Yinzer in the Shire

 Just 7 days from replanting our onion scraps and they have begun to regrow!   I wasn't expecting much from this experiment, so seeing the little bit of green is quite encouraging.  Once the leaves are a bit longer I will return the onion to the main garden and bury the bulb.     In other exciting garden news, after 33 days the courgettes are finally sprouting and in quite a fabulous fashion.  This is my first time growing courgettes and I was surprised at the size of their cotyledons.  It looks as though the pie pumpkin seeds may be preparing to push through the soil soon, too.   Most seeds need warmth, not sunlight, to germinate.  I was originally starting my seeds in the sunroom.  Though sunny, the room does not provide adequate heating unless it's a cloudless day.  I have since moved the seed starting trays to the warmest part of the house.  Once they sprout I move them into the sunroom so they can get enough sun....

Our big gardening goal is to be as sustainable as possible.  Which means relying on garden centres as little as possible.  (It helps that there are none locally.)   Last year we were gifted a haul of onion bulbs from a neighbour, but this year we'd like to keep the crop going.   A quick internet search suggests gardeners can keep a perpetual onion crop by growing more plants from the roots.   So let's give it a go! First I cut off the roots of the onion, leaving some of the flesh intact. Then I potted the roots, leaving the fleshy bulb exposed.     In time we shall see if the bulb begins to sprout more onions at which time I can split the plants, if necessary, then plant directly into the ground.

September brings spring bulbs and cool weather crops to the garden.   What's Growing in the Garden Cos lettuce Perpetual spinach Sparkler radish Daffodils Iris Crocus Tulips Pansies I planted lettuce and spinach in autumn, but picked a poor location.   All the seeds sprouted, but the resulting plants were small and not suitable for harvest.  They survived the winter and now that the days are lengthening they are finally bulking up.   Hopefully they will be ready to enjoy in a week or two.  The spring bulbs have been poking up since the beginning of August and are just beginning to flower.   What's Growing in the Sun Room We live in a frosty area with a short growing season.  It's not unusual for frosts to occur as late as early December.  Greenhouse are a must-have here, but we don't own one yet and instead must rely on our sun room to start summer seeds.  So far I've had disappointing results with many of the seeds not ger...

  Much has changed, much has changed for everyone.  We moved, a house was bought, our jobs evolved or fell by the wayside.    COVID crept in, Aotearoa went into lockdown for 48 days.  My home country didn't take such decisive action and is still suffering for it. I spent a lot of time thinking about the future we are building.  Examining whether my actions further my values and the world I hope to leave for future generations.  Ever since I've been brainstorming ways I will foster community, dismantle inequality and the power structures that allow it to thrive, and become more sustainable. Some changes are big, others small.   I believe they all have value. Though it may seem tiny, one of the largest ways I hope to have an impact is through gardening.  Already most of the produce we consume is grown within a 30 minute drive from our house, but I want to our food to be hyper-local.   I imagine these positive outcomes from the pr...

    Since moving to Brooklyn last year we’ve been treated to daily views of the Brooklyn Wind Turbine .  We tried to visit when we first moved, but missed a turn and became hopeless lost in the hills, with the turbine always appearing to be one valley away.  The turbine is tricksy like that.  For months I’ve been telling Seth it seemed to face drastically different directions when I would look at it, but he was convinced I was just viewing it from a different angle. Finally, after months of apparent crazy talk, Seth was finally able to see the difference with his own eyes!  It turns out the turbine can rotate to face the wind.  Who knew?  After all that, we decided it was time to see the turbine up close. Most information about getting to the turbine talks about walking the whole way from downtown via the City and Sea Walkway, but we didn’t want to deal with that nonsense.   The drive up to the turbine is well marked, but ...

After our small taste of autumn last year in Palmerston North we were hungry for more.  After some sleuthing I discovered an autumn festival in Arrowtown, a small town a short drive from touristy Queenstown.  Arrowtown is an old mining town that cropped up after gold was discovered in 1862.  Many people rushed to the region including immigrants from China who received a mix welcome from European settlers.  They built their own village along the banks of the rivers, away from the main settlement.   You can still see the mark they left on the area by visiting the restored huts and ruins.  gold panning competition The Arrowtown Autumn Festival has been running for 33 years and boasts multiple events spanning six days.  Saturday is truly the main event though, when main street is closed down for pedestrians.  There are food trucks, a parade, and live music to enjoy.   Saturday is also the Arts and Craft...