July in the Garden

July is such a pleasingly, productive time in my garden.  With very cool, crisp mornings warming up to sunny 19 to 21 degree days means perfect weather for vege growing.  Everything looks lush and green and the "False Nutmeg" bush has burst into flower making the front garden a spectacular sight.

The cabbages have all started to heart and the broccoli and cauliflower have all produced a head that grows larger each day.  The potatoes and beans are thriving as is the kale and snow peas.  For some reason this year I am not having a problem with white cabbage moth.  Occasionally, I notice them flitting around the garden but as yet only 1 cabbage has been attacked.  Still spraying with "Dipel" once a week - just in case.

I am still harvesting quite a bit of silverbeet, chinese cabbage, kale, lettuce and shallots.  In the first week of the month I planted a second run of snow pea, silverbeet and beetroot, hopefully this will extend the season a little longer.  A couple of nasturtiums were added too for a jump start on some Spring colour. 

The basi plants have flowered and are just about spent so I will cut the remainder and make some pesto for the freezer.  It's such a great time of the year as well for full size tomatoes.  Not a fruit fly in sight - so the Roma tomatoes are looking good and hopefully will start to show some colour soon.

 

 The test planting of carrots this season also seems to be progressing well.  The mixture of river sand with potting mix, in raised tubs, seems to be the answer to the soil issues we have had in the past.  I am hoping for an abundant crop .......maybe.

All the herbs are doing tremendously well and I will, over the next couple of weeks, start to preserve them.  As well as using the dehydrator I aim to try freezing some in olive oil iceblocks and making herb butters.  Denice passed on her recipes for oil and vinegar infusions so I will hunt out some fancy bottles and have a go at them too.