Possums Strike Again!

One negative about living amongst so many beautiful trees is we have so many possums. Last year they stole my tomatoes & ate my roses. This year, they're back! Eating my new Japanese maple leaves & rose buds again!

Rose buds eaten

Japanese maple leaves eaten

Have tried a few things to deter them but nothing has worked. A fellow gardener suggested quassia wood chips. If you emerge these chips in water, the horrid bitter flavour of the chips leeches into the water & if you spray this water onto your plants, the possums will be put off by the awful taste (& it is awful, I tried it) & stop eating your precious plants. So I figured I'd give it a go.

I purchased some chips online

Little helper helped me put them into water

We let them soak in there for a while & then out we went to spray all my pot plants.

Will update if its a success or failure.

Fingers crossed!

Happy gardening

Bel

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Spring Vegetable Garden Plans

Spring is here & it's time to plant. I'm a bit late but I have been so busy with baby girls 1st birthday & christening that I really haven't had a chance.


I know lots of people have been growing their seedlings undercover ready for planting out in spring, but not me. I just buy mine from the nursery or start from seed in the ground. It's just too much for me with two little ones & I have no real desire to do it.

What do I want to plant this spring? Here's my spring to summer garden last year.

Right at the start of spring- my first planting. I had several tomato varieties, climbing beans, cucumbers, pumpkin, basil, parsley, cucumbers & banana peppers.

All my tomatoes. I staked them with bamboo & soon learned that was a stupid idea! This year, I shall stake them properly.

Back in summer when my little baby was only 3 or 4 months old.

I successfully grew a big abundant bunch of climbing bean plants from seed last spring.

I grew so many gorgeous, perfect, mixed variety tomatoes last year, and then a big awful hailstorm hit & ruined them all. I was so sad, but this year, I shall grow them & eat them & it will be a good year!

My lovely next door neighbour shared her beautiful Passionfruit vine with me last summer (as a big part of it hangs over my side of the fence) I think I got around 80 passionfruits & they were devine. I even got to share them with my family. Hoping I might get them again this summer.

A lovely Passionfruit flower from last year

So that was last warm season, & now on to this year.

This year I plan to grow several tomato varaieties again, peppers, beet root, capsicum, climbing beans from seed, eggplant, pumpkin from seed (I have seed from my husbands uncle's plants), zucchini, cucumber & some giant & dwarf sunflowers. I'll also pull out my parsley plant & re-plant using my Nonna's seeds she shared with me.

In pots I think i'll grow some basil, coriander, lettuce, mint & some pretty little chilli's & a few strawberry plants.

I'm going to sit down & draw up a garden layout & try & follow good crop rotation practices this season. Will do that later in the week.

Hope you are all enjoying spring,

Bel

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