Garden Diary: July – Lucky Find and Vegetable Update

Another week and still no rain.

I have moved as many of my plants growing in pots as possible from full sun to partial shade to reduce the need for water, and I’m so glad we made the decision when planning the garden not to have a lawn. Instead, we laid down a permeable membrane and covered it with stones (Brita). Why anyone wants a thirsty lawn is beyond me.

Wildfires continue to sweep across the country, and tomorrow we are listed as a high-risk area.

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure

Yep, Mr Piglet was driving home from the supermarket when he spotted a stash of terracotta pots dumped at the rubbish bins. Never one to miss an opportunity, he screeched to a halt. Reversed and scooped up six terracotta decorative pots.

One I’ve already utilised.

and a rescue plant. Well done Mr. P. Sigh … looks like I won’t be downsizing on my pot collection any time soon! But that’s okay. I am a plant-a-jolic!

I had a spare watering nozzle, so the rescued succulent has now been replanted and rehomed.

Cucumbers

The first picture shows the cucumber plant I sprayed with hydrogen peroxide to kill the mosaic virus spores. The second picture shows unsprayed plants and the virus has taken hold. I will remove leaves and spray as the plant is still productive.

Bye-bye Tomatoes, Bye-bye

I have now harvested all the green and ripe tomatoes, pulled up the plants and turned off the watering system. I will make chutney with the produce I have. Water is in short supply.

Vertical Strawberry Planter Update

I planted another layer of strawberry plants. Fingers crossed they survive. That’s it for now as I’ve run out of plants. Hopefully, the new batch will survive. I’ve sealed off the top of the planter with old cotton towelling topped with plastic to… hopefully…promote water retention. We will see. The new plants and an established root system, which I have directed to the central watering system.

Yellow Pepper Harvest

I’m thrilled with the harvest! I am going to cut up the yellow peppers and freeze. There is still a few more peppers which are currently green. I will give them a couple of weeks to ripen before cutting the water.

One for the Birds and Bees

Every time I decided to chop down this sprawling rocket plant, which has gone to seed, I paused. The bees love the flowers, and the birds love them. Not sure why. Bugs. Seeds. Whatever. I need to be tough. Cut it back and preserve water. But …

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That’s my six for this Saturday, folks. A little late, but thankfully, I managed to slither under the radar before the witching hour of midnight. Please do join me for the other Six on Saturday garden bloggers over at Jim’s blog