KIG's Garden

[KIGardening]

@JP 1983, Great to see someone else here on the forum who reuse similar jars as I (and my better half) do. We safe all different sizes of jars as it gives us the versatility to preserve different amounts of food, which is suitable for our life style or as gifts to other people. We also have the 3 Threes brand jars

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

@Mandy Onderwater if you can't keep bees yourself for what ever reason then try to see if you can team up with a beekeeper and loan your place out for a hive or two. Just an Idea

That'd be pretty interesting. Especially as I do have an interest in expanding my garden and to also grow flowers in the future. I would have to discuss something like that with granddad though, as this is his property. And on top of that, there's quite a lot of "free" land around us, so I'm not sure if any beekeepers ate struggling for space and are willing to travel
But definitely an interesting idea I might look in to!

@JP 1983 cheers! Can lids be boiled too? I often see staining in the rubbery layer on the inside, and have been wondering if maybe I would have to buy new lids just to be safe.

 

[KIGardening]

@Mandy This would be a great starting point for your investigation, Queensland Beekeepers’ Association Incorporated

 

[KIGardening]

Can lids be boiled too? I often see staining in the rubbery layer on the inside, and have been wondering if maybe I would have to buy new lids just to be safe.

The water level is usually under the lids level, but you boil the bottles once sealed. You can reuse the lids even if they have a stain, which I do. However if the lids have food remains you can't clean or get rusty I replace the lids. If you don't feel you can't trust the stained lids then feel free to get new lids for your jars.

 

[KIGardening]

I have been harvesting a loot of goodies and came to the awful discovery that a lot of my eggplants were rotting on the plant before ready to harvest. The smell is terrible and a waste of produce. I don't know why this is happening?

The side garden is producing well with tomatoes, however the zucchinis are not producing at all I'm still hoping the pumpkin is going to produce, but we will have to see what will happen.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Has there been a change in the weather? I would almost think that there might have been too much water or a lack of calcium

Are you expecting any cold weather? Otherwise I'm sure they'll fruit in their own time. I've noticed that a lot of my plants have been slow to fruit the past year, and other members have expected similar issues.

 

[KIGardening]

I have two plants near each other. One has no issues what so ever and the other one is a hit and miss. This plant has been going on since it was planted in spring. Both plants are in the same environment, get the same sun, water and fertilising treatment.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

It might just be a slight difference in their locations. Even the tiniest amounts can surprisingly make a difference. Maybe more wind, sunlight, or even a soil difference. I have 2 passionfruit vines, just a meter away from eachother, yet one thrives and the other one is but a sapling. I think the only difference is that one is near a tree and the other a little further away. The one near the tree is doing great!

 

[clareqinty89]

Your garden transformation sounds amazing! It's inspiring to hear how you've revitalized the space with such dedication and resourcefulness, from repurposing materials to embracing sustainable practices like rainwater harvesting. Have you ever considered adding a camphor tree to your garden? They're not only beautiful but also offer year-round greenery and a delightful fragrance. If you're curious to learn more, mklibrary.com has some great insights. Keep up the fantastic work!

 

[KIGardening]

Welcome to the forum Clare and congratulations on your first post . The little one is giving a high five paw to the big fella .

I always take a little tiny bit pride when people take inspiration of the work that I do. If that leads to people doing similar things and have a better environment then that would definitely make my day. Don't worry I will keep it up as it is a part of my happy space.

I never heard of a camphor tree, so I had to ask the AI (Artificial Incompetency ) search engine to find an answer. I do have to admit that the size of the tree is massive and I can relate to similar native trees here in Australia that can reach such sizes and beautiful to watch and use to enjoy a beer or wine under. Unfortunate this tree is also a declared weed in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia and with my garden being a bit bigger than the average typical 1960's/1970's Australian suburban garden, I don't see myself having a tree like that. But I would like to try it if I had a massive block in the Southern Australian states were it isn't a declared weed. Further it is also great wood for making products such as bowls or boards. Can already see myself in my little workshop making a bowl or board .

