Ligaya Garden's Garden Journal midsummer update

Our #hivegarden (or is that #gardenhive? I forget sometimes bit it's all good) #gardenjournal continues as it seems that the Summer heat has subsided a little and it's harvest time for many things.

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We had a quick hot spell but it seems to have subsided to a more gentle time in the low 30's so more activity is possible.

The high temperatures of late have reduced the amount of heavy work possible outside but my upbringing nestled in the arms of capitalism has kept the old protestant work ethic in the front of my mind and I feel unable to sit and relax at times. 'Gotta be busy otherwise of no value' 'gotta keep producing something'...all trained into me practically from birth in the English culture of my upbringing and so, a habit that is hard to break. Sime days, I wish I'd been born into a culture that values siestas!

In lieu of heavier work, I have been doing lots of little things - repairs and general tidying up. I have been doing about an hour outside and the same inside. Inside work consists of lots of writing and getting my website ready for paid subscribers.

So what's been done?

The new hybrid 'ponics section is finished and Lettuces planted in it are growing nicely. The Spinach is a bit slow but I've found that to be the case in the 'ponics systems in general.

Tomatoes (both in bags and in 'ponics) are yielding nicely. Yielding both tomatoes and pests for pics! We have Blight on the 'ponics Tommies but that was to be expected from using media reused from last year's beds.

The whole place is tidy, organised and easy to get around. The dripper system modified late last year is working a treat and the fertigation setup is saving us heaps of work.

The Sun trap too is boosting production nicely in that area. Ginger Galangal Turmeric and Yacon are rocking, as are Oca and Moringa. They're growing so fast and lush that I may need to cut that they're making the idea of a sun trap seem ironic as they fill in and cover their assigned areas, blocking a lot of the Sun.

The best part though is the vines that we have grown to replace shade cloth. Grapes, Passionfruit are doing well, though there was poor pollination of the grapes this year, leading to almost no bunches - I just pulled off what was there to direct more energy into vine growth. Long Melon and Bitter Melons are just coming into fruit and we put up a new trellis in the centre of the garden to support them, as they like to hang.

Cucumbers have been pretty proficient this year too. They're trained up as well but didn't reach the height I'd hoped for. Still a fresh Cuc is a good Cuc!.

On a sad note, we lost one of the Quail. Jelina noticed her struggling one day and as I went out to check, she gave a little flutter then passed on in my hands. She's in the Taro bed now after our usual goodbye ceremony that we have for everyone who dies here.

Apart from that, lots of cleaning and reorganising had been done and lots of stuff has been repurposed, shared or recycled. Yiu can walk around now with encountering a tripping hazard, even the garden hose is happy and remains unsnagged on most days.

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