Our vegetable garden and fruit trees are true abundance….
When we moved in we discovered:
- Lemon trees
- Fejoia trees (can’t really describe what they taste like if you haven’t had one….you’ll just have to come to New Zealand to find out)
- Apple, peach and plum trees
- Tons of herbs including rosemary, sage, parsley, thyme and mint)
One of the most brilliant things about this place is that every inch of the front and back yard are hooked up to an amazing watering system. Every plant here gets water just by turning on the out door taps…even down to the hanging baskets. The previous owners were true gardens (not fake ones like me as I require a stylish pair of gardening shoes and a oddly expensive metal watering can in hand before I’ll even get out there…)
The highest part of the garden/back yard has a series of vegetable beds. They were a bit over run and needed a bit of clearing in order to get plants in for Spring. I started planting chillies, peppers/capsicum and tomatoes from seed back at our old house in hopes to really earn my green thumb.
As I’ve explained in my last post, I am still adjusting and learning about my new surroundings and country and gardening is just one example of the slight differences I’ve encountered. So in hopes of fitting in and giving a go at trying to maintain these amazing gardens, I took it to heart when people told me that I needed to get my vegetable plants in the garden BY LABOR DAY, (which here is in early October.)
I possess a wicked streak of determination. Once I get my focus on something watch OUT. So I hear this thing about getting the veg in by Labor Day, and nothing was going to stop me. The problem was, that the long weekend came and it was raining. I’m not talking about a little shower, or even and steady rain…this was Taranaki rain. Like someone pouring a never ending bucket of water down on your head.
I spent a few days shopping in preparation and stalling a bit – buying tons of plants and the bits and bobs that this urban gardener just had to have. The rain continued. But I already had it in my head, that I had to get my veg in by Labor Day….this was the day to make this happen. My determination that has helped me run ultra distances was not going to let me fail in this task. I put on my wellies, got on a rain jacket and hat and planted every one of the seedlings and plants I bought in pouring down rain, boot sticking mud and general awful weather.
They are in…(no medals though.) We now have:
tomatoes, chillies, peppers/capsicum, pumpkins, watermelon, potatoes (kindly planted by Rod’s dad,) beets/beet root, silverbeet (kind of like a kale), carrots, cabbage, cucumber, beans, peas, zucchini, arugula/rocket, rhubarb, basil, coriander, dill, and oregano.
We’ve had our first harvest (8 1/2 snap peas,) and summer at Hosking House should be pure abundance.
One of my favorite things to do is at dusk, grab a glass of wine and wander up to watch the sunset from the veggie garden. It’s the best view in the house.
We are blessed and can’t wait to share these amazing places with our guests!