April has been a beguiling mix of warm, clear (and frustratingly rain-free) days with the occasional sudden dip in temperatures to remind us that winter is just around the corner, and the occasional spike to remind us that summer still wants to play.
My garden is shifting into winter crop mode, signing out of summer with a few tiny strawberries and a welcome flush of cooler weather loving veggies like kale and broccoli. The raised brick planter I ambitiously assembled only a few short weeks ago is already largely in shade – thwarting my plans for a late tomato harvest.
According to Gardening Australia, April is allium month (i.e. garlic, leeks, onions…). For a die-hard garlic-lover it’s definitely the opportunity to try out a small crop – this is my first try at growing garlic so I’m starting small!
Planning ahead for when I finally find a house I want to buy, I’ve been stocking up on different fruit plants. I sniffed out (literally) some Chilean guavas acting as a sneaky decorative hedging at the local garden centre. I took a few cuttings and crossed my fingers, about 2/3 seem to have taken root. I also sourced some young feijoa trees (these are very popular in New Zealand, my Kiwi childhood involved consuming as many of these as I could get my hands on every autumn) and some now-dormant red currants.
I often like to check out the Table of Sad Rejects that most garden centres have. A lost of them just need a week or so of intensive care and they’ll bounce right back – and for a heavy discount. I rescued a bunch of bedraggled cosmos and planted them straight into the ground, within a couple of weeks they’d perked up with some showy flowers. A definite pick-me-up for my flower-lacking garden.
Living Local
It’s been a vegetable explosion in my kitchen this month as I’ve finally joined a food co-op! I’ve been working on a few new recipes to get through the boxload of veg I’m now getting every fortnight. This month’s favourite is corn fritters, made from freshly boiled corn and bulked up with some carrot pulp that’s left over from my occasional juice fest.
One of the great things about living in Tassie is how easy it is to get a huge variety of locally grown produce – everything from olives to apples, wine to whiskey and cheese to cherries. My local co-op sells local produce from around the south-east of Tasmania, and for $100 a month I’m getting fortnightly veg boxes of delicious and super-fresh seasonal produce all grown within a 50km radius of where I live.
Beach Love
I lent my hand and my camera to document (and help with) a beach cleaning event on Bruny Island. While Bruny has a tiny population, its place in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel means its beaches see more of their fair share of floating debris.
Watching
Reuse, because you can’t recycle the planet. This was bookmarked in my ‘to watch’ list last year, but between the move and the delayed internet setup, I’d forgotten about it. A really sweet optimistic and inspiring fun documentary about creative reuse across communities in the USA – would definitely recommend the $10 download.
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