The weather is unusually warm here and we are making the most of the autumn sunshine.
When winter and spring have faded and summer is upon us again I am absolutely determined to grow a decent tomato crop. My latest strategy in this quest is to replenish my soil with a green manure crop of fenugreek. Once it is dug into the soil, time will tell if it benefits my tomatoes. Watch this space.
A strong little pony named Coco being prepared for yet another morning ride. I love the fact that horse riding provides my daughter with a physical outlet far removed from the i-gadgets, our school routine and all of the other daily distractions. When she is older I hope she is as keen to ride as she is right now.
The vegetable patch is one of my favourite places when I need a little solitude. Just five minutes to pull a weed, adjust some mulch or water the seedlings leaves me feeling ready to face the world again.
Lime curd made using Sophie’s lemon curd recipe. There are so many ways to use this golden spread. Right now I am thinking about pancakes although sourdough toast is a good option at any time of the day.
Lastly I will leave you with an inspiring little video from The Full Moon Farmgate. If I was
anywhere near the Barossa on the weekend I would be heading to this event. Next time, I hope.
Wishing you a happy Friday friends x
e / dig in
i love the softer light at this time of year – i can really see it in your pic of your vegie garden. i am currently working out what to plant as a green manure crop as i put my vegie garden 'to bed' over the winter. i've never done this before – maybe we can compare notes.
yum a slice of your sourdough toast with lime curd would be delicious right now with a strong cup of tea 🙂 enjoy your weekend jane.
Jane S
It is my first green manure crop too e. I chose fenugreek as the Diggers club recommended it was suitable to plant in autumn. Yes, I would be happy to share notes!
monique's mess
I live in Adelaide and didnt know about full moon farmgate..luckily your post has notified me one day before and i will head to the Barossa. I think I will make a day of it and visit a few wineries as well ,,just have to rope my sister into coming along as company. Cheers..have a lovely weekend
Jane S
I am very envious of your day in the Barossa Monique…please call back and tell me about the farmgate if you get time!
Kate
We've just started heading down the bio-dynamics road and so much of what they believe makes a crop big and strong is due to the green manure. I'm sure your tomatoes will be fabulous and bountiful next year. I hope you have a wonderful day. xx
Jane S
Thank you for the positive tomato vibes Kate! Love your comments x
lucent imagery
I think it is a beautiful gift that you are giving her, an awareness of life's joys away from the screen. I often say how grateful I am that I knew life without these gadgets, even though I'm aware of their benefits now. I love thinking back to my childhood activities and adventures. I think she will be well-rounded with knowledge of technology and an appreciation for other things away from it. The other day I saw a man and his toddler have zero interaction as they sat in a waiting room, both looking at screens. I was sad. I remember sitting in waiting rooms with my mum, laughing and talking together, and usually making friends with another person in the room. Have a wonderful weekend you incredible mum, you.
Jane S
Thank you for your thoughtful comment Lucent. I hope we are raising well-rounded children. Of course they need to be familiar with technology but I also want them to love physical activity and the simple things in life. I feel sad also when I see families/friends/couples sitting in cafes using their devices and nobody is talking. Is that what our world is becoming? x
frogpondfarm
Just love your photos – they are always stunning. I didn't know that about fenugreek, must give it a go sometime. Is it a nitrogen fixer? That lime curd just looks too good 🙂
Jane S
You are very kind Julie. Yes, fenugreek is said to suppress weeds and provide nitrogen in the soil. So far it is growing well and looking healthy.
Melanie Y
it looks so idyllic! a far cry from my Sydney office.
Jane S
Hi Mel, it probably is more idyllic than Sydney…most of the time! But, Sydney has its advantages too; restaurants, cafes, markets and access to so many things. Thanks for calling in x
Anne
Isn't Coco gorgeous? He/she has a look that reminds me of my first pony – my best friend when I was eight but a wilful little terror who'd happily buck me off so that he could wander off to eat grass. I'm so glad my children grew up at the time when there was only one computer in the house and that was firmly sat on a table.
I love the light in your photos – enjoy your autumn.
