In the Garden - February

"Self-sufficiency is the greatest of all wealth."

~ Epicurius

 As February has come to an end I wanted to take the time to reflect a bit on what's been going on in garden. As I watch floods, cyclones and other extreme weather events lashing our country and others, I give thanks for the relatively mild weather we have been having. Most of February was hot though - as in over 30 degrees celsius. We have been watering the grass by attaching a hose to the washing machine and allow the grey water to go onto the grass rather than down the drain. You can see just how dry the grass still is despite this! Honestly I think the soil has become a bit hydrophobic and the water just sort of puddles. Still we are trying to recycle the water and also create a greener yard.

This snake-like thing has been a great source of entertainment to Norman, our new Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who has been my constant companion. There is something so precious about having an animal that shadows you as you go about your chores in the garden. Of course he gets distracted by hoses, balls, sticks, butterflies, the cat and anything else that catches his eye, but he's never far from my side.

Earlier in the month we netted the tomatoes to stop the possum or grubs from eating them (as you can see in the top photo) and we've been able to harvest a few since then. They've ripened on the window sill and we will be eating them with our dinner tonight.

The cucumbers have been very prolific and my husband sliced them up and marinated them using this recipe. They are quite mild and go well in salads and on sandwiches. I often find that cucumbers repeat on me but with this recipe they don't. Yay!

Flower-wise, the gardenias and the crepe myrtle have been lovely. We haven't yet gotten into true autumn colours but there are glimpses around if you look up :)

The English spinach which we harvested and cleared out at the end of last year is starting to re-grow. I love it when the plants self-seed! Tomorrow I will be planting some more lettuce and baby spinach in with the English spinach as I always like to have greens on hand.

Today I saw my old friend the blue-tongue lizard sunning itself in our garage. We had heard that the neighbour's dog had recently killed one, so I was glad to hear that it wasn't my buddy. They are great for keeping away pests and bugs. We have had a very bad rat problem lately and our neighbour had been laying a lot of poison baits out, so I'm doubly-pleased that old bluey didn't take any of those either.

We are a very long way from being self-sufficient but I like to think that every bit helps. The herbs that dried out last month have all been added to the kitchen pantry. The basil was especially abundant this year and I'm so glad to have that re-stocked. Parsley, oregano and rosemary are all herbs that we use regularly and have been topped up for the cooler months ahead. 

Now that March has officially begun and we are heading into autumn I am really looking forward to all the herb-enriched and fragrant meals that we will be having: oregano chicken, rosemary focaccia, pasta with basil pesto and more. 

For those of you who are suffering through frigid winters or bracing for more extreme weather, I hope that you are keeping safe; my prayers are with you all. Take care and thank you for taking the time to pop by to my little garden :)