Garden Update October 2014

What is happening in the garden…

The vines are reaching for the sky with the leaves showing that beautiful upward cupping biodynamic growth, bunches of grape buds have presented themselves all along the cordons and are preparing to flower. Friendly bees, wasps, ladybirds, blue wrens fill the gardens with a symphony of buzzing and tweets and the colours of the calendula, sunflower, nasturtium, gazania, roses and feverfew paint a perfect picture of paradise.

Tomatoes, aubergine, zucchini and cucumber have made it past the slaters and snails and will begin to flower soon. Mustards, rocket and some lettuce have decided to flower so time to replant some beds leaving some plants to set seed for collection. Freshly picked broad beans are pouring in being blanched and drizzled in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper with shaved hard cheese. Bags of beans are available from the cellar door. Our edible native garden is planted with Podocarpus plum, dianella, lime, mint, viola, salt bush, midyum berry, sollya heterophylla and emu plum. It is always exciting finding new/old edible plants and adapting them to new dishes.

Nettle leaf, chamomile and dandelion flower are being harvested and dried, ready for use to make our biodynamic preparations next autumn. Our quartz crystals, which were harvested from the vineyard by the pruners, are being ground into a fine powder to be made into a paste and buried in cow horns over the summer to absorb the cosmic and light force from the universe and make preparation 501.

It is a good time to apply horn manure, make compost, transplant seedlings, pruning, wine racking and harvesting for storage from the 3rd-15th of October. This is a descending or waning period and is influenced by the earth and water signs. From the 18th-30th of October it will be a good time to apply horn silica, plant seeds, graft and harvest for early consumption. This is an ascending or waxing period and is influenced by air or fire signs.

WE ARE CURRENTLY HARVESTING…
Globe Artichoke, carrots, fennel bulbs, broad beans, capsicum, rocket, beetroot, swiss chard, salad greens, mustard, radish, spring onions, snap peas, watercress, herbs, edible flowers.

If anyone has any queries in regards to the garden, please feel welcome to ask… Cheers, Jaimie