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| Soon to be a strawberry |
The month of August. Most people I know have a cold or are just getting over one. And it's the other kind of cold overnight. People arrive at school or work wrapped up in beanies, scarves and gloves. And then, we spy the first blossom of the year, telling us that we won't have that much longer to wait for warmth and longer days....Many other plants other than fruit trees are getting ready for action also. It's an exciting time of year. I've just taken delivery of this year's spring/summer vegetable seeds from Diggers, and am planning where everything will go, trying to keep in mind an organic crop rotation plan, such as the one suggested by the legendary Peter Cundall, which goes like this - Bed 1 ONION TRIBE (leek, onion, shallot, spring onion, garlic, chives), Bed 2 LEGUMES (broadbeans, beans, peas, snowpeas), Bed 3 ROOT CROPS (carrot, beetroot, parsnip, turnip, swede), Bed 4 SWEET CORN and CURCUBITS (cucumber, pumpkin, squash, zuccini) Bed 6 SOLANUM TRIBE (tomato, capsicum, eggplant). At the end of the year, the Bed 6 veggies move to Bed 1, Bed 1 veggies move to Bed 2, etc. BUT where do I plant the lettuce?!? Traditionally considered a winter vegetable I guess, but we can get away with growing it up here in summer if we keep it in the shade. And asparagus? Well I guess that goes in the perennial bed along with the rhubarb and jerusalem artichokes, which I am looking forward to growing after being inspired by another blog called funky frontyard farmers. Find their jerusalem artichoke story here
I guess the lettuce will just have to squeeze in somewhere ;)
