Spring in my farmhouse garden

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Come for a walk with me in my garden....
Spring has arrived & with the warmer temperatures have come such a bounty of beauty all around.  The trees are in blossom & the bulbs are springing to life ~ surprising us with their delightful appearances in rather random patterns all over the place!

Today the sky is looking particularly grumpy & the wind has increased, so put on your jacket & join me as we search the mess of plants from yesteryear & beyond and find some beauties amongst the tangle...

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First my newly planted strawberry patch ( I show everyone this ~  I've always wanted a strawberry patch)...
I had such a wonderful surprise the other day to discover a flower on one of my strawberry plants.  When I purchased these 'Cambridge Rival' crowns I was informed that they wouldn't fruit in our region until November or December.   I am looking forward to some tasty fruit from these heirloom plants that were planted in the dead of winter~ with dreams of a lush summer harvest!

Around the side now...
Thyme

My herbs are still growing prolifically ~ well except the cone-flower (echinacea) which dies off over winter ~but already we are appreciating the lovely new spring growth there & looking forward to many flowers on it come summer.  I enjoyed these so much last year that I planted more in August & now have many seedlings growing  ~ I'm looking forward to planting them out ~ I have a special area all ready planned for them around the front.






Parsley & Sage


I love my herb garden & have plans to extend it this year.  I have a prolific bounty of parsley, rosemary, thyme, mint, coriander, sage & especially dill.  These have continued all winter long & so we have enjoyed our fresh herbs the whole time!  I do intend to learn how to dry them though ~ it looks like so much fun :)   I have planted some seeds of oregano, chives & chilli to add to my collection this summer.

Rosemary

My garlic plants are also coming along nicely.  I planted before Anzac Day (as we should over  here in Australia) & look forward to seeing how successful they are.  Last year I had no success, but I  planted much too late.  This year I planted one bulb of cloves in the shade house & the other in the garden.  I will be interested in seeing which place grows the best ~ so far the shade house appears to be the winner .
Dill


As for the best part....

My wonderful hubby (have I told you how much I appreciate him? ) sacrificed a couple of  hours of his fathers' day evening this past Sunday to help me put together some new garden beds.  No, we haven't finished yet ~ so far it is little more than weed matting & sleepers (they are 2.5 m square), but I am so excited that these are finally taking shape.   I planted many seeds this past month  ( & have many to plant further in September) so I needed somewhere to put the seedlings once they have grown out!  I guess that truly is incentive to get these done!  You may be wondering why we have kept the garden so close to the house~ after all with 240 acres we have plenty of space ~ well at the moment we have no water supply to other parts of the farm & since summer is hot & dry, dry, dry here, I need to be able to give my plants a drink every second day (which is too much to bucket ~ especially with the size garden I dream of :) .  One day we plan on a big acre garden down near the big dam, but until we get a pump for it this is our best option! (Don't they say farmers & gardeners always need to be thinking about next year/s?)

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Don't you just love new spring growth?
All my little fruit trees are covered in tiny growth ~ the blueberry even has flowers on, the raspberry has small leaves covering it & the mulberry, kiwis & apricot trees are showing signs of a wonderful season of growing ahead!  All these are baby trees at the moment, but as I cultivate & water them regularly I envision them large & productive, producing much fruit for our family!  I pray that it might be so!

Next winter we plan on planting apples & possibly pears.  My hope is that by that time we will have water to the big "garden" area & we can plant an orchard down there also!  

Spring is my favorite time of year, the warming of the weather, the new growth, the flowers..... 



The flowers....









Did I say how much I love flowers of every kind :)
~Isn't God's Creation just Amazing!!!~

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Genesis1:31a


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Oh no, the clouds have darkened & the heavenly tears are coming to nourish the earth (my garden sure could use it)




... Come inside for a cuppa before you head off ...

Make sure you visit again soon...this dancing, skirt - twirling weather of spring is so appreciated after the cold, dark days of winter!


I hope you have a wonderful day wherever you may be


Thanks for visiting our little farm!

Blessings

8 comments:

selina said...

Hi Narn,
Thanks for sharing all about your garden. It is good to see photo's of it all as it grows. Your herbs are really big, I am so impressed. I dried my thyme and oregano by putting some on a tray in the oven with the oven on the lowest heat. Tis easy and they taste so good in food. I have just been in my garden eating peas, they are so yummy straight off the plant.
The Rosemary that I picked from your plant and put brought back here has now really taken off, it is getting big and I can start using it now.
I have some white and some pink strawberry flowers (and green and red strawberries :-).
I have been on nightshift, and am feeling very chatty at present, oh well. Would love to pop down to your house for a cuppa, we could use our special mugs down there, but for now I use mine up here and pray for you and Martine when I use it.
Have a lovely day, and give all the little ones a big hug for me,
luv
sel

Marsel said...

It's fun to see you heading into spring while we are winding down into autumn!

Unknown said...

I envy your luscious herb garden and dream to have one of my own some day with big, beautiful, bountiful plants like yours. The rosemary is stunning! So far, I've proven I can grow oregano :)

I'd say it looks like you might get strawberries before Nov./Dec.! Unless they take a long time to mature from that point, but either way I hope you get many juicy berries to feed your family.

The garden looks fenced in? I thought I remembered you mentioning problems with chickens getting into your garden so what a blessing not to have to worry about it if that's the case!

Happy Spring Renata!

"Are These Kids All Yours?" said...

LOVE your garden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elysia said...

Hi Narn

WOW, i seemed to have missed the horticulture gene!!!!! My lil pots of herbs are not going so well, but atleast they are better than my housemates whose are completely dead :)

I planted strawberries and a few of them grew but they tasted a bit odd.. So instead I head out to one of the farms out here and pick my own (i pay for them!!!!!!!).. They are huge and so delicious!!!!! I even made dad some strawberry jam from them! :) (see i'm domesticated! Lol)

Can't wait to see you!! Not long now!!!! Woohoooo..

Love EJ xoxoxox

the happy sparrow said...

Hey there Renata! Thanks for the homeschooling blog post and your lovely garden pictures. I also love every time I look at your blog the music from Anne of Green Gables comes us :)) Love it!! Takes me to Avonlea! I hope your well! Lots of love, Martine :)

Grandma said...

Hi Hi Hi Hi!!!!!!!! Can't wait to get my tour of the garden on Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you have an amazing time with your friends at the convention! Almost counting down the hours (well I would be if my assignment was done!!!!!!!!!)

Looking forward to some real hugs & kisses on Monday xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Love you all heaps, Mum xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kath said...

Thoroughly enjoyed my walk through your garden! I too love spring and all the excitement of watching the tender little plants grow!

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