Scarecrow's Garden

[Scarecrow]

G'day Northern Folks
I found this site when Lesley visited my blog and asked to exchange links and I thought I'd join the forum.
I live in the Mid North of South Australia and so have a very different climate to most others on this site.
Not to mention the fact that I plant at opposite times of the year.

My garden is mainly an edible one with lots of herbs and hardy perennials for companion planting and attracting beneficial creatures. I also grow Australian Native plants to attract native creatures to the garden.

Our climate is becoming very dry and I am experimenting with different methods of water-saving systems including re-using greywater, various mulches, wicker-water beds and the use of shade cloth structures over all the vegetable beds this year.

I look forward to sharing ideas for water saving although from reading other gardening sites and blogs from the Northern Hemisphere I get the feeling you all had plenty of rain this summer.
I think you folks got our winter rain.

My garden blog (the links in my signature below) is primarily an online version of my garden journal with lots of photos and I try to remember to add information links when I use unusual or Australian Native plants!

Cheers
Scarecrow

[Lesley Jay]

Hiya Scarecrow!! Welcome to our forum!!

You could say we had a fair bit of rain this summer - actually my veggies got drowned - but I'm looking forward to next year's growing season. I hope we have some of your sun!!

Get your OH to post his fabulous greenhouse (hothouse) construction in our greenhouse section - please!

Thanks for joining us Scarecrow!

[AdamF]

Hello Scarecrow

Welcome to the forum

[runnerbean]

Hi scarecrow, welcome to the forum.

[carlseawolf]

Hi scarecrow , like your stance on recycling of rubbish.
i also made a cart out of rubbish

[Scarecrow]

Originally Posted by carlseawolf

Hi scarecrow , like your stance on recycling of rubbish.
i also made a cart out of rubbish

G'day Carl
Now that's a neat cart...

...but what do you mean by "rubbish"??

No such thing as rubbish around here!

[Scarecrow]

Oooops

Forgot to thank the other folks for their welcomes

Thanks folks!

[Nicos]

Hi there!....and Welcome

We did indeed get your rain here this summer- but we hardly had any the previous year.
The summer was so hot and dry in 06 that this year we tried garlic and other more drought /sun loving plants and herbs.....this year flooding and cold and very poor crops in many areas.
Keeps you on your toes for all new ideas doesn't it?
Hope you have some interesting local knowledge you can pass on?!
Look forward to your posts!

[Scarecrow]

G'day folks
Just thought I'd give you an update on my blog!
This week saw my blogoversary, my blog is one year old now!

I've also been busy in the garden planting out all the summer veg.
We had some lovely rain last week that came as thunderstorms bringing 48mm of nitrogen rich rain!

I can only dream about living somewhere that this amount of rain would fall every week. The garden has just sprung to life, the new growth everywhere is just incredible. Our long range weather forecasters are predicting a hot summer but regular thunderstorm activity. We live in hope!

I'm starting posts that will describe the garden bed by bed and what's growing in each.

In my photo a day blog all the new growth, from that rain, is captured on a daily basis. Like these tomatoes that are already setting.
Still 3 weeks to our summer starts!

Cheers
Scarecrow

[Lesley Jay]

Scarecrow I've just been reading your blog (again!) and you recommend feeding french beans with epsom salts. I've never heard of this before. What are the benefits? Does it make a difference to the size of the harvest?

[Scarecrow]

Hi Lesley Jay
Thanks for reading my blog (again!)
Over here 'experts' often recommend Epsom Salts as a source of magnesium. Australian soils are very ancient and a lot of minerals get 'locked-up' in them so sometimes we have to garden in different ways than you folk up there in Northworld.

I've only just read about this so I don't know if it has much of an effect on yields. You would have also read that I have quite a difficult time with beans here due to salinity problems. As these beans (Blue Lake) seem to be the best variety I want to help their growth as much as possible.
I'll let you know how I go with yields later in the season...they just have to make it through this heat at the moment.

It's also been suggested to use it to help seeds germinate and I often add a tiny amount into a sprayer to water new seed plantings with too! It's also good for Citrus trees too. And I often add it to liquid feeds and to the water when I wet-down the compost layers.

