tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30430833104874312172024-03-06T06:14:46.094+02:00Urban Homestead South AfricaFollow our adventures as we grow our own vegetables, cook from scratch, learn skills of a bygone era and move to a frugal simple lifestyle.Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.comBlogger770125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-64648553676609616682020-04-18T13:47:00.000+02:002020-04-18T13:47:41.118+02:00Growing food in a time of crisisWe started growing food in 2010...I thought it would be a good life skill for my then 4 homeschooled children. For the next 8 years we slowly converted our whole garden to vegetable, fruit and herbs.<br />
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It was hard work, not just the sowing, composting, planting, weeding, watering and harvesting but the processing when the food was ready.<br />
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It is so much easier to just open a bag of lettuce leaves and dump them in a bowl...but when you have to pick and wash the leaves, pick the tomatoes, check for bugs - which always come along with organic veg - spin them dry and then make the salad, your salad making goes from 10 minutes to 30.<br />
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In 2016 when the drought hit Cape Town hard, we reduced our vegetable beds from 15 to 5. Where the 10 stood we changed into Fynbos and indigenous plants which could survive the drought. The 5 beds that were left took all the borehole water we were able to spare and the fynbos had to just manage on itself.<br />
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Yet here we are today amid the CoVid-19 pandemic and our Fynbos garden is blooming in the autumn sunshine and out small vegetable patch supplying what we need for the 3 of us that still live here. And with the time created by lock down the vegetables are getting extra love and care.<br />
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Planting out the winter seedlings today, reminded me of what food security is and where it comes from. It first comes from our Heavenly Father who has provided seeds for planting, rain from heaven and sunshine. It secondly comes from knowing that you can grow food, if not all, some of it no matter where you live and how much space you have.<br />
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Take a look back over the posts labelled on the side for ideas of what to plant in pots on windowsills, in larger pots on balconies, or how to pull up your lawn and grow on a larger scale like us. Either way, use the time to learn this skill...it really is rewarding. </div>
Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-83536083051388044062016-08-31T13:43:00.000+01:002016-08-31T13:48:15.443+01:00Life's ticking alongIt has been an absolute age since I last posted on this blog but here I sit and think what can I say? While little has been posted about our lives on this patch of earth we call home, lots has been going on.<br />
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Planning and planting and harvesting seems to be such a part of my life that I find its hard to write something new for blog readers...but on Saturday I met one of you and my heart soared as I learnt of the success story because of taking a chance with soap making which you read about on my blog...you know who you are :)<br />
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Who would have thought that what inspired you has inspired me to write again...!? I realised that not everyone is 8 years down the garden path...some are just thinking about how to grow veggies, cook from scratch or make soap.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring strawberry show</td></tr>
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So to you beginners I will write and encourage you to try just a few seeds, a few plants and few steps and you will never know where it will take you. My first seeds were sown in a 1m x 1m patch of ground in 2008 and then it became our whole garden.<br />
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Today as I stand and look out at this space I delight in its almost wild style - even though we have raised beds. It is a mature garden and many things self seed themselves like coriander, fennel, tomatoes and more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New season peas in wood chip</td></tr>
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But it didn't start like this...it was an idea I got based on a video I saw that took root in my thinking. The success story I heard on Saturday about a soap making business happened because this reader gave soap making a try using my recipe and then went on to develop her own beautiful soaps. Her business now employs her husband and is known country wide. How amazing is that!<br />
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So don't be afraid...just try one thing...and let it grow!<br />
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So what's been happening in our home and garden?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our chicken coop ready for new hens</td></tr>
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Well, we are down to just two chickens. Our last original girl from 2008 passed on and we are now eagerly awaiting 4 new chickens which we will collect on Saturday.<br />
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We also laid down a wood chip layer on all our beds and it has taken some adjusting for me to learn to plant into them. The chips were still green and it made planting difficult but through winter we grew herbs, onions, spinach, peas, broad beans and harvested loads of granadillas.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowls and bowls collected, swapped, eaten and given away</td></tr>
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Our bees have survived and we eagerly await our first harvest in December.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New fig leaves</td></tr>
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Our pavement garden is flourishing and our fig tree putting out leaves. It was joined by a banana tree and a pomegranate tree recently. Under plantings of medical herbs and edible flowers make it look really pretty.<br />
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<i>What's going on in your vegetable gardens?</i><br />
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Inside our home we have continued to enjoy good food...du-uh...entertaining others around our table has become a special part of our week. Whether it be a good old fashioned braai (BBQ) or making pizza's in our pizza oven or home cooked goodness around our table it is a joy to cook for others.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ramen - a standard winter lunch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curry and sambals anyone?</td></tr>
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On a personal note, those who followed the story of our feral cat that we rescued in 2014, we very sadly had to put him to sleep two weeks ago. Buster had FIV and his condition was deteriorating...so with heavy hearts we made the decision. He has been laid to rest in his favourite spot next the pond below the avocado tree. His presence is sorely missed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Buster - you are missed</td></tr>
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Well, now that I have broken this long silence, I do hope to be posting often...and look forward to hearing what you are doing in your gardens.Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-89587005171211073152016-04-16T12:32:00.000+01:002016-04-16T12:34:40.830+01:00Urban bee keeping adventures...Back in December 2015 I had one of my long standing urban homesteading dreams realised as we became the proud caretakers of 4 empty hives. You can read about our reasons and aspirations here:<br />
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<a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2015/12/the-bee-ginning-of-our-urban-bee.html">The bee-ginning of our urban bee adventure</a><br />
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And then we waited...for only 2 weeks and on January 1st our backyard was filled with the very loud buzzing of bees and in came the swarm.<br />
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We were sooooo happy that they had found their way to our home.<br />
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A few weeks later our friendly beekeeper popped in to add another layer to their hive so that they had a double story!<br />
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Our bees made themselves comfortable through the summer and went about their business visiting our flowers and making honey. We did notice that there were about 20 bees a day lying around dead in our back yard and were quite concerned, but then were told that the average lifespan for bees is 14 days and it is normal to see dead bees need hives. A mass of them dead at the entrance to the hive indicates disease and there was none of that.<br />
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Then just 2 weeks ago a second swarm moved into another hive while we were out hiking. This is quite late in the season for bees to be moving, but in they came as on our pavement we have a Brazilian Pepper tree which is an excellent food source for them in autumn.<br />
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When our beekeeper popped in this week he said the drought has caused many hives to starve to death and that most keepers are reporting 60% less honey than last year. This is tragic on many levels as it indicates there is simply not enough food for the bees. So as farmers struggle with water issues, so do the smallest part in the nature cycle of seed to food.<br />
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As a fellow gardener pointed out on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/urbanhomesteadsa/" target="_blank">Urban Homestead Facebook</a> page: "I ha<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">dn't considered beekeeping as I'm not a big honey fan (and felt a bit daunted by the idea). But it makes sense to provide hives if only to do our bit for the earth's dwindling bee population.... which forms such a crucial part of our food chain ito pollination."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So perhaps you have a corner in your garden that you too could give some bees shelter?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-77580237396707482442016-03-25T14:54:00.000+02:002016-03-25T14:54:03.639+02:00Dear little neglected blogDear Little Neglected Blog,<br />
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While I haven't been spending much time with you lately, I just want to know that I think of you often. I am so glad our history of gardening delights is captured here for everyone to see and that your memory is long.<br />
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Even though I haven't been hanging around with you for a while, I just want to say that I have been busy homeschooling my children...and helping my son settle into college...<br />
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Taking lots of hikes and walks....<br />
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Processing lots and lots and lots of tomatoes...<br />
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Taking joy in the first avocados of our tree...</div>
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Making lots and lots of pizzas in our new little pizza oven....<br />
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Picking and enjoying lots of granadillas...<br />
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I have planted seeds of salads, peas, spinach and more...<br />
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Spending loads of time in the water soon my body board...<br />
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But summer is done and the rain will soon come {praying} and I hope to hang out with you some more then.<br />
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<br />Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-79907929989497170722016-01-11T14:21:00.001+02:002016-01-11T14:21:26.664+02:0010 quick water saving tipsAround the country we are watching the horror of living in a drought. We have friends who farm in the Free State whose water supply is nearly done. On Facebook we are seeing pleas from people in Colesberg and Aliwal who have no water - imagine that - turning on a tap for a drink and having NOTHING come out...Groups are springing up asking for water and money donations for stricken farmers...it is very sad.<br />
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A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit friends who live on the edge of the dam that brings Cape Town its water and I was shocked to see how low it is.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFesX74mWFn3KlpHCFCqzSr2kuo4ARlWop4IcB6TmcFBGobEPaOsnH52X66prM23z7LNtS7KuPGvkYvi_BpcFqSsVF8G7HNflV4xqAQ8b2QEwImcjCdyphOQjO-8BLT8KuZBd5-1mWF0/s1600/IMG_8065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFesX74mWFn3KlpHCFCqzSr2kuo4ARlWop4IcB6TmcFBGobEPaOsnH52X66prM23z7LNtS7KuPGvkYvi_BpcFqSsVF8G7HNflV4xqAQ8b2QEwImcjCdyphOQjO-8BLT8KuZBd5-1mWF0/s640/IMG_8065.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theewaterskloof Dam</td></tr>
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Some may blame global warming, others El Nino, others the sin of the government or whatever else...but the facts are simple: WE HAVE A DROUGHT PEOPLE and what are YOU going to do about it?</div>
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Driving back from this weekend away I was on high alert...I saw school fields being watered with sprinklers in gale force winds - most of the water blowing away. I saw sports grounds watering at 12 o'clock in the day...I even saw neighbouring houses using automated sprinklers where the one was shooting water onto the tar, not even the grass verge. And then there are the folk who say "I have a borehole/well point, so I'm ok!" Um...No!</div>
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I think many people suffer from the complex that they can get away with unscrupulous watering methods because everyone else will be watching their usage...thats just wrong thinking! Everyone should be doing what they can...I know I need to do more. </div>
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So here are <b>10 things we already do</b> (10th point in progress) that can help you if you are uncertain what to do to save a bit of water. </div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1. Collect water from your shower in buckets
and use this water on your non-edible plants. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2. Buy plastic containers which fit into your
washing basin and do all your rinsing catching the rinse water in this
container which you can then put onto potted plants. Do the same when rinsing vegetables - save the water and give it back to the garden. </span>I do assume with this that you are using natural soaps...</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfkkiRc3119USMsSmYhKzxjtsHtswUIrkymNjMFFzNyxena5ImEZNGZRf0mQCEnKSx3Dfxja3qeuSoN470I__aq2Dx_JDCq-iqE3Bc7neJ3PidhdfsDrlamu7XPvY2sucH4BnSdwtbCE/s1600/IMG_8363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfkkiRc3119USMsSmYhKzxjtsHtswUIrkymNjMFFzNyxena5ImEZNGZRf0mQCEnKSx3Dfxja3qeuSoN470I__aq2Dx_JDCq-iqE3Bc7neJ3PidhdfsDrlamu7XPvY2sucH4BnSdwtbCE/s640/IMG_8363.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basin within a basin</td></tr>
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3. Make sure the last bits of water in water
bottles from school; gym or outings are emptied into plants not down the drain.
This also goes for dog water bowls – but choose non-edible plants for this
water.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">4. <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2015/12/back-to-eden-is-it-answer.html" target="_blank">Mulch with a layer of compost then a layer of wood chip</a>, newspaper (although this blows around and is perhaps better under
the compost), straw or well rotted manure. Do not clear up leaves that fall –
use them as mulch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtHzdtfULHGtOh1LwrrIcQ2Lw18U9_aYItAtNG6OHB8AwPU4ppiw67S3WCIESzFNtN0U8D_yyHiGq-sPeiEpeAPkxxxLQr_uw23CdYOXCMg5HIyqqwQ5T3H9JqFB_m6mYAFQ_yxjB8XY/s1600/IMG_8364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtHzdtfULHGtOh1LwrrIcQ2Lw18U9_aYItAtNG6OHB8AwPU4ppiw67S3WCIESzFNtN0U8D_yyHiGq-sPeiEpeAPkxxxLQr_uw23CdYOXCMg5HIyqqwQ5T3H9JqFB_m6mYAFQ_yxjB8XY/s640/IMG_8364.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">5. Water deeply less often.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">6. Do not use a sprinkler especially on windy
days. We installed <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2015/04/drip-irrigation-for-urban-homestead.html" target="_blank">drip irrigation</a> but now need to connect it to the borehole system...when we have the money...so for now its buckets or bust.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">7. Water first thing in the morning or last
thing after the days heat. With the exception of squashes which tend to get
powdery mildew if the soil is wet at night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">8. Collect tea in the kitchen from your left
over bits in your pot and use that on all acid loving plants like berries,
hydrangeas and camellias.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">9. When planting new seedlings, keep the
ground wet until they have germinated and then slowly taper off watering unless
they are wilting. This forces the roots to go deep and you will eventually not
