"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
Has anyone in the cooler areas managed to do any spring planting of veg
yet, and if so, how is it going?

i've just been away for a while *, but before i went i put in some spinach,
radishes, & something else i can't quite recall (tee hee, i'll recognise it
again when it's bigger though) & they all came up though they are still wee,
plus some snow peas & broad beans, which most assuredly haven't come up yet.
(i'm not sure why the b. beans & peas are not up!!)

was going to do some lettuce, carrots & so forth fairly soon, as well as
some potatoes. it seems to me my potatoes take so long to come up that i
don't really need to worry about frost - it'll be 5 or 6 weeks at least,
until they show themselves!! (everything is so sodding SLOW at my house!)

i also put the usual brassicas (to which i am sadly addicted) in punnets a
few weeks ago & they're fine, just waiting for some more warmth before they
really get a go on i think, so i can plant them out when they're bigger & i
get to it. hurrah!

what i am NOT going to do this year: plant summer stuff out early. i think
everyone just gets so excited & can't wait but i've realised it's simply not
worth the trouble of doing beans or toms or basil or whatnot when the soil
is just too cold. since i am not the type who can be arsed with covers & all
that, i'll just wait & amuse myself with house repairs, & maybe get some
ornamental cuttings going, as i love doing that but did none last year.

anyway, where i was, the elevated area of north eastern nsw, it's just
awful. some of it is probably the end-of-winter effect, everything just
looking yellow & nasty before spring hits in all its glory, but considering
the floods they had only recently it seems awfully dry to me, & it was quite
hot too (i was glad i packed my thongs). maybe someone from up there has an
opinion on this? the other thing that gets me about that area is the farmers
are still as keen as mustard on burning off the sugar cane (and everything
else they can set light to, it seems to me), & i just DON'T GET IT. it has
occurred to me in the past that when people live somewhere naturally
incredibly fertile, they develop abusive farming practices & don't want to
stop even once it starts hurting them, whereas round here it can be fairly
hard going at the best of times, so farmers are always willing to try more
progressive practices.

enough of my opinions. happy spring, everyone! :-)
kylie
* while i was away, the peach trees have blossomed, which was a lovely
present for me upon my return. they are so beautiful! i was really enjoying
all the wattles during the southern parts of the trip, too. lovely!