The best of Spring

Even if I covered my eyes and wandered around my backyard I would know it was Spring. The warm air on my skin and the unmistakable aroma of native frangipani flowers give it away every time. Spring has arrived here and it's brought with it new life, flowers, tiny new shoots, bright green leaves and the promise of healthy food over the coming months.

Lately, Hanno has been working most days in the garden. There is always something to do out there. So with the weeding, watering, planting, plucking, tying up, and organising, the garden has sprung into life, trellises are going up, tomatoes are being staked and, already, we are harvesting.

Take a walk through the garden with me now. You'll have to imagine the sweet scent of the frangipanis, the call of the whip birds and the warm air on bare arms, but the rest you can see in these photos.

Tassels are forming on half grown corn.

There are always too many zucchinis. Why don't we learn!

Next Winter's Washington Navel oranges.

Grown from seeds in the bush house, these newly planted cucumber seedlings will soon cover that trellis.

Baby Quentin, the light Sussex chick.

These baby capsicums (sweet peppers) should be ready for harvesting in about three weeks. The follow on flowers and the fruit they turn into will be part of our Christmas lunch.

More cucumbers. These already climbing their trellis. There are certain vegetables you can't have enough of. Cucumbers are one of those vegetables. Friends and neighbours are always happy to receive a fresh cucumber and any left over are pickled for later in the year.

The view from the garden gate.

Ann Shirley (a New Hampshire), Martha (a buff Orpington) and Heather (a salmon Faverolles) all waiting for food.

More new plantings to replace the cabbages that are almost all gone. Here we have lettuce, wild rocket (arugula) and boy choi.

Sunflowers - these are being grown for the chooks but in reality, the King parrots will eat them well before they ripen enough for the chooks. We don't mind though. The Kings' habitat is slowly being eroded and if we are to keep this glorious bird, we need to help it survive.

Eggplants are starting to flower. These are heirlooms - Black Beauty.


The potatoes have just sprouted under a thick layer of straw.

And finally, the gardener - Hanno, hard at work on his pet project - backyard food production.

We garden all year now and we've been doing this for a long time, but every year it gets me. Spring is such a wonderful time to rediscover the joys of gardening and the feeling of quiet satisfaction we get knowing we can produce organic food on the land we live on.

"Personally, I have been very impressed by the slow food movement. It is about celebrating the culture of food, of sharing the extraordinary knowledge, developed over millennia, of the traditions involved with quality food production, of the sheer joy and pleasure of consuming food together. Especially within the context of family life, this has to be one of the highest forms of cultural activity." Prince Charles