need to water more than once a week if you have mulched.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtsExqVxJfVegjh9bxY8IXvdc6jxPiE3HiqZ7nZWpEVB6ee-PnXbD-JAXFjjNS_4FNx_dKVerXXDlWiTK89BTDMx3Goko44KeXOc9yhyC3pNRufJ_c3gUHEvlGy4-qu8wpt_mTJPqQBU/s1600/IMG_8365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtsExqVxJfVegjh9bxY8IXvdc6jxPiE3HiqZ7nZWpEVB6ee-PnXbD-JAXFjjNS_4FNx_dKVerXXDlWiTK89BTDMx3Goko44KeXOc9yhyC3pNRufJ_c3gUHEvlGy4-qu8wpt_mTJPqQBU/s640/IMG_8365.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Despite being watered once a week these heirloom tomatoes are doing very well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10. If you have the financial ability, plan to
install water tanks on your downpipes during the next rainy season. If you
can’t, a cheaper alternative is <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2010/12/water-water-everywhere.html" target="_blank">what my mom did during their drought</a> a few years
ago which was to use big black bins with lids, cut out the lid for the downpipe
to fit into, cut out a circle for a tap to fit on the bottom and put it on
bricks under the downpipes. She was able to even collect dew this way for her
garden.</div>
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I hope this gets you kick started - please feel free to add any more ideas in the comment section. </div>
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Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-61834188654732239532015-12-20T13:44:00.000+02:002015-12-20T13:44:51.505+02:00I've got a bottle full of sunshine To my great surprise I have found myself on the saddle of a mountain bike again after many years. Prior to 2010 mountain biking was a big thing in our lives and I would cycle with the kids 2 or 3 times a week. Then my back seized and that was a closed chapter in our lives.<br />
<br />
My youngest son has been mucking around at the local jump track over the last year and was keen to get cycling again but with the devastating fire that burned through most of our mountain in March this year, all cycling tracks on the mountain were closed to allow the ecosystem to rehabilitate.<br />
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Avid mountain bikers are now carving out other little tracks around the greenbelts in Constantia, Tokai and surrounds which meant that we could give it a try again. So for the last few weeks Superman, my son and I have been out riding on a Sunday morning, about 13 - 16kms and its been great. The back so far ok :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMKecFwprZmhCE2bBhfU2fBwTG6oq9-zcdo3qKKs2lv15oKLaKOCtIFxI_H7Z5arU4JS7UJagsFJJGHSvTeNDTA89nB_nZdOg5USJIvq2wuZdFV3_JUn9Asz_1c21AXHD8j9pnuup798/s1600/mushrooms8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMKecFwprZmhCE2bBhfU2fBwTG6oq9-zcdo3qKKs2lv15oKLaKOCtIFxI_H7Z5arU4JS7UJagsFJJGHSvTeNDTA89nB_nZdOg5USJIvq2wuZdFV3_JUn9Asz_1c21AXHD8j9pnuup798/s640/mushrooms8.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The foodie in me cannot help but notice the food around me in the greenbelt as I ride. Having <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/search/label/foraging" target="_blank">dabbled in foraging</a> in the past I am always interested to see what can be collected around this urban area.<br />
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There are lots of dandelions for salads or infusing into honey. Of course the bramble berries are all over the place, although coming to an end now. There are nasturtiums to eat and even a huge cactus with lots of prickly pears to pick.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQesLmO9jqIcBjy_Gg7zeXT5km5O-SjMii4bnhDA4eBjbrLJvGucNAl4oxzHNS8QMPPFVU0W81wws3lgb8_ALx16r8TX0kc5-pilDMQnV917pP3RJ55nWPPNhTwzhIPX0B66I413Hlw-Q/s1600/nasturtiums.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQesLmO9jqIcBjy_Gg7zeXT5km5O-SjMii4bnhDA4eBjbrLJvGucNAl4oxzHNS8QMPPFVU0W81wws3lgb8_ALx16r8TX0kc5-pilDMQnV917pP3RJ55nWPPNhTwzhIPX0B66I413Hlw-Q/s640/nasturtiums.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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The squirrels may not share, but there are loads of pinecones for pine nuts - if you are willing to do the hardwork of getting them out of the cone.<br />
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And then there is this find...Eldertrees. Lots of elder trees. I have been eyeing them out now for a few weeks waiting for the flowers to be in full bloom so that I can harvest some for cordial. John Seymour recommends harvesting on a hot day - I suppose it makes the flowers scent more pungent??<br />
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And today was the day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfvLo6UnYyFrLLZzHQDKzKLAK99X2mnI8v-n8BF-VvUsEYvnM2OzR1sKlU0Z5b4jVtRq2yKp8QM_LWA_NwhSMEz5SUOSJV5LdwY4wTp0ldLTabjJW7ABQilQCF9LUAS06ZDqP7ugi4pc/s1600/image2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfvLo6UnYyFrLLZzHQDKzKLAK99X2mnI8v-n8BF-VvUsEYvnM2OzR1sKlU0Z5b4jVtRq2yKp8QM_LWA_NwhSMEz5SUOSJV5LdwY4wTp0ldLTabjJW7ABQilQCF9LUAS06ZDqP7ugi4pc/s640/image2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So we came home with our treasure today and I followed this recipe for <a href="http://down---to---earth.blogspot.co.za/2011/01/growing-elder-flowers-for-drinks.html" target="_blank">elderflower cordial.</a>...Soon my trees will be big enough for me to harvest our own.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZViA8Fdf6Mx0DunfDZeJrPA659Qc88VKJ-bEvw7gkJHAwhYKFl5BSf1T_zHAwzKztGd2UwrqpXFkzo_0GntOI_Ewqz0-Rps05ZADDsNge-nCHDSn7x-0ri93Qq-wxAAuebVoKLlYSOA/s1600/IMG_7884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZViA8Fdf6Mx0DunfDZeJrPA659Qc88VKJ-bEvw7gkJHAwhYKFl5BSf1T_zHAwzKztGd2UwrqpXFkzo_0GntOI_Ewqz0-Rps05ZADDsNge-nCHDSn7x-0ri93Qq-wxAAuebVoKLlYSOA/s640/IMG_7884.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foraged treasure</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In a few weeks I will check the trees again on the greenbelt to see if I can harvest some elder berries to infuse into vinegar or syrup.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbGmcLg4ylfq0f3KOCFAmLRZo2jA1JdUdX-IVwI-neDQQku2GXjUgG32v7PlGhbTSwYcFBCVKrq127gRPPHQu8vPil_hSlFIeJaHMDM8AR3amMnVdd7TG6PCnhfjT5F9WOGSv9a90pFk/s1600/IMG_7886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbGmcLg4ylfq0f3KOCFAmLRZo2jA1JdUdX-IVwI-neDQQku2GXjUgG32v7PlGhbTSwYcFBCVKrq127gRPPHQu8vPil_hSlFIeJaHMDM8AR3amMnVdd7TG6PCnhfjT5F9WOGSv9a90pFk/s640/IMG_7886.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the two bottles of sunshine!</td></tr>
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<br />Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-46824397684657929842015-12-15T19:34:00.000+02:002015-12-15T19:34:57.180+02:00The bee-ginning of our urban bee adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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We love honey. And without the Cape honey bee we would have a problem in our garden. We have heard scary reports over the years of bees dying in droves due to chemical farming and cell phones! We all know that bees and other pollinators make most of our vegetables. Without bees there would be a whole lot less variety of fruits and veggies on our plates. So we need bees...and right now bees need us.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONh4sVETPWbBz5Xy47En_eerbf33Ks7nWLe3hZ12hPZcmlArl824Yld6G9flvfmTmHHJ-QLkLXiROk8IOpTYBGhRo30xxQtpaXFQrZUulHSCLgYsnSXB7rG_X4Q35SwUQLzLVxv-0K4A/s1600/IMG_7791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONh4sVETPWbBz5Xy47En_eerbf33Ks7nWLe3hZ12hPZcmlArl824Yld6G9flvfmTmHHJ-QLkLXiROk8IOpTYBGhRo30xxQtpaXFQrZUulHSCLgYsnSXB7rG_X4Q35SwUQLzLVxv-0K4A/s640/IMG_7791.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey on spelt, blueberry and banana breakfast pancakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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More recently there was a news article about honey being imported into South Africa that may not be honey at all actually! Most shop bought honey is ultra filtered and heated which leaves you with none of the pollen and natural healthy honey properties. Asian honey was dumped into the South African market a couple of years back too, and this Chinese honey contained lead, antibiotics and other toxins. There has also been a recent scare just over the mountain of AFB (American Foulbrood) which is extremely contagious and the only cure is destroying the hive and all beekeeping equipment. AFB is also said to be in our country due to imported honey.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBQTss-0VTUnt2duTydcpbVF7K7aBZfMAw686_blt2zPou02NkzMRqhl4z-OpJbx-0XDQvyKrAnfyWjB16Q17DwbBO_0Fz22zsyP4oPF8w2nCoyMRVhDh1o30TldQTbBbGwGwAyhKaQo/s1600/IMG_7809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBQTss-0VTUnt2duTydcpbVF7K7aBZfMAw686_blt2zPou02NkzMRqhl4z-OpJbx-0XDQvyKrAnfyWjB16Q17DwbBO_0Fz22zsyP4oPF8w2nCoyMRVhDh1o30TldQTbBbGwGwAyhKaQo/s640/IMG_7809.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garden fresh berries on <a href="http://missjesswrites.com/2015/05/08/spiced-sugar-free-multi-grain-granola/" target="_blank">this muesli </a>with honey to sweeten</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So it has taken some convincing of Superman, but we are getting bees. Urban beekeeping is a growing industry with many folk choosing to keep their own hives in their yards and harvest honey for their families. There are others who keep loads of hives (I know a chap who has 7) and sell their honey to their neighbourhood.<br />
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Then there are people like my new friend Lian who is a first generation beekeeper and is building his swarms around Cape Town using people like me to help him. See, I am allergic to bees. Badly. But I garden next to them all the time and am not afraid of these guys as they go about their business. I just don't make them feel threatened at all. But I cannot risk working directly with the hives...and this is where Lian comes in.<br />
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He puts two hives in your garden - one is yours and one is his. He will tend them, monitor, feed (if necessary) and collect honey from them for you for an initial set up cost of R1 000.00. When its time to take honey, he gives you honey from your hive and he takes the honey from the other. This honey he sells at the Tokai Forest Market on Saturdays along with his other farm sources.<br />
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Last week he came by to see where he could put down some hives and settled on a cool out of the way area behind our garage. I had wanted the hives in the veggie garden but as it is full of people and pet traffic he felt it would be better out of the way. Today he returned with 4 hives.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEY042YqCaR2EhfI2ry5ayBh7LB5i6vzp8dJCmLi02u3OZxRS_YnpJZGBeSmPi4KKyr3zKF0v6bNkY1iXCgPMKZlVJX49N66pmRreCIuQbcIBHWbN1XLDj2ImMb3GMNOZvlgOPeaFwKn8/s1600/IMG_7811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEY042YqCaR2EhfI2ry5ayBh7LB5i6vzp8dJCmLi02u3OZxRS_YnpJZGBeSmPi4KKyr3zKF0v6bNkY1iXCgPMKZlVJX49N66pmRreCIuQbcIBHWbN1XLDj2ImMb3GMNOZvlgOPeaFwKn8/s640/IMG_7811.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The alley behind our garage freshly cleaned out<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He explained that bees should naturally find their way to the hives he has put out. There are 4 here now, only two will stay in the long term. We have bees visiting the trees around us (Japanese Pepper and Eugenia) already and they love the rocket, coriander and celery flowers in the garden too, so perhaps some little scout bee will come and find these hives and tell his buddies that there is a nice new home waiting for them!?!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxJDyVmPBd6FkycnDTjf7BKy2FsySMlgkcQx6Zj05LgDcHhJna1KeaOwlbMb6jlOKkpvR8HJmOAiO8deTT0_czjgtP3PjNqM79bAQuA_-O3w7LxYjqW-j0pxz5D7IjPyODahyc6uQLGg/s1600/IMG_7814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxJDyVmPBd6FkycnDTjf7BKy2FsySMlgkcQx6Zj05LgDcHhJna1KeaOwlbMb6jlOKkpvR8HJmOAiO8deTT0_czjgtP3PjNqM79bAQuA_-O3w7LxYjqW-j0pxz5D7IjPyODahyc6uQLGg/s640/IMG_7814.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready and waiting for inhabitants</td></tr>
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And because I am running low on honey at the moment I asked Lian to bring me some of his varieties and I was astounded by the differences in colour between the honeys. Even the viscosity was different. Teaspoons were on the ready to try them all out.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgjqWWlcGcj-s0Ix6w2vODGl8a3_dmSWlTIOuzq307Pv3RgLqzKbVgmzMk8uKslzjiRjvBbbkPFmr5Q9dJh1ZhaFwaLXPrAf1jIZEynTJTLi9j7Kzu5T2AoRSqCyeqDzBmIa9v2cp9KM/s1600/IMG_7816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgjqWWlcGcj-s0Ix6w2vODGl8a3_dmSWlTIOuzq307Pv3RgLqzKbVgmzMk8uKslzjiRjvBbbkPFmr5Q9dJh1ZhaFwaLXPrAf1jIZEynTJTLi9j7Kzu5T2AoRSqCyeqDzBmIa9v2cp9KM/s640/IMG_7816.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Left to right) Orange Blossom Honey, West Coast Fynbos, local Fynbos and Eucalyptus honey.</span></span></td></tr>
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<br />
So here we step out into an urban beekeeping adventure...quite exciting actually :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-AHe5fwfNg_w%2FVnAxKrx4pqI%2FAAAAAAAAIto%2FQ-oXaPr_rLM%2Fs640%2FIMG_7814.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=Nc9Ed6BNN5f6&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2796px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-AHe5fwfNg_w%2FVnAxKrx4pqI%2FAAAAAAAAIto%2FQ-oXaPr_rLM%2Fs640%2FIMG_7814.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=Nc9Ed6BNN5f6&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2796px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-4293708685357452832015-12-06T14:04:00.000+02:002015-12-06T14:08:12.515+02:00Back to Eden - is it the answer? Back in March of this year Superman, a friend and I <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2015/03/visiting-babylonstoren-motivation-for.html">spent a day at Babylonstoren</a>. I was such an inspirational day for me at the time as I was lagging in motivation and needed some fresh ideas.<br />
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After the visit I made this list:<br />
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<div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><strike>-Under planting every tree or tall vegetable with a herb, indigenous medicinal plant or ground cover that attracts bees.</strike></span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><strike>-Use up spaces and build the structures I need</strike></span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><strike>-Don't be afraid to experiment</strike></span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><strike>-Plant closer together</strike></span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">-Use my walls for fruit or as a food wall</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><strike>-Plant vegetables that take a long time to yield in pots not in the beds</strike></span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">-Plant crops that turn over well into the beds</span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">-Don't be afraid to use natural pesticides if all else has failed</span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">-Get my bees</span></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><strike>-Turn my pavement into a food garden too with fruit trees and medicinal plants.</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strike><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">-Mulch, mulch, mulch, mulch.</span></strike></span></div>
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There have been a few items on the list that we can say are done and dusted...In particular the way I changed from a traditional bed per plant to a <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2015/09/structure-of-compact-bed.html">compact veggie gardening system</a>. It worked very well in winter and while there were a few teething problems trying to eat up the winter veg quickly enough to make space for the summer veg we have made a transition quite well to carry on this system for summer.<br />
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The decision to add a herb/medicinal garden to our pavement (see 2nd last point on the above list) has been quite an adventure. The area was so sterile and the sand the traditional Cape Flats sand where the water just lies on top as though the soil is oily and does not get to the roots of the plants. This photo showed what it looked like after barrow loads of compost, manure and bounce back was turned in and a few plants added.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1tpbPfQHE7MstMm1mB_lB4KsjqWp8at0iMNJF9CdduqGpGWJlmgSmv92aC60xaAD1vZjUEqmXzZ8xPOvZqQHt-rrpeEHs5pHlYsd8DqXHgplt2wdtkrMCpv03fzU0XcA-GmqU6SZYl0/s1600/pavement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1tpbPfQHE7MstMm1mB_lB4KsjqWp8at0iMNJF9CdduqGpGWJlmgSmv92aC60xaAD1vZjUEqmXzZ8xPOvZqQHt-rrpeEHs5pHlYsd8DqXHgplt2wdtkrMCpv03fzU0XcA-GmqU6SZYl0/s640/pavement.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We transplanted two fig trees, a rosemary plant and a tea tree bush. The rest I bought from <a href="http://herb-nursery.co.za/">Bridget Kitley</a>. I bought Echinacea, Elder trees, comfrey, pelargoniums, Aloe, Chamomile, Chervil, lemon verbena, sorrel and honey suckle. I also planted calendula and borage seeds. Later when too many tomatoes sprouted for the garden I added loads of them to the pavement. We also added some Artichokes and Yarrow transplants a few weeks ago.<br />
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But watering was a huge problem and the winter rains we had hoped for left us a little concerned, not just for the pavement but for the whole garden. Our borehole also seems to have dried up thus making us dependent on municipal water. With the water restrictions that have now been put in place we simply cannot afford the rates that they have to charge AND ultimately we don't want to take more water than is just to water our vegetables.<br />
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So it was back to the drawing board to see what we could do to save water. I <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2010/12/water-water-everywhere.html">revisited these principles I wrote about</a> when I learned how my mom and dad were handling the drought in the Garden Route some years back. But it isn't enough...<br />