Since you're placed your first post in my thread I do like to challenge you and show your garden path in Kansas and inspire other people. What is your answer, are you ready to inspire?

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I hear you. Some people have recommended plants to us that are weeds here too
What's beautiful in one place doesn't always work for another. However, I do miss daffodils, haha. They are considered a weed in the Netherlands, but here you pay like $8 for a small pot with a single daffodil. I felt like I was getting scammed

 

[KIGardening]

There was a bit of space left in the front garden for some garden beds so I decided to install two more. However I did not wanted to get more soil to fill the beds up so I decided to use a variation of Marc's Hügelkultur showcase. First I removed the bark where the garden beds would come as that helped me to patch up a bare piece of garden somewhere else. Then I added a whole bunch of pruning's that I had laying around, followed by left over garden soil and old potting mix etc. This was followed by a layer made out of bags of potting mix, soil improver and chicken manure, which was gently mixed in the top left over soil. This was the followed up by a layer of mulch to finish the 'Soil Lasagne'. As last it was time to water the beds in to start the process and at the same time I had to water myself as well.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Looks like a job well done! Your garden looks very organised and kept

What are you intending on planting in these beds?

 

[KIGardening]

I do my best to keep the front garden organised and kept tidy as I don't want to let the street appeal down.

I got no idea yet what I will plant in it, but garlic is high on he wish list. But a crop of beetroot or cabbage could be planted too, or maybe beans. You will find out once I made up my mind,lol.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Ah yeap. That's fair. I live rural and the lady across the road intentionally has her yard overgrown for wildlife. She keeps the driveway and a couple sections real tidy, though you cannot see them from the road. Probably to reduce the risk of her or her dogs getting bit by snakes.
It really does look good, you've done well.

Haha, many ideas it seems! You can always grow a crop of beans whilst you make up your mind. They help imrpove your soil as well in the meantime

 

[KIGardening]

I had a bit of a surprise when I returned home from remote work for the last few weeks.

The beds that had previous potatoes in them started to shoot again. Clearly I didn't harvest all potatoes. In one I planted coriander seeds, so that will be interesting combination to grow. In the other bed KIG's better half planted a cheeky sorrel. The capsicums and eggplants are still growing strong, so I will see how far into winter I can grow them as an experiment. I also noticed a lot of weeds popping up, which will need attention in the weekend. Further one of my native scrubs showed plenty of flower buds, so that will be interesting to see how it looks as I planted this as tube stock in spring. My avocado trees stared shooting, so that will be good as I'm waiting for a bit of shade for the car park overtime . The baby carrots are doing fine and was very surprised with my little garlic bulb shoots to grow so much. I planted these as an experiment, so interesting to see if they turn into big bulbs this season. Further in the back yard my walnut tree finally decided it was time to drop the goodies! Seen the sunshine is still here I will go enjoy a glass of and warm up for tonight.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Looks like the vast majority were quite nice surprises! Always lovely to see plants thriving, even in times of absense.

I reckon that pulling those weeds could be quite therapeutic if you pull up a folding chair and play some music. I've been quite keen on doing tedious tasks with an audiobook lately. It makes tasks fly by like they're nothing. You almost want to do more, just so you can hear what happens next in the book

 

[KIGardening]

No audio books for me. I would be to busy making notes on my favourite subjects . Weeding has been done on the weekend and KIG's better half planted out peas, beans, garlic, beetroot, broccoli and some other bits out I can't remember at the moment in the garden beds.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

When I go to bed I always have the same audiobook going every night. And restart it when it ends, haha. That way it doesn't keep me up with excitement, but it's still a good enough book to keep my mind on track (yay for insomnia).

Ooh! That sounds exciting! Do you take notes on what you put in beds, or just remember it? I always forget, haha. So I have to write it down

 

[KIGardening]

I try to remember what I planted but I'm not to fussed if I forget as I walk through the garden and be like.... huh look at that, didn't knew I had that .