tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29231080110760504622012-01-29T00:04:15.769+11:00Exploring the benefits and trials of companion gardening in the shade of Mt Majura, Canberra.Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.comBlogger721100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-32602691869015742922011-02-27T00:06:00.000+11:002011-02-27T00:06:36.527+11:00

For gardening followers and fellow green thumbs, please flick over to our all new Sandgroper Gardening blog!

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-30210521645188655532011-01-09T16:30:00.000+11:002011-01-09T16:30:32.457+11:00

We haven't blogged in a bit, having just come back from Christmas holidays and prior to that being flat out with work and life generally! Has been great to have a cooler December in Canberra, as we've had a good start to the summer vegie crops! The toms are going well, the mini eggplants are starting to kick off too, and the corn, although small in stature, already have some flower heads coming

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-5535908581737176122010-11-20T20:01:00.001+11:002010-11-20T20:01:24.870+11:00

We planted some super sweet corn seedlings today after we cut back the peas and broad beans. We used a barrow-load of compost, a tray of worm castings and some pelletised fertilizer to beef up the soil too!We also planted some Mini Lebanese eggplant seedlings with the corn. Am hoping they'll be nice and share the composty goodness. ;) Planted them relatively close too, to see how they go in a

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-13504272270681845392010-11-20T12:04:00.001+11:002010-11-20T12:04:21.398+11:00

We've been picking a heap of things from our little backyard garden in the last couple of weeks. We got a big crop of sugar snap peas - it's the first year we've tried them and we highly recommend them if you have kids; Clancy would pick and eat them at will! We also planted them close together given the small space we have for climbing veg and whilst there's a risk of mildew we did okay in fact.

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-19343419305701968172010-11-14T16:36:00.002+11:002010-11-14T16:42:14.726+11:00

What flower is this? Originally uploaded by margocFound in Phillip ACT. Anyone know what it might be? Looks like it may be native. Leaves are soft velvety grey-green. Flower is papery and mauve with small yellow stamens. My mum thought it might be from the Solanum family (nightshades, etc), but the flower seems to come off the same stem as the leaves. If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-17910669713562084562010-09-25T23:10:00.001+10:002010-09-25T23:10:28.608+10:00

I wrote about vertical gardens recently, with an idea using a hessian bag. Well, I've set it up and here are some shots with seedlings in for about two weeks now. I put some strawberries in the top, pak choi and mini spinach around the bag between the wiring. The stake holds the set up well and the water seems to be retained well given the location is warm to potentially drying in summer months.

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-40730534131594681912010-08-23T08:44:00.001+10:002010-08-23T08:44:31.888+10:00

One of our plum trees is in full bud with heaps of them about ready to burst!Our second plum however seems only to be budding on one side of the tree. What could the reason be?I posted a couple of years ago about our plum: http://hackettgardener.blogspot.com/2008/05/pruning-and-preparing-plum-trees.html and whilst no plums yet the trees are pretty healthy. Both are, however, on the south side of

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-36443458435975092322010-08-22T17:11:00.001+10:002010-08-22T17:11:28.334+10:00

Just been out in the garden and noticed our Meyer lemon is looking a bit brown with leaves curling. There's no real evidence of scale or other pests so I'm guessing it may just be reacting to the cold snap we've had revelry. We feed our citrus (lemon, lime and kaffir lime) regularly with worm wee and top up the mulch too with the flooring and straw from our lovely chooks. Hopefully the cold is

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-48035803023842353712010-07-24T15:12:00.000+10:002010-07-24T15:12:32.200+10:00

Last week I visited my friend's community garden plot with my 2 year old daughter. My friend also has a 2 year old - in fact we met in our mums and bubs group! The plot is great and my friend is just getting started; mulching, composting and planting some winter broad beans and peas. Her son is also helping out and has his own little section of the plot. As we planted and raked, we talked about

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-43137487653622127272010-07-24T13:46:00.002+10:002010-07-24T13:46:29.583+10:00

I want to try out some vertical garden techniques in our backyard, to make more use of some of the precious sunny spots, especially behind our garage (the back of which faces north). So far, we have really only made use of trellises for peas and beans and corn stalks to support beans and the like - but there is certainly more we can do! Some of the resources I've found so far make use of

