Rain Rain Rain....What a Cool Summer!

For the last three years, we have had really hot summers, making me very very busy in the summer garden. For a change, this year's summer has been mild and we had lots of rain. I love this and wish every summer is that nice. But I know that I still need lots of warm sunshine to help the garden grow, as some veges are growing like snail due to the lack of sunshine such as my bitter melon plants and pak choy. So far this year, I have had only 3 white cloths up to shield delicate plants from the harsh sun on several occasions. Last year I had so much up.

Here's pictures of rain late late last week.

My 3YO capsicum plant is bearing fruits.

I did not realise that burdock leaves can go that huge. My palm takes up just about a corner on that leaf.

Been eating strawberries as I walk along the back garden.

Oh my gorgeous pure white fragrant lilies have opened. Very pretty and very fragrant!

I used the chance to educate my boy about the male and female parts of the flower.

Here's where the clump of lilies I have planted.

A few smaller chilli fire chillies have ripened. This is the first time the chillies have ripened. Last year all of them did not because I planted this plant late. I turned all green chillies into pickled chillies.

I cannot stop snapping pictures of my tomatoes. Here's a large single one.

And another one.

I collected about 1 kg or more of tomatoes and turn them into chopped tomatoes to be frozen.

And peaches too!

I also snapped a picture from my son's bedroom window one morning. How lush and green is the lawn!!!

Lady's Fingers, Eggplant Florianda, Yardlong Beans

I captured a picture of my ocra (lady's fingers) flowers. This plant belongs to the hibiscus family.

Wow...I thought I was having a small eggplant but when I checked today, it was a truckload! At least 10 and I am not kidding. The thing is this plant is really quite dwarf and I wonder where the fruits going to go being so low to the ground already. Perhaps harvest when still young. I am going to do my best to preserve this beautiful eggplant before winter comes. If I can keep my capsicum for 3 years and over-winter my chillies successfully, I am sure I can do so for my eggplant. ;)

My yardlong bean or long bean...I did not expect it to be so so dwarf! It is flowering. Only this plant is so far doing better than the rest. Kind of giving up hope of eating long beans.

Pretty lilac bean flowers.

My poor lilies. They are so fragrant and so pretty but their petals are all smeared with pollens due to the rain.

I captured a few pictures of bees visiting my pumpkin flowers. So cute seeing them covered with pollen when they fly out of the flower.

Tomatoes silvery fir are ripening unevenly. A bunch can have both ripe and unripe tomatoes. How on earth can I have vine ripened tomatoes? It seems impossible as I have to harvest any ripe ones before they become rotten in the rain or burnt by the sun.

Yippee! Another basket of kang kong (water spinach). I am truly excited! This is the second batch from the same plants!!!

Our First Pixzee Peach for 2011 Plus Other Garden Updates.

Today's temperature is predicted to reach 35 deg celsius. Not a big deal as I believe this year's summer will be cooler and I doubt we are going to experience 46 again. Also, the garden is all mostly mulched up so the water retention will be good. Having said that, I spent one hour giving the whole garden water this morning. I have also put up some white cloths on three areas : over the burdock, over the hydrangeas and the ocra (ladies' fingers). I was trying to show my son my dwarf peach (pixzee) tree with its five large fruits. We could smell the fragrance without putting our noses near. One of them felt soft and when my boy reached out to touch it, it fell. We realised that this one was ready and shared it. Yummy, sweet and juicy!!!

This little pot of strawberry delight is producing quite a few strawberries. And the other plants are also having lots flowers.

I germinated some lemon balm recently. It is growing steadily but slowly.

Clockwise from top : bitter melon (bittergourd), evening primrose, watercress and eggplant. I know I am extremely late planting the bitter melon and eggplant. I sowed them with experimentation in mind but all of them germinated.

These are four pyrethrum daisies which I bought from Diggers. They grow so slowly and wilt so easily. I have repotted them into this pretty terracotta pot.

A Vietnamese kinder mum gave me these two Thai Basil plants which I repotted in this large pot. It's been difficult growing this basil probably due to the climate. It flowers too easily which is not good for herbs.

My two burdock plants in this vege patch are easily burnt by the hot sun due to their large leaves. I covered them with white cloth today.

More kang kong (water spinach) growing after the last harvest. This will be one vege I will keep planting every year. The seeds are of very superior quality.

My beloved yellow capsicum plant is in its 3rd year and fruiting!!! What an amazing plant!!!

Cool Summer & Garden Update.

So far our summer 2010-2011 has been cooler than previous years. We had one day of 40 deg celsius but that's it. Other days are cool and sunny or cloudy. So some of the garden crops are growing seriously slowly such as my yardlong beans (long beans) and eggplants. I am certainly thankful for the weather because I dont ever want heat waves. The patch right out of my main door is filling up with foliage and fruits...tomatoes, corns, spagetti squashes and soon, okra (ladies' fingers).

The pumpkin vine has crept onto the lawn and I spotted a little pumpkin with its female flower. So far lots of male flowers were produced.

The one and only gorgeous lemon verbena is thriving outside my bedroom window. The only issue is it is growing out of the garden edge and soon it may sprawl onto the lawn. I want it to grow taller and bushier so I probably have to give it a prune asap.

The peach tree out of my bedroom is laden with peaches. Just waiting for them to ripen!

9 sweet corns are growing on three corn plants!!!

A male pumpkin flower.

I realised I actually have more pixzee peaches than I thought. They are so prettily pink.

Spagetti squashes are growing fast. This is one of the three.

Drooling as I typed. I pickled a big harvest of green chillies.

Here's my gorgeous grapevine Carolina Black Rose crawling both ways on the pergola.

Why gorgeous? Because it looks so from my kitchen window! I will never get sick of this beautiful picture from my kitchen. I know that trellis isnt pretty, but who cares?

Our First Harvest of Kang Kong (Water Spinach)

Yes! It is our first attempt and we are successful! Samuel got to sow kang kong seeds early spring and now he gets to harvest them. He was really excited.

Here's the basketful of kang kong. It was quite a lot and surely enough for the three of us!

And amazingly they tasted so tender and delicious! Even better than those from the market. What's better, they cost less than A$2 and are organic!

I sneaked a shot of Marco enjoying his grass after a meal of salmon fish.

The sweet corns are growing taller than Samuel.

And we got our pleasant surprise this evening. They are all having corns!!! It is so wonderful to be able to plant our own veges and I feel very glad that my son has this chance to be out in the garden surrounded and learning about plants and veges and herbs and flowers. It just reminds me of my childhood, exposed to all kinds of fruits and veges that Grandma planted. What great blessings!!!

The two spagetti squash vines are fruiting. About 6 squashes in all. I wonder how they taste like.