In the garden...

While it has a long way to go, we're loving our garden. It's suddenly quite productive. Surprisingly so. Most days we eat something from it. Despite the weeds and the cabbage moths and the aphids, its actually quite successful. A wilderness garden of sorts. The weeds have protected the plants that like protecting. They've helped boost ladybird numbers significantly and so the aphids are getting under control and the owlets are playing with the cabbage moth grubs, keeping them at bay too. Little owlet, although she loves gardening, is hesitant and fascinated all at once by the mini ecosystems in our garden.



Most excitingly, much of what we've picked this week has been self seeded. A forest of pak choy, tomatoes, zucchini and pumpkins, all happy visitors we've noticed pop up and have nurtured to picking. I love that about our wilderness garden. It is full of surprises.



We built a herb spiral last weekend. A real proper one this time. Working with materials we had around the house, and against the gentle slope of the land, we've managed to get the drainage just right. At the bottom, one day, there will be a pond for big owlet to grow some tadpoles... and maybe a fish or two. Right now the spiral has only a few herbs... rosemary, sage, marjoram, thyme, chamomile and lemongrass... plus the oregano, mint and parsley growing in the bed opposite. But there's been enough this week already to serve up a remedy for a nasty cough that's plagued my week.



In fact there's been enough to share around. The owlets rather fancy themselves as farmers market stall holders. Big Owlet asked me to help her bundle up some pak choy, herbs and an origami boat she made before setting up shop... Sadly we live in a quiet street. Sales were slow. And she felt that the origami boat was best given away to a little boy who walked past. But it didn't stop her having a go at selling me my own herbs at twice the price! She'll go far, that one ;) I think despite her apparent disinterest for gardening, between the bugs and the concept of profit, Big Owlet is starting to catch on to this kitchen garden idea...



As for Tiny Owlet... well she knows that apples grow on trees and that she can pick them herself when she feels hungry. And that may be the most important lesson of all.