Gardening and house cleaning

I have a holy glow after cleaning the grubby side of the house, ready for stopping and filling and, gasp, painting, yes, with actual paint!
:)

Though it all may take a wee while before it's all done and dusted...

The leeks have been trying to flower, their scopes look great amongst a flower arrangement.


They make the leeks go woody so it's time to rip them out and make the most of them. Also pulled out all the rocket plants, they were producing more flowers than leaves now, need their space for more yummy beetroot, long ones this time.



The sweet peas Amy and I planted ages ago are now finally coming into their own, lovely with the backlight.

I've put in the tomato frames, at least the short versions so far, though I don't think these two are going to be quite as rampant as last year's lot.



We have beans sprouting, new rocket and 4 rows of radishes all bursting out of the soil. The blackbirds are loving the compost I so carefully put between the rows of garlic, damn their orange eyes.
:)



Managed to find a place that sells weber parts in NZ, so I've been busy polishing the old black smoker to a wonderful sheen, complete with oil on the wooden handles and a brand new 'one touch system' to control the airflow. Looking forward to the first official burning. It looks so cool and retro. Haven't used it since 2004...

Hazel enjoying the sunlight

Guy Fawkes weekend

There was no public firework display here this year because it all went whoosh in one go last year, luckily no one was hurt too much.
:)

But it was a pleasant weekend, the weather behaved rather well and Sunday was a stunning spring/early summer day.
Sowed seeds of Hailstone and Cylindra radishes (nice for a snack whilst prowling the garden).
Also a couple of rows of good old phaseolus vullgaris (common bean). A small bed of rocket and a few more coriander seeds completed the picture.
Hazel posed for a shot (click on the photos for the larger versions)



An overview



The roma tomatoes are getting bigger, but there are no laterals, these may well be the sum total...



I pulled a few of the onions to male room for the new rocket bed, the ones that are left look very strong and nice

November! Eeeek flime is tying...

Been busy planting seedlings including a green zucchini, a thai super hot chilli as well as a cayenne long slim chilli, six capsicums, six sweet basil, one Lebanese cucumber and a grafted Don's choice tomato!

a shot of a plot



Peas are producing



and just watch this zucchini go, it's already grown two new leaves since this was taken

]

home grown leeks ready for a rissotto!



And Hazel the Thundercat admiring her domain in the late afternoon light