attack of the pumpkins

my garden was a bit neglected this summer. i planted some tomatoes, spinach and spring onion seedlings early in the season and harvested most of those by the end of december. then i kinda forgot about the garden. i haven't watered it or weeded it for a couple months. a couple pumpkin seedlings appeared (i'm guessing from the bokashi compost i buried since i've never planted any kind of pumpkin). soon the pumpkins took over. wombat can't get in the garden anymore. i can't get in the garden anymore:

somewhere under those pumpkins there's a low fence that surrounds the garden. i think the green bin is going to be a challange to get out on its next collection day.

there are also lots of tomatoes that i didn't plant growing amongst the pumpkins too (but i can't get to them to pick them when they ripen).
there's a couple varieties of pumpkins growing too:

i think we'll be eating a lot of pumpkin stews, curries and soups this winter 8)

cUcumber

i'm going through all my photo files to delete/organize them. i found this one from mid-march of one of my cucumbers that grew in the garden. the oddest part is that i didn't even notice it growing on there. the day i found it was the day i picked it. i had a couple big ones (and didn't notice them until they were fully grown-- i don't pay much attention to my garden sometimes-- just throw some water on it and walk away. i'm surprised anything grows in there sometimes).

gnawing

i pulled the dead lemon tree out of the garden the other evening-- it just kind of happened. i was working around it and bumped it with my hip and it seemed to move really easily so i just grabbed and gave it a bit of a pull and it was out (i had tufts of grass that were harder to get out than the tree was). i called zac out to show him what i did and he just asked "now what do we do with it?" i figured we'd just saw it into smaller lengths (with our little hand saw) and put it in the green bin. i called wombat over to show her and right away she started gnawing and continued on for probably almost 10 minutes (she slept well that nite). she was a happy girl with that stump. i was a little worried she might get splinters in her mouth from it but she seem ok and she had a good time. maybe i can teach her to gnaw around the middle parts to help chop it up.

spring!

we came home to spring in our garden (technically it's not spring for a few more days but nature doesn't go by our rules)

the yellow flowers where these buds 2 months ago

the nectarine tree is covered in buds and a lot of them have already opened into flowers:

springy!

its finally feeling like spring! we haven't used the heat for the last 4 nites and 1 1/2 mornings (i turned it on for 10 min just now to just get the room mildly warmer since i'll be home most of this morning-- zac got up, showered and went to work without having any heat). i did a bunch of prep in the garden yesterday and i'll hopefully have some things planted by tomorrow

here's some spring shots i've taken over the week or so around our yard:

a bee on the nectarine blossoms:

more nectarine blossoms:
a flower from the neighbours yard. i forgot my boss's birthday was friday (i was busy preparing early birthday things for my co-worker who's birthday is today and i'm not at work). i ended up grabbing my favourite wine bottle vase i painted and a flower from the neighbours yard during my lunch break and bringing that in for her (project for today: paint myself a new wine bottle vase-- first step is to finish the almost half bottle of wine. probably should have breakfast--and maybe lunch-- before i start) the photo doesn't do this flower justice. the colour is almost florescent. i'm sure they're a weed but they look amazing when the entire side of the freeway is covered in tiny bright yellow dots

the perfect way to spend a summer winter day

the weather was great yesterday (and again today)! it got up to 22C yesterday and only down to 11 overnite last nite (and the nite before). i spend almost the entire day outside.

wombat loved it too:

notice the band aid on her foot-- she had a big cut in the side of the paw she keeps licking. we put a band aid on and she stopped and didn't even seem to notice the band aid. we put a new one on today and the paw is looking much better already ("i have this cut [on my paw] and i keep tounging it and that's just making it worse..."-- the family guy).

it was perfect weather for sitting in the yard and having a beer (in a t-shirt and bare feet). we also went for a coffee at c.e.r.e.s. for the first time in ages (i refused to go to an indoor cafe cuz the weather was too nice and there's no way we'd get a seat outside at an street cafe without waiting ages).

we also went for margaritas at this great mexican pub on lygon street (well me, densise and glenda ended up getting a jug of sangria and zac had a mojito--"it's not a gay drink" and a bloody maria) cuz you have to have a summer-y drink on a summer-y day 8)

spring has come!:

the flower is the first open bud on our nectarine tree-- its gonna be overflowing again this year!

my corriander seedlings:

i also planted some more herbs and a few vegies in the garden yesterday.
today we're doing the brunswick street thing (with probably everyone else in the inner--and outer-- suburbs)

winter gardening

not the best pic but that's one of my first seedlings from my autumn/winter garden (peas and new zealand spinach). i'm not sure if the spinach is poking up or if their just little weed seedlings. the seedlings in the pea row are definately peas though. its great that you can garden all year round here (although i have a lot of trouble keeping up with it)