The last couple of weeks have been a frenzy of activity - moving out of our Farrer rental property and into our new house in Waramanga.

Projects completed this week:

1. Built a wicking bed from the old bookcase I was using in Farrer to grow some radishes and cabbages. See Scarecrow’s Garden for more info on constructing wicking beds, because I couldn’t find my camera while constructing it.
2. Planted in the wicking bed approximately one dozen Purple King climbing bean seedlings that I had previously sowed in toilet rolls, and one dozen seeds of Tongue of Fire, (a red-specked bush bean variety), three small tomatoes on the corners (so that I can stake them if they grow), one Black Russian tomato that I bought as a healthy plant from Woden trash and treasure on another corner, and some rows of watermelon radishes and black spanish radishes.
3. I ran out of space in the wicking bed, but planted three zucchini plants (if they all survive I’ll be eating a lot of zucchini!) in some beds that didn’t have very nice soil, so we’ll see how they go.
4. We added a cat flap for Tabatha to the back door (she approves)
5. In my roaming around the property I have found an almond tree stuck between an overgrown shrub and the back fence receiving no water and little sunshine, but still forming some nuts. There is also a developing tree that looks like maybe a plum next to the water meter and it looks like its survived there without any water or care for a little while. Unfortunately though both the almond and the tree next to the water meter have some kind of leaf curl - maybe a fungus? Out the front I also found a Meyer lemon tree and another tree that looks like it could possibly be a fruit tree, but I’m not sure yet as it has only started budding. I also found a twiggy-looking annual in the back yard which turned out to be a rocket that had gone to seed. Got plenty of seed pods from him!

Tomorrow is a public holiday so I’ll see if I can find my camera and add some photos.

PS. Didn’t have too much luck with the lettuces in the move. Two that I potted in ordinary pots keeled over and died. To be honest I didn’t have much faith in them because they were limping even when I was watering them once or twice a day. The lettuce in one of my three polystyrene wicking boxes is is going gangbusters, but recently I started noticing a lot of ants hanging about, and lo and behold I have aphids living on them. I thought that aphids only lived on unhealthy lettuce but apparently not. I’ll try again with some heirloom cos variety that I bought. Time to make a second wicking bed! (aargh, digging up the back lawn in clay soil is like digging up concrete).