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-77599828302293146322010-04-05T10:38:00.000+10:002010-04-05T10:38:13.508+10:00

I've been watcing the Brassica seedlings we put in about 2 weeks ago and have been meticulously removing the white cabbage moth eggs from the leaves. Some companion planting guides suggest Dill is a good companion which attracts a wasp that feeds off the moth eggs. Zinias also attract ladybirds that can keep the eggs down too. Green Harvest suggests some organic remedies too, but handpicking is

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-89847390579249234332010-03-15T21:17:00.000+11:002010-03-27T17:13:00.393+11:00

Have set some seeds for winter crops as per earlier post and now looking at various ways to ensure seedlings survive with the chooks foraging around. This row of leeks is covered with some chicken wire. We'll see of it's too open for the chooks. We also have some leftover guttering mesh which, whilst not too tall, could be effective as well. This would be good for individual seedlings like the

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-32133084134838987842010-03-08T21:24:00.001+11:002010-03-08T21:24:06.533+11:00

veg_autumn2010Originally uploaded by margocSowed some winter veg seeds today, making th emost of the last bit of warmth before Autumn really hits us! :o)Elefant leeks and Di Cicco broccoli (from Yarralumla Nursery), lettuce and Chinese celery (hope it comes up - the seed is a bit old now), and spring onion.Loving this rain too!

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-49738160421723654022010-03-08T14:27:00.001+11:002010-03-08T14:27:07.126+11:00

No this is what it's about!- Posted using BlogPress from my phone

Simon Choohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619404538075391737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-63877626470059540222010-03-08T09:25:00.001+11:002010-03-08T09:25:35.365+11:00

This is what it's all about!- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-22442012110077318272010-03-07T12:11:00.001+11:002010-03-07T12:11:32.667+11:00

Have noticed two ants nests in garden beds where ants are nesting between the sleepers. I did a search and looks like they might be Carpenter ants or so it says on the ACT TAMS website: "Sugar or Carpenter Ants (Camponotus species) are 5-15mm long, they have orange/brown bodies, black abdomens with an orange/brown band and black heads. They nest in decayed moist wood or sometimes in the soil.

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-35580222505892231242010-03-06T11:11:00.001+11:002010-03-06T11:15:25.274+11:00

Please say hello to Marmalade (the first out of the box) and Sunday Rose! They are 20 week old Isa Browns, ready to lay. We picked them up from the market first thing this morning and they already seem quite at home in their yard!

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-56492352196762928512009-12-12T13:31:00.001+11:002009-12-12T13:31:26.808+11:00

Having picked our lovely fresh beetroot while still small, I made the following salad. You might like to try it and let us know what you think!INGREDIENTSBunch small sized beetroot (enough for your hungry friends, say 4-6 small ones each). Zest of half an orange.Juice of half an orange (double if making large salad). Handful of fresh flat leaf parsley. Half handful of fresh mint.Good feta cheese

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-64482987604010577282009-11-15T13:53:00.004+11:002009-11-15T14:13:56.109+11:00

A work colleague asked me why her potatoes were hollow in the middle with a dry black soot inside. I suggested it might be a nutrient deficiency. It prompted me to look up potato problems and this is what I found.Hollow heart occurs when potatoes grow too fast because as a result of too much water or too much fertilizer. Cavity can be discolored and lined with powdery decay, verticillium fungus.

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-33261300281911412122009-11-08T10:35:00.000+11:002009-11-08T10:36:04.081+11:00

Simon bought some tomato seedlings this week: a black Russian, beef steak and some Roma seedlings. We've popped them in with a light sprinkling of lime. Also got some potatoes going. We ran out of garden space so have 3 tubers in a foam box and a plastic crate! Hopefully they'll do okay. Planted them with lots of compost and sugarcane mulch. Am hoping they won't be "overcooked" and end up with

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-81765892815126833312009-10-17T23:19:00.001+11:002009-10-17T23:19:02.841+11:00

Did a bit more mulching today and Simon built up a swaleso as to catch more run-off especially around the gate. The are doing so well we've done a second lot of divide-and-transplant with them. They look fab!Here's a little pic outlining the swale.Tomorrow is another sunny day!- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-33634694590005726142009-10-05T13:07:00.001+11:002009-10-05T13:07:58.280+11:00

