Starting a conversation about my attempts to grow prickly pear go something like this: “I cut off one of the pads as a cutting,” says I. “To grow?” they ask, brows furrowed. “Yes…” Here it comes, but they mean well. “You mean prickly pear, that cactus weed? You want to… grow it!?” Shock, Horror, et […]
After sampling some fresh tomato salsa, made from a friend’s fresh garden tomatoes, I decided on a whim to try growing tomatoes in a container on my backyard deck. Shucks, why not? It worked for flowers and other plants. Having never grown tomatoes before, I basically didn’t know what I was doing, how to do it, … Continue reading
This year I’ve been growing in a pocket-sized urban space. I have a dozen pots, a small raised bed, and a poly-sheet mini greenhouse. And that’s with a touch of cramming! Though I doubt I’ll be building a root cellar anytime soon, cultivating my own little plot while the city simmered along in the background … Continue reading
So this is what the end of a Winter looks like in my part of the world. Following a few weeks break during the shortest days of the year, the chickens start laying again. You see, they are solar powered. The globe artichoke is pushing up past the dogbane. Stinging nettle is covering the fence on … Continue reading
What are the best kind of peaches? Imagine a tree full of them just outside your front door. They are nearly ripe, and when you finally get them off the tree to taste, they are best pieces of fruit you ever ate. Now lucky for me, the Anzac Peach tree was in its fourth year this … Continue reading
On Monday there were four eggs in the chicken coop. That’s great, one each! On Tuesday there were three eggs in the coop. Yeah that happens with chickens over 18 months, three out of four is good. On Wednesday two. On Thursday one. On Friday – none 😦 Something of a trend don’t you think? I looked everywhere for … Continue reading
There is something of a tradition at my place now with freshly picked figs being scoffed in the backyard from the middle of summer. By mid January the fruit darkens a purple stain through the green skin. And there is the matter is getting to them before the birds, which according to my chickens (who … Continue reading
