tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post289551411622308031..comments2024-03-28T15:55:53.792+10:00Comments on down to earth: Our vegetable gardenUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-8679902269568533092016-08-15T03:41:17.134+10:002016-08-15T03:41:17.134+10:00Hi Rhonda, what lovely images you share (both word...Hi Rhonda, what lovely images you share (both words and photos!) of your garden space. I followed your blog for years and just thought I'd drop in again. We are at the beginning of the spectrum you speak of, having a completely bare section that this week will hopefully get the first of it's fruit trees planted in our little orchard. It's winter still in NZ and I have to wait at least a month before I can plant any seedlings. I'm kind of hanging out for fresh food from the garden! Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14504640911222673265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-1862482788153678282016-08-14T22:19:20.232+10:002016-08-14T22:19:20.232+10:00You have a beautiful garden Rhonda. We have just a...You have a beautiful garden Rhonda. We have just a small veggie patch in suburban Sydney, and a few years ago I would have described myself as having a black thumb, but year by year I'm learning and our small patch is producing more and more for us. Thanks for the inspiration!Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08848841347205813716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-32980861431113384392016-08-12T11:23:33.196+10:002016-08-12T11:23:33.196+10:00Thank you. Compost will correct sandy soil so I en...Thank you. Compost will correct sandy soil so I encourage you to start. When we had a backyard full of clay, we started growing by adding compost to the garden beds - they were slightly raised - and then we removed the soil in the spots we wanted to plant in. Then we'd plant and fill in with compost instead of replacing the soil. That worked really well and we grew from the first year onwards. Eventually, after about five years, we had fairly good soil in those garden beds and it's just continued to improve.rhonda jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962112306968959985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-81044489427813949512016-08-12T11:09:42.654+10:002016-08-12T11:09:42.654+10:00You have such a lovely garden. It has such a nice ...You have such a lovely garden. It has such a nice balance, and the productive parts are what make it the most beautiful! You also give me hope... my family and I bought our first house a year ago and it has a nice big backyard. But it has terrible sandy soil, low in organic matter and full of sand burrs. I guess I just need to add lots and lots of compost. =)Melindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13044832128382757722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-44170956470456034232016-08-12T01:19:58.017+10:002016-08-12T01:19:58.017+10:00Hello Rhonda,
I don't believe I have ever com...Hello Rhonda, <br />I don't believe I have ever commented before. You have a wonderful site here, I check every day to see what is new. I have bought your books and enjoyed them greatly as well. Just wanted to say thank you and let you know you have fans out here, even if we are quiet. ;). The best part of your writing is your pace of life and viewpoint. Your graceful viewpoint of life and an acceptance of fitting into the world is really a wonderful thing to read. The pace of your day is an inspiration to me, so often people keep pressing to do more and more, rather than seeing what is happening in the current moment. Thank you again for reminding me to pay attention to the current moment. Traveling Oltmanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15703550588711913428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-80252738332449281232016-08-11T12:57:54.770+10:002016-08-11T12:57:54.770+10:00Rhonda your garden is looking lovely and summery! ...Rhonda your garden is looking lovely and summery! Your chooks look very pretty!<br />We have English spinach and silver beet growing at the moment. Our Nellie Kelly Blueberry is out in pretty flowers, we are keeping it in a large pot.<br />I really enjoy reading your blog every week and now have all your books which I'm always referring to. I hope you and Hanno are keeping well.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534818029997529671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-32951486702550603862016-08-11T08:47:58.473+10:002016-08-11T08:47:58.473+10:00oops typo....make that Mizuna with an Aoops typo....make that Mizuna with an AStellamarinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10551588961821325742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-66746412915489921632016-08-11T08:11:07.597+10:002016-08-11T08:11:07.597+10:00Thank you for your comment, Sarah. It's made m...Thank you for your comment, Sarah. It's made my day. xxrhonda jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962112306968959985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-81025780840385644202016-08-11T08:09:30.433+10:002016-08-11T08:09:30.433+10:00Thanks Selina. I'm sure your garden will look ...Thanks Selina. I'm sure your garden will look beautiful too when it's productive.rhonda jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962112306968959985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-62804432989192365912016-08-11T05:55:26.925+10:002016-08-11T05:55:26.925+10:00Well I do keep up with your blog but seldom commen...Well I do keep up with your blog but seldom comment. I can see how having comments would make it much more interesting for you.