Here's our first piece of harvested horseradish! Our friends John and Jess gave us this horseradish to look after and it's doubled in size in about twelve months. The smell is amazing! It's quite herbacious compared to the processed kind. I read that the longer you let a cut piece oxidize, the more fiery the taste. I also found a cranberry relish recipe which uses a bit of horseradish, so will

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-54035022202821961242009-10-02T08:27:00.000+10:002009-10-02T08:28:01.973+10:00

Warning: this is not gardening related!I bought an iPhone just the other day, which means I have big plans for recording what we are doing in the garden! I've downloaded a blogger app and a photo blog app to be able to capture our hardening activities and post them quickly without too much double handling. As you can imagine with a one year old, that's pretty ideal!So this is my first iPhone post

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-53624357873791947422009-09-05T12:53:00.004+10:002009-09-06T10:48:19.377+10:00

Remember the seeds we propagated this time last month? Well, the snowpeas are now planted out. Around the same time last month, I put in some carrot seeds and they've sprung up well too.Today we planted some beetroot seeds; organic 'Detroit' variety. Last season we put in some baby beetroot which went off - so let's see how these ones go. We planted these in our middle bed, where we had the green

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-66321946525790498142009-08-16T10:29:00.001+10:002009-08-16T10:29:25.624+10:00

3 minutes of hailOriginally uploaded by margocSurreal!

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-9570464317959087422009-08-16T10:27:00.001+10:002009-08-16T10:27:57.358+10:00

seed propagationOriginally uploaded by margocPlanted 9/8/09 - planted out some early seedlings and made use of our recently acquired 'greenhouse' frame! An old cane shelving unit thrown out from the flats across the road. Eat your heart out Bunnings! :oPBit of clear plastic for colder nights, shade cloth for sun protection and water tank next door! Receives warmth from the garage wall onto which

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-80437687314704080852009-07-20T20:21:00.002+10:002009-07-20T20:48:17.168+10:00

shadehouseOriginally uploaded by margocWe've had this old roof frame since we moved in - it was at the back of the garage and has stayed there til now with many possible lives it could have lead. Now it has fulfilled its destiny and become the roof of a shadehouse-come-greenhouse.Simon knocked up a frame for it on the weekend with pieces of timber we had in the garage (it pays to not be too eager

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-22221633134461112812009-07-20T20:13:00.002+10:002009-07-20T20:15:08.200+10:00

Rainwater tank off garageOriginally uploaded by margocWe finally put in a rainwater tank last weekend, running off the garage roof. Now, if only it would rain (although I must admit to enjoying the recent warmish winter weather here in Canberra)!It's just a 500L tank to help with the summer watering and to complement our little greywater set up (which holds about 100L).This was a quick 1 day job

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-55961122721610136562009-07-19T11:33:00.004+10:002009-07-19T17:34:53.365+10:00

Another lovely Sunday in Canberra in the winter. The sunrise this morning was a sight to behold - looking up to Mt Majura where the clouds were pink and soft dark blue as the sun rose to paint them! Just gorgeous! It's possibly the best time of year for sunsets and sunrises I think.We pruned our plum trees today - photos to come shortly on our Flick page. Simon found a great interactive PDF guide

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-623738670733529032009-06-16T09:38:00.005+10:002009-06-16T09:48:03.965+10:00

The Canberra Organic Growers Society (COGS) started in 1977 and is still going strong. They have a new website up and running, making the most of the flexibility of WordPress - lovely work!I've added them to the sidebar under 'Companion plantings', as well as to my RSS reader.Now to finish reading the Winter edition (2009, Vol 17 No 2) of the COGS newsletter, on crop rotation and tips for winter

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-60716234917860627712009-06-02T21:39:00.000+10:002009-06-02T21:40:09.800+10:00

Can't talk, studying! That's the sound of an M.Ed student in the final throws of study for the Spring semester, as we move into the twilight that is winter. I love winter, I'm a winter baby!Have one last assessment piece to do for the semester then I'm free! :o)I also have a growing list of things to do in the garden after I've submitted my essay, and I can't wait:Pick lemons and preserve them,

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-75979223320786607652009-05-10T10:13:00.001+10:002009-05-10T10:13:06.948+10:00

garden harvestOriginally uploaded by margocAaah the colour of Autumn. :o)

