The Greenhouse is a HUGE success!

Way beyond my expectations, to be honest. Obviously this year is a learning curve and I'm not sure how many tomatoes I'll do next summer. I'm more likely to do some over winter and into spring. But the chillies are doing amazingly - Lloyd should be able to make some spectacular sauce this year.

Here's a wee comparison photo. I should also point out that I'm not even feeding them with anything other than rainwater!

Tomatoes on the left, chillies on the right. There's also some basil at the front with the biggest leaves I've ever seen and some rocket in the back corner.

Look how green and lush everything is.

Things are doing really well in the outside veggie garden too. Tomatoes, lettuces, spring onions and even some eggplant!

 Lots of different sweetcorns and cauliflowers.

 Courgettes of different colours

 

There are also cucumbers, peas, garlic, and the most brilliant potatoes. We got some Maori seed potatoes a while back. I always thought Maori potatoes were purple, but these are white, knobbly and fairly small. They are quite honestly the best potatoes I have ever tasted! Incredibly creamy and the flavour is amazing. Will absolutely be doing these again.

 We're even still getting the odd asparagus

 This is one of the ferns. 

AND!

finally, after 3 years, we have our first avocado - I've been nurturing this for a whole year! I just ate half of it and it was lovely. This year lots of wee tiny avocados have set so I'm hoping for more next year.

it's magic!

Look what happened to my eggs?

I love trading things with the neighbours! Everyone is happy. And our neighbour does grow the best avocados in the land.

See, good things do come from cows who escape and run down State Highway 1. If they'd never done this Peter ( lovely neighbour) wouldn't have seen my eggs for sale sign and suggested we trade. So well done cows, but please don't do it again.

Our Avocado "Orchard"
We've been planning to do this for ages, but Avocados need to be planted at this time of year to give them the best chance and we've always missed it! Anyway, this year we were organised and planted our three hass avocado trees this afternoon.

Lloyd read up on what we were supposed to do then went to the garden place to get them and was told to ignore all that and basically do the opposite! Argh! however the man he was talking to used to have an avocado farm so we reckoned he knew what he was talking about.

So most important of all is not to damage the roots at all when planting out as they are very fragile. Mix soil, compost and some lime together. Put a little in the bottom of the hole you've just dug and water. Plant tree with about 10 cm of the earthy bit sticking out. Then mound soil up a wee bit to form a pyramid round the base of the tree. Finally put wind break round them. If they survive the first year you're ok - if not start again! So here's hoping!

First one in

Second one in


third hole being dug - oh the excitement!
All done!
Fingers crossed for our first avocados in three years time!