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Then I remembered a friend mentioning the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiGof48XVCQ">Back to Eden film</a> and watched it a few weeks ago and again this week. I think this is the answer - and it won't harm to try. I was on the phone in a hurry to local tree felling companies and asked them to deliver freshly chipped tree limbs with leaves included and contacted Master Organics for 2 cubes of compost.<br />
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This arrived on Friday and faithful Sam spent the day adding compost to even veggie bed and to the pavement in a thick layer after we watered deeply. On the pavement he added a thick layer of chipped plant material. This is what it looks like today...the plants have grown a lot since being planted, everything looks healthy and green still but I am hoping that the water is trapped below this blanket of compost and chip.<br />
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So while I have been able to cross off a few items on the list, there is still more I need to do. To grow espalier fruit trees I think I will ask the experts...and becoming a bee keeper is in the pipeline (quite close)...so we keep on keeping on with learning in the urban farm of ours.Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-23526424891513184792015-11-29T13:49:00.000+02:002015-11-29T13:49:02.815+02:00When plans go awryI can't believe its been over a month since I last posted on this blog! It would be wonderful to report that I have been busy in my garden and that everything is flourishing. And while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/urbanhomesteadsa/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> does not lie and there are many little treasures still growing and being eaten I feel the need to share some honesty here...<br />
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The following pictures tell a story of when plans are great on paper and then in the practise things go awry....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8OckIkuMGfA18cur665p60VJ8sRfgWH8IGwkki9qf5e1IVvQPriMN8X7RYoauzOBiAWHHP0XqSlocf_Vh7C3HD6Jz7FjGKdcLTcRZCrHW6Jfx3lL-od03bm6HstKEAeT-N0YEnGHQB8/s1600/IMG_7503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8OckIkuMGfA18cur665p60VJ8sRfgWH8IGwkki9qf5e1IVvQPriMN8X7RYoauzOBiAWHHP0XqSlocf_Vh7C3HD6Jz7FjGKdcLTcRZCrHW6Jfx3lL-od03bm6HstKEAeT-N0YEnGHQB8/s640/IMG_7503.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring onions and spinach left over from winter, butternut growing up trellis.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New tomatoes, left over cauliflower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New cucumbers and nothing else!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left over red onions and new strawberry popcorn</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDOCh-K1EcuhWiE1nIYwNm58jG0xNjpmIz8Lmo9XQgqvfqnmIRJGBx3x22QWaVnu4OdqAMWXK8Pf-Peda83UhYEYVzGw5IVpYYRty4ND0diyBj8pAWy6QmY2UIZXJKdD2YIyNsN721KE/s1600/IMG_7507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDOCh-K1EcuhWiE1nIYwNm58jG0xNjpmIz8Lmo9XQgqvfqnmIRJGBx3x22QWaVnu4OdqAMWXK8Pf-Peda83UhYEYVzGw5IVpYYRty4ND0diyBj8pAWy6QmY2UIZXJKdD2YIyNsN721KE/s640/IMG_7507.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left over leeks - not visible baby tomatoes growing up trellis</td></tr>
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Lots of empty space..dry soil (we have water restrictions), few seedlings waiting to go into beds and one tired gardener.</div>
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One of the issues with the transition was we haven't eaten enough of the winter crops. So while <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2015/09/structure-of-compact-bed.html" target="_blank">my plans for a summer garden</a> were at the ready I couldn't plant as there were other crops in the way.</div>
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The other is we had the very joyful occasion of <a href="http://missjesswrites.com/2015/10/11/young-married-life-why-i-got-married-at-20/" target="_blank">marrying our eldest daughter</a> which took up all my free time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoFgtLdI9CDE83fiVhUSK1gUui0NnHtulslwXWUu9Q6JSCz5WfjHqf7hUZ1TB8Ev2uruAvNjWN_DSykkJhYgyfaECCavPdWA7JRP79Pd9065TnAf3w9b8Nr4UEhFmgoTJ9-WGaZqUJFM/s1600/jess-callum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoFgtLdI9CDE83fiVhUSK1gUui0NnHtulslwXWUu9Q6JSCz5WfjHqf7hUZ1TB8Ev2uruAvNjWN_DSykkJhYgyfaECCavPdWA7JRP79Pd9065TnAf3w9b8Nr4UEhFmgoTJ9-WGaZqUJFM/s640/jess-callum.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another issue was the freaking out about how we are going to keep everything alive over the hottest time of the year with water restrictions.</div>
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When I take those situations into account I can see why there has been a loss of momentum. (And also because sometimes I just want to go for a body board with my Superman and son instead of garden :) )</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAGR1q86iDMirBkVq19fwr2J5YVFjThI-nDBq8BYUUEwdQUra9YLIrf6EaBkKBh2MRcdez5m7h3xHYNXdmWr7SE6ktsM8P6Ng6quKHLTzKO1T16RmBWUmVr-B8k_rOht9Lw3msztZayA/s1600/IMG_7356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAGR1q86iDMirBkVq19fwr2J5YVFjThI-nDBq8BYUUEwdQUra9YLIrf6EaBkKBh2MRcdez5m7h3xHYNXdmWr7SE6ktsM8P6Ng6quKHLTzKO1T16RmBWUmVr-B8k_rOht9Lw3msztZayA/s640/IMG_7356.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Who wouldn't when the sea looks like this on a Saturday morning!?!</div>
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But I think the time for excuses is over...school holidays start in a little over a week...the drought means we will have to pay more for good food - which means I must grow more...my daughter is happy and settled in her own home...I can now surf and garden in a day (talk about having your cake AND eating it!) and I can sow seed directly into the ground now for the remains of summer.</div>
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Well, that feels great to confess, and now its only upwards and onwards.</div>
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How are your summer gardens coming along?</div>
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Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-8239147478677513902015-10-18T13:59:00.002+02:002015-10-18T14:05:58.324+02:00Am I an "excellent" gardener?Well spring has sprung...the bees are out in full force amongst the veggies and flowers and herbs gone to seed. The garden is taking off with the increased temperatures and the shadows that fall around our garden have changed.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj25B2M8MBrDsvb4ryUXtsypJ1gss1wPq4CyjM1JRHL8wMYX7s9WTb46hX9Ao6BjiOR9cCPb4c5t8z8F2k3E5ysQilmdraNcZpkYYVnTO5OtuotcmNGXYE7SX-LXbc02Ld6G8jZTmbTwE/s1600/IMG_7016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj25B2M8MBrDsvb4ryUXtsypJ1gss1wPq4CyjM1JRHL8wMYX7s9WTb46hX9Ao6BjiOR9cCPb4c5t8z8F2k3E5ysQilmdraNcZpkYYVnTO5OtuotcmNGXYE7SX-LXbc02Ld6G8jZTmbTwE/s640/IMG_7016.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coriander going to seed. The bees love it and I get the dry seeds to plant and grind for cooking</td></tr>
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The other day someone passed a compliment to me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/urbanhomesteadsa/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> that I am an "excellent gardener" which I thoughtfully have considered. As I walk around the garden I do see lots of food ready to eat or in the process of growing. It warms me inside with a funny fuzzy feeling knowing that after all these years I seem to be getting it right now more than wrong.<br />
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But as the days have gone on since the compliment, I am wondering if I do indeed have green thumbs or if there is something else that's happened here...do you want to explore this with me?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAXR4w6V2zlwzUvP1NM7jN95KKEdjXbShi7zx3TJTDTIMxczwXrGCWGsH9IymKz4bXeAT5PsK39Cavbb1ICS3j8u9Y_G7d0YrCIVTxFEfZdugNeNGmnCTJYYKn7g5Sdo-mF6zIFtpBzU/s1600/IMG_7021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAXR4w6V2zlwzUvP1NM7jN95KKEdjXbShi7zx3TJTDTIMxczwXrGCWGsH9IymKz4bXeAT5PsK39Cavbb1ICS3j8u9Y_G7d0YrCIVTxFEfZdugNeNGmnCTJYYKn7g5Sdo-mF6zIFtpBzU/s640/IMG_7021.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strawberries, strawberries...how I love thee</td></tr>
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I was raised by a mom who loved gardening. Even though she never allowed it, I do believe she could have been featured in Garden and Home for her incredible skill in creating a beautiful outside space. Our childhood garden was filled with nooks and crannies for us to play all sorts of magical games in. There was a weeping willow that we could hide inside where my mom had put sawn up tree trunks for us to use as a table and chairs and many happy Marie biscuit and Oros days were enjoyed there.<br />
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Other spaces had railway sleepers stepping down on a gentle flowing grassy hill with gorgeous flower beds on both sides...another were the tall trees that hid the neighbours walls which we climbed in to get to each others homes for peanut butter sandwiches and milk.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeTA6ZYAhjO5EmWwfTGHojndVy_sKaPBwk0MV3N5hgT8Ox9JCU8-5iMYU6r9EVlopoX_ySyEHVOVhP51W2q5-aRVhZc3ZZPV6H6zXOFk4JEHLRRw-s-ys4fNuUA9PHKIg31szditMJ-s/s1600/IMG_6680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeTA6ZYAhjO5EmWwfTGHojndVy_sKaPBwk0MV3N5hgT8Ox9JCU8-5iMYU6r9EVlopoX_ySyEHVOVhP51W2q5-aRVhZc3ZZPV6H6zXOFk4JEHLRRw-s-ys4fNuUA9PHKIg31szditMJ-s/s640/IMG_6680.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocket, tender stem broccoli and spring onions</td></tr>
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And in all the time that she was gardening, I was doing what?....being a typical child - self centred and self absorbed and even as a teen, I did not care one iota about all the knowledge she held and had learned, which she would willingly have shared with me. Even though it was always an option to join her, to learn from her, I didn't for a very long time.<br />
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Around the back of the house was an area with plum trees and it was here that my mom, once I was already married, set up her first real vegetable garden which was a site to behold. Once I had a new baby some 20 yrs ago was the first time I took notice of real food and what my mom was doing, and it inspired me.<br />
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I planted out a veggie patch in our then Pinelands (1995) garden which was eaten by snails before the day was out. The next time I tried we were living in Meadowridge (1997) with the typical Cape Flats "oily" soil. The water lay in pools on the sand and then any compost we added blew away in the wind. In this garden there were 3 well established fruits - a lemon tree, a guava tree and a granadilla vine. I managed to kill the guava tree but the lemons and granadillas survived me.<br />
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Thereafter we had a stint in Johannesburg (2000 - 2002) and there we built raised beds on a concrete surface where we grew herbs and salads. This was reasonably successful. From there we came back to Cape Town and well...<a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/search/label/anniversary" target="_blank">the rest is documented on this blog</a> of how we started to grow vegetables in 2008.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscajs5YATz5YXKTzhPp8_dPWD0vLK98Iej6DFnZX-3cpsMXfXUbEnWyUPsrEBM9Ksjn-yvrY2zZwcqK4JP0FEl3B8ATMC0zUBrQ88AMt6vB6Vs9KeL9eiTCeCpLV3GLYx_rjwb2bnpK4/s1600/IMG_6989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscajs5YATz5YXKTzhPp8_dPWD0vLK98Iej6DFnZX-3cpsMXfXUbEnWyUPsrEBM9Ksjn-yvrY2zZwcqK4JP0FEl3B8ATMC0zUBrQ88AMt6vB6Vs9KeL9eiTCeCpLV3GLYx_rjwb2bnpK4/s640/IMG_6989.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bright lights spinach adds beautiful colour to the veggie garden</td></tr>
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Every time I failed to grow food I know it was because I didn't follow my mom's advise. She told me to not plant ANYTHING for a long time but use any spare cent to add <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/search/label/composting" target="_blank">compost</a> and manure to the ground. It was only in 2008 that I started to believe her after having had all those failures along the way. We have added bags and bags and bags of manure, loads of compost, bags of bounce back, bone meal, volcanic rock dust and even green manures over the years and always for a good few months initially before planting anything in a new bed. We also let the chickens roam the garden for many years as they dealt with the snails, snail eggs and slug problems.<br />
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Simply by following that principle I believe we created the right foundation for the plants to grow and produce food. We are still adding manure once a year and compost between each planting.<br />
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The other thing that brings the rewards in the food garden is time. Growing food is a time consuming process. The amount of time you put in is almost directly proportionate to what you will get out. Time on planning, time on sowing, time on nurturing, time on harvesting, time on pest control, time on tending, time on watering....time....time...time.<br />
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[However, sometimes things happen - those curve balls - that will affect the output...one year I bought heirloom corn and it never formed ears even though I had given it much love :( ]<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnOuJvMVGTSMpGI6ldIcM3UeZlCmkOHwS1cfjOlxwQgTvMW7kJzzE0uFtYLvQsOacjE1RyD_bAHPj_c7hGksMqPNhtLEyhn3Ha6H5WNs7VO46S_dnIjKw9WUmrUvE45NCOksLlzND3Os/s1600/IMG_7079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnOuJvMVGTSMpGI6ldIcM3UeZlCmkOHwS1cfjOlxwQgTvMW7kJzzE0uFtYLvQsOacjE1RyD_bAHPj_c7hGksMqPNhtLEyhn3Ha6H5WNs7VO46S_dnIjKw9WUmrUvE45NCOksLlzND3Os/s320/IMG_7079.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam</td></tr>
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In 2010 I really cooked my back...total spasm and if I am not careful I still end up in pain. This put an end to the long Saturdays bending, digging, carrying etc. I was paying out so much money in physio that any savings we made from the vegetables harvested was going straight to the treatments. After slowing down completely we eventually gave the garden an almost rest for the year 2013/4 and then Sam entered out lives.<br />
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Sam puts into the garden the love and attention and heavy lifting and digging that I can't. My role is now one of <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/search/label/planning" target="_blank">planning</a>, buying, sowing and harvesting. He does all the rest when he comes every Friday.<br />
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He is growing in his knowledge of growing food and when he went back to Malawi last year he brought me one treasured ear of corn which he proudly told me he wants a patch to grow this food from his country. This he has done.<br />
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He even tells me of remedies for white cabbage moth and how he prepare the leaves of broccoli or squash plants he takes from the garden for his family. Sam is my secret gardening weapon at the moment and because of him I am able to take great joy in my garden again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QaYw2ZQJAmaQi8szXY1tJscrNQr4SK6O4zntoSf0crqRLEqWtmQbA1e3WZrkgsAqYlLCg2KLXNGHWPGXDdXPYd0oJePVXIwEJfBLR1jGqLfYfVA3gRMwlDf1rex1O_QUI7vTd8lu7DA/s1600/IMG_6999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QaYw2ZQJAmaQi8szXY1tJscrNQr4SK6O4zntoSf0crqRLEqWtmQbA1e3WZrkgsAqYlLCg2KLXNGHWPGXDdXPYd0oJePVXIwEJfBLR1jGqLfYfVA3gRMwlDf1rex1O_QUI7vTd8lu7DA/s640/IMG_6999.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blueberries</td></tr>
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So while I would love to be hailed as an excellent garden (thank you VERY much :) ) I know its more than me...and it can be something everyone can do should they be willing. Of course there are times when disaster strikes - <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/search/label/mildew" target="_blank">mildew</a> in summer, fruit flies, aphids, moles....all these things...but just keep on keeping on...<br />
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So here's to all YOU excellent gardeners, and thank you for coming along with me for this adventure in growing your own food.<br />
<br />Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-39436036432095116912015-10-03T14:32:00.000+02:002015-10-03T14:32:48.227+02:00Sage, garlic and cream pastaToday has been another cool spring day that called for something warm at lunch time. With only a few people to feed and wanting something creamy and carby for a change this happened to end up in our bowls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbsOsji98IMjTM9Zg-ChIsdN2e22NgHO69fbEPm94ssYcj42f_MMN4sM-GzJaGgLLuL9phMIM_E0eV9oXhRg5Icvx20WG-fogdXozv_jnO9sGli16Zd2RzBDf-8e8eHU0KNjRZgIZ1qo/s1600/IMG_6672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbsOsji98IMjTM9Zg-ChIsdN2e22NgHO69fbEPm94ssYcj42f_MMN4sM-GzJaGgLLuL9phMIM_E0eV9oXhRg5Icvx20WG-fogdXozv_jnO9sGli16Zd2RzBDf-8e8eHU0KNjRZgIZ1qo/s640/IMG_6672.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today at 12.30 - cool and drizzly</td></tr>
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It was too good not to share with the readers of this blog.<br />