<br /><br />We have a lovely cloudy, showery day here in southern Indiana. Makes a great excuse to stay inside rather than being out in the hot humid air working on the flower beds. Lots of rain this summer so everything is green and growing (especially the weeds). Your comment on the fertilizer available from comfrey reminded me that I first heard about it's benefits from you. I have made the liquid fertilizer since then and have a bucket in the potting shed right now fermenting. It works great and it's so nice to get it for free. Thanks a lot for the information.vichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18428581552807859803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-30450559888518794382016-08-11T05:07:02.827+10:002016-08-11T05:07:02.827+10:00Always enjoy checking in to see what is happening ...Always enjoy checking in to see what is happening in your garden. I envy your water tanks for garden water.....I need to think more about cutting costs there somehow. The vege in my container garden that I am really enjoying this summer is Mizuno....a Japanese green with a light mustard flavor....can use it raw and cooked and so easy to grow. Thank you for all the inspiration you give to us readers of your blog.Stellamarinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10551588961821325742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-47281711785023438982016-08-11T01:30:15.405+10:002016-08-11T01:30:15.405+10:00Rhonda, as a mom of 2 littles busy all day to care...Rhonda, as a mom of 2 littles busy all day to care for our home and family, I rarely take time to comment... forgive me;) I have adored your blog for a few years and have learned so much! <br />We just moved to New Mexico from the east coast USA and are learning about a whole new climate! Just when I started getting the gardening thing figured out haha. Please know that you have taught me how to love my home FOR my family and my self in a powerful way. I found your blog shortly after my mother passed away suddenly in 2010... you look amazingly similar to her... and the huge void she left was softened a bit. Unbeknownst to you☺ thank you. Blessings.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10558882718576845511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-82454067696157775492016-08-11T00:23:54.209+10:002016-08-11T00:23:54.209+10:00you have an amazing garden rhonda, always looks as...you have an amazing garden rhonda, always looks as though it has always been <br />am slowly getting into my garden too. lots of work ahead of me & one day hopefully it will be as beautiful as yours :))<br />thanx for sharingselinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10173172460099566314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-27976232784259440812016-08-10T20:24:25.082+10:002016-08-10T20:24:25.082+10:00That's great news, Jade. Eco Store have great ...That's great news, Jade. Eco Store have great products so I'm really pleased the dish liquid is working well for you.rhonda jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962112306968959985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-48639578371477267052016-08-10T20:08:17.505+10:002016-08-10T20:08:17.505+10:00Foodwise I only have 2 pots of sugar snap peas in ...Foodwise I only have 2 pots of sugar snap peas in my garden at the moment, I've scaled right back as I choose to focus on other things for a while. I'm dreaming of not having to work outside the home, and instead homeschooling my son which would include lots of gardening lessons (for both of us as I don't have a green thumb!).I love that you derive so much joy and comfort from your lovely garden.Leianihttp://my-eccentricity.blogspot.com.au/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-18232181094030272712016-08-10T17:23:35.754+10:002016-08-10T17:23:35.754+10:00Your vege garden Rhonda and yard looks very inviti...Your vege garden Rhonda and yard looks very inviting and happy. Our vege garden is a little sad atm consisting of a few herbs and a great selection of weeds. Comfrey looks interesting, I shall check it out. We do have lemons and mandarins though. We have a great green house which the Veges loved last season. I'm not a good gardener but my husband has a green thumb and I enjoy picking cooking and eating what he has grown. So I am an encouraging at least.Carolynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-50467863225437716222016-08-10T17:18:25.189+10:002016-08-10T17:18:25.189+10:00Thank you for the walk round your garden I always ...Thank you for the walk round your garden I always love to see what people are growing around the world. My garden is producing a small amount for us as it always does. It is not very big but we use the space wisely and grow only what can cope with our cool summer temperatures (similar to your Autumn/Winter it would seem). I about to start some late summer sowing as occasionally I can extend our growing season into late autumn using the warmth of the polytunnel, some years it works others it doesn't but that is what gardening is all about isn't it, giving it a go!sustainablemumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04099701194160334671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-52580475741676312262016-08-10T16:17:55.079+10:002016-08-10T16:17:55.079+10:00Not