Tis the season to be growing

Hip Hip Hooray, we got the green outcome we wanted, and thats both in the senate and in our vegie patch. Its only been 2 months and yes our vegies have sprouted. in fact they are as big as me already and you would not beleive it but we are already eating some. Turns out radishes only take 4 weeks from seed to plate !! And yes it was amazing to taste the difference. I am on the verge of getting evangelical about it even though its just a few pithy radishes we have harvested so far. Picking something thats been lovingly reared without chemicals and eating it super fresh right there and then is incomparable. You simply have not lived right until you try it.

Apart from the radishes theres plenty of action as you can see in the photo below. The beans were first up closely followed by the cuces, zukes, radishes and marigold. Now we have all 3 varieties of tomato up to 2 feet high, as well as one or two lettuces. In fact we just put stakes in because all the plants are going crazy and we want to keep them vertical for efficiency and health. You will see those and more next post as these photos are a week old. If you look close you will see the gravity fed sprinkler and wifes crow attractor. (crows are the bane of our life right now)

Its rained heavily the last few days, filling our water tank to the overflowing and boosting the vegies. This whole process has been so fulfilling. There has been a whole series of wonderful little moments starting with construction of the garden boxes, then planting of seed. Then waking to the sound of rain and just lying there happily thinking of the moist rich soil. While I was interstate the phone call came to say "guess what, they are sprouting !" And 4 weeks after planting we harvested our first radishes and absolutely frothed over how good they tasted. Now the excitement of each days difference, from noticing flowers on the eggplant to tying up the prickly cucumber. What a lesson in life.

Its not all happy joy joy of course, in the herb bed theres not a lot to report with only a few tiny coriander and dill showing, plus we only got 2 lettuce to strike. Also the orange and plum trees got decimated by grasshoppers. And of the 3 precious mangoes I have been nurturing on our recently transplanted mango tree only one poor fruit survives. One atrophied, another got taken by those blasted crows. So wife sprayed the citrus, wrapped the mango and replanted all the herbs and lettuces today. Although we are not learned on permaculture their motto pops into my head "lots of happy little accidents and sad little failures" At this point you are wondering why wife seems to do all the work, its simple really like most males I am useless. Actually it has been a joint effort and very satisfying, I got to saw and dig, she gets to tend and care. And along the way we have a lot of fun, laughter and learning. Its no mugs game gardening thats for sure.

So we are stoked, our vegies are rockin on, and oh yeah... no nukes Kevi is in, filthy bush toady choward is out.

Merry Christmas you lot.

Mat

People get the government they deserve.

Well I am interstate for a week from tommorow, out of here at 4:30 am ... still have not packed, leaving it last minute as usual. Was mucking about with the garden until the mozzies got so bad I thought they had decided that sucking my veins dry was not enough, and why not chew me to bits as well. I was trying rather pitifully to water everything from our "no pump installed yet" gravity effect water tank, which is rather inconveniently positioned at about the same level as the garden beds... "doh". Its never simple is it.

Happily voting in our federal election was simple, I had to make an early vote cause not sure where I will be Saturday. Wife joined me cause being 8 months pregnant with a toddler, going to vote on her own could have been difficult. She is absolutely horrified that I share our political beleifs unashamadely on this blog. I am absolutely horrified at politics in general and the disgrace to humanity aka politicians haha, however it is a relevant topic right now. Anyway dont read any further if talking politics is taboo for you.

Before you vote I reccomend checking these two sites

http://www.votenuclearfree.net/ , and http://www.getup.org.au/blogs/view.php?id=590&dc=81,97135 - In breif it means that voting for a minor party is not wasting your vote, and QLD greens preference against the coalition.

Mat

Every day is a new day

Somewhere in suburbia, tonight a seed is germinating. Many seeds. A whole vegie patch full in fact... YEEHAA We did it, we planted our first vegetables. Lettuces, broccoli, tomatoes (3 types), aubergine (it even sounds round and purple HAHA) courgettes, beans, radishes the list goes on plus a whole bunch of herbs. I am excited. So excited I thought b****r it this deserves a blog.

So I created this one. My first blog ever. Firstly thanks for reading, I hope you like it, secondly dont think that its going to be regularly updated. Because besides being busy I reckon theres way too much crap on the net already. Maybe cyberspace is going to fullfill its promise and contribute to the next level of evolution, but right now I am just excited about growing vegies with my wife and little ones in our very own vegetable patch. Ahhh the simple things.



Just in case you did not realise, theres been a few months of sweat, a fair whack of coin, and many years of talking and dreaming leading up to today. I may elaborate later... or not. To start a blog my inspiration came partly from a friend Jo, and mostly from the hilarious comment thread on Kevin Rudds nose picking youtoob hahaha. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ipvdBnU8F8 We vote green in case you did not guess and will hope it ends up tasteless Kevi over Sh**head Choward. If you are going to comment on this make it funny or else. Thats it for today while I see if I can upload some pics. Peace.

Mat