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We used small pasta shells, but I suppose you could use any pasta. I like the shells, though, as they make mini cups which hold the sauce nicely not leaving half in the bowl with the eater having a predicament of whether to <i>stick your face in the bowl and lick it out</i> or to let it be washed down the drain - <b>which is a sacrilege with this sauce!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLq1w_k2uDWtzVv8tOrJUNYe8maoOMk_dazRRiRgFg2Z7VmkzbG7mIU7EQxCDUqDagR7VH8JLQx_QkMKYlGw7S7iPMhIJs4BuswdNtlKtGobW0VAE0JiSTXwL9tOq-FfVoRWxkKI1_JU/s1600/sage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLq1w_k2uDWtzVv8tOrJUNYe8maoOMk_dazRRiRgFg2Z7VmkzbG7mIU7EQxCDUqDagR7VH8JLQx_QkMKYlGw7S7iPMhIJs4BuswdNtlKtGobW0VAE0JiSTXwL9tOq-FfVoRWxkKI1_JU/s640/sage.jpg" width="626" /></a></div>
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I also grow lots of sage. I use it for <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/p/soap-recipes.html" target="_blank">soap</a>, pork meals and my daughter for the chicken liver pate that she makes and sells. It has just come into bloom again and has the most lovely rich smelling leaves and flowers at the moment.<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
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500g pasta shells<br />
1 tablespoon butter<br />
250ml cream<br />
4 cloves garlic crushed<br />
Large handful fresh sage sliced<br />
Grated Parmesan<br />
Salt & pepper<br />
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Cook your pasta in salted water.<br />
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Melt the butter and add the garlic and sage. Fry gently for a few minutes - do not burn the garlic.<br />
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Add the cream, a few grinds of black pepper and a good bit of salt.<br />
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When your past is cooked, drain it and add it to the sauce. Stir to coat the shells well.<br />
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Serve into bowls and top generously with Parmesan cheese.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRorkzlG3M4H_8axtnKAY1xUS2eRv2MKqZ62qAxAxpBH8a8FDOAaqpBeTxJw3Oq5S0k_RpyGvcYmWx-pzYJqYaNozNtMmcQE3u6AShngJ3hkrmgt88fZJsV5bGtNQvxnfWTqMR459WvuI/s1600/IMG_6670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRorkzlG3M4H_8axtnKAY1xUS2eRv2MKqZ62qAxAxpBH8a8FDOAaqpBeTxJw3Oq5S0k_RpyGvcYmWx-pzYJqYaNozNtMmcQE3u6AShngJ3hkrmgt88fZJsV5bGtNQvxnfWTqMR459WvuI/s640/IMG_6670.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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So delicious!</div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor%2Fsrc%3Dsidebar&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-NH_wE0z84hg%2FVg_J8DbPehI%2FAAAAAAAAIpw%2FKpzotz2WmcI%2Fs640%2Fsage.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=Nc9Ed6BNN5f6&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 717px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor%2Fsrc%3Dsidebar&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-NH_wE0z84hg%2FVg_J8DbPehI%2FAAAAAAAAIpw%2FKpzotz2WmcI%2Fs640%2Fsage.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=Nc9Ed6BNN5f6&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 717px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-26208834064389398742015-09-06T19:54:00.000+02:002015-09-06T19:57:11.631+02:00Structure of a compact bedAfter sharing <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2015/08/compact-veggie-gardening-how-does-my.html" target="_blank">my last post on the success of my new experiment</a> of growing very compact beds with a huge variety of plants, I was asked to share how I planned these beds out.<br />
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If you know me you will know that I often "fly by the seat of my pants" although on the outside it looks like I am a huge planner. I am not. And even if I do plan - in the practise it never works out properly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtWKmGBYoo-MZR_hgyHeJ4RJTVKk5g3mb2c_ZzcpsozIAObGOUnFlOPyGylzI8tfbH_mA7wZd2VfijLCkQYv52b_KzDuAQEJG3-VBvisU9qHTKOFtsc-OFrOm-gxS5M-Xn4dxc0VMZAI/s1600/onions-beet-chard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtWKmGBYoo-MZR_hgyHeJ4RJTVKk5g3mb2c_ZzcpsozIAObGOUnFlOPyGylzI8tfbH_mA7wZd2VfijLCkQYv52b_KzDuAQEJG3-VBvisU9qHTKOFtsc-OFrOm-gxS5M-Xn4dxc0VMZAI/s640/onions-beet-chard.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peas were growing up the trellis but are now over and squash seeds planted in their place</td></tr>
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So the success of this past season's compact gardening was me having a plan, planting it up with about 70% accuracy and then getting happier and happier and more clear on what was happening as I packed in plants, companion herbs, harvesting and adding more over the last few months.<br />
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So I have planned again for summer to use the same ideas. There are a few major differences that I need to take into account, however. But these things aside I will still plant intensively and learn as I go.<br />
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1. It's going to be way hotter.<br />
2. We more than likely will have water restrictions this summer.<br />
3. Pests are more prolific in summer.<br />
4. A lot of my beds still have vegetables in so this new plan will go in bit by bit.<br />
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<u><b>Some background basics first:</b></u><br />
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I use <a href="http://gardenplanner.janesdeliciousgarden.com/" target="_blank">Jane's Delicious Garden Planner by Grow Veg</a> which has been great to use over the last few years. But if you don't want to use that then pen and paper and a good veggie book (or the internet) will work well enough.<br />
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It also important to know which plants to plant in which season and more or less what grows well together. You can get this info on the planner or in a veggie book.<br />
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The important thing to remember is getting good vegetables is a about good soil, water and sunshine. Plants also need growing space at the top and bottom and this system of planting allows for that.<br />
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Knowing planting to harvest times is also important, but not critical. But as I planned out the beds I made sure I planted a row of fast growing things down the sides so they would be out of the bed in time for the larger slower growing crops to spread.<br />
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So here's how I planned it all.<br />
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I have 5 beds called "Kitchen Garden" that are south facing. These beds did extremely well as they are in full sun all year around with the exception of bed No. 1 which is in full shade in winter due to a wall shadow and bed No. 5 which is in dappled shade in summer due to a tree. But by planting lettuce and other plants that bolt in bed No. 5 in summer I can still use the space, however in winter bed No. 1 is fallow.<br />
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I have 6 larger beds on the other side of the plot called "Pond Garden". These beds are lying in an East/West aspect and the long green trellises lie on this plane too. The issue with this is the back side of each trellis when covered in foliage is very shady.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwBRv0OMwnCWbLr6q9TVUdtPJgJ1AeWpdcrxFXYUgIkYqZc_E1ptmlEUw8lKQQ2qvmZmtFFmoLCIFUCqG4cb7B85tSQc2qNpoEDCZ6QGMlhj5Z2RgZvzFFnwPyHZAlFRg2eYaYsmnQME/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwBRv0OMwnCWbLr6q9TVUdtPJgJ1AeWpdcrxFXYUgIkYqZc_E1ptmlEUw8lKQQ2qvmZmtFFmoLCIFUCqG4cb7B85tSQc2qNpoEDCZ6QGMlhj5Z2RgZvzFFnwPyHZAlFRg2eYaYsmnQME/s640/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same bed - right shows shady side and left sunny side</td></tr>
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So <b>STEP NUMBER 1</b> for you is to know your sun and aspect in your garden and plan any trellis work accordingly as far as you possible can.<br />
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What I am assuming is that you have built up some good soil in your beds. You need compost, manure, green manures if your bed is new, double dug, no dig, mulched - whatever your choice, but just make sure its rich and good. Buy worms if you need to. <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2010/12/before-and-after.html" target="_blank">Our pond garden's soil was dead dead dead when we started with it in 2010. </a> So <b>STEP NUMBER 2</b> <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2013/08/compost-and-garden-tools.html" target="_blank">compost</a> your soil.<br />
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<b>STEP NUMBER 3</b> <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.co.za/2014/10/diy-cucumber-frame.html" target="_blank">build yourself some trellises</a>. I did this in 7 ½ of the 11 beds but will be adding one more in summer. We had the wooden poles lying around and I had to buy the green plastic mesh. It was rather pricey but it doesn't rust like chicken mesh so figured it would last me a good while. These trellises work for both summer and winter gardens. You can grow your winter peas, broad beans (although these must be tied to the trellis in one bunch) and your summer squash, beans, tomatoes and cucumbers up them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fe_5Ea_Q6jNv1TkkCc5WPzD6wMZpPNn9vI9SfItmaUZApqVOiZVpTiMO4z-nASSAWzTMxhzJLQitmjnfDTN8Ig31H4igABz5p2l2jTPxcmlpau7DWXAhFIMiPH9qyDdGAisrKLZubK8/s1600/peas-beets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fe_5Ea_Q6jNv1TkkCc5WPzD6wMZpPNn9vI9SfItmaUZApqVOiZVpTiMO4z-nASSAWzTMxhzJLQitmjnfDTN8Ig31H4igABz5p2l2jTPxcmlpau7DWXAhFIMiPH9qyDdGAisrKLZubK8/s640/peas-beets.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bed has beet, coriander, lettuce and peas on both sides</td></tr>
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Now its time <b>STEP NUMBER 4</b> which is to do the planning with your paper or your Grow Veg planner. Make sure you only plan to grow veg that you and your family will eat. Every year I have grown loads of broad beans but only Superman and I like them. So meal times were not happy ones when these little gems arrived on the plates. This year I only grew 2 batches of broad beans but much more peas as everyone likes peas.</div>
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Look at your climbing or tall plants first. For this summer I have 4 trellises given over to tomatoes, 1 to squashes, 2 to cucumbers and 1 ½ to beans. I will also be growing bush beans so didn't need more than this for climbing beans.<br />
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On either side of your climbing plants you will want to do one of two things depending on the way the sun falls in your garden. If you have south facing beds like I do in the Kitchen Garden you can plant exactly the same rows on either side of the trellis. If you have beds that face like mine do in the Pond Garden which is East or West then you will want to plant shade tolerant vegetables like lettuce, beets, carrots, coriander, chard, parsley and kale. They should get some sun, especially in the early stages of planting the climbers, but can handle the dappled shade that will develop later.<br />
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You also need to alternate your rows between a leaf crop and a root crop. You cannot do potatoes in this fashion, they need a dedicated bed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_8C450fh8MqtzX-iaY3IF3CVK0-TenMRBRhhv5V8uczhfDq5KxIUqNl-kcxYzK-iRKznBv7SsJrmvfkc5JpMod465zmk2CLHNUaC1YrqWLrYF1wzpWU2MjoJe9BZ_w8iNGz9A5uhzHw/s1600/broad+beans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_8C450fh8MqtzX-iaY3IF3CVK0-TenMRBRhhv5V8uczhfDq5KxIUqNl-kcxYzK-iRKznBv7SsJrmvfkc5JpMod465zmk2CLHNUaC1YrqWLrYF1wzpWU2MjoJe9BZ_w8iNGz9A5uhzHw/s640/broad+beans.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy broad beans</td></tr>
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<u>Beds I planted in winter went as follows</u>:<br />
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Center: Peas<br />
On either side: Carrots, chard, onions, coriander (coriander is quick growing and removed by the time the onions need the space)<br />
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Centre: Broad Beans<br />
On either side: Cauliflower and broccoli, onions, garlic.<br />
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Centre (no trellis): Broccoli<br />
On either side: lettuce, onion, radish<br />
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Centre: Peas<br />
On either side: Chard, carrots, spring onions, beets (removed soon before carrots need place to grow)<br />
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You get the picture?<br />
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<u>For my summer beds I have planned the following: </u><br />
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Centre: Tomatoes (either cherry or regular)<br />
Sides in Kitchen Garden (full sun): Basil, peppers<br />
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Centre: Tomatoes<br />
Sunny side: Basil, radish<br />
Shady side: Lettuce<br />
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Centre (partial shade bed): Cucumbers<br />
Sides: Lettuces, radish, chives<br />
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Centre: Chard<br />
Sides: Beans growing over teepee trellis granting dappled shade to chard until December heat causes to bolt.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkIhA2ZjWO_pa-o5bVyNYNWfakiw4n8mGKi0e5f8mxBQYZmlbkOD_qDtkm5g6ACpG9FRVukYMq28nsrZSbhtCVIvq73CUAjv5P_cvFAY7kP7u5GspDllhHV2ZFegBkNCoS06n4TFo2Q0/s1600/garlic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkIhA2ZjWO_pa-o5bVyNYNWfakiw4n8mGKi0e5f8mxBQYZmlbkOD_qDtkm5g6ACpG9FRVukYMq28nsrZSbhtCVIvq73CUAjv5P_cvFAY7kP7u5GspDllhHV2ZFegBkNCoS06n4TFo2Q0/s640/garlic.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bed has garlic, cauliflower and broccoli and broad beans</td></tr>
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<b>East facing beds in pond garden:</b><br />
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One given to sweetcorn<br />
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Centre: Tomatoes<br />
Sides: one to Barbara butternut, other to basil, celery.<br />
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Centre of ½ trellis bed: Cucumber<br />
Sides: Lettuce, bush beans, celery.<br />
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Centre: Climbing squash<br />
One side: Carrots and aubergine<br />
Other side: Red onions and aubergine<br />
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Centre: Tomatoes<br />
One side: Marigold and lettuce<br />
Other side: Courgette, lettuce, celery<br />
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Centre: Beans<br />
Side: Leeks, carrots, dill<br />
Other side: Leeks, carrots, bush cucumbers.<br />
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Another non trellis bed given to courgette and carrots on the edges.<br />
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Other plants growing around the place in pots, irregular beds and the pavement are:<br />
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Melons, asparagus, chard, artichokes, berries, kale, cabbage, medicinal herbs, strawberries, loads of herbs and celery. We also have avocado, granadilla, apples, oranges, lemons and figs growing around the place.<br />
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Writing this out makes me realise the bounty we have here. Not all things are producing yet, like the apples and avocado trees but should be soon.<br />
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And then? Once all your planning is done...get planting.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">STEP NUMBER 5 </u>is to start planting. DO NOT plant everything at once. You will end up with gluts of things, wastage or exhaustion as you try to process everything for storage. I prefer to eat fresh over pickled or preserved and I can because of our mild climate.<br />
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So this summer season I will plant beds and spaces as they come available because there is so much still growing and producing. I will simply add some worm tea, compost or worm compost to the space and mulch over once planted.<br />
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Last season the beds were empty and I planted one bed every two weeks which kept us going (and still is) with a steady inflow of vegetables and herbs. This worked well in that we could eat for e.g. baby peas raw and then by the time we got to the last bed, full grown peas in cooked meals.<br />
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I realise this is just one season in and not tested over the long haul by trial and error, so if you are willing to take a [small] gamble, drop me a note here or on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/urbanhomesteadsa/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> to let me know what you are planning for your garden.<br />
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You can see my Grow Veg plans for the two gardens here:<br />
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<a href="http://gardenplanner.janesdeliciousgarden.com/garden-plan.aspx?p=681790" target="_blank">Kitchen Garden</a><br />
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<a href="http://gardenplanner.janesdeliciousgarden.com/garden-plan.aspx?p=681792" target="_blank">Pond Garden</a><br />
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Look forward to hearing from you!<br />
<br />Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-30586108361640032912015-08-30T18:09:00.000+01:002015-08-30T18:09:25.329+01:00Compact veggie gardening - how does my garden grow?<a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.com/2015/05/compact-veggie-gardening.html" target="_blank">Back in May</a> as I watched our newly planted out winter and spring garden I was ever hopeful that my method would not be madness but would in fact give us greater yields from the space we have. I have worried about shade, water, overcrowding, pests and more as I have never seen anyone do what I did, although I know the basic principals are already out there and I simply adapted that knowledge for my space.<br />
