No longer a green oasis, this heatwave has left the ground hard and dry over at the allotment. Any watering just doesn’t seem to penetrate so I have decided that I will be using no more precious water and I’ve cleared the ground and dug it over.
I’ll be using the next few weeks as an opportunity to feed the soil ready for the beginning of the new sowing season in March.
The only thing left in the ground are three sweet potatoes which were given to me some weeks ago when they were sprouting ready to plant. Two were gifted from my friend Tatiana at New Farm library and the third was given to me by my little grandson. They are growing quite well and seem to be coping with the extreme weather.
My allotment neighbour Tim has had great success with sweet potatoes so I live in hope. Not sure if it’s time yet to get the recipe book out however.
♦ ♦ ♦
I have been spending time over at New Farm park recently with nice breezes coming off the Brisbane river and plenty of shady trees. See how pretty it is.
STOP PRESS: The weather forecast on the tele has promised us showers. (I’ve heard that one before!)
Allotment Adventures with Jean 
Jan 22, 2013 @ 20:45:51
Hopefully it will be cooler tomorrow and Rosie and I can make it down. I was hoping to do some planting but it doesn’t sound too good down there.
Jan 23, 2013 @ 04:30:04
Hi Lyndell. If we get the rain we are promised any new planting might survive. If it were me I wouldn’t want to risk it just now. Especially when you have been carefully nurturing your seedlings at home. It would be so sad to lose them.
I hope to get over to the farm this morning with my two little grandsons, just until morning tea. 31 degrees promised today, I don’t want to get their skin burned.
Jan 23, 2013 @ 03:22:53
I agree Jean…weather reports? “Forgedaboudem’!”…no rain here…not even a spatter and Serendipity Farm is starting to look like an instagram picture from the 70’s complete with orange hue. The veggie gardens are doing amazingly well but it is dry and we are having to water a lot so I am not looking forwards to the next water bill. If you can dig your soil just keep adding lots and lots of organic material. I read in Jackie French’s “The Wilderness Garden” that putting rocks all over your soil keeps the moisture in, especially reflective light coloured rocks. I know from personal experience that the plants that we planted and put rocks around to protect them from the digging chooks have fared a lot better than the plants that we didn’t put rocks around and have a lot more staying power with less water than their wilty compatriots so there must be some truth in it. At least you do have that beautiful shaded area to spend time in and you also have the right idea…when life hands you lemons/when the weather hands you rock hard dry soil…do something else! 🙂 Pretty soon it will cool down and you will get your hands back into that gorgeous (albeit a bit like ceramic at the moment…join the club!) soil 🙂
Jan 23, 2013 @ 04:38:36
Hi Fran. Thank you for the tip, that’s the first time I’ve heard about the use of rocks as a form of plant protection. Interesting. I am pleased to hear that your vegetable garden is still flourishing despite the weather. That’s good to hear. As you advise, I will be adding as much organic matter as I can get my hands on. it will do no harm to give the soil a rest. I love the word “fallow”, has a nice ring to it. We all need a rest occasionally. You mention Jackie French’s “The Wilderness Garden”. I must have a read of it.
Jan 23, 2013 @ 05:12:32
I love this book so much I tried to scan it yesterday… 3 hours of my life thrown into the ether because our stupid printer/scanner decided not to want to save it! ARRGGGHH! I headed over to Jackies site and she has it for $16.95. Even a penniless student hippy can find that sort of money for a book that is this important to we Aussie organic gardeners. She is amazing Jean, request it from the library and you will see what I mean…everything she says it completely bang on with our conditions and she actually lives closer to you than to us so even more important. She gives lists of natural solutions, plant lists for different conditions and ways to grow fruit and veggies etc. when you have shade, drought, etc. An AMAZING book that I absolutely positively HAVE to have (are you reading this Steve? 😉 ). She is an Aussie organic icon who deserves better press.
Jan 23, 2013 @ 05:39:30
I’ll check the book out Fran. Thanks.
Jan 23, 2013 @ 05:35:53
While I am feeling so badly for your gardens and wishing all the rain to come your way I am at the same time jealous as it’s freezing here, hovering around 0 (F) I hate the cold much more than the heat.
Jan 23, 2013 @ 05:41:43
I have to say, I don’t do well in the cold, so I’ll just keep in the shade until this heatwave passes. Autumn will be lovely and it’s not too long away. (We don’t get the fall of leaves in Queensland, just lovely sunny days and the chance to get back into the garden)
Jan 24, 2013 @ 09:42:23
Hope you can continue to keep your garden limping along until the rain and cooler weather come. In the meantime, I am spending as much time indoors as I can. It’s really cold here.
Jan 24, 2013 @ 19:23:47
I’m pleased to tell you that it’s been pouring with rain today, I’ll pop over to the allotment in the morning to see if it’s managed to soak through the dried earth.
Jan 24, 2013 @ 15:43:54
We were very blessed to finish the raised garden beds in late winter when we did, otherwise I don’t think our garden would have survived either! As it is it is doing quite well, aside from being rather burt during the day on top (The leaves and veggies underneath the top, rather yellow and sad roof, are doing much better. But we are putting in the whole nine yards. putting all the washing machine and bath water onto the gardens, plus we have raised the anti somewhat by adding a bucket to the kitchen sink and all that water now goes onto the garden, too. A lot of work, but its paying off.
I hope you get the rain. We don’t even have any forcast and there is an ominous layer of smoke in the air that has no near source, but is tiresome all the same.
Jan 24, 2013 @ 19:27:42
My allotment would do better at this time of the year Mrs Yub if I was able to go there every day, but as I live a little distance away I manage to get there two, three times at the most, per week. It’s just not been enough during the heatwave. However, good news, it’s pouring with rain today.
Jan 24, 2013 @ 19:48:21
Yes, I saw! And I want you to know I am positivley green with envy!!
Jan 24, 2013 @ 19:26:17
Jean, I planted sweet potatoes in 2 of my vegie gardens at the end of 2011. I was fed up with vegies bolting and going to seed too quickly, insect pests destroying things or plants being frizzled by the heat so planted the kumera, hoping it would be like a ground cover. They did just that and then from April last year I harvested for months! They are tough plants…and I did the same in December last year, although to be honest, the plants came up by themselves. They struggled a tiny bit with the heat tho’, but with this rain, they have really taken off again.
Jan 24, 2013 @ 19:30:57
Hi Maria. I feel pretty excited about the sweet potatoes. I took my two young grandsons over to the allotment yesterday morning and the sweet potatoes seem to be doing ok. It’s the only thing planted in my plot at the moment and they are spreading themselves out. You know what sweet potatoes are – once they get going they like to take over the whole suburb! I just love this rain we are getting in Brizzy today.