The Garden of Woz...

[Whwoz]

More strawberries into the freezer tonight, up around 6.25 kg/13.8 lb in freezer so far.

All the bulbs have been sorted, must be 5 or 600 freesias, a couple of hundred Spring Stars and 40 bluebells. Will have to talk with the gardener at MIL aged care facility to see if we can get some in the ground there.

Mrs had her ankle review today, cut has healed up well, gone into a Moon boot and been given the ok to start walking on that foot. Still going to be six weeks in the moon boot before going into a brace most likely.

[PlainJane]

Glad to hear positive progress.

[Whwoz]

Not even a month has gone by, with myself loosing time to helping the wife, that sedge and grass that I never got cleaned up is between 12 and 18 inches high around the watermelon seedlings. Thankfully nothing has come through the cardboard.

Updated watermelon picture

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Managed to get a bit of time to pull some of the rubbish last night.

The watermelon seedlings that I planted have taken off, unfortunately so has the weedy sedge that's a problem around here, so I got to work last night and weeded around the watermelon seedlings then mulched around them with cardboard underneath the mulch. Looks much better and should keep the weeds at bay for a while.

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There are some beetroot seedlings around the watermelon, should be able to harvest a few as baby beets within a couple of weeks, also lots of sedge visible that I will have to weed out properly otherwise it will most likely regrow. Need to get my pumpkin and squash germinated in pots to plant in a line cut into the cardboard/mulch which will be laid over the weedy area

[Whwoz]

Strawberries still producing well, picked another 2.2 kg/4.9 lb today

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Also picking a few blueberries off what are still only small plants

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Youngberries about done, now to wait for blackberries to ripen

[svalli]

Even if those are considered weeds, the green lush vegetation is much nicer to look than what we have outside right now with frozen and snow covered garden. Looks like summer solstice.

I noticed that you watermelon has started blooming and is already escaping from your wooden frame.

[Whwoz]

Pretty much Summer Solstice here @svalli , which accounts for the rapid growth.

The boxing around the watermelon was just put in place to hold the cardboard and mulch in place until we had a bit of rain. I need to expand that area soon.

[JayneR13]

I so hear you about the sedge grass! I chopped a huge pile at the pantry garden this past fall and I'm sure it'll be growing back! Along with the bamboo tree of course, and probably a few strawberry crowns. People who can't make peace with weeding probably shouldn't start a garden! LOL

Glad to hear positive progress for the Mrs.

[Whwoz]

Got to work pulling out the sedge and other grass (mainly a type of paspalum I think) around the watermelon tonight after work, finding that there are more than just flowers on them. Only about an inch long at this stage but I found about 5 or 6 little watermelons growing happily.

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Also found that some of the beetroot are pullable size, the best around 4 inches across

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[MissS]

Those watermelon will really start to bulk up now that they have more room. What a nice find.

I love fresh beets. They are so much better when they are home grown. A beautiful beet salad for Christmas would be lovely.

[Whwoz]

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Picked the first mini muncher cucumber and about 10 tomatoes yesterday, although only one tomato made it inside due to grubs eating the rest.

First up for the season is Sweet Cherry Gold

[Whwoz]

The first pull of beetroot has occurred here, one white, one yellow plus a baby yellow that came out accidentally and two reds/purple. Getting cooked up now for Saturday lunch with the folk and MIL.

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[MissS]

Yum!

[Whwoz]

Yesterdays beetroot for our own use, about 4 inches across weighing close to 400g/14oz.

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Watermelon are doing well, the best three are pushing 15 cm/6 inches across

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[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

@Whwoz, us the benighted (READ: Northern Hemisphere Denizens) anxiously await yer contribution to the 2025-21st Century Silver Jubilee Year Of The BLT! (viewtopic.php?t=5948) thread!

The Gotch

[Whwoz]

@Whwoz, us the benighted (READ: Northern Hemisphere Denizens) anxiously await yer contribution to the 2025-21st Century Silver Jubilee Year Of The BLT! (viewtopic.php?t=5948) thread!

The Gotch

And it will happen Gotch, just need to get a ripe tomato or two first

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

And it will happen Gotch, just need to get a ripe tomato or two first

Looking forward to it; it's what keeps Northern Hemisphere Tomato Ranchers (this one, leastways!) going through these here short, dark, cold days!

The Gotch

[Whwoz]

Life has been a bit restricted here lately, will find out more about the cause shortly, but in the meantime the cucumbers have not stopped growing. Only Lebanese mini munchers in at the moment and with it being a fortnight since I went over them, there was a few past the mini stage. Biggest of the 24 picked went 430g/15.3 Oz.

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Most will be cut up and frozen for sweet and sour chicken or pork

[svalli]

I have never frozen cucumbers and I have never used them as cooked in any recipe either. Do you do that to the over grown cukes or any size?

[Whwoz]

I have never frozen cucumbers before either @svalli, normally excess cucumbers are made into relish, however I still have plenty of that from previous years. The recipe that the wife uses for Sweet and Sour came from her mother, presumably from when the MIL came out from England. We normally use the continental type cucumber for the sweet and sour, which we have been buying, but no point wasting excess home grown.

[JayneR13]

I love bread and butter pickles! If cucumbers are anything like zucchini, they may get quite mushy upon being frozen.