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This method was much more compact than I have ever planted before and as everything started to grow I felt quite certain that they would have sufficient space to grow as I alternated root crops with leaf crops.<br />
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The peas and broad beans shot up in the centres and started producing their pretty flowers, the roots of the beets swelled and leaves of the spinach grew. around the ends the fast growing radishes and coriander was being used well before the other vegetables. Soon it became quite a jungle and much peeping and peering had to happen to grab the right plant for harvesting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjki-5FegX36E8EZ8YyswwSL3lDN2ODN4A1bwsDxqBkpBgld32ZHNjdzLIUZFjdHAg4RkUiji3Ko5Qs6yspb8tq1Ba7yH_VhPxfkT_5BfNheizM0djrZxDs1liD9RyPnuYT34HtLqe43sk/s1600/IMG_5583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjki-5FegX36E8EZ8YyswwSL3lDN2ODN4A1bwsDxqBkpBgld32ZHNjdzLIUZFjdHAg4RkUiji3Ko5Qs6yspb8tq1Ba7yH_VhPxfkT_5BfNheizM0djrZxDs1liD9RyPnuYT34HtLqe43sk/s640/IMG_5583.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broad beans in centre and onions, carrots and coriander on either side.</td></tr>
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We have eaten so well from this plan having something on the table or in a recipe for the better part of 3 months now and its been so wonderful to do my weeks meal plan starting with what sides we will have with our meal. The garden has become a true pantry once again after my slump last year when I just was too distracted to get anything going.<br />
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Whether it is coriander in a Thai coleslaw or Happy Cow burger...<br />
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Parsley onto our breakfast mushrooms...<br />
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Nasturtiums, peas, radish, broccoli sprouts and lettuce into the prettiest salad ever made...<br />
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Beetroot simply boiled and peeled and eaten warm...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUT44uUnWq2o3r5xS_LYGkP1mHz8gVvPX7H7z0wa9Favsh0NWmUzBZPSm8_LDNdOp1pKqEJrNelFOsIIHJ4RAv_M4YQ7boY6LIIYE0N199KP4g4u92rxt8tCNIbUDy8JI7n7kHP9Mac6A/s1600/IMG_5925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUT44uUnWq2o3r5xS_LYGkP1mHz8gVvPX7H7z0wa9Favsh0NWmUzBZPSm8_LDNdOp1pKqEJrNelFOsIIHJ4RAv_M4YQ7boY6LIIYE0N199KP4g4u92rxt8tCNIbUDy8JI7n7kHP9Mac6A/s640/IMG_5925.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Spinach and coriander in a homemade chicken neck stock ramen....</div>
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A bowl of peas to dip into hummus....<br />
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Or leeks and broad beans to add to a raid the larder soup....<br />
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All these daily offerings have been delightful.<br />
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There is so much still growing and waiting to mature in the soil like the onions and carrots. While they do their growing, I have been able to pull out the climbers in some beds (peas for instance) and have planted the first patty pan seeds which will now climb up the same frame.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7qpYMylzfW6IN3IvT8TX7ZHL_uRHFrbvNX1lOPwdzhVXKbTGDMDh8xlyRyzM4b3BvUwBWkZXoDfdwGziovchUJ2ayHFj0d4J8ZonOgl8-dTmsGtrF1Y47EkA60XksR53RggPiwjLmxQ/s1600/IMG_5617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7qpYMylzfW6IN3IvT8TX7ZHL_uRHFrbvNX1lOPwdzhVXKbTGDMDh8xlyRyzM4b3BvUwBWkZXoDfdwGziovchUJ2ayHFj0d4J8ZonOgl8-dTmsGtrF1Y47EkA60XksR53RggPiwjLmxQ/s640/IMG_5617.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beets, coriander, lettuce and peas all together in one bed and repeated on the other side of climbing mesh</td></tr>
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The cabbages, cauliflowers and broccoli that need to still develop large heads should be out of the ground in time to plant the summer crops in the same fashion. In fact tonight I am sitting down to plan my spring/summer garden and will use exactly the same model and see how that fares.<br />
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I have noticed that this interplanting has resulted in less bugs and white cabbage moth. There have been some aphids on some brassicas which have not been so heavily surrounded by other vegetables.<br />
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So here's to a happy urban farmer sharing something that did work this season! How are your gardens doing?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ia1zaniYG1Gsr9G8bZZ29a4kNInQDWyTSlJWUXZK3al27SmmuQ1BWE4JXo3uEMXM5vmRUuy_hemTBuqIAuvytwU-HjUbkqZLwbnfvyXV9tRZIobCnKgv5OdBsHeNUZdmp_ix-no-XjU/s1600/IMG_5671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ia1zaniYG1Gsr9G8bZZ29a4kNInQDWyTSlJWUXZK3al27SmmuQ1BWE4JXo3uEMXM5vmRUuy_hemTBuqIAuvytwU-HjUbkqZLwbnfvyXV9tRZIobCnKgv5OdBsHeNUZdmp_ix-no-XjU/s640/IMG_5671.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D3058610836164003291%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-jsY_vJYgygY%2FVeM4fjHxueI%2FAAAAAAAAInw%2FogFNc7guyyA%2Fs640%2FIMG_5583.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=Nc9Ed6BNN5f6&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 952px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D3058610836164003291%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-jsY_vJYgygY%2FVeM4fjHxueI%2FAAAAAAAAInw%2FogFNc7guyyA%2Fs640%2FIMG_5583.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=Nc9Ed6BNN5f6&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 952px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-54013548654799245932015-07-11T18:37:00.001+01:002015-07-11T18:37:53.110+01:00July is chugging by<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wonder if I am the only one who believes that time is speeding up? Somehow I find that even my days are flying by and what I used to do in one day takes me a few days to do instead. Maybe I am just getting old? Or slow? Or have purposely slowed down how much I am doing? Let's go with the last option...<br />
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As the days are going by I have been snapping away and sharing on <a href="https://instagram.com/urbanhomesteadsa/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> which is so quick and handy. Because I don't have too much to say today I thought I would share some of my favourite photographic memories here for those who aren't on Instagram. If you are, please come follow along.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Pv5RnzsUsIe78jstr0E33V8ojpdkjHTbZkcGFAyn4G-jOmKC-TOkmAvJ8p3lUkddyPL2cEQJkB0gf6GhcWteQYaN1PXVzmU-u8znnA88Zn2UGnOtpAE2ItvMPuJspYzmpg0MsnrfP7Y/s1600/IMG_5008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Pv5RnzsUsIe78jstr0E33V8ojpdkjHTbZkcGFAyn4G-jOmKC-TOkmAvJ8p3lUkddyPL2cEQJkB0gf6GhcWteQYaN1PXVzmU-u8znnA88Zn2UGnOtpAE2ItvMPuJspYzmpg0MsnrfP7Y/s640/IMG_5008.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A basketful of beautiful lemons </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFl4ureDTiLPUybvJF6E1M9tl4k9eiLENlS9TxPWxNRkDpGSbKfQDy7I_i18faoymGOy3El4x1dyVZ-ZqzTBM3o3Uy52lhscDA_9Wdgp5SL_sbuFTiGxO67-kj3wj-YQFD7UMYZYNR6CM/s1600/IMG_5239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFl4ureDTiLPUybvJF6E1M9tl4k9eiLENlS9TxPWxNRkDpGSbKfQDy7I_i18faoymGOy3El4x1dyVZ-ZqzTBM3o3Uy52lhscDA_9Wdgp5SL_sbuFTiGxO67-kj3wj-YQFD7UMYZYNR6CM/s640/IMG_5239.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrot harvest, sweet and tender</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeDXCMp0iGKz9Lw_B8x81HtqNY9eknOI1KBAkQ4TESzGjo9tKrTf5ZFMyAqoLIrEEUNlNc07BnIYk4mPyEYAG6ZGbgvGO-8EOhaFE3scYUoXkNWZ50cGmw35K9VMrqqFwwwyVmmuhWRs/s1600/IMG_5317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeDXCMp0iGKz9Lw_B8x81HtqNY9eknOI1KBAkQ4TESzGjo9tKrTf5ZFMyAqoLIrEEUNlNc07BnIYk4mPyEYAG6ZGbgvGO-8EOhaFE3scYUoXkNWZ50cGmw35K9VMrqqFwwwyVmmuhWRs/s640/IMG_5317.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broccoli plants starting out</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju457PFfzbjPDKQlml1sIATctM7rHsQ6aCytfmyKThG6jygDY-tFOGMzEKhgB-ljaKrSGB6AOda5EJze87KQSLbapV9ITuyWjAmgNjlPZGyA8MGD5S8aTFP58fydk9_iQrDGESH1sEI6E/s1600/IMG_5418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju457PFfzbjPDKQlml1sIATctM7rHsQ6aCytfmyKThG6jygDY-tFOGMzEKhgB-ljaKrSGB6AOda5EJze87KQSLbapV9ITuyWjAmgNjlPZGyA8MGD5S8aTFP58fydk9_iQrDGESH1sEI6E/s640/IMG_5418.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First pea harvest added to Paella</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TQ9ntSCU1fxXj2XvEAP7jJVRl1jIQn9czQyZmJ43dN2VIyADlO7sTipV2fPdBvkw21mBA0YzNM2ySlhwNH4r-ysCWnkrtcdOyuOvkD5xPY2AIzdhV3kp9l5P0pLfMIREPPO83yxgozw/s1600/IMG_5112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TQ9ntSCU1fxXj2XvEAP7jJVRl1jIQn9czQyZmJ43dN2VIyADlO7sTipV2fPdBvkw21mBA0YzNM2ySlhwNH4r-ysCWnkrtcdOyuOvkD5xPY2AIzdhV3kp9l5P0pLfMIREPPO83yxgozw/s640/IMG_5112.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots still left on the vines</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQcRk-5BrllcyoHXCzt87tCd1PhEF5hmPtuqxlKHCKXbBWnvXRrq8eTFlK8MYg-M5EfgqZLP2Q91xNzsWQoeLylshA_SXJ3UY8QVw_o4wlyHmpBn0Gd8u76fLrduRdqTrFwyvnFWpQZA/s1600/IMG_5313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQcRk-5BrllcyoHXCzt87tCd1PhEF5hmPtuqxlKHCKXbBWnvXRrq8eTFlK8MYg-M5EfgqZLP2Q91xNzsWQoeLylshA_SXJ3UY8QVw_o4wlyHmpBn0Gd8u76fLrduRdqTrFwyvnFWpQZA/s640/IMG_5313.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My plan to foil these critters worked again.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8HANQf_6Av7whFOfvwm6-UGewjQJKd2WzdZnNHONgigcgk6FFfZ48H9iti0yQ_7KNL_6jRTizK0r9CdoyH08wAVZpofPJsQjqa5M1VKiyQMhyXGC1Lef8IilESum-ND32b7vau6zKKA/s1600/IMG_5284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8HANQf_6Av7whFOfvwm6-UGewjQJKd2WzdZnNHONgigcgk6FFfZ48H9iti0yQ_7KNL_6jRTizK0r9CdoyH08wAVZpofPJsQjqa5M1VKiyQMhyXGC1Lef8IilESum-ND32b7vau6zKKA/s640/IMG_5284.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New potatoes and leeks into a soup<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzXILq3O68G0hFl6h9GcxMyMDFBRpGCRoVmc920nKgY_M_MFq_dIOwaT8GPVFiij8rqDM9RHfxXlWVCbgZISKstug9E-GPiLpaCNNv73aNJhD3Uxmf13aMhGhF_KKJg4oF15rQnA9w6M/s1600/IMG_5279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzXILq3O68G0hFl6h9GcxMyMDFBRpGCRoVmc920nKgY_M_MFq_dIOwaT8GPVFiij8rqDM9RHfxXlWVCbgZISKstug9E-GPiLpaCNNv73aNJhD3Uxmf13aMhGhF_KKJg4oF15rQnA9w6M/s640/IMG_5279.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red lentil soup with garden coriander and chili</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4yUOtgMQIxQy40yR1Q0NSJpJ1QxcYtWcBR5Gjf6cnKHdN3zTT3IAB0d0LpZ4mj-2s8O5RG572mSOecXG9Kx4X1iO1UBozGtM2VzBh3ERVQ59uRHhBF3Y5rkbeWwdCE6aXuEDzOM7lTQ/s1600/IMG_5252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4yUOtgMQIxQy40yR1Q0NSJpJ1QxcYtWcBR5Gjf6cnKHdN3zTT3IAB0d0LpZ4mj-2s8O5RG572mSOecXG9Kx4X1iO1UBozGtM2VzBh3ERVQ59uRHhBF3Y5rkbeWwdCE6aXuEDzOM7lTQ/s640/IMG_5252.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raid the larder bean and spelt soup</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh566cYhz2lLvrECeSIb441G953-C_LdfRovBqu8NEn87HY7FcHRKUpVuLgYZyB8S4E7KQJN0szJY_39c8yFKTQRowb8JtWHoJudZutT92TcedKRPLTN9VmmBirEa4OXE9-QzF8oNeF85M/s1600/IMG_5088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh566cYhz2lLvrECeSIb441G953-C_LdfRovBqu8NEn87HY7FcHRKUpVuLgYZyB8S4E7KQJN0szJY_39c8yFKTQRowb8JtWHoJudZutT92TcedKRPLTN9VmmBirEa4OXE9-QzF8oNeF85M/s640/IMG_5088.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leek and potato soup</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9sUrnHHXRo2rv_qLcTnnxB_fbrTCAZhvVAZWq1UZrVc7CjT5YIbj4rQuNCD0elSqHfhuJTL9yCyetedg0znLOxXIHjjFsKTWf3S66pCmkNn7Nnv4rRhh1lryaRxtONNmFkqnSK4m1RA/s1600/IMG_5078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9sUrnHHXRo2rv_qLcTnnxB_fbrTCAZhvVAZWq1UZrVc7CjT5YIbj4rQuNCD0elSqHfhuJTL9yCyetedg0znLOxXIHjjFsKTWf3S66pCmkNn7Nnv4rRhh1lryaRxtONNmFkqnSK4m1RA/s640/IMG_5078.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous homemade chick stock with rice noodles and veg</td></tr>
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How is your July going?<br />
<a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-9653955851686921812015-07-03T14:08:00.000+01:002015-07-03T14:08:52.175+01:00That Sugar Book ~ book reviewRecently I was lent Damon Gameau's book "That Sugar Book". I opened the pages with a bit of trepidation wondering about the new guilt trip I was about to lay on myself. You see, we have some seriously sweet teeth in this home and while for the most part we steer clear of cane sugar, there are still sugars in our diet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDb6QoSwQTqzl9bwNTpdiushDTOlvjgO98VDOEXUoeVDG6XWnc0p4iwD2k8bv8mRNoXd-bkBwkAvzQkncCr6pNaI1P69C0aKSjg28FBj6FSh0X72OAnudVQIjM9ZahA2boAO-YQdVv-Y/s1600/sugarbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDb6QoSwQTqzl9bwNTpdiushDTOlvjgO98VDOEXUoeVDG6XWnc0p4iwD2k8bv8mRNoXd-bkBwkAvzQkncCr6pNaI1P69C0aKSjg28FBj6FSh0X72OAnudVQIjM9ZahA2boAO-YQdVv-Y/s320/sugarbook.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I loved the visual aspect of this book, not just lines and lines of words, but with lots of diagrams, cute characters, quotes and references to others who have been-there-and-done-that. It's a book for visual people who see life in pictures, like I do. And it's also great for kids as they can look at the pictures while you read.<br />
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After one chapter, I had to read another and another about his big sugar experiment, because he was not trying to cut out sugar but rather ADD it into his diet. How much? Loads! 40 teaspoons a day which is the national average per person in Australia. His twist was that it needed to come from "healthy" sources.<br />
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<i>This was the angle I didn't expect. </i><br />
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So this fellow Damon is a healthy guy, reformed by his girlfriend a couple of years back. He was eating what we call healthy fats in meats, avo, nuts and oils. These had to go for his experiment. His diet would now be what many, and even I at one time, call health foods. For 60 days he left behind those good things and entered into the "health" world of low fat food, fresh fruit, juices and carbohydrates. He had medical checks at the start, during and at the end to monitor his progress from being very healthy (by medical standards) to the unhealthy state he found himself - and his liver - in at the end of the 60 days.<br />
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It was his first breakfast that got me hooked on the book: "balanced" cereal, apple juice, low fat yoghurt. This gave him 20 teaspoons of sugar at one meal and not a bit of it came from the sugar bowl and it was all labelled as healthy.<br />
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This got me thinking...and reading labels in my pantry the next morning. I used to be a good label reader and then have become quite blasé about it all thinking that I know my way around foods now. I'm a big girl now, right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijz0RSIGFiVI8eDXoHbUJ6CJZWl_NUFMm0daAvXiQvBA7P60dTGxzlYr8elqNPmmwrWrynVhByjPi9kHDjLR75r88p0oaAOL6Bh1yKi3Zb3ezqhiWP1-EDzdSuwi9vV1crVRRwaBgFf34/s1600/insidebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijz0RSIGFiVI8eDXoHbUJ6CJZWl_NUFMm0daAvXiQvBA7P60dTGxzlYr8elqNPmmwrWrynVhByjPi9kHDjLR75r88p0oaAOL6Bh1yKi3Zb3ezqhiWP1-EDzdSuwi9vV1crVRRwaBgFf34/s320/insidebook.jpg" width="320" /></a>In my pantry I found at least 10 products with "hidden" sugar in them. Only noticeable when you read the labels. Rice milk powder, which we use with our oats, has sugar. Big blow here. Nut butters too...some sauces we use...and more.<br />
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Then moving on in the book he deals with carbohydrates and how they too affect our bodies as sugar does when they enter the blood stream. Carbohydrates (including white bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, crackers, muffins, cakes, pies, pizza, beer) all cause insulin levels to spike quickly. This means that a crash on the other side is unavoidable and then the cravings for something (like carbs) hit as your body doesn't have the energy it needs.<br />
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The last whammy he slaps the reader with is fruit. In our case - fruit and veggie juices. There is many a day when I want to skip a meal for one or another reason and will just juice up some veggies and fruits. This is a problem for the body as there is no fibre to aid slow release of energy into the bloodstream and can also cause spikes and lows in the blood sugar levels. So this is a conundrum for me...when we did our <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.com/2014/08/28-days-on-juice.html" target="_blank">28 day juice detox </a>last year I felt amazing! It's not that we ever planned on never chewing food again, but we all wanted to shed some kgs, detox our body and just lighten the food load a bit. At the end of the 28 days I felt strong and besides for some hunger at about 4pm each day I felt more even in my blood sugar. We did have lots of avocado though and perhaps the fats and fibre in that helped stabilise everything???<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTc_IsSiQktDCmA2yAvxFHZar-IP93muMZZFInwSLvqJPRokvVNU_H8Pmm-rsIMK3y0YTHW55XDRaCETlTZhXD7OWefhr0Ez5gPmwlc6OR42Gh-KabFxBe5AFUN0dkYshgFqpFmZtp_0U/s1600/sugar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTc_IsSiQktDCmA2yAvxFHZar-IP93muMZZFInwSLvqJPRokvVNU_H8Pmm-rsIMK3y0YTHW55XDRaCETlTZhXD7OWefhr0Ez5gPmwlc6OR42Gh-KabFxBe5AFUN0dkYshgFqpFmZtp_0U/s640/sugar.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I suppose I could have closed the book at the end, turned off my light and slept soundly. I mean I can count all the right things we do on my fingers...but that's not me. I have had his experiment going around and around in my head for weeks now and thinking about what this means for my family.<br />
