February in the garden has been a month for planning, researching and soil replenishment.  It has mostly been too hot for too much gardening, apart from watering and basic maintenance.

30mm of rain has fallen on our property in the last fortnight which has washed the dust off everything and proven to us that it can still rain.

 

My family have kindly assisted in collecting several large trailer loads of sheep manure from underneath our woolshed to top up my depleted vegetable beds.  Armed with rakes, buckets and a wheelbarrow this has proven to be a perfect Sunday morning family outing.

This beautiful book was a thoughtful surprise from my Valentine.  The Little Veggie Patch Co’s guide to Backyard Farming is presented in a month by month format.   Each chapter contains a list of vegetables, fruit and herbs to plant and harvest as well as extra activities, tasks and recipes relevant to the month.   For me this format is easy to follow and encourages forward planning in the garden.  At times I struggle to remember critical times,  particularly for vegetables such as asparagus, beetroot and rhubarb and this books makes finding this information a breeze.

If you need a little gardening motivation in an attractive, informative and humorous book I recommend this is a great resource.

 

Last Sunday the children and I filled this old saucepan with bits from the garden.  I couldn’t help but smile at the colour and texture in this little harvest.

We have just enjoyed this season’s first pumpkin and the same vine is still flowering.

The tromboncinos are vigorous and producing enormous zucchinis when left to their own devices.  Here you can see them almost growing vertically and starting to tangle with my asparagus ferns.  It is going to be a big task to get rid of this vine when the weather cools off.  A clean up at the end of the season always feels good though.

My two quince trees have set their first small crop.  These trees were planted in 2011 and I am very happy to see them starting to set fruit. I dream of the day I bring this furry fruit into the kitchen.

 

This terracotta birdbath provides a welcome dip for the birds in our garden on a hot afternoon.  Native saltbush and other native shrubs have popped up around the edges   giving this corner of the garden a natural feel.

Are you looking forward to Autumn?

What is happening in your garden?