As I write this, I am sitting in front of the heater with a lovely cup of Yorkshire tea and thinking to myself how did I let it go for so long in between blog posts?
Time seems to have flown by in the last few months, COVID-19 has shaken the whole world and our daily routines. I have been fortunate that I have been able to continue working full time with hardly any distributions to my daily routine but I know for many others that this isnāt the case and I truly believe gardening has become a saviour to many people. I have really enjoyed time out in the garden so much so, I have forgotten to share a lot of it with you all.
SO LETS CATCH UP
Last Spring and Summer I sowed 60 corn seeds which all took and produced wonderful coloured cobs. Roughly 80% of what was harvested has been saved for seeds. I picked the cobs, allowed them to dry out before removing the individual kernels. Once collected, they were then bagged and put into storage. In late August I will get them out and start sowing again for the new season.
A lot of the varieties I grew were Aztec and coloured corns which are no good for eating. They are mainly grown as decoration pieces to have as home decor, to be made into cornmeal or as stock feed. As beautiful and fun they are to unwrap to see their colours, they just are no good for eating. They might look beautiful on the kitchen table but I wish they were more suited to be sitting on a plate with a dollop of butter on top. Instead this season I will be dedicating another area in the vegetable garden for edible forms.Ā
Last Spring I discovered a mix seed packet of heirloom pumpkins which were sown in early September. Turns out there were a lot of Triamble and Lokata varieties with only one Queensland Blue. Over 20 pumpkins have been harvested with many of them now sitting in the shed in a cool area for long-term storage. Also sown at the same time were a few giant pumpkins which never came to fruition, or they were wrongly labelled. Despite that, I will sow them again this year and keep my fingers crossed for a fruitful harvest to come.
In recent weeks a few other garden projects have begun to take shape. I look forward to being on the front foot with this blog again and sharing the journey ahead. In the meantime, what has been happening in your own gardens? Or have you discovered a new plant you love? Let me know down below.
Until next time happy gardening!
By Bonnie-Marie Hibbs
Ā©BMHPhotographyTheGardenerāsNotebook2020
8 comments
Hi Bonnie-Marie, thanks for writing your blog I really enjoyed reading it. Last Summer I planted tomatoes which did really well they continued to fruit right up to March. I also had cucumbers and spring onions. This year Iām hoping to plant pumpkins as well. My roses have now been pruned and I have recently added to my fernery two new stag ferns which I placed on boards. I guess most other things are pretty quiet at the moment. Iām also thinking about planting some new natives in the next couple of weeks.
Stay safe and well
Michael.
Lumpy pumpkins are difficult to peel. Do you bake them first, and then just scoop them out to eat them? We typically grow the common ‘Sugar Pie’ pumpkins just because I have not found anything better. They are meaty, flavorful and reasonably easily peeled (round and smooth). Neighbors grow ‘Lakota’, which is even meatier (!) and probably lasts even longer. I know I should be more adventurous and try others.
That is such a great idea! I usually try to peel them first, it takes me over an hour every time… I will try baking them and then scooping. Thank you for the inspiration.
I haven’t grown that one before, I will have to try and see if I can find it here in Australia. I particularly love growing the wrinkly butternut pumpkins, they have a great nutty flavour and are wonderful baked.
I thought that scooping them out was standard procedure for some types, or at least an option. ‘Sugar Pie’ is not as interesting as some pumpkins, but is excellent for pie. It is meaty with classic pumpkin flavor.
We usually scoop them uncooked but have never tried softening them up prior. I will have to keep you posted on how it all goes š
That seems like a lot of work! Also, all that scooped pumpkin would be mush (not that mush is bad. Mine mostly end up mashed anyway.). They are not very easy to scoop while soft either, because the peel does not stay intact. I mean, if the spoon gets to close to the outside, it cuts easily into the peel too. Now I am sort of wondering what the better option is.
So nice to see you back again. I was wondering how you were going. Awesome harvest, great photos. We have managed to grow a few pumpkins (drought didn’t help)not sure of the type they’re just yummy, everything is coming along now though.I have built a greenhouse & vegie dome & we are now able to invest in water tanks, (get off the disgusting town water) & hopefully have an extra tank for the garden. Baking pumpkins gives the best flavour to any pumpkin dish & it saves the hands from a whole lot of work. Have a excellent productive rest of the week.
Thank you, sadly I have been so busy with work I just didn’t have the free time. However, now I am making for free time to enjoy the little things š Sounds like you have been very busy! Great to hear you have a new set up to have fun with. I am needing another tank, we went through ours last summer quire quickly. I shall have my fingers crossed that I can get one soon haha.