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In particular what other sweet things am I willing to cut out - how radical will we go? Honey...coconut blossom sugar....spelt bread...sweet potatoes...these are all on our menu. According to the science, they should go too.<br />
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Well, at the end of the record playing in my head I have decided on a few things we can do to reduce the hidden sugars...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUWj4YI1U1QVirBn6OnXlAxyMQ-BOxCIsyDVXhGTvuVXxvc5piaE6FdvgGeEzCYb2Is6Hug7hBUnUE2F8bfxwynU7gzif_phZYoxVSwj9RAGgd7D7Yhz19iseXKtpj9qancOMtoat0Pg/s1600/honey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUWj4YI1U1QVirBn6OnXlAxyMQ-BOxCIsyDVXhGTvuVXxvc5piaE6FdvgGeEzCYb2Is6Hug7hBUnUE2F8bfxwynU7gzif_phZYoxVSwj9RAGgd7D7Yhz19iseXKtpj9qancOMtoat0Pg/s1600/honey.jpg" /></a>1. <b>Make more time to shop so that I can check labels again for sugars. </b>Things to look at carefully are the pseudonyms for sugar: evaporated cane juice, raw organic cane sugar, fruit juice concentrate, apple juice concentrate, cane syrup, beet sugar, caster sugar, crystalline fructose, blackstrap molasses, grape sugar, invert sugar, fruit juice, maple syrup.<br />
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2. <b>Go back to meal planning.</b> When you know what to buy for good old nourishing food and have a list it saves money, time and is better for your health.<br />
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3. <b>Stock up on healthy snacks for the every hungry kids in this house.</b> Being on school break now gives me a chance to think a bit more about this and search out and try some recipes which can fill up the "cookie" jar and the fridge with grab-able food on the go.<br />
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So that's really it. A lot of the stuff in his book I knew and we have been on a pretty good food path for a while, but there is always room for improvement.<br />
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Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?<br />
<br />Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-68920571636918352392015-06-07T12:38:00.000+01:002015-06-07T12:41:25.012+01:00Sun seekersToday is one of those gorgeous mild winter days when the sun is shining, the wind non existent and the temperature gentle. The inside of our home has a few delightful sunny patches which the animals migrate to as the sun moves up above.<br />
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The humans tend to bundle up because a lot of our home is rather cool, to say the least. But around lunch time we head out doors to eat and are followed by the other sun seekers. Some will go to extraordinary measures to get their few rays.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SSt1RpmTZCg0yXEQLRae7m4P_p82Msk4s4aHGHV_4CNIIVY7XZY7-FtmtA1p4vLhLNlrNtWgwAB7msTVHdW__V7VuPaaNxyP5DlCvHjbCmJdsNEXDMDEOkt1YLe2l71LBbkjypyVId4/s1600/buster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SSt1RpmTZCg0yXEQLRae7m4P_p82Msk4s4aHGHV_4CNIIVY7XZY7-FtmtA1p4vLhLNlrNtWgwAB7msTVHdW__V7VuPaaNxyP5DlCvHjbCmJdsNEXDMDEOkt1YLe2l71LBbkjypyVId4/s640/buster.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buster enjoying his lunch in the sun</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q0yyMDU3FfjDo111cmdECqKymsnzucxYt8i-zDOnvIXnYvBJHGwcp0NZ1hymbCaKeVFQgwWWNvMXSM0fiMLs0Zh5dRvODO0fQZQ7LMj5IJq97qOyd24Otq3o6gURHqtVq_brH6Z5Yak/s1600/teddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q0yyMDU3FfjDo111cmdECqKymsnzucxYt8i-zDOnvIXnYvBJHGwcp0NZ1hymbCaKeVFQgwWWNvMXSM0fiMLs0Zh5dRvODO0fQZQ7LMj5IJq97qOyd24Otq3o6gURHqtVq_brH6Z5Yak/s640/teddy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teddy looking for the perfect spot</td></tr>
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To grow vegetables you need three vital ingredients - good soil, water and sun. In winter we have a bit of a sun issue...take a look at the following pictures...this first one is where we have our two apple trees, an orange tree, curry leaf tree, some strawberry baskets and behind (not visible) is the granadilla vine. It is in full shade for all the deep winter days.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WewZ14h6GZrfd6Mnb5_Eg4_AIysey_-fW5eoNbgkq2uc0bwtzSzaJXFBSgwIfymzSw6Fav83y9efFcN7yE2EaHYulG1ewCV3ww0VOPUVb259kkIOJE6JEgX-OsvG-n4K4b2hDGIwRYs/s1600/fruittrees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WewZ14h6GZrfd6Mnb5_Eg4_AIysey_-fW5eoNbgkq2uc0bwtzSzaJXFBSgwIfymzSw6Fav83y9efFcN7yE2EaHYulG1ewCV3ww0VOPUVb259kkIOJE6JEgX-OsvG-n4K4b2hDGIwRYs/s640/fruittrees.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Having taken about 10 steps forward you are now looking into the main veggie garden. The geometric shadow is the house casting its shade for winter. I have planted in these beds, they will grow slowly for the next two months until the angle of the earth starts to change again and then the growing will speed up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjbzMldnyaRuNSgheR7OgKVAYvF4E0ELyITJS-yY4fa6ypZ9NVhnivu20a4HE-1qM4GGeyoKlK7tW8FtkWTUC31iXgyQH81aPZeUCk53-QDOvP6cbLTEezXEk9wXlANKltoaF0P8UCnk/s1600/pondgarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjbzMldnyaRuNSgheR7OgKVAYvF4E0ELyITJS-yY4fa6ypZ9NVhnivu20a4HE-1qM4GGeyoKlK7tW8FtkWTUC31iXgyQH81aPZeUCk53-QDOvP6cbLTEezXEk9wXlANKltoaF0P8UCnk/s640/pondgarden.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The dappled shade cast by the fences is not too much of an issue...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUk259wkkqnoDp2D28IaroNvK-zYjHEIf50k5n9uh4XIyj6ypdEAeIzRdBmNi84Nww2_l1fAIz-l8fZBDCbPVF2jewk9Js_GUf1cfg6sgD9E8yw9DVnS6IEwf72Px31UpL058LpS0Otg/s1600/granadilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUk259wkkqnoDp2D28IaroNvK-zYjHEIf50k5n9uh4XIyj6ypdEAeIzRdBmNi84Nww2_l1fAIz-l8fZBDCbPVF2jewk9Js_GUf1cfg6sgD9E8yw9DVnS6IEwf72Px31UpL058LpS0Otg/s640/granadilla.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The one that fell</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluZMoGzKddiaw9fEdBMGdFDCWrLn_zlrhlqGPE2jXDUCVPW4pEZi-YCyoWgOsWyexhKAGP0tl7JSpuklWpom-zoJPwZOAvVH7cukUhYRU0e6uYXyMZX_RJAKzWB5xiudjXG4lBSNfw80/s1600/calendula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluZMoGzKddiaw9fEdBMGdFDCWrLn_zlrhlqGPE2jXDUCVPW4pEZi-YCyoWgOsWyexhKAGP0tl7JSpuklWpom-zoJPwZOAvVH7cukUhYRU0e6uYXyMZX_RJAKzWB5xiudjXG4lBSNfw80/s640/calendula.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calendula in the dappled shade</td></tr>
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We loose more or less ⅓ of our growing space in winter, mostly on this side of the garden and one bed of the original 5 we started with in 2008. It just goes with the territory.<br />
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<br />Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-34040137075900308022015-05-31T14:31:00.003+01:002015-05-31T14:31:57.382+01:00Our principles of healthy eating<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0-aW5mqa-D4GWl2n_6ZEytEovje5ADvAu1WYOk-qSaE_ho5eZ2AGgggSTnhDuGqfDSJyi0R48WNQJ-tQSuBy6DSRg9aB6a7dfgjSehpXP5nJFZSXVj6neHva29OKr9NkZTHFHvmur0s/s640/healthy-eating.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Recently my daughter has had a health awakening! Sounds spectacular but you know what its like with kids - you feed them the right things, tell them to exercise, get them in the garden, talk about petroleum based products etc but its always you as the driving force.<br />
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They still eat sweets and chips by choice, want the hair stuff that makes their hair look like the Pantene ad and add it to the shopping trolley when you are not looking! But somewhere along the line all my modelling has lit a fire in my eldest and it's burning hotter than mine ever did!<br />
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So T<a href="http://missjesswrites.com/" target="_blank">he Healthy Capetonian</a> was born where she documents where she is eating with restaurant reviews of healthy eating spots. She also reviews beauty products and shares her spectacular recipes for smoothie bowls and other scrumptious breakfasts. And exercise...well let me say it's not for the feint hearted!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UznBz55R3wv3qpjl5cE_6EyC6DIH2jdMJZyiUKseMj4cIvSMOLCUKkKIhwAdFclOXx9c-G4SZwGMMXQdFhnWX8ubCEHC1FE72-RMH5GhR0Zhx-TehnqvfT0f5MLJOCJ1wjzkx1GX3RY/s1600/smoothiebowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UznBz55R3wv3qpjl5cE_6EyC6DIH2jdMJZyiUKseMj4cIvSMOLCUKkKIhwAdFclOXx9c-G4SZwGMMXQdFhnWX8ubCEHC1FE72-RMH5GhR0Zhx-TehnqvfT0f5MLJOCJ1wjzkx1GX3RY/s640/smoothiebowl.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious smoothie bowls</td></tr>
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But her awakening has made me think again about healthy eating. It's not like we slid back into bad habits - we have been eating pretty clean for 12 years now, but I believe that as you receive new revelation you need to move forward. And of course there are always those <strike>days</strike> weeks when you find yourself not making the best food choices.<br />
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So the "Healthy One" and I were chatting the other day about how I cannot make expensive smoothie bowls for everyone in the family - just way to expensive with the superfood powders and berries - but there are some things that we can do to improve the nutrition factors in or home that don't cost a lot but will fill tummies and boost immune systems and over all health.<br />
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We have had forays into a 28 day long juice diet and months with Paleo eating, but we always return to the 5 food groups as this makes sense to our family, lifestyle and budget. We will always choose a low or healthy carb option however, as middle age spread :) and Superman's Type 2 Diabetes - which I don't think he suffers from any longer, but if we don't watch out it could be an issue again - means we need to watch the carbohydrate space. However for the rest of it, we do not have major health problems related to food so are pretty comfortable with our basic meals.<br />
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Why the 5 basic food groups? No matter what Tim Noakes or Mr William Banting says I find that we have much better blood sugar levels with a bit of carb, protein and veg with each meal. I did loose weight eating Paleo style for about 8 months last year (2014). I also lost a nice chunk of weight before our October trip to the UK on the <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.com/2014/08/28-days-on-juice.html" target="_blank">28 day juice diet</a> <i>and </i>we still try to incorporate juicing into our eating plan. But neither of these have been sustainable over the long run. (No, no, never fear - not trying to live on juice - just replacing a meal with a juice each day.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bJoATN9jy_6NQVmArTpysirFuK1dRiVKRgmLZzvAr6W5Q8bnYylv2TLAGkGvlCm6yC2wmkenx1MWp1YmD7oAyjVzVWVJ-FpR8vRPE4uKEgh-c-PKynercicWtTpyk5_WmsrENOprtp0/s1600/carrots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bJoATN9jy_6NQVmArTpysirFuK1dRiVKRgmLZzvAr6W5Q8bnYylv2TLAGkGvlCm6yC2wmkenx1MWp1YmD7oAyjVzVWVJ-FpR8vRPE4uKEgh-c-PKynercicWtTpyk5_WmsrENOprtp0/s640/carrots.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homegrown carrots</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In a world of fad diets and super foods and a whole lot of opinions on how to eat, the old fashioned food pyramid is not as sexy as something new, but it's where we always end up. We apply our "rule" to it though in that we eat food in its most simple form, closest to its original state and always choosing organic as far as possible.<br />
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So not because I am a health guru, nor because I have any particular agenda, but just because I feel like scribbling down our food principles and by way of that, sharing them with you.<br />
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So here are our basic principles:<br />
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<b>Carbohydrates (don't read bread!)</b><br />
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Bread is only one kind of carb, which we tend to eat only once or twice a week,but when we do eat bread we generally mill our own whole spelt grains (or Kamut) but if the mood takes us we also have refined spelt that gives a decent "white loaf". Other carbs we love are <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.com/search/label/pasta" target="_blank">pasta</a>...but we eat this only once a week and use gluten free for my son and normal for us. I used to love making my own pasta but this tradition has fallen by the wayside, sadly. Good for the waistline, not for the taste buds.<br />
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Everyone needs carbs and the good ones are found in vegetables in their simple understated way. We have swapped out white potatoes for the most part for sweet potatoes as they have a much higher fibre content and are very versatile. We love having these roasted with butter, a <a href="http://www.funkychickens.co.za/blog/the-simplest-and-best-recipe-for-chicken-thighs" target="_blank">simple chicken thigh dish</a> and big salad for supper. Doesn't get better than this!<br />
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Soups are a big thing here and any of the compact starchy vegetables are great for soups. Butternut soup is a quick easy favourite lunch for most of us. As far as I can I try to eat seasonal foods in particular corn and only if I can find it as organic. We do eat polenta, barley, millet, rice and bulgar wheat which we get from Nature's Choice. I am looking into buying these in bulk from an organic food company, but will have to phase that in as its pretty pricey to buy 20kgs of organic grains.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSHRc2qKC3n99GNnuC1E1jyuRiUx2fVl-WXkd3gl79ccU1dYfEIsNgEWSw1R810yAldOe31dTLDyVt2qJf1FbHt5tS4o7iRWCGVi2ILDUkArNzSJk1Bo09JeUyZEQ-pekGwzLfaMEQw4/s1600/bread-dough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSHRc2qKC3n99GNnuC1E1jyuRiUx2fVl-WXkd3gl79ccU1dYfEIsNgEWSw1R810yAldOe31dTLDyVt2qJf1FbHt5tS4o7iRWCGVi2ILDUkArNzSJk1Bo09JeUyZEQ-pekGwzLfaMEQw4/s640/bread-dough.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spelt bread dough on the rise</td></tr>
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<b>Protein</b><br />
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Let me put this right out here - we don't eat dried beans as a protein. They simple do not agree with our family's guts! I will add beans here and there to recipes when I make Mexican food, but as an addition too, not as a meal. So our protein comes mainly in the form of organic lamb, beef, chicken, pork, eggs and recently a bit of goat!<br />
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Again, while we love stews and curries, my daughter has been encouraging us to eat "cleaner" with less sauces. Even then my curries are made from scratch using my own herb and spice mixes, homemade beef or chicken stock and vegetables.<br />
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My two elder children run a free range meat supply company called <a href="http://www.funkychickens.co.za/" target="_blank">Funky Chickens</a> and the chicken, pork, eggs and goat that they sell is organic, although not certified, and the beef and lamb is free range. I get my beef and lamb from elsewhere which is organic and pasture fed.<br />
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We tend to still be big on the animal protein side and lower on the carbohydrates, so I am quite pointed in making sure that our protein is of the best we can get. If I did have a source of organic animal protein, I think I would come a bit unglued...but we would not eat beans to make up the protein portion.<br />
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<b>Fruit and Vegetables</b><br />
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This is the tougher area for me to remain organic as for the last year or two I have had to supplement heavily as I didn't have the ability to grow as much as we needed. I think that my new compact planting idea will give us higher yields. But until then we buy from Woolies on their bulk specials, or from PnP, or if I am the Earth Fair market I will support Bees in Boots.<br />
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We will never be able to grow our own organic fruit as our plot is too small (and I have one son who can finish a bag of apples in 2 days!). What we do grow we eat, at the moment it is strawberries, granadillas and lemons. We do have two apple trees, two orange trees, two fig trees and different berry plants, but as yet have had no fruit from them.<br />
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On the pavement I have planted two Elder Trees which will provide some amazing products when they are grown. And while most wouldn't classify it as a fruit, we have two avocado trees which began producing this year. Over time I hope to explore how to grow more berries and fruit in our small space and am thinking about growing some fruit trees espalier as we have loads of wall space...but we will see.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8aAqE5FK0qT2JUhhki1RTh83Hmq9apSwyr0SH2RNjE2yGnvXE-a1SMG3MiRqcHzxRy2PBZtgqZsCD0LMba2UOrt3m16nbNbb3bq5khBCAMetSU_KZEjBNoY2ZuQ3qhkOWwwzDs6lBiU/s1600/leeks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8aAqE5FK0qT2JUhhki1RTh83Hmq9apSwyr0SH2RNjE2yGnvXE-a1SMG3MiRqcHzxRy2PBZtgqZsCD0LMba2UOrt3m16nbNbb3bq5khBCAMetSU_KZEjBNoY2ZuQ3qhkOWwwzDs6lBiU/s640/leeks.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful homegrown leeks</td></tr>
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<b>Dairy produce</b><br />