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-58460174526443420972009-05-09T20:51:00.001+10:002009-05-09T20:51:29.018+10:00

We are just over two years in our place in Hackett so today I walked around and took some pics of our garden to see how things have come along. Certainly the backyard is changed completely, the progress is documented in pics over at our Hackett Gardener Flickr set.First our olive, planted back in June 2007. Here's then:And now:Our side verge is looking healthy now the natives (including grasses)

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-86739344289671461532009-05-09T18:15:00.001+10:002009-05-09T18:15:20.188+10:00

Rubbish Free Year Challenge | Be The Change Was reading about these guys in ReNew magazine (Issue 107, Apr-Jun 2009). Not as easy as it seems given the amount of packaging that comes with goods these days.It has made me think more about the Reuse concept though - recycling is great of course, but if you can reuse before needing to recycle, you are already decreasing the need to expend energy on

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-60322430580051734222009-03-28T08:41:00.003+11:002009-03-28T09:08:32.739+11:00

As we've just heard on the local radio, Canberra has only had one-third of its average rainfall and dams are barely 50% full. It's good to stop - even for an hour - and reflect on where we are in terms of climate change. Our garden is sooooo dry right now! Even our little desert lime looks stressed!We're having a candlelit dinner for two while our daughter, Clancy, sleeps blissfully unaware of

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-63311179572229425332009-03-22T08:56:00.002+11:002009-03-22T08:57:51.878+11:00

Kamal Meattle on how to grow your own fresh airOK, so in addition to the video I blogged yesterday, and in response to a couple of comments, here's a screenshot of the three plants Kamal refers to in his talk.I should have also mentioned that the video is just under 5 minutes, for those who like to know!I did some more searching and found more of a 'list' of 'greening and cleaning' indoor plants

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-3591947571511734782009-03-21T09:53:00.001+11:002009-03-21T09:53:45.066+11:00

Kamal Meattle on how to grow your own fresh air | Video on TED.com A simple but effective approach to greening up your office, home or other spaces regularly used.I work in an open-plan shared office space on the first floor of an old building where our air conditioning is always on (cooling or heating) and often is not well regulated. While we still have the capacity to open windows for fresh

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-44048104806745869302009-01-23T19:30:00.001+11:002009-01-23T19:30:10.382+11:00

I've really enjoyed the remainder of my maternity leave in my hometown back in Western Australia; it's shown me how the South West region has progressed, particularly when it comes to local produce. Much of the region has been farmed using conventional methods, from cattle (meat and dairy) to potatoes and caulies, and in more recent times, vineyards, avocados, and a range of vegies for the Perth

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-4685132985779071972008-12-18T15:03:00.001+11:002008-12-18T15:03:39.278+11:00

Take a look at this. If this doesn't convince you to go organic, or at least grow your own produce sustainably, then I don't know what would! Thanks to sparkered for this one. :o)Blogged with the Flock Browser

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-16264883813894597382008-11-25T09:57:00.005+11:002008-11-25T10:09:39.162+11:00

I've managed to thin out our beetroot crop now and we used the thinned out seedling leaves for salads in the process. Yummo!The roots are forming nicely and we've covered with a layer of sugarcane mulch - so I'm wondering if a good fertilizing now would be worthwhile? I've been checking up on organic fertilizers, and so far the option seems to be a decent fertilizer 'tea'. This will work for us

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-9061879740793376342008-11-20T09:57:00.001+11:002008-11-20T09:57:28.759+11:00

11.4mm of rain! Hooray! Our plants say thank you :o) Blogged with the Flock Browser

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-68408059072706910302008-11-18T16:23:00.002+11:002008-11-25T10:11:47.023+11:00

Harvested the garlic yesterday. 10 small to medium sized bulbs. They are better formed than last year's crop too. The soil in the Bed (i.e. bed #5) is a bit compacted now, and I wonder if this may have diminished the size of the garlic? Anyway, once the broad beans have finished in this bed, we can turn it over and build it up again with some more manure and mulch, etc.The broad beans and carrots

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-63486299635751707762008-10-21T18:56:00.001+11:002008-10-21T18:56:36.499+11:00

I've been meaning to post our plantings this season and just haven't had a chance to sit down and do so, ...so here goes!We've made the most of our new garden beds and now seem to have more space for things too.Bed #1: Most recently planted chicory, raddichio and basil, pruned back the parsely and removed an old parsley bush. About to pull out old celery for composting and have let the chard go

