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Sunday, February 1, 2009

Vegetable Garden?

My rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) thrives a flower bed alongside the patio
Above my husband digs up pototoes in the vegetable garden


As a vegatarian you'd think I'd grow all my own vegetables. Not so. I get so involved in my huge flower garden and then dash off to the greengrocer to buy my vegetables!

However, a year ago Emily asked if, together we could plant a small patch behind the windy drier / clothes line. We did and managed to reap pumpkins, spinach, tomatoes, beans, green (sweet) peppers and a variety of herbs. Last season I cut the eyes off my bought potatoes, dried and planted them. This year, we've enjoyed a quite a few crops of new potatoes. Nothing like a potato, freshly dug up with soil still clinging it.


A bowl of freshly-dug potatoes

Because I make my own compost, vegetables often spring up in my flower beds, under trees and around the shrubs. This last season I've had potatoes, pumpkin, tomatoes and parsley reaped from the flower garden.

This pumpkin, wreathed in cherry tomatoes, is actually growing where it should, in the vegetable garden


This tomato vine is growing in a herbaceous border amongst the aloes and other succulents

The pumpkin above is growing under a sweet thorn tree (Acacia karoo) amongst the day lilies (Hemerocallis spp)

This pumpkin, which we had for dinner last week, was delicious
Parsley growing in my herbaceous border amongst the indigenous daisies (Osteospermum spp)

4 comments:

  1. A lovely post, Jo - I loved reading about how you garden ! The pumpkin photo is a really nice one & I love the idea of having rosemary growing near the patio - I bet it gives off a lovely smell.

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  2. Your flower beds are not just ornamental, but take care you don't catch the bug.I started that way and bit by bit the flower patch got smaller until it disappeared altogether and the veg took over.
    Best wishes

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  3. Thanks for the kind comment Lynda, Yes, the rosemary does smell divine. When in flower, I pick bunches for vases inside the house. Hugs Jo

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  4. Hmmm, Peggy... No, I think not. At my previous home here in town, I had an empty (3500m/2100yd)plot which I immediately planted up with vegetables: a huge patch of maize, another of pumpkins, and tomatoes and beans and lettuce and spinach. I couldn't GIVE the vegetables away. It's a pity, but I'll have to continue this way for Emily anyway! Thanks for popping in. Hugs Jo

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Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate your feedback. Jo