"Chookie" wrote in message
...
I planted some more seedlings ahead of the supposed heavy rain, which has
now
become showers, and by tomorrow will probably be occasional light
showers...
sigh. Today I planted a few more punnets' worth of seeds, and did a bit
of
direct sowing. Here's the list:

Mixed brassicas and a few lettuces (both seedlings and seeds)
Climbing snow peas
Spinach
Black Spanish radishes
Beetroot
Chives

Also, Global Garden Planting Guide said to plant seeds of:
Capsicum
Chilli
Tomato

So I did, but I wouldn't have bothered without my new heating pad. I've
tried
planting seeds in punnets in Jul/Aug and they come up, but grow very, very
slowly, even in a warm sunny position. My later seedlings invariably
overtake
them. We'll see what happens to this lot. I'm keen on early capsicums
and
tomatoes as late ones cop fruit fly (apart from last year, when it was so
dry
we didn't get fruit fly... or many tomatoes, because of lack of
moisture!).

In the vegie patch, the rhubarb crowns have struck, broad beans are in
flower,
and one trellis of peas is doing really well, though not yet flowering.
The
brassicas have been very slow to grow (sunshine and warmth balanced out by
high winds and water restrictions). And there is heaps of parsley.

Pulled a few carrots out from a patch I planted last spring. OK, they're
painfully slow to grow and didn't look too flash, but the TASTE... even if
carrots are $1.60/kg, it's worth growing more. The new lot I planted
aren't
up yet.

How are the other vegie patches going?

Well mine's a bit slow at the moment. I've got peas and onions peeping
through the soil and that is about it. I should get out and sow some spinach
and lettuce seeds. The sun is out today and it's not raining (we've had
heaps of rain lately) so I've got no excuse.

Winter makes me lazy. I should also be outside weeding and tidying up my
raspberry patch. Trouble is come summer, when the berries ripen, I run out
of water to give them. I give most of my greywater to the vegies.

Amy (in Tassie)