shiukopuppy's Blog
shiukopuppy's posts about: Lemon
Oct 10, 2007 | 2:50 AM PST
Tags: mandarin , lime , Lemon , snowpeas , Asparagus , kaffir lime , lemongrass , vietnamese mint , coriander , cilantro
Weather has been cool again - so still not quite spring. Still.. there are blossoms and new growth everywhere, but my little lettuces got distressed by the recent cool nights. I've been yearning to garden but have had to do other things.
We're harvesting handfuls of snowpeas every day. I bought a replacement raspberry to plant in between my black and red currants. I planted an asparagus with them but think I should probably move it somewhere else..
I'm still waiting for the tomatoes to start flowering before I move them into the garden. The smell of citrus flowers from the lemon, lime and mandarin is invigorating!
I've never liked winter.. now I'm also doing a makeover of my home in preparation for all of the barbecues, dinners and drinks we'll be hosting during spring, summer, autumn.. there will need to be major garden tidying as well..
I'm growing chillies for Thai, Chinese, Indonesian, and Indian food as I eat them more during the summer.. The lemongrass and kaffir lime are perking up and the thai basil is starting to show. The Vietnamese mint (laksa mint), common mint and coriander (cilantro) are thriving.
Jul 19, 2007 | 2:37 AM PST
Tags: guava , grapes , nashi , Pomegranates , almond , coffee , avocado , berries , lime , Lemon , strawberries , water apple , lychee , durian , mango , star fruit , papaya , honeydew , dragon fruit
There are varying climates in Australia, but I currently live in a temperate area. I'm growing the fruits that need winter chilling but I'm dreaming of the fresh fruit of hot summery places! There are things that I just can't grow here or at least not grow well. Especially right in the middle of winter! It's heartbreaking to taste the fruit in the shops and even sadder when the fruit has come a long way and suffers in flavour for it.
Rambutans here are overpriced and old. I used to eat fresh mangoes, dates, pomegranates, papyas and honeydews when I lived overseas. I even ate durians. The shrivelled tiny star fruits in the shops here are unappetising. Lime and lychee drinks - not financially viable! Bananas are expensive because there was a typhoon in the banana growing areas. Earlier this year I visited a fruit farm and spice gardens in Malaysia where I tasted dragon fruit and my new favourite is the wax jambu or water apple. Above is me at the farm gesturing to a plant that I forgot what it was!
So you can see that I love to eat!! This is a major motivator in the garden. Hopefully one day I can garden in a tropical setting. And I comfort myself that I get to grow a lot of my current plants that would not survive in the tropics. As spring is nearing, I am checking all my fruit/trees' health.
GUAVA: Died back completely this winter, but I read somewhere that they recover well.
GRAPES: Still can't figure out how to prune them - it has been a few years of struggle..
NASHI: Had some rust or something last summer. I have dealt with that. It's about to bud-burst!
POMEGRANATES, ALMOND, COFFEE, BERRIES: Still very dormant
AVOCADO: Looks cold and sad!
LIME: Going crazy, looks to be outgrowing its container
LEMON: Not looking very motivated..
STRAWBERRIES: Now they are working very hard :)