I've done your trick and searched the net on the subject and found this site with some interesting info on using Epsom Salts except that they actually say that peas and beans don't really need it! So we shall see how it goes!

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/fertilizeepsomsalts

[inishindie]

Hi Scarecrow.

I really enjoyed your blog site. It is SO organised!! It makes mine look like I just threw it together (mine resembles my brain I suppose!!) I am pining for the Aussi summer here in Ireland. I went over to Byron Bay this time last year to visit my brother who took up residence in Australia about ten years ago. It was the first time I visited and I loved the place. I even got involved in some coastel management with a group called Green and Clean. I have plenty of photos of the visit and I have been looking at them over the last few, very cold and wet days, to bring back fond memories!!

Again, thanks for the sunshine on your blog

Ian

inisindie

[Cabbagelover]

Scarecrow you have a fab blog. It's good to read that you have had some rain and cooler temperatures. Reading your blog makes me long for fresh homegrown veggies. So roll on next spring.

[Scarecrow]

Thanks folks
Usually plenty of sunshine over here at this time of the year so plenty to share around...except this week we're in for more thunderstorms...but hopefully that means some rain too.


Don't worry your spring planting time will roll around quick enough!!
Then it will be my turn to read all about your great gardens!!

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Scarecrow! I've just been reading your blog (great as usual !!). No rain for 9 weeks and scorching temperatures - how on earth have you managed to grow vegetables?

Congratulations on the first place in the vegetable basket competition!!

[Scarecrow]

Sorry for the delayed reply Leslie Jay but we've just had a record (all time) heatwave for the two weeks before Easter. It's very unusual to get that sort of heat at all in March but 14 days straight of over 35C (95F) is unbelievable. They use 35C as the marker for heatwaves here. 7 days straight were over 37.8C (100F)

The craziest thing is that with the cool change finally bringing relief (even some rain for the south of the state...but not here yet) we now find ourselves with FROSTS being forecasted. Oh well such is gardening.

It felt like all I did during that 2 week inferno was try to water the sagging plants. By hand (buckets) too because of water restrictions.

Not too many vegetables are left in the ground as you might imagine. The capsicums are going great...they loved the heat but they aren't going to like these frosts predictions. I'll have to dig up a couple to put into the little hot house. I'll have to get moving and put the plastic back on that too.

I've managed to keep some winter veg seedlings going and have planted more seeds. Major re-vamping and designing the veg garden too. Making it smaller and easier to manage.

One thing I'm really glad I did was to plant the fruit trees. They are all over 10 years old now and really saving the day in these dry times. I no longer grow tomatoes for sauce making because I prefer Plum sauce and my plum trees take a lot less water than tomato bushes that's for sure!

Thanks for your kind words about the blog and your congrats I am sorry it's taken so long to answer.

[Scarecrow]

Originally Posted by Scarecrow

Sorry for the delayed reply Leslie Jay but we've just had a record (all time) heatwave for the two weeks before Easter.

Good Grief I think the heat frizzled my brain
Sorry Lesley for getting your name wrong!!!!!!

A very embarrassed Scarecrow

And guess what! There was ice on the car this morning...not a damaging frost but just a reminder of what isn't very far away!!!

[Lesley Jay]

Originally Posted by Scarecrow

Good Grief I think the heat frizzled my brain
Sorry Lesley for getting your name wrong!!!!!!

A very embarrassed Scarecrow

Oh Searcrow!! Don't be daft!!

I had a right good laugh last night when I read your post!!

My OH is also called Leslie - same middle initial 'J' - and after all these years I'm used to people using the other spelling!

That weather sounds pretty horrendous. We get a heatwave most summers with the temperatures in the 30C's but not two straight weeks over 35C. It snowed here over Easter!

[Scarecrow]

Originally Posted by Lesley Jay

Oh Searcrow!! Don't be daft!!
It snowed here over Easter!

OK We're even now!!

I heard about your White Easter over there Brrr!

Aren't you all getting ready for Spring planting?

[PlantingJoe]

Nice blog, Scarecrow. I see it's very sunny over there, very lucky!