Lock-down Day 528

Guess what? Overcast. Migraine! Fortunately not the worst kind - I was able to get up, make coffee, eat a bread roll, and take my migraine cocktail before going back to bed.

It's now eleven and I'm feeling better - but there's still a headache.

Almost one and I think I'm finally up to some gardening. I spent the past 2 hours ordering groceries - with lots and lots of cuddle breaks. Janey, in particular, seems to be in need of extra cuddles today.

Okay, garden. First, I put up more Nasturtium-milk-bottle pots. The first one is sprouting magnificently, better than the previous version. Next ... some sad business: looks like I won't be getting any Brussels Sprouts at all - every single plant is infested with that grey, powdery mildew! Not on some odd leaves, but every single head! Right where the new leaves form. Every. Single. One! Everything I've tried in the past did not work. Not, once the plant was infested - the only thing I could do, was clean the powder off every single leaf ... and hope. So, I'm trying something different. I read on one site, that mixing milk with water works! No scientific basis, whatsoever ... well, apart from poison, I've tried everything else. I have nothing left to loose ... so ... I sprayed every single head liberally with a 1/3 milk, 2/3 water mixture. And then, for good measure, I doused every head in sunflower oil. 

Here you can clearly see how far the mist sprayer reaches. The rest of the garden is 
still yellow and crispy.

A poppy is finally flowering, and a different colour!

I wouldn't quite call them white, they're a very pale pastel yellow.

Here's the succulent bed in front, with the spinach & carrots growing behind. I'm leaving the tunnel outside, just in case, for now.

These are thriving! I got a cutting from Rose, and now they are absolutely thriving!
And flowering!

These, too, are doing very well. The cabbage plant, the little fingers and the desert roses! All doing well and spreading out!

See all the little babies? They are just coming up en masse!

The desert roses are flowering.

This is AFTER the weeding I did on Friday - you can see how many weeds are still visible!

ALL the Nasturtium in this milk bottle seem to have sprouted! I put hopelessly
too many seeds in this bottle.
I made more bottles today - and put only a few seeds into each!

My Orchard! Coming along nicely, isn't it? Well, it's just the plum orchard,
with the apple way at the back on the right - not even reaching the bottle top, yet.

Well, I cleaned a bit around the Marigold, some weeds were trying to establish themselves. Then I cleaned a bit around the maize bed ... I decided not to put too much effort into re-cleaning the rose beds. Let me first finish ALL of them, on Fridays, then start again ...

I did weed the legume bed, though. It was so full of weeds, I didn't think I could finish today - but I did! Looking good, now!

Then I sat on the veranda and thought back to how the garden looked a year ago. And whether I've made any difference. For the most part, the change is still subtle - since I'm not just going for looks, but results. So, you can't really SEE much difference - with a few exceptions: The ponytails don't look like Cousin It anymore. And the fence from the grill, along the succulent bed, the spinach & carrot bed all the way past the carport to the gate of the first partition is absolutely clear! A year ago, it was a complete wall of creeper! And the carport was also overrun.

The driveway is also completely clear, and the 12 bricks on either side are visible. I didn't even know they were there! Then, there's the whole Marigold bed, as well.

On the one hand, it's kind of sad that there's so little to show for all the work I've put into that garden! But, on the other hand, the work I did will reduce the amount of work I need to put into mere maintenance. See, I'm pulling out weeds, getting as much and as many roots as I can. It's a long-term strategy. 

Next year will be a whole lot more to show for it!

And spring has definitely sprung! The peach tree out back is actually blossoming! And the tree next to the front gate is also budding green!

Anyway, I'm being too hard on myself. I keep forgetting that this garden is much bigger than the garden I had in PE. Plus, I'm mowing the lawn myself and I don't have Stanley helping me here, either! Plus, I'm working full time!

So ... feeling much better about the garden, now! And, of course, about myself!