garden related, Rhonda. But, I wanted to let y...Not garden related, Rhonda. But, I wanted to let you know that I've finally swapped from Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid to the Eco variety that you use. I was struggling with eczema on my 'cleaning hand' and over the years, that hand now looks significantly older- at the ripe old age of 30! I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and my hand is no longer red raw and burning! Still dry but I can manage that. Thank you, JadeAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03778711822210545262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-91677969319355116112016-08-10T15:43:36.010+10:002016-08-10T15:43:36.010+10:00I have enjoyed the walk around your garden. I had...I have enjoyed the walk around your garden. I had a huge harvest of turmeric recently. This week I am harvesting kale, silver beet, kohl rabi, broccoli, thyme, parsley, red veined sorrel. Planting zucchini and another sowing of broccoli and silver beet. Just in my little allotment, 16 square metres.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-64102929113020201612016-08-10T14:38:47.521+10:002016-08-10T14:38:47.521+10:00Here in NE Texas the garden is usually burned up i...Here in NE Texas the garden is usually burned up in August and I've had to throw up my hands and let it go. But this I'm still harvesting heavily from it daily - tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupe, green beans, sweet peppers, summer squash and zucchini are included in almost every daily harvest basket. But lately I've had an odd die-off happening: one day the entire row of sweet pepper plants is healthy & perky, the next day one of the plants stands with limp leaves hugging the plant. Within a day or so the stems brown & die. Maybe a mole attacking from underground? I've never seen any evidence of moles and the plants still appear to be firmly rooted in the soil but I can't imagine what else it could be. Such a puzzle! Thanks for taking us on a stroll through your beautiful garden, Rhonda!<br /><br />~Taylor-Made Homestead<br />TexasTexas Homesteaderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04875287623361173707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-78969330094907228782016-08-10T13:44:35.204+10:002016-08-10T13:44:35.204+10:00Our garden is so so this year. Since it hubby and ...Our garden is so so this year. Since it hubby and I we been talking about adding some berries and fruit trees.<br />Today for dinner we picked some zucchini.<br />Coffee is on peppylady (Dora)https://www.blogger.com/profile/01649272822470007714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-42742371001229461262016-08-10T13:06:42.034+10:002016-08-10T13:06:42.034+10:00Your garden looks amazing, I was glad to see the o...Your garden looks amazing, I was glad to see the odd weed, it means mine isnt as bad as I thought. I love all your flowers. Thanks for sharing, GuidaGuidahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11876757518120983692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-18482059000693239142016-08-10T12:51:26.971+10:002016-08-10T12:51:26.971+10:00I grew up in SW FL! (I live in west central FL now...I grew up in SW FL! (I live in west central FL now, near Tampa.) I hear you, the soil down there isn't great. I understand that if you're very near the coast, the salt air can be problematic as well. If you want to garden a little, but don't want to do the major physical work, maybe a few plants in pots? We're trying a new-to-us plant, an Everglades tomato (a friend in the Keys gave us a couple seedlings), that is supposed to do very well in the heat and humidity, and supposedly will grow anywhere and produce a ton of fruit--might be one to try for you?Helenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15173788247672691139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-81441752429764308832016-08-10T12:48:42.126+10:002016-08-10T12:48:42.126+10:00My husband and I just took a few minutes tonight t...My husband and I just took a few minutes tonight to look over the seeds we have and to place a small seed order to supplement our stash. Time to start getting the beds ready for our fall garden. We take a break in the summer here as well--it's too hot for the plants (and for us!) and the bugs and weeds are too much to battle. So we take a break, doing only the maintenance necessary outside, and come back to it in the fall. It's still hot and humid right now, but getting ready for the garden reminds me that it will get pleasant again, we just have to hang in there. :)<br /><br />We had our peach season here already, but next week I'm picking up a half-bushel of Georgia peaches, planning to do some canning and freezing, and also eating as many fresh as we can stand. Helenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15173788247672691139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5089828552519076506.post-84165520498616192602016-08-10T11:18:15.777+10:002016-08-10T11:18:15.777+10:00I have a very small garden, but am happy with it. ...I have a very small garden, but am happy with it. Some ever-bearing strawberries, many tomatoes and one watermelon plant! I hope I can keep it protected when it gets cold, because I'm not sure it'll be ready before then. Oh, and a pepper plant in a pot. :)<br />Your photos are lovely - your flowers are so pretty.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12503930255842185609noreply@blogger.com