According to the calendar autumn is almost here. But, according to the thermometer on the verandah it is 40°C with a hot northerly wind and it is not feeling at all like autumn.
My vegetable garden is finished for now, except for my permanent asparagus crop and a very tough clump of sage. Reassuringly, my quince trees are covered in fruit.
Instead of fighting the elements I am trying to work with the current conditions. Instead of rushing in and planting an autumn/winter crop I am using this time to think about the irrigation system, soil improvement, tree placement and the overall effectiveness of the garden situation.
Soon I will be planting fenugreek as a green manure crop while we wait for a break in the weather.
While I don’t have abundant vintage baskets full of vegetables to harvest and photograph I have turned my creativity towards photographing droplets of precious water. Droplets of water flowing from our farm troughs and tanks to be exact. I am trying this in different light, at different times of the day and at different points on our property.
For the last three weekends I have left the house in the dark while the kids are still fast asleep. Armed with my camera and a portable cup of tea this time of the day is cool and quiet and I have found myself looking forward to this mini self-imposed photography assignment.
Getting out and about at sunrise and soaking up some peaceful moments is an energising way to start the day.
When the weather cools and the rain falls I will get back to my vegetables. In the coolness of the mornings I will be planting, planning, harvesting and cooking. Until then I will continue to set myself little assignments with different subjects.
Even the tiniest fun project makes the day better, don’t you think?
How are your vegetables looking?
Have you ever set yourself an assignment?
Happy Sunday, friends x
Cheryl
I think vegetable gardening in an Australian Summer is challenging no matter where you live.
I live in far Northern NSW close to the Qld border, and years ago I gave up Summer planting due to persistent problems with heat, fungal diseases, and trying to keep water up to the plants. Just last weekend, I’ve started planting a few bits and pieces in the patch, Autumn is tapping us on the shoulder here, so I hope I’m safe, although likely we will still have some hot/warm days, but I think the worst of it is over.
As usual your photo’s are stunning 🙂
Jane S
Thank you Cheryl, happy autumn gardening!
Christina
Hi Jane
As always a delight to read your posts.
Your water photos today are great and I hope you’ve stopped considering and have entered the photography competition you were talking about a few posts ago!
Jane S
Thank you so much Christina, yes definitely…you have to be in it to win it as they say!
Kate Bolton
Oh quinces. Yum!
I think sometimes it’s good to have a purpose when you take your camera out. Mine has been very busy at work as we get going for the year that I have not been photographing anything much for me, except for a quick phone snap here and there. I love your early morning water stalking.
Kate xx
Jane S
I love your photos either way…phone or otherwise! x
Jan
I didn’t plant a summer vegetable garden this year, it’s too hard, constantly battling against one bug or another, disease and keeping everything watered is a never ending job. I love the last photo, the colours of the sky reflected on the surface of the water is just beautiful.
Jane S
Thank you so much Jan.
Maria
Love your photos. The early mornings are a special time. Hope you get some much needed rain and that you can get back into your gardening. Our garden has started to suffer. Bore water just isn’t anywhere near as good as rain. Our tomatos are just about finished and hoping that we have done enough to keep the sweet potatos going. Looking forward to the cooler weather here.
Jane S
Home grown sweet potatoes sound beautiful Maria!
ewe beauty
well captured Jane ! I am finding the garden a loosing battle this past year with the horrendous -4 o C frosts that melted many plants , and then the constant heat especially February …. gives on time to think why on earth do we bother with gardens in such an extreme climate … but planting a garden means we believe in tomorrow and as I get older I ” do believe” !!! happy re-assessing of your garden, keep snapping away too, love your photos x
Jane S
It is one extreme to the other isn’t it Trish? Crazy really. Thank you for calling in x
sue
Oh Wow those photos…just fabulous. We spent the morning pulling out the sad spent zucchini plant , dying tomato bushes and anything else that had gone to seed. I love getting the garden beds ready for the next planting. And 40 deg when autumn is nearly here is a bit rough!!
Jane S
Good luck for the next planting Sue, it is nice to clean up and prepare for the next season x
Christine
Gardening can be a challenge, even in a Pennsylvania summer we do not always get enough rain and the heat can dry out everything. I’m going to work for better irrigation and not just watering, maybe more containers.
Love the idea of taking time in the early morning with a theme or thought in mind for photography. Your photos are lovely.
Those skies are beautiful.
Christine
Jane S
Thank you so much Christine!
Anne
I love the way you’ve captured the water.
Projects are fun and often make me look closely at things I’d otherwise just pass by. Not sure my enthusiasm extends to early morning rising though! I keep meaning to take more photos of the everyday things instead of just photographing special things. This is probably the only way to capture the changes that we barely notice until we turn around one day and realise how different everywhere or everybody looks.
Jane S
Exactly Anne, I have turned my lens to the everyday things because the ‘special’ things just aren’t really happening much at the moment. If you know what I mean! Thank you.
Ali
Your photos are stunning! It is so nice to read a blog from a contrasting climate. We are expecting snow!
Jane S
Stay warm Ali, thank you!
Linda
Thank you for sharing your starkly beautiful part of the world, Jane. I honestly think that searching for (and sometimes photographing) the small and lovely things that we often fail to notice, is good for the soul, and is often enough to restore one’s equilibrium in stressful times.
Jane S
Absolutely Linda, I agree. Thank you!
Kate
Like so many of your readers I have not had much of a summer veggie patch. I couldn’t come at the water use to plant the eggplants, cucumbers and tomatoes of past seasons. What came up and survived has made it through, tomatoes, strawberries and herbs mostly, but what I have noticed is how well the tropical heat-loving, humid weather-loving plants have gone. Coffee, turmeric, finger lime, curry tree, Vietnamese mint – they’ve all thrived. Our summers are changing and so is my garden.
Jane S
Your garden sounds very exotic Katie, I wish I could swap some coffee and turmeric with you!
Mimi
You are making me read the upcoming summer! I’ve been fighting tomato wilt for a few years, and it seems to have spread to other plants. Gardening is not easy! love your photos.
Jane S
Thanks Mimi, its not always easy, I agree!
Dani Elis
I manage to kill our herb/vegetable garden every few months, several times a season even but over the weekend I bought some native bush food plants (Riberries and Lemon Myrtle) that I am hoping survive my sometimes lack of watering and then drowning once I try and bring them back to life. My decision to planting natives on our balcony was in hopes that because they there Aussie bread through and through they should be hardier than other plants haha ah well… I can only try! My project for the season… keep plants alive 🙂
Jane S
It is tricky isn’t it Dani? Good luck!