Despite our rental property having only paved outdoor space, I attempted a garden of sorts this spring.
I had to leave all my plant containers in the UK (international pest control) and didn't want to spend a lot of money on containers given we plan to buy a property with a decent yard (not that we've found one we can afford in amongst all the infill housing and developer demand for 'luxury apartment' opportunities in Melbourne).
I'd seen patio gardens online where the containers were those re-useable polypropylene shopping bags. They are robust, water permeable, do not rot and ubiquitous in Australia. When I mentioned to a friend I was thinking of planting in them, she implored me to take a bag full off her hands. "They breed in my cupboards," she said.
I now have a mix of healthy plants-in-bags in our wee courtyard.
My tomatoes are fruiting wonderfully, but my cucumbers are not being pollinated as there are no bees. The birds on the other hand... so far every one of the tomatoes on each of my three plants has been devoured by birds before ripening.
I am somewhat shocked that I was more successful growing veg in soggy London than in such favourable conditions in Australia.
And it turns out the bags, which make such convenient containers in the UK, break down under the intensity of the Australian sun.
It's so funny to see it bright and sunny there when it wet and cold here. No gardening advice -- I have never been able to keep a plant alive.
ReplyDeleteI'm a hopeless gardener too! I suggest that soggy London, with its ample water and more gentle climate, might be just as good or better for veg growing than the searing heat of an Aussie summer. (Enjoying the much milder warmth of a kiwi summer.)
ReplyDeleteNice sun and looks pretty green to me! Our garden beds at our new place look like the apocalypse hit. Hopefully I will be able to give them some attention this spring.
ReplyDelete