Bitter Melon, Pioneer Stringless & Strawberry Delight

A bunch of parsley for baking dog biscuits to freshen up Marco's breath, and a bunch of buk choy for lunch.

My aloe vera plant is really huge now with lots of growing pups.

I sliced off one piece for soothing a bit of itchy skin.

Hooray! Another eggplant is growing!

Two bunches of sweet strawberries growing from the two plants I have successfully propagated from the parent strawberry delight plant. As the two plants are under nets, they are growing very well without much pest disturbance.

Beans Pioneer Stringless are ready for harvesting. Going to simply blanch them in boiling water. They are named as such because there is no strings to be removed from their sides, unlike some beans.

My harvest of my first bitter melon/bittergourd and a bunch of beans Pioneer Stringless.

My pot of Kalanchoe has been attacked by caterpillars again though it was netted.

It's a new caterpillar which I have not seen before. It's colour is very similar to the kalanchoe branches but still not difficult to spot. I found more than a dozen!

Patch Next to Garage & Some Flowers Update.

Early this morning, I thought I just needed to drive two pegs into the ground around my olive and plum trees and add potash to my tomato silvery fir and chilli fire. It was not meant to be. I spent about 2 hours instead with a seemingly never-ending list of things to do - weeding, staking, tying loose cucumber vine shoots, hand pollinating, adding potash, watering, evening out mulching, harvesting more sweet potato leaves for lunch, caterpillar hunting....it went on and on and on...fewh! Anyway...the calendulas are flowering again! I have pruned off dead branches recently and they are doing so well in this clay soil. :)

The two candy tufts are also doing well! They are forming a circular clump while extending themselves...so adorable looking. Hoping for some white flowers soon. :)

The single bush of white daisies and two bushes of blue daisies are also expanding. Soon, there may be no room for expansion! It's amazing how barren this patch used to be and how fast the plants are filling it up!

The propagated bush of rosemary and the oregano and the bay tree are all prospering too! Getting bushier and taller! I just have to watch out for powdery mildew once the weather gets dry, still and hot.

This bush of white daisies and my diosma are also doing well after planting a short time ago. The former has tripled in size and flowering!

Four lavender bushes recently pruned are also putting on new growths. Expecting gorgeous flowers again.

A Solitary Lazy Morning.

Yes as the title says...after sending my little one to full day kinder, I had a nice solitary walk with Marco around the neighbourhood..well not exactly solitary since Marco is with me...but he doesnt talk! Of course I love having hubby and little one with me! But sometimes it is nice to have a walk so leisurely...not rushing to anywhere...not having an agenda to finish...These whole week's weather has been very merciful...20 t0 30 deg celsius...so that makes my work light...not much watering and no sick plants...things are pretty much under my control... My passionfruit panama gold is growing excellently at this spot...I have just pruned off the two leader shoots hoping lateral shoots will grow instead...The vine is growing taller and taller and I really wonder how I am going to train it...have to come up with a solution soon.

My carolina black rose grape vine from Daley's fruit is also doing fantastic at this spot. The eureka lemon tree however was not so fortunate. I dont think I would get any grapes this year but hopefully with a good pruning, I will next year.

These are the beans of (stringless pioneer) from Diggers Club. If not for the nets, I think the two plants would not have such nice leaves. Waiting to harvest beans!

Look at my Flemings' Brown turkey fig tree! Full of life! It looked really dead few months back...nearly got binned!

Hooray! Two of the cyclamens sort of died down and I wondered if they are coming back at all...the wonderful news is they are...little leaves and stalks are emerging from the ground meaning there are corms developed underground...Expecting beautiful blossoms out of the kitchen window in winter to come!

Yum...been harvesting a few sweet strawberries (strawberry delight) every alternate day....

Yippee! First ripened chilli padi!

My two new Purple king bean plants are doing well under the housing of netting! Away pesky butterflies and moths!!!

Samuel and I counted...7 cucumbers growing on the vines!

Two swelling bittermelons!

Two of the propagated strawberry delight plants are having flowers and fruits! So happy!

Garden Update

Finally...one growing bitter melon / bittergourd on the vine! This market seed that I germinated had a good number of flowers and baby melons but just one managed to develop larger...I am still feeling satisfied :)...and this growing melon was a surprise because I only saw it a few days ago...under the net and cloth-shade : My chilli padi plants finally are having loads of chilli padis...the plants are having milder spots which was a concern to me at first :

The calamondin comquot has put on loads of flowers since addition of potash. It has been the centre of attraction in my backyard as lots of bees are visiting it...the smell of the flowers is awesome :

Just harvested the longest ever cucumber...1 cm short of 40...:

Silverbeet growing well :

Buk choy ready for harvesting :

Buk choy cum silverbeet for lunch :

Sweet Potato leaves for dinner :

Tomatoes, Cucumber, Capsicum and Coriander

A cloudy day with predicted rain. It's indeed very rewarding to see the fruits of my labour. Two yellow capsicums are ripening under the last few days of hot sun : I harvested one capsicum along with a few tomatoes and a bunch of coriander. Hmmm...something for my lunch :

Few days ago, another batch of ripened tomato silvery fir and a large cucumber for dinner :

Looking forward to harvesting more greens such as buk choy, silver beet and sweet potato leaves...