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-25343062965234237072008-10-21T18:17:00.001+11:002008-10-21T18:17:18.163+11:00

It's almost 2weeks since the aphid infestation on our plum trees, and there's been a marked improvement, helped by ants and those bespeckled garden companions, the ladybirds! Jerry from Gardening Australia says: "Adults [ladybirds that is!] will consume 2,500 aphids during their life." That's lucky for us! :o)I've used the water and detergent solution three times in that time and it seems to had

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-82426400787811785562008-10-15T14:10:00.001+11:002008-10-15T14:10:14.343+11:00

I'm a bad bad gardener! A couple of weeks ago I noticed aphids on the little Hellebora that sits at our front doorstep and thought "hmmm, there's a lot of aphids on that plant, lucky they aren't going for our orchard trees or anything", then thought no more of it (as you do).Then, Simon says, "I think there's aphids on the plum tree." I'm in denial. "Why would they be on the plum tree? Are you

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-17485994315112895032008-10-01T21:59:00.001+10:002008-10-01T21:59:41.529+10:00

I've just started reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: Our year of seasonal eating (2007) and I've been reading it out aloud to my daughter, Clancy, aged uh... 2 months (in the hope that she'll take it all in by osmosis). :o)[Image source: Amazon]It's a witty read that's for sure. Kingsolver rolls together her family's learnings and some pretty crazy stats and knowledge of the

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-55318893326694488312008-09-22T17:36:00.001+10:002008-09-22T17:36:27.401+10:00

We haven't forgotten about our gardening blog, just that life with a new baby is engulfing all aspects of day to day activities (plus, typing with one hand has its frustrations somewhat!)...anyway, we can update you on our recent backyard escapades!With the birth of our beautiful daughter, new Dad, Simon, was blessed with 1 month's leave, in which time he (along with the help of the grandparents

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-70919523500995000342008-05-11T15:28:00.004+10:002010-08-23T08:33:25.878+10:00

As Autumn settles in, we've been doing a bit of clean-up of our vegies and native front garden. In addition, we've been working out preparations for the orchard trees, especially our two Japanese plums, Santa Rosa and Mariposa. I've been sifting through the web and our companion planting book for info on pruning times and procedures and fertilising. There's a mish-mash of info around, so I've

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-21625356441916088992008-03-09T17:05:00.007+11:002008-03-09T17:36:52.059+11:00

We posted about our garden design back in early October, adding our new garden beds. From recent posts and photos you can see we're well underway getting the backyard into shape!October plansThis second diagram shows the worm farm is no longer under the bay tree - Simon moved it under the patio eaves. The worms are going fabulously, so they must like the change! Also, we've potted a lemon tree

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-10286488843613681152008-02-23T11:36:00.001+11:002008-02-23T11:36:28.610+11:00

fernery and pond Originally uploaded by margoc Our pond has really settled well and we've been developing a little fernery in the alcove by the house to give the area a sort of theme I suppose.We bought a tree fern last weekend and have put it near the lattice (I'm sure you can spot it at the back there). This one was harvested from Victoria and is about 2 feet tall (when measuring the

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-48761197225199867462008-02-23T11:27:00.001+11:002008-02-23T11:27:46.108+11:00

corn and snake beans Originally uploaded by margoc Well, boy it's been an explosive start to the year really, from a gardening perspective in this case! January was hot to begin with then as we headed into February, the rains came! Just lovely - we've hardly been hand watering at all!Our small lot of corn have taken off with the cobs almost ready to pick. We planted some snake beans

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-23307751448422020802007-10-28T11:55:00.000+11:002007-10-28T12:30:37.566+11:00

We've finally finished our pond. It was a bit of work, but we reckon it's worth it, as it now gives the garden a different look and feel (even more so when we actually top it up with water!).We've been looking into getting some native pond plants and ways to attract frogs too.First, you must create the ideal habitat for frogs. From the slideshow here of our pond-making efforts, you can see the

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-26974223212124436252007-10-21T16:10:00.000+10:002007-10-21T16:20:00.464+10:00

