A few visitors who have posted comments (thanks!) have asked for pictures of our garden as it currently stands. Your wish is our command. 🙂

The vege patch

The side of the house and the front corner is the home of our vege patch. This is my domain, and I keep it filled with a wide variety of vegetables, including at present:

• green beans (several types)
• tomatoes (a bunch of varieties)
• silverbeet
• cucumbers
• pumpkin
• beetroots
• kale
• carrots (of various colours)
• celery
• celeriac
• daikon
• salad greens (various)
• herbs (various)
• berries (various)

To supplement the six main raised garden beds, I’ve started using planter bags. These give great flexibility to grow just a few plants at a time, without having to be in sync with everything else in a big garden bed.

The citrus trees and passionfruit are also looking great, and hopefully we’ll get a good crop this year.

As ever, the best thing about having the vege patch in the front of the house is the conversations it leads to with everyone who walks by. This may be as little as “your garden looks great”, to an in-depth discussion of growing strategies or pest management options. Lots of people also say how they love seeing the garden change every time they walk past.

The potager garden

The front of the house belongs to Priscilla, who has it planted out as a potager garden. This emphasises beauty, while still consisting of edible plants. Perennials are mixed with annuals, allowing the garden to change with the seasons, while still retaining a core structure.

The front gardens are looking great at the moment, with everything in flower. Native bees, honey bees, and a pile of different beneficial bugs are buzzing everywhere. The cat also likes to use the shade underneath the bigger plants to hunt skinks (small lizards).

Plants in the potager garden include:

• lavender
• rosemary
• herbs (various)
• beetroots
• bronze fennel
• green tea plant
• capsicums
• eggplants
• lillypilly
• wormwood (artemesia)
• echinacea
• wild strawberries
• artichoke
• catmint, catnip and catgrass
• borage
• sorrel
• chillies
• citrus (various)

The best thing: not a blade of grass to be seen! 🙂