is definitely a lot more interest in growing food at home which I think is a wonderful thing. For me, that's at least one positive coming about because of this pandemic. I grow flowers in my garden too because they are beautiful and a food source for bees. Happy gardening! Meg:)

      Delete
  17. What a lovely garden! It really is a pleasure to see all your growing goodness because all we have here is frost each morning and a wee bit of sun during the day! Nothing growing this time of year :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I imagine it's pretty chilly down in Tassie, Evi. This is a good time of year to garden here in Queensland but come the Summer there won't be much growing and then I'll be wishing I had the cooler Tassie climate to grow things in. MegXx

      Delete
  18. Hi Meg, what a productive veggie garden you have. I didn't grow anything over Summer either as we are having a drought and rely on rain water collected from our roof for everything. When lockdown happened here in Auckland I decided it was time to resurrect the garden. My father did all the digging and we used seeds that we bought in previous years. Everything is growing apart from the silverbeet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you get some rain soon for your garden, Rose Petal. Wonderful that you have had great success with seeds bought in previous years. I hope you'll be able to get some silverbeet going as it's such a versatile veg. I made a pie with some from our garden last night. MegXx

      Delete