While spending up big at the Botanic Gardens plant sale yesterday, we also purchased this book:Australian Plants for Canberra Region Gardens and other Cool Climate Areas (ISBN 0 909830 59 2).It's an informative book covering a broad range of grasses, shrubs, trees and more that grow well in Canberra's harsh conditions. It's published by Australian Native Plants Society Canberra Region Inc. (

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-37626489515629442722007-10-21T12:09:00.000+10:002007-10-21T13:59:01.496+10:00

Its that time of the year again and the Australian Botanic Garden Society had their biannual native seedling sale. We picked up a few seedlings at last year's Spring sale and a few more at the Autumn sale. We went a bit crazy on Saturday and stocked up on some hedging shrubs for the new bed along the side fence - some hovea longifolia, pomaderris betulina (subsp. actensis), leionema elatius,

Simon Choohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619404538075391737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-479976140209975252007-10-13T18:53:00.000+10:002007-10-13T18:58:13.684+10:00

Floriade ends this weekend. What a great event it’s been this year! Officials reckon they may have broken last year’s record of attendance with about 340,000+ or so through the turnstiles. Pretty good! I have to also give a big plug to, and highly commend the work of, CIT staff and students who were involved. Building and Construction students helped out and built the beach shacks that were

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-76326829026950358892007-10-13T18:09:00.001+10:002007-10-13T18:30:49.833+10:00

I mentioned earlier that we were planning out our garden beds, and have also bought some sleepers to set these up further. This image below shows how the beds were first off:Our first effort was a basic tidy-up. This second image shows some changes we're working on: gliffy_did = "1300451"; embedGliffy(); Some slight differences. First we have cut out the Oleander (bottom left corner shrub) in

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-27445700752416987492007-10-13T17:20:00.000+10:002007-10-13T17:34:01.103+10:00

ABC local radio (666 Canberra) personality Genevieve Jacobs has started a gardening guide for cool climates; a must-see for all Canberrans! These guides a short vodcasts available from the ABC local radio website.If you have a feed reader like Bloglines, you can keep track of newly available vodcasts. The URL is available on the gardening guide homepage (the one ending in .xml).It's just the sort

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-61746388712794168492007-10-13T17:08:00.001+10:002007-10-13T17:08:47.958+10:00

Spring cleaning: broad beans and garlic Originally uploaded by margoc We pulled out the brocolli and caulie plants today, as they've both finished (the caulies never really started). We kept one of the caulies that was going to seed, to see if we can get some decent seed from it. I'll have to ask my Dad about that one. I remember as a kid Dad keeping the caulie seeds in the coolroom until

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-5526672634148376752007-09-30T18:47:00.000+10:002007-09-30T18:49:17.859+10:00

We have a long weekend this weekend (hooray), so have been making the most of it out in the garden (despite the wind).We took a drive down to Queanbeyan today to the Wholesale Sleeper Company and ordered 20 sleepers (A grade, well-priced), 2 x half wine barrels and 4 x bales of sugar cane mulch. We brought back 6 bags of potting mix with us too!Do you get the feeling Spring is in the air? :o)

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-83272553386261940342007-09-11T18:59:00.000+10:002007-09-11T19:03:07.247+10:00

We've just got back from a two-week holiday overseas in the US, and were so pleased to see the garden still in tact and progressing well (somewhat slowly due to the cold)...We were pleasantly surprised to see our broccoli doing well and were able to cut two heads for dinner!The caulies however seemed to have fed the local possums - but I'm thinking in true companion planting style this benefitted

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-80961066858463104992007-08-05T11:34:00.001+10:002007-08-05T17:33:21.857+10:00

A colleague of Simon's had picked a heap of olives (from some trees that are over 70 years old), then had no time to cure them, so we took up the challenge to do so!We had two recipes to try. I had tried curing olives a few years ago when we were still living in WA. I used a curing recipe from Stephanie Alexander's Cook's Companion (1st edition, p.631 if you have a copy). It worked OK, and used

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-79339271172660420102007-08-03T10:13:00.001+10:002007-08-03T10:15:44.314+10:00

The small Crowea or Waxflower (Crowea exalata) is a native shrub of Victoria, related to the Boronias, and valued for the quality and quantity of its flowers. One of its brightest displays comes when most welcome, during autumn and winter. It is frost hardy and suited to cool and moist rather than hot conditions. Plants have been lost at about five years old following droughts and