Jane S
Thanks Anne. Ponies are very wilful as you say, and they are always hungry! I think that might be universal.
Cheri Savory Spoon
What a lovely horse for your daughter, your garden looks wonderful. Good luck with your tomatoes!
Jane S
Thanks so much Cheri!
celia
I love that your daughter gets to ride every morning. Isn't that what every young girl dreams of? 🙂 Serene, gentle, lovely post Jane, thanks for sharing! xx
Jane S
Thanks Celia, it is certainly a very popular dream for most little girls. We are very lucky to be in a position to have horses and Annabelle is lucky to have a horse riding grandma who supplies almost all of the necessary paraphernalia! x
Chantille Fleur
That lime curd looks wonderful Jane! I've never actually tried lemon or lime curd but I intend to one day as it always looks and sounds so yummy!
I love riding horses…it's been ages since I rode though, probably since I was 9 or 10 years old. We used to go to my Pop's property several times a year and we always got to ride the horses when we went. I loved it and occasionally get a "horse riding craving".
I hope your tomatoes go well! I'll be interested to see them. We've just planted a mixture of pigeon mix, old vegetable seeds, sunflower and wheat into one of our pens, when it's grown big enough we'll pop a flock of chickens in and they can fertilize, eat the greens, bugs and dig in the rest for us. I'm hoping it will improve the soil enough to grow a proper veggie crop out of 🙂
Hope you're having a good weekend,
Sarah x
PS I've just replied to your camera lens query over on my blog:-)
Jane S
Thanks Sarah. The 'mix' you are growing for your chooks and soil sounds wonderful. Thanks for the notes on the camera lenses too, the 40mm sounds great. x
leaf (the indolent cook)
The lemon curd looks so smooth and delicious. A reminder that I should make some again, it's been too long since the last batch.
Jane S
Curd is good stuff isn't it? Thanks for calling in!
cityhippyfarmgirl.com
Even my tiny amount of potted plants offer some sort of sanity sanctuary, I would imagine your huge garden would do wonders to a person Jane. (Sanity sanctuary…yep, I like that 🙂
xx
Jane S
Sanity sanctuary sounds good to me Brydie! x
liz @ Strayed Table
Glad to see the photos of you garden Jane. You always inspire me when it comes to growing as you deal with tougher conditions than I. Your daughter is a lucky girl to wake up to pony rides each morning, i would of loved that as a kid.
Jane S
Thanks so much Liz, your gardening is always inspiring too!
Becs :: Think Big. Live Simply
That green manure crop will definitely do wonders for the soil – I'm envious of your lime curd, we've just moved to a place with no lemon tree (gasp!) so I'm without lemon butter this year, so sad.
Jane S
Thanks Becs, always great to hear from you!
laurasmess.me
What a beautiful snapshot of Autumn. I love the diffused light during the change of season… the sunshine amidst the rain clouds, the colder mornings and warm afternoons. Another gorgeous post – and lemon curd! Yum! Definitely one of my all-time favourite spreads. x
Jane S
Thank you for calling in Laura!
krankywitch
For the first few years I struggled to get decent crops from my tomato plants – I gave them everything a tomato could want and still got scant numbers of small fruit. Then an English friend told me that Roses and Tomato are from the same gene group, so if Epsom Salts makes my roses strong and full of flowers it should do the same for my tomato. It does! For the last 5 years I have been giving my tomato plants epsom diluted in water every second month, just like my roses, and I can't keep up with the harvesting. From just 4 plants I have been harvesting over a kilo a day. I'm in a cold temperate zone and I actually had 3 red tomatoes on the table for xmas! I'm still picking a few stragglers even now, in June. The bed does end up a bit too acidic for most veg by the end of the season so I then add some lime over winter and plant berries in it the following spring. So test the ph of your next tomato bed now, get it fairly neutral and when your tomato plants are starting to bud start giving them a bi-monthly watering of epsom salts (at the rate the pack says for roses) and then see what you get 😀
Jane S
Great advice, thanks for sharing! Happy gardening to you.