Picture this photo contest

I have long been a fan of the blog site Gardening Gone Wild and particularly a fan of Saxon Holt photographer extraordinaire.
They are presently holding a photo contest called Picture This and asking for photos that tell a story.

 Here is the photo I sent in.
Capturing the evening light, while sitting on the deck with a glass of wine, this photo reminds me of the perfect end to a perfect summer day.

Mid Summer

Here in New Zealand summer is marching on.
In spite of my late start here, my garden is starting to become productive, and we are enjoying the harvests from it.

The perennial peppers are 8' tall and the peppers are starting to ripen up. Time to start thinking about drying and freezing the surplus.

The cucs are starting to climb all over the place and the first cucumbers are starting to form.

Always lots of fruit. The plums are ripening, and already a batch of plum jam has been made. Yumm.

Lettuce and peas are fighting it out and the runner beans are reaching the top of the trellis and flowering.

Apples abound and the mid season peaches are days away from harvest. My tomatoes are just starting, but I have been harvesting from a friends garden that I water while they are away, so lots of tomatoes.
I am always a little late out of the starting gate here, but I do end up catching up. There are always fruit and herbs on the go that need no help from me, so between the eggs from my borrowed chickens, the fish from the river, and the food coming out of the garden there is almost no need to go shopping, except maybe to buy the odd bottle of wine or beer to wash it all down with.

The market gardener

I have just finished reading 'The market gardener' by Jean Martin Fortier.  Not because I want to become a market gardener, but because I am fascinated by the fact that here is a guy and his wife who with very little help and a few simple tools can provide food for 240 families and make $140,000-, all on 1 acre of land in southern Quebec in Canada.

 

 

I have watched several interviews with him on youtube, but couldn't seem to get enough of him, so I finally bought the book.

After reading the book I realised there was a lot I could learn from him.

Some of his techniques I already practise - Using weedmat / tarps to control the weeds, aerating the soil with a broadfork, and gardening on raised beds.

 But his practice of organising the whole operation from his growing beds and starting seeds to the methods he uses to maintain a high fertility in the garden beds so he can plant intensively, has been inspiring, and has motivated me to over come some of my lazy habits.

The last few growing seasons in NZ and in Canada have been disappointing for me. I blamed it on the cool Canadian summer we had last year and the two dry summers (and my inability to water adequately) that we've had in NZ.

But this season in NZ I have been boosting my fertility with blood and bone and sulphate of potash on top of the compost, and it seems along with a higher rainfall my garden this season is growing much better.

I was always an admirer of Eliot Coleman (The Four Season Harvest), and it seems like Jean Martin Fortier is the next generation of inspiring gardeners who defy the traditional approach to agriculture and food production.

 

 

Getting sorted

Lately it seemed as if I wasn't making any progress here and I was definitely feeling over whelmed.
I just spent the last week fighting with our internet provider, the lawns looked like a hayfield and the weeds in the garden definitely had more promise than the flowers or veges.
Just as I was ready to throw up my hands it seems as if I finally made some giant steps forward.
The internet got sorted and I am back on line, the lawns are starting to look like... well lawns, and the garden beds are getting cleared of weeds just in time to plant out the rapidly growing seedlings.

 

As I pulled out my huge collection of seeds I realised there was some serious discarding to do. There were seeds that had been around for 10 years or more. After that big clear out it was a lot easier to organise and store what was left.

 

 

The seedlings are growing fast and some are big enough to move into the garden.

 

 

Actually I am ready to start harvesting some lettuce seedlings I bought the day I arrived here. So that really feels like progress.
Also I found quite a good harvest of garlic under the mountain of weeds. I harvested about 45 bulbs. Should be enough to get us through the summer and have some left over to plant again before  we leave.

 

 

My neighbours have once again gone travelling for the summer and left me their 4 hens to hen sit for the next few months. It is lovely to be getting those fresh eggs every day.
Now that I am feeling back in control of things here I can start to relax and enjoy some of this wonderful summer weather we are having.
 

Back in New Zealand

Arriving back in New Zealand I am once again overwhelmed by how over grown everything is. The grass is out of control, and the weeds in the garden are huge. But one step at a time, and slowly I'll get it all under control once again.
When it all gets too much I wander around with my camera and record all the great things that are happening in the garden even without me.

 

 

First thing I go out armed with scissors and cut some flowers to fill a vase or two or three.

 

 

 

 There seems to be quite a lot of flowers hidden under the weeds. From the sweet smelling roses and jasmine to the hot coloured canna lilies. It's a little bit like a treasure hunt.

 

The last of the December peaches are ready to harvest, and the avocados are thick on the tree.
The lemons are turning yellow and the early apples are ready to eat.
There always seems to be something to harvest.

 

 

 

 

It is easy to get distracted from the work, but it is time to put the camera away and pull out the lawn mower. At least I know there is something to look forward to when the work is done.

 

 

 

 

A few flowers

My garden in Thailand is very small and doesn't get a lot of attention.
It consists of two narrow strips , one either side of the entrance and a collection of potted plants on one side of the house (that get points for their persistence rather than their good looks.)
However just as I pack up and head out to New Zealand, I find their are a few spots of beauty and colour to be found there.

 

I am lucky to live close to a market, so I can always find bunches of flowers there to bring home when I really need some flower therapy.

 

 

Cool season

Here in ChiangMai it seems like the cool season has kicked in. The sky is blue again and the air is fresh. It actually feels cold as we sip our early morning coffee.
We've taken to driving around the countryside at sunset on our bike. In the golden light the valley is filled with farmers harvesting the last of their rice, and the pickup trucks are loaded high taking the bags of rice to the small local mills for processing.

 

 

The harvested fields are then either being burnt off or the straw laid back down on them in preparation for being planted again.

The bright green nursery patches of baby rice shine like jewels amongst the remaining stubble.

 

 

Our friends Bodge and Ya are also busy getting the last of their rice in. We paid them a quick visit to see how it was going.

 

 

Ya immediately harvested  some coconuts to drink and sliced up some perfectly ripe papaya. Yum.

 

Rice isn't the only thing they've been busy harvesting.

 

While up in the lower reaches of Doi Inthanon tasting coffee at a Karen village the other day we saw them harvesting tomatillos. I haven't noticed them here in Thailand before. They are tasty little gems.
I saved some seeds so maybe next year I can grow my own.

 

It's a good time of the year here for farmers. The harvest from last season is in and the preparation for a new season is under way.