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-7282625711721785492007-06-24T18:58:00.000+10:002007-08-03T10:17:42.306+10:00

Post note: After using this system for about a month now, we realised we hadn't added a lint catcher of filter, so have stretched a piece of flywire across the top, held on with the lid. Simon also drilled out the small filter on the tap itself, which allows for greater flow-through of water.Canberra is switching to stage 4 water restrictions sometime in July/August, which means NO outdoor

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-29479036537820718202007-06-18T15:42:00.001+10:002007-06-18T16:02:30.026+10:00

mint as companion to caulies and brocolli Originally uploaded by margoc I did a quick run around the garden a couple of weeks ago to see how our vege patches were going and they are holding up well so far this winter (fingers crossed!).This pic shows our companions plants "in action", with spuds at the left side (end of the bed) with some garlic to the front of the bed, some broccoli and in

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-16640837992743943942007-06-13T10:18:00.001+10:002010-08-23T08:33:48.050+10:00

Happy birthday me! I celebrated (rather than denied) my age with a kick-ass jungle party, and Simon bought me a plum and olive tree! What more could a 30-something gal ask for?! The plum is a Japanese Santa Rosa and the olive is a Manzanillo, a popular Spanish variety. P.S. Simon then bought another plum, having realised that we needed a second one for pollination. This one is a Japanese

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-58293549298503214642007-05-27T14:35:00.001+10:002007-05-27T15:37:20.719+10:00

While most other plants and shrubs are more subdued this time of year, we have some lovely flowering surprises in our garden. A little dash of colour which picks up the autumn sun through the dappled light provided by our Japanese maples.The sacred bamboo with its bright red berries:The lovely small grevillea shrub with stylish flowers which bow and spread their 'wings':The ever-hardy

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-34499597947130517742007-05-18T10:09:00.000+10:002007-05-18T10:12:54.232+10:00

21mm ...but we need more.Our broad beans are loving it though :o) ...happy Friday!

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-2984101739689130122007-05-11T16:45:00.001+10:002007-05-11T16:45:53.866+10:00

Simon posted earlier about the native plants we've planted in our garden and I've taken photos of those we purchased from the Aust Natl. Botanic garden plant sales. These are listed below with links to their botanical information, courtesy of the Botanic Gardens web page, a highly useful and accessible resource! Grevilleas So far we have three Grevilleas, Grevillea Langiera, Grevillea '

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-66607677791684631902007-05-08T17:53:00.000+10:002008-12-11T01:05:49.162+11:00

Since reading Companion Planting, we've been re-thinking the layout of our garden and how best to use the small space we have, and how to make the most of Canberra's four seasons, beginning with Autumn!Below is the current layout of our backyard where we have planted vegies along with managing the existing shrubs and trees.Full version here.The northerly aspect provides a good deal of heat and

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-2443222331840253082007-05-08T16:12:00.000+10:002007-05-08T16:27:48.552+10:00

I've been dipping into our gardening books over the last couple of weeks, a lovely bedtime reading chore!My favourite at present is Companion Planting, part of the Lothian series on successful organic gardening (1995). it's a bit hard to find now - Amazon don't have copies available, but I'm sure a local library or two would have it. I've been planning our planting cycles and companion plants as

Marg OConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06213396814329750634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-45782023849625259142007-04-01T22:32:00.000+10:002007-05-08T16:39:01.115+10:00

Last week the Australian Botanic Gardens had their biannual plant sale. They have one sale in Spring and another in Autumn. We went to their sale at the end of Spring last year and picked up some seedlings for the front yard, including a small acacia, some tiny kangaroo paws, which didn't fare too well, and some native ground covers.This time we picked up a couple of grevilleas (which did not

Simon Choohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619404538075391737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923108011076050462.post-15385220496201039362007-03-15T21:51:00.000+11:002008-12-11T01:05:49.434+11:00

Around the country, Carriers and their offspring celebrated the 40th anniversary of our grandparents Alphonse and Nessie Carrier arriving on the shores of Fremantle Harbour, disembarking from a boat ride from Penang, with Christine (mum), Antoinette, Henreitte, Adrian and Genevieve in tow.The remnants of the Carrier clan in Perth met for a beautiful lunch at the Red Herring, on the opposite side

Simon Choohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619404538075391737noreply@blogger.com0