If you have never tried growing watermelon it can seem quite daunting. Here I share some great information on how to care for and harvest watermelons. I had never even thought about growing watermelon until earlier this year. That is because we didn’t actually plant any watermelon seeds. Despite this we had four watermelon plants come up in our garden. We’re not sure exactly where they came from; maybe the compost – but we usually don’t put watermelon seeds in the compost! Perhaps they … [Read more...]
Links I Love from January 2014
I am constantly looking online for new and interesting ideas. Whether it is recipes, craft or gardening information, I eagerly read as much as I can to see if I can get some handy hints from other people’s good ideas. In my pursuit of these great ideas I tend to read lots of blogs to see what other bloggers are doing - and I have to say there are some great ideas out there. Sometimes I will be looking for something specific that I need, but often I will just be looking for inspiration. It … [Read more...]
February Gardening 2014: What’s Going on in My Garden
Oh my goodness it has been hot these last few weeks! A week or so ago we had a run of 5 days over 40 °C and the last few days have been really hot too. It has been so hot lately it has been hard to think about what February gardening jobs might need doing besides watering the plants! We reached 41 yesterday, 42 today and we have another hot day tomorrow coming up before we get a much needed cool change. We have basically been spending our days indoors because it has been just too hot to work … [Read more...]
Controlling Cabbage White Butterfly
Planting vegetables like cabbages and broccoli usually attracts the cabbage white butterfly. Protect your patch without using sprays with these great ideas. We have really been getting into the vegetable gardening this summer. It has been great to be able to go and get some fresh carrots or a cucumber from the garden whenever we need them. We have also been enjoying home grown beetroot, garlic and peas. A few weeks ago I planted some broccoli seeds and was successful in getting two nice … [Read more...]
January Gardening 2014: What’s Going on in My Garden
Now that Christmas has been and gone for another year and the New Year is upon us it’s time to turn our attention to January gardening tasks! January and February tend to be the hottest months of summer here in Victoria. So this month we will be focusing on keeping our garden as cool and well watered as we can. We have had a couple of days here and there where the temperature has been over 35 °C and some plants have struggled a bit. But it will only get hotter over the next couple of months … [Read more...]
DIY Christmas Lights Design
Christmas lights with a seasonal shape don’t have to cost a fortune. It’s possible to use string lights and garden trellis for a striking Christmas display. Putting up Christmas lights in early December has always been a bit of a tradition in our family. When I was little I remember barely being able to contain my excitement when Dad would get out our set of Christmas lights! It was such torture to have to wait until dark to turn them on! Some houses in our town would go all out with their … [Read more...]
December Gardening 2013: What’s Going on in My Garden!
This last month has just flown by – I can’t believe that December is almost upon us! As the end of November fast approaches we now have to start thinking about the December gardening jobs that need to be carried out. For us December usually means that the garden hoses are dusted off and the watering systems are checked. Nothing has changed this year because the amount of rain that we have had lately is slowly starting to ease up. While we have had a few showers, they are becoming less … [Read more...]
Tulips: Tips for Getting More Flowers
Tulips can provide wonderful spring colour. However, a small amount of care and the right preparation is vital if you want to have brilliant tulip flowers! We have been growing tulips in our garden in spring time for the last three or four of years. Initially we bought some beautiful red tulips that were already flowering in a pot. We have been lifting and replanting the tulip bulbs every year and have had mixed success with the quality of the flowers. Now that the tulips have died down … [Read more...]