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Mmmmh, I know about the milk debate and as I had two children who were lactose intolerant as babes we are not huge milk drinkers. We use milk in coffee and tea and in cooking if needed however we are yoghurt eaters. Some more than others. Could we do without milk and its products, I think so, however so far there is no real need to.<br />
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My elder daughter makes the most delicious breakfast porridge and uses rice milk powder for that, and then we read the label and found that its packed with hidden sugars. Tossing up the two (milk vs. rice milk) I think that buying whole organic milk for tea and coffee and cooking is probably the lesser of two evils.<br />
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We do use cheese, but mostly I prefer to use Mysthills' butter and cheese as their dairy herd is free range. Superman prefer's Woolies cheddar, which has colorants in it. But this is used so seldom that I figure the 80/20 rule applies...yes?<br />
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<b>Fats & sugars</b><br />
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The debates rage on and on and on about this. Should we be getting our fats from animal source...or from nuts, avo's and oils...or from both?<br />
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We do the both option. I don't buy lean meat, skimmed milk or low fat cheeses and yoghurt. But we also eat loads of avocados, a variety of nuts and use cold pressed oils.<br />
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Coconut oil, which has been touted as the best oil to use, is now <a href="http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/diet-weight-loss/food/nutrition/article/coconut-oil-all-its-cracked-be" target="_blank">coming under scrutiny</a> by many health pros as they question whether it is truly the miracle food it was made out to be. Personally I use it to make soap and for rough elbows :) My daughter uses it in her smoothie bowls and porridge recipes. Granted it gives the meals a thick luxurious texture and gentle flavour, but as I am undecided about it I keep it for external preparations for now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgHbUG-_-vcYdATLx0aIuTXx4uRvT0QxMrTsU7xKUEa9aYYARlg9PjrBoVoRGjoVjvvvLBpo914NINh47XS5k63vDEZpUE5iKB8zT15ZV5Nm49hJRvFpZJYjJTSTGJ9reZ7wWzyD1PnU/s1600/porridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgHbUG-_-vcYdATLx0aIuTXx4uRvT0QxMrTsU7xKUEa9aYYARlg9PjrBoVoRGjoVjvvvLBpo914NINh47XS5k63vDEZpUE5iKB8zT15ZV5Nm49hJRvFpZJYjJTSTGJ9reZ7wWzyD1PnU/s640/porridge.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Porridge with coconut blossom sugar and preserved peaches</td></tr>
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With regards to sugar, as I look back over the years, this has been our weakness. We have loved puddings, cakes, cookies and treats. We have had too much sugar in our diets. About 3 months ago we replaced sugar with coconut blossom sugar when we learned about it from a friend. We use this in all our beverages and baking. There are a few times when the brown colour of it will affect the end product so we do use organic sugar, but very seldom. There is still debate raging on about the health claims of coconut blossom sugar, so my goal is to move more and more towards raw organic honey for sweetness. I do not like xylitol or stevia so probably won't ever switch to those "healthier" sweeteners, which also have their fair share of criticisms to deal with.<br />
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So that's our story with food right now. What are your healthy eating guidelines?<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D3404013707590030802%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-OQvxsL8AGAU%2FVWsG1jdAVRI%2FAAAAAAAAIiM%2FTv8XCckCk40%2Fs640%2Fporridge.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 113px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 5668px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D3404013707590030802%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-OQvxsL8AGAU%2FVWsG1jdAVRI%2FAAAAAAAAIiM%2FTv8XCckCk40%2Fs640%2Fporridge.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 113px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 5668px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D3404013707590030802%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-OQvxsL8AGAU%2FVWsG1jdAVRI%2FAAAAAAAAIiM%2FTv8XCckCk40%2Fs640%2Fporridge.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 113px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 5668px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D3404013707590030802%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dallposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dallposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-OQvxsL8AGAU%2FVWsG1jdAVRI%2FAAAAAAAAIiM%2FTv8XCckCk40%2Fs640%2Fporridge.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 113px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 5668px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-55162477704335520262015-05-09T14:26:00.003+01:002015-05-09T14:26:48.520+01:00Compact veggie gardening<br />
Yes, I last posted 3 weeks ago and have not in fact dropped off the end of the world. I have however been very caught up in life. Too much life and feeling the need to trim back a bit so that the pace is slower, that there is more time for the things I love doing, more time to watch seedlings grow and just breathe.<br />
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One of the biggest challenges is that we are redesigning our back yard. It has been perfectly functional for many years, but is a bit grungy and has needed an overhaul to better suit our family's lifestyle for a while. With the older ages of our children we need to give them the space they need which led to us renovating the granny flat to make space for our elder son to have his own room, studio and entertainment space.<br />
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This in turn led to a total make over, including a newer, but smaller pool, raised beds for herbs and permanent veg, pizza oven, built in bar (BBQ) and more. This is what the back area looked like last night after 3 weeks of workman. We have at least another 3 weeks to go...at least.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KPZb5LBCeb0vZ-RJ_2DeSFZCOs4QYjNXw_S2sG0MOt35sB_azO_IWMTqxYu-mP5OxJsObaNkX6WiEkLxw7hPDH-y7wP7NNuKjY3D_qME8vpnW2AMfB2MJLO54kjatehyZsdhv4K6pXE/s1600/backyard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KPZb5LBCeb0vZ-RJ_2DeSFZCOs4QYjNXw_S2sG0MOt35sB_azO_IWMTqxYu-mP5OxJsObaNkX6WiEkLxw7hPDH-y7wP7NNuKjY3D_qME8vpnW2AMfB2MJLO54kjatehyZsdhv4K6pXE/s640/backyard.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This back area held a fair amount of vegetables in barrels and pots and all had to be relocated. This was the perfect timing to prepare the pavement garden and send the plants out there, along with some new ones. The fig tree fell in two when we dug it up so we carefully put them onto the pavement. The Tea Tree bush was also transplanted as well as the rosemary plants, rosebushes, blueberry shrubs, <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.com/search/label/asparagus" target="_blank">asparagus</a>, strawberries and herbs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6q9-oNOmihvd6wayf9-jM8Q4zcz69st3CxnjDIb63Vo9_qIG2enVn9bc5n2pwYREZLDT4Up9L_rVaLT5TW5WOfqzGPcPhb5ROMq2mAwWPnqti6MUFKQa66hiiRZrYCBtL6x0VwmZ19uk/s1600/pavement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6q9-oNOmihvd6wayf9-jM8Q4zcz69st3CxnjDIb63Vo9_qIG2enVn9bc5n2pwYREZLDT4Up9L_rVaLT5TW5WOfqzGPcPhb5ROMq2mAwWPnqti6MUFKQa66hiiRZrYCBtL6x0VwmZ19uk/s640/pavement.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I think a separate post about the <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.com/2015/03/visiting-babylonstoren-motivation-for.html" target="_blank">pavement area </a>would be a better idea, but the idea is that this will be an indigenous herb/medicinal plant space...except for the two Elderflower trees which I am very excited about!<br />
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All the transplanting has taken up most of my spare time, but I have also had time to keep up with my bi-weekly planting up of a bed. The goal is to do consecutive plantings every two weeks until all the beds are full with the selections of plants.<br />
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This bed below is my absolute favourite combination of plants and while I don't think the photo shows its beauty and fullness it will soon be full to overflowing. The <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.com/2015/04/drip-irrigation-for-urban-homestead.html" target="_blank">drip irrigation</a> that we now have is great for planting in straight lines :) My ideas that I had a few weeks ago to increase production in this space rely on planting in a different way than before.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5Wp-COQuZ8g7V8T8OaoZ_VOpt70945sUG7aiQGCdl1WflYjB5jUMm4SbvSIk2f2JfgR0U65fTelRE1z7pAp9Kxw9ca8vD3rZAbckUA9l_sCOAY0kTZs-Pw7Xr4zEbfL8dF1oW4GWFkA/s1600/fav-bed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5Wp-COQuZ8g7V8T8OaoZ_VOpt70945sUG7aiQGCdl1WflYjB5jUMm4SbvSIk2f2JfgR0U65fTelRE1z7pAp9Kxw9ca8vD3rZAbckUA9l_sCOAY0kTZs-Pw7Xr4zEbfL8dF1oW4GWFkA/s640/fav-bed.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Down both sides of this bed are onion seedlings. Then there is a row of beetroot, then spinach and then against the trellis, some peas. This is repeated on the other side of the trellis. I have alternated root and leaf crops (although technically beet leaves can also be eaten.) Pretty crowded in there, methinks!<br />
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This next bed is slightly different...this was taken a few weeks ago. On the sides of this bed I have two rows of coriander. Then two rows of carrots, a row of spring onions and against the trellis, broad beans.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qcfdmnC3hZujUuKBmAnNwu-N_HsW-kru8DdVDrpnjUt8JG5hqlgfQdq47PRNn8dRXLWcLGzSQZlVmlXmxUmmGK1cRPl6XTMJXXi5MAlgpuejDxNu9K9OBO9eLnKa3fOf1cZ0R2udz40/s1600/carrots-coriander.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qcfdmnC3hZujUuKBmAnNwu-N_HsW-kru8DdVDrpnjUt8JG5hqlgfQdq47PRNn8dRXLWcLGzSQZlVmlXmxUmmGK1cRPl6XTMJXXi5MAlgpuejDxNu9K9OBO9eLnKa3fOf1cZ0R2udz40/s640/carrots-coriander.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The below picture was taken today. Two weeks ago I planted garlic here which you can see. In between I have angel hair chicory and lettuces which are difficult to see. Against the wall are black palm kale.<br />
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Other beds have been planted with radish along the edges, then rocket, then beets then peas. Another favourite bed is the garlic, red cabbage, brown onions and broad beans.<br />
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By using this method - admittedly as an experimental year - we should be <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.com/2015/03/getting-better-yields-from-vegetable.html" target="_blank">using every inch of space</a> in the soil for roots. I have richly fed all the beds with manure and compost to give them all the nutrition they need.<br />
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So whats growing in your garden?<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-GWFwU2gfqu0%2FVU4HwzM8hWI%2FAAAAAAAAIhs%2FDVmqGKNqyPM%2Fs640%2Fcarrots-coriander.JPG&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2404px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3043083310487431217%23editor%2Fsrc%3Ddashboard&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-GWFwU2gfqu0%2FVU4HwzM8hWI%2FAAAAAAAAIhs%2FDVmqGKNqyPM%2Fs640%2Fcarrots-coriander.JPG&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 2404px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-33199789995585120782015-04-19T12:45:00.000+01:002015-04-19T12:45:41.801+01:00Drip irrigation for the Urban HomesteadTo say that dragging around a very long hosepipe attached to a semi working borehole every second day for the last 7 years, has become tiresome, is a serious understatement.<br />
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It gets snagged.<br />
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It gets twisted.<br />
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It waters paths, not beds.<br />
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It gets hooked.<br />
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It gets punctures (in the wrong places).<br />
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It is messy.<br />
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I eventually had enough but knowing the price of installing drip irrigation I had to keep going.<br />
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Then it ran dry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_s4Zk7BaCNGaGOdKv_wIDqPI2McqKQe-0EzMaQ-bi9sDitxRk3lOcZuX55LRJ23U0KDlzK8gc8Ie4wZ7_9fIqOn7rGS5HGiCQS3kUlCQVb19H-kWQFk-EhrNVqyNHEohONjQCBWtPPc/s1600/drip2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_s4Zk7BaCNGaGOdKv_wIDqPI2McqKQe-0EzMaQ-bi9sDitxRk3lOcZuX55LRJ23U0KDlzK8gc8Ie4wZ7_9fIqOn7rGS5HGiCQS3kUlCQVb19H-kWQFk-EhrNVqyNHEohONjQCBWtPPc/s1600/drip2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Superman took notice as the municipal water bill started to climb....and climb...and climb...and climb...and climb...<br />
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I sent him a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e31dixwSXOk" target="_blank">little video</a> made by the GrowVeg team which got him thinking.<br />
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Then being the number cruncher of the family he crunched his numbers and found that once the cost of the drip irrigation was paid for we would save and save and save.<br />
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So overnight he made up his mind and off he went to buy what we needed then gave up two days of his very busy work week to install it along with the help of a friend.<br />
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So now every second or third day I simply walk outside, turn on a tap and it drips away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3nvPS0PivDIgaIenvuZ41F3z1LCVDiBdnRZG83UNQnUstJzXZuxREJQP-4kWn_Z5VETheWhtMxrVMCHl8otq-PXSvyoS_NnXfguLWvvijrDvNPMZ8mlgM_zW6FyKRlpNm_iPJTcityM/s1600/drip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3nvPS0PivDIgaIenvuZ41F3z1LCVDiBdnRZG83UNQnUstJzXZuxREJQP-4kWn_Z5VETheWhtMxrVMCHl8otq-PXSvyoS_NnXfguLWvvijrDvNPMZ8mlgM_zW6FyKRlpNm_iPJTcityM/s1600/drip.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our next step will be to link the borehole to a Jo-Jo tank and then use that to pump the water into and from there connect it to the drip irrigation. We also hope to include in our backyard renovation, which is currently happening, rain water tanks for the same purpose.<br />
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Then it will be free....free...free to water the garden and this will make my number cruncher happy.<br />
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So for those of you who understand the numbers this is what I am told...<br />
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A normal rose sprinkler uses 27 litres per minute on one spot. It runs for about 6 hours to water the whole garden.<br />
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Drip irrigation uses 25 litres per minute over the whole garden and runs for about 4 hours. The holes in the pipe are at 15cm intervals and with the calculations it should give a diameter of 30cm which will overlap with the next 30cm circle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwEm1hiBdoHh_ZpMILRdsIFNISU4DVEd5nvkjgrTRZCNwHmBbGcU8gVaBoNaEhKEWSxaV7pr4A4XOlICWOr471HCN7zBaDUXRdF8yWKTxTux3hjWwgwVDWdPAM0WtonpnXG-w-BuK_Dw/s1600/drip3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwEm1hiBdoHh_ZpMILRdsIFNISU4DVEd5nvkjgrTRZCNwHmBbGcU8gVaBoNaEhKEWSxaV7pr4A4XOlICWOr471HCN7zBaDUXRdF8yWKTxTux3hjWwgwVDWdPAM0WtonpnXG-w-BuK_Dw/s1600/drip3.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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So while the per minute usage is similar the coverage is vastly different.<br />
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How do you water your garden?<br />
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<br />Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-3531487798820352912015-04-04T16:07:00.000+02:002015-04-04T16:07:36.108+02:00What are you going to do with all those berries?Yes, I love berries. I love them fresh for a snack, frozen for smoothies, growing on a cane, hanging from a bush...there is just something about a berry that makes me want to eat it!<br />
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On our way through to <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsa.blogspot.com/2015/03/visiting-babylonstoren-motivation-for.html" target="_blank">Babylonstoren</a> last week we popped into Hillcrest Berries to get an order I had placed earlier in the week. This included fresh raspberries and strawberries, frozen blueberries, raspberries and strawberries and 5 plants which were two Misty blueberry bushes, 2 raspberries and 1 blackberry.<br />
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The prices are exceptionally good particularly if you tend to buy those tiny pallets of them from PnP or Woolies. I wouldn't drive all the way just for berries, but it fitted into our round trip well and was a huge savings for us, petrol included.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErqiYg4Vq84ohkHaeEMSRl97cK_SqKzGrLGp6uSljlCVIosKKo3rWhuOvPhyphenhypheny6ca8p7XtuCUXyX_XT1xCO_S2eNx1Ac_qa1PkgruQM9V7LmvbVqwIl5gOMXMWDERcuqXSUVIo_Ncd1pg/s1600/blueberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErqiYg4Vq84ohkHaeEMSRl97cK_SqKzGrLGp6uSljlCVIosKKo3rWhuOvPhyphenhypheny6ca8p7XtuCUXyX_XT1xCO_S2eNx1Ac_qa1PkgruQM9V7LmvbVqwIl5gOMXMWDERcuqXSUVIo_Ncd1pg/s1600/blueberries.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blueberries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpJJnqotvyPEV5mUzsVPbkbmJ0wo3tX9lLXPgovuapOgD5RH-nIUIwjm49kC74-fj9e2i5QwRM226CM3Dy_KI98SD4O3QJaLknbGmB72cNZxYPL_Asu4Jyt3zJrv6K_7SKkSFgd7QrYg/s1600/raspberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpJJnqotvyPEV5mUzsVPbkbmJ0wo3tX9lLXPgovuapOgD5RH-nIUIwjm49kC74-fj9e2i5QwRM226CM3Dy_KI98SD4O3QJaLknbGmB72cNZxYPL_Asu4Jyt3zJrv6K_7SKkSFgd7QrYg/s1600/raspberries.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raspberries</td></tr>
