Saturday 5 April 2014

Garden Share Collective ~April 2014

The slow transition through Autumn between Summer and Winter seems to last forever.
The rain this Autumn has been welcome and very refreshing.

Autumn equals Avocados


Avocados actually ripen when picked from the tree.
They mature on the tree and can last for up to 18 months 
as the tree 'preserves'them.
They only ripen when separated from the tree.
This variety is a Secondo, it is a semi dwarf variety (a cross between Hass and Bacon Avocados).



This is a late season watermelon.
My husband puts an upside down pot over it when the chickens are free ranging.
We plan to eat this one!


Kourusagi (Bunny) under the avocado tree.


There are still tomatoes ripening and we have had a mass of corn cobs.


 I am so enjoying these Pitayas (Dragon Fruit).


Luscious Basil, soon to be turned into pesto for winter.
I think they grow much better in Autumn than in Summer.



There are plenty of eggplants -  you can see the pretty purple eggplant flowers.


 A red Birds Eye Chili which seems to fruit all year round.
Self seeding continually so there are always small chillies available for picking.



 Presently we have a carpet of snake bean plants. 
The snake beans grow well from seed as evidenced by this glorious display.
It sure beats mowing, anyday.



Red papaya, these are huge and it is a self propagating tree.


Even though the main branch snapped, these tamarillos are still ripening.


The last of the pomegranates.


Ruby red grapefruit protected from the galahs.


Can you believe limes are priced at $1 each in the supermarket?


Or lemons selling for 50 cents each?


These are the highlights of my April garden.
If you enjoyed my garden, please view
the other Garden Share Collective members via this link.

Buon appetito, Merryn.

16 comments:

  1. Gorgeous Merryn and so very lush! I wish my lime tree was at that stage (it is still tiny). Have a great month in the garden.

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    1. Kyrstie after three years we are happy to have such a well producing lime tree. There were 3 the first year, 10 the next year and now I have already juiced 4 x ice cube trays for the freezer. Your little lime will grow quickly :)

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  2. oh my wow! what a wonderful garden you have right now - lemons, limes, paypayas and avocados! can tell you're not in tassie :-) i didnt realise avocados were so clever like that.
    i am very envious of your lush, very full garden. thank you for sharing with us!

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    1. Thank you I am so fortunate with our climate and really appreciate what we can produce. Hobart is such a gorgeous city, you are always surrounded by beauty :)

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  3. That was interesting to read about the avos staying on the tree. One more plant needed for our garden, but I will have to think long and hard where it will go. I can't take the risk of any of the stock getting at it as it's all so deadly to them. Will make a note of that variety, thanks :D

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    1. I bought it at Daleys fruit online at Kyogle. Everyone should have an avocado tree, I bought a Hass last winter and the flowers from this small tree helped the Secondo to fruit prolifically. I didn't know they are deadly to stock, we can learn so much from each other.

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  4. As always your garden is full of wonderful fruits and veggies. I have started off some dragron fruits in my garden and they are only just starting to climb, slow and steady I guess as a cactus grows.

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    1. Liz your Pitayas will love the Queensland sun. Ours is always climbing to the sunnier side (our neighbours) of the fence. Next year we will probably have over 50 of them and I have taken cuttings to put them in a better position. The first year we picked 1 dragon fruit. This year 19 were beautifully grown. Yours will probably do even better due to your gorgeous climate :)

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  5. I've never seen anyone here grow dragonfruit! You have such a gorgeous range of fruit Merryn :D

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    1. Thanks Lorraine. Our neighbours took cuttings to try to grow at their home in Epping in a sunny spot. I will keep an eye on their growth and success :)

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  6. Oh for a tropical garden - I adore dragon fruit when we travel in Asia. And what a clever tree that avocado is!

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    1. Yes the Dragon Fruit are spectacular. Today I am eating the last one for morning tea (enthusiastically) at least they fruited for one month. Thank you for admiring the avocado tree too, they are delicious :)

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  7. What gorgeous, lush crops you've got there. I had a bag of avocados send down from up north (NZ) just last week, and I was thinking how lovely it would be to wander outside and pick them. I'm experimenting with freezing them so I can have some on hand for last-minute guacamole. The slices have frozen well and stayed nice and green. Not sure what will happen when I thaw them, but they should be good for mashing.

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    1. Sue that is very interesting, I have never though to freeze them. You will have to post how they are when defrosted, it could be a great solution for winter guacamole. Thank you for viewing my garden and your kind comments :)

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  8. What a wonderful garden you have Merryn and very productive too! I cannot believe that's the price of limes. I have a whole treeful of them. Perhaps I should set up a roadside stall :D

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  9. Thank you for stopping by my blog. Limes are such gorgeous citrus. Your roadside stall would pay for your bread and milk for the week. I think some retailers are purely greedy - we give our excess produce away!

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