This time of year in the garden holds so much promise! The last of the winter crops are finishing but the fruit trees are literally abuzz with the bees pollinating the flowers of the summer fruits and vegetables. Our nectarine is set for another abundant crop and the newly cut back raspberries are looking verdant. A new pear tree and almond tree have been added to the orchard for next year's harvest. These new plantings have brought the total of fruit trees to fourteen. It is amazing to leave the garden for a couple of days and to return to such luscious foliage growth. The soil is warming and the last downpour has given the ground that spring smell.
The olive grove has also been rejuvenated with the moving of 10 of the 30 trees to a more suitable location. Although in the ground for six years many of them are still saplings and the hope is that the new environment will enable the strugglers to be more productive.
The deck has been enlivened by the salvaging of some old cumquat trees. A couple of poor old root-bound, neglected trees languishing around the side of the house in some dusty but lovely pots have been lovingly pruned back and given a feed. Looking forward to their growth over the next few months!
A new project for this year's planting is the straw bale garden bed system. Such a simple system which can work for any garden whether you have 20 acres to work with or 20 square metres! Straw bales, cut end up, with lots of water and they are a fertile plot for planting. We will be watering in the fertiliser over the next few days before planting the seedlings that are warming in the greenhouse in Melbourne.