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I have planted the bushes and canes in the garden already and our raspberries have a little shade cover as they are in a very sunny spot and during summer will need a little relief. The blueberries are in a spot under our struggling olive tree (got to sort it out!) and we have two other cultivars in pots close by from a previous purchase. The black berry is in a large pot, I need to find a spot for it, I think I have, but until I am certain it will be happy in its current situation.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o3t5jA6YpIp9qumzncQtvnbb_Cbrak6XQ8hqUr8qBSJV6gXzZag8fg7uGRN3JLEK1y2y7HeEbbMD9-KyVJ63TTmBH2jcdBB15DLGrzFZyuEFoMR6JArcskWRWZKyjqKbKEdaf92Z7-8/s1600/blackberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o3t5jA6YpIp9qumzncQtvnbb_Cbrak6XQ8hqUr8qBSJV6gXzZag8fg7uGRN3JLEK1y2y7HeEbbMD9-KyVJ63TTmBH2jcdBB15DLGrzFZyuEFoMR6JArcskWRWZKyjqKbKEdaf92Z7-8/s1600/blackberry.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackberry</td></tr>
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As for the rest, between the 6 of us we will use the 10kgs fresh and frozen up in no time. My eldest daughter has turned into a real foodie - you can <a href="http://missjesswrites.com/" target="_blank">follow her blog</a> where she is doing restaurant reviews and recipes or her <a href="https://instagram.com/mysize5feet/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> feed to see her DELICIOUS breakfasts that we all stand in line to lick the bowls after she has prepared it!<br />
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Here are two of my favourite breakfasts using berries.<br />
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<u><b>Spelt, banana and blueberry muffins </b></u>- From Gordon Ramsey's <a href="http://www.loot.co.za/product/gordon-ramsay-gordon-ramsay-s-healthy-appetite/kgnl-2284-g880referrer=homeschoolcurriculumlifecom" target="_blank">Healthy Appetite</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKT0ESn5yfKquprZucFKtAShNjdDBVWZcGwksScWVDb3ppeMCatFbNAFWBC8Vn-xQsPRvUJoqAjXzzgtTtsSTNifoXGckTiQIiiGgpsb1Mo7Z6uqdaI9ptFiIkp7HcKqY_Al9xYo7so0/s1600/blueberry-muffins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKT0ESn5yfKquprZucFKtAShNjdDBVWZcGwksScWVDb3ppeMCatFbNAFWBC8Vn-xQsPRvUJoqAjXzzgtTtsSTNifoXGckTiQIiiGgpsb1Mo7Z6uqdaI9ptFiIkp7HcKqY_Al9xYo7so0/s1600/blueberry-muffins.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
2 ripe bananas, mashed<br />
300g wholemeal flours (I grind my own spelt for this recipe)<br />
1 1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda<br />
Pinch sea salt<br />
100g light Muscovado or brown sugar (I use the same quantity Coconut Blossom Sugar)<br />
1 carton of buttermilk<br />
2 large eggs<br />
75g melted butter<br />
200g frozen blueberries<br />
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Mix the wet ingredients, mix the dry, mix together adding the blueberries at the end for a quick stir, then put in greased muffin tins and bake for 20 - 25 minutes on 180.<br />
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<u><b>Blueberry Hotcakes</b></u> - from the <a href="http://www.loot.co.za/product/tim-noakes-the-real-meal-revolution/wycd-2717-g150http://www.loot.co.za/product/gordon-ramsay-gordon-ramsay-s-healthy-appetite/kgnl-2284-g880referrer=homeschoolcurriculumlifecom" target="_blank">Real Meal Revolution</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovWvwOdic-yMrPLjIVU46Y27NhY_6t7Hw40Cnb_IYOd6jlzpQrfUHZj1B4tLL-Roo_r-qSIcYEqKJ_88_VQDRTB8LW52LVy48oLxuYFYYB0-sAgnmuPwisaDZLOuxbwi2kFTzwxmvB7o/s1600/hotcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovWvwOdic-yMrPLjIVU46Y27NhY_6t7Hw40Cnb_IYOd6jlzpQrfUHZj1B4tLL-Roo_r-qSIcYEqKJ_88_VQDRTB8LW52LVy48oLxuYFYYB0-sAgnmuPwisaDZLOuxbwi2kFTzwxmvB7o/s1600/hotcakes.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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2/3 cup almond flour</div>
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1/3 cup coconut flour</div>
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1 1/3 cups ricotta cheese</div>
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3/4 cup of milk</div>
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1 tsp baking powder</div>
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4 eggs</div>
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180g frozen blueberries</div>
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50g butter for frying</div>
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Smooth cream cheese & fresh berries & honey for serving</div>
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Mix the wet ingredients, mix the dry, mix together adding the blueberries for a quick mix at the end. Melt butter in a frying pan and fry large spoon fulls of the mix until well cooked before flipping over. Put honey in between two, to with honey, cream cheese and fresh berries.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1zjUQYFOBXKAUZpmXi-gaLzDiE_qcWbHhFjp2tnoGli0bQw5eNGNn8CTkINPk_rLNzAY7GsBAAjKIaHlrmBhinKmrOdF5bgoe9zf7iVBKCOpV0Bb0wnWJ6A5GJifSHeO2002jC6pLu0/s1600/frozenblueberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1zjUQYFOBXKAUZpmXi-gaLzDiE_qcWbHhFjp2tnoGli0bQw5eNGNn8CTkINPk_rLNzAY7GsBAAjKIaHlrmBhinKmrOdF5bgoe9zf7iVBKCOpV0Bb0wnWJ6A5GJifSHeO2002jC6pLu0/s1600/frozenblueberries.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Last laugh - so right after I took this photo, I dropped my iPhone into the batter!!!! :O</span></div>
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<br />Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-29578954557977837962015-04-01T15:03:00.000+02:002015-04-01T15:03:13.875+02:00How to build a bug hotelOne of my goals is to attract more bugs and bees to our garden. Besides for planting flowers, flowering herbs and the vegetable flowers, I have wanted to make a bug hotel for absolute ages after seeing one at the Bishops Court Community Gardens 2 years ago.<br />
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So today my youngest son, his cat and I made one based on this video below.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/E2aIEQjt9zE/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E2aIEQjt9zE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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We don't have his fancy planter on the top but this area bursts into bloom from now through winter with my favourite flower - Nasturtiums.<br />
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Here are our pictures of today's work. We used what we had ling around except for the hardboard which was given to us by Builders Warehouse as it was damaged.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRL9GhTDoSZgiO-BECu1FnrLG_KGrMIRWcpiBhoAO-aso6g83dVFrlW1sJokM2W1WLhzScx9ZCfesIS_3y40BYvPb1dNkWrkTBv_S1mUJeC9RKIxdZ4i6N0xDE-Gy3Vr2fEQolR0RK8oM/s1600/teddy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRL9GhTDoSZgiO-BECu1FnrLG_KGrMIRWcpiBhoAO-aso6g83dVFrlW1sJokM2W1WLhzScx9ZCfesIS_3y40BYvPb1dNkWrkTBv_S1mUJeC9RKIxdZ4i6N0xDE-Gy3Vr2fEQolR0RK8oM/s1600/teddy2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-73536337347234121112015-03-30T14:31:00.003+02:002015-03-30T14:31:44.218+02:00Visiting Babylonstoren - motivation for the weary vegetable growerYesterday was a day that did this to me....M-O-T-I-V-A-T-I-O-N...with a capital....<span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span><br />
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I have been wanting to visit <a href="http://www.babylonstoren.com/garden" target="_blank">Babylonstoren</a> between Stellenbosch and Paarl for more than two years now but life has simply not allowed me to get there. Now that I have been once I feel I must return to spend a day there every few months and move slowly through each of the garden areas and watch the garden over the seasons. Whether this dream will be realised I cannot say, but there would be value in it.<br />
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I have also been needing to order bulk frozen and fresh berries from Hillcrest as my other supplier has dried up and have wanted to get more berry plants into our garden. So having the perfect excuse - a day out with my Superman and <a href="http://elasticmom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">long standing friend</a> who was visiting, we headed out at 8.30am to Helshoogte for the berry farm.<br />
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This was truly a whistle stop visit to hastily grab the 10kgs of frozen berries and 5 plants which were waiting for me. A quick look out on the patio at this incredible view and a brief glimpse at the menu was all we needed to decide that it would be good to return - but Superman says only on his new motorbike for a breakfast run...okey dokey - will take some time to prepare myself to go up Helshoogte on the back of a bike.<br />
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Babylonstoren does daily garden tours at 10am with the remarkable Gundula whose love and passion for gardening, plants, food, natural medicines and animals shines through all she says. A wealth of knowledge and expertise, she took us through the brief history of the farm, what their goals are and how they have structured the space.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Superman feeds the Tilapia - an excellent food source</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">African blooming water lily</td></tr>
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The most remarkable thing is that in this little organic oasis every plant, flower, ground cover, tree, herb and vegetable has something to offer a hungry world for food and medicinal needs and to attract bees, birds and other pollinators to this garden in an farm area that is predominantly farmed using chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The knowledge that they have they share freely and as we walked she reiterated that it is a eating tour - to help ourselves to a fruit here and there, to crush and sniff a leaf.<br />
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Everything is admirable - whether it is the 70 year old guava trees which were transplanted from a neighbouring farm and which are thriving in this paradise or the olive trees that are dripping with fruits. I am <i>really</i> not a guava fan but seeing them sitting there on the branches promising me something new I had to eat one....we all had to eat one.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unspotted, unblemished promise of sweetness </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ate it - and enjoyed it for the first time ever.<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Each garden revealed more delights, more inspiration and more knowledge and ideas to me for how I can begin to make very part of my little patch of earth count towards growing food for my family and others...I can grow fruit trees along my green garden walls, I can add Elderflowers to my pavement instead of these horrid Brazilian Peppers we have care of the municipality. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Their citrus fruits are ripening all over the farm, the naartjies warm and delicious from the hot sun that we found ourselves under. It was about now that 8 of the tour group left the remaining 6 of us perhaps sensing that we were simply going to ask too many questions through the tour and they were not interested in that depth of info. I think it was around about now that the "official" tour speech evaded Gundula and we were directed to the more intimate things of the garden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">While my tomatoes are over, they still have many growing almost as a wind break up this trellis</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Quince trees are grown upright here but form an extensive hedge around some of the gardens. I remember my grandma making stuffed baked quince pudding served with custard and of course quince jelly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It was soon hereafter that Superman started getting really excited as we hit the garden where all the peppers and chillies are grown. Being heirloom plants he was given enthusiastic permission to taste test the chillies and take seeds of ones he would like me to grow. My handbag was not prepared for this and by the end of the day this is what it looked like - and our hands held a few other treasures too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">One of the more impressive garden structures was this huge cage where they have grown all sorts of vine based plants - pumpkins, butternuts and calabash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A few other highlights amongst the walkways were the cactus garden where they grow a variety of prickly pear that has very few prickles (although Superman didn't believe there were still some and got prickled!) Apparently they need a licence to grow these plants as the seed from them, which would be dropped by birds eating the fruit, will revert back to the prickly variety. There is a wild beauty about these plants that is hard to describe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I was also intrigued by the number of different variety of Aubergines that they grow. They give over a whole garden to the different varieties. We have about 8 plants at home with their dark purple black fruits waiting to be picked. I think I am going to plan some of these for next season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Another surprise was the Chamomile carpet planted right towards the end of the tour where we all had to have a sit down, a roll, a scuffle of the feet to enjoy the "calming" effect. Gundula says its a favourite spot for moms to bring unruly or tired kiddos to calm down :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Heading on to the Greenhouse for lunch we walked through areas where the beds were lying in wait of the next plants, this was quite encouraging to me as I also have about 6 of my 12 beds lying empty waiting for the seedlings to come of age. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I also love the garden structures and have made some notes of what I can do in our comparatively tiny space here at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lunch at the Greenhouse was a treat, the gorgeous Lemon Verbena iced tea perfect for hot thirsty excited gardeners. There is always a waiting list so you do need to be patient. We luckily only had a 15 minute wait, others 40 minutes to an hour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A gorgeous lunch with two of my most favourite people was a perfect ending to this day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Take home value is actually what this day was all about. It's wonderful to stand and look at this vast food garden but I have to apply what I have learned to our small 900 square meter erf. Here are some of my thoughts so far:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Under planting every tree or tall vegetable with a herb, indigenous medicinal plant or ground cover that attracts bees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Use up spaces and build the structures I need</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Don't be afraid to experiment</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Plant closer together</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Use my walls for fruit or as a food wall</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Plant vegetables that take a long time to yield in pots not in the beds</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Plant crops that turn over well into the beds</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Don't be afraid to use natural pesticides if all else has failed</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Get my bees</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Turn my pavement into a food garden too with fruit trees and medicinal plants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Mulch, mulch, mulch, mulch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I do hope you have enjoyed this report, and that you get the chance to go out there sometime and enjoy the tour. Let me know when you are going - perhaps I will join you!?!</span></div>
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Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-9155558441213888672015-03-22T13:22:00.002+02:002015-03-23T10:35:15.435+02:00Growing rosemary from cuttingsWhen I had the open day a while back one of the things I spoke about was how to make more plants from what you already have. I mentioned seed saving - although I am not a big <a href="http://its-our-life-for-six.blogspot.com/2012/10/basics-of-seed-saving.html" target="_blank">seed saver</a> as I find it too fiddly for my time constraints. But one of the easiest ways to propagate new plants is by taking hard wood cuttings.<br />
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Being the kind of person I am I don't overthink it too much and follow exact instructions but apply the general principle of hardwood cuttings to gain more <a href="http://its-our-life-for-six.blogspot.com/search/label/herbs" target="_blank">herbs</a> like rosemary, lavender and sage. Below follows how to do it using Rosemary as an example.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJzAZwgbMvgmHTD98G1rP7xFv03qhgREoRJ0xiLlIHavN3xRWujxtj1yP7oWWvJMEMSva2RrR3nTkXaxrnU-vQaDhnnTarD5kLC8pg8gIEFh7R7j7OCocuKk3MUTmX4y0dfubaEDqTlqM/s1600/mother-rosemary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJzAZwgbMvgmHTD98G1rP7xFv03qhgREoRJ0xiLlIHavN3xRWujxtj1yP7oWWvJMEMSva2RrR3nTkXaxrnU-vQaDhnnTarD5kLC8pg8gIEFh7R7j7OCocuKk3MUTmX4y0dfubaEDqTