Thursday 17 December 2009

A walk in the garden

It's been a very strange season. First we had the heatwave in November, then 5C nights a week or so ago. Then the last 2 days with temperatures above 35C.

Some plants have coped well with these extremes, and some haven't.

The okra patch is non-existent. Well, there is one. Can you spot it? But I can also see a big snail coming its way. Never mind, I'm only growing okra for its pretty flowers.
The tomatoes, however, are rocking 'n rolling. Rouge de Marmande is bearing fruit.The cucumbers suffered heaps. This bed has 4 plants left. The slaters attacked the plants, so did the snails. Then the extreme weather hit.
The zucchinis are still hanging in there. I have lost only a few plants, but the remaining ones are doing fine at the moment.
The melon bed. Nearly devoid of melons. Slaters, snails, extreme weather. The very good looking plant at the very end is an Austrian hull-less oil seed pumpkin. Grown for its seeds.
The capsicums are looking good. Chimayo has even set the first fruit.
This is the structure for the luffa. Can you see them? I can't either. I planted them just before the 5C nights hit. They don't like the cold. The one plant that still had one leaf that looked alive, was killed in the heat of the last 2 days. I shall plant climbing beans in there.
So that's the state of the garden. It's a mixed bag. Some plants are dead, or struggling, and some are thriving.

That's what happens when you work with nature. No point in getting upset or frustrated. You adapt, experiment, start again, learn and enjoy the good things.

2 comments:

Aussiemade said...

Oh I know how you feel.
We had 35C here yesterday and 10C today! I am still waiting to plant out my zucchini, pumpkin, chili and capsicum (well I have one in, and aubergine who knows how they will fare. At least our rain water tank is full

Veggie Gnome said...

Aussiemade - good luck with your planting. I still haven't planted my pumpkins, and no beans yet either. Yes, it's great to know the rain water tanks are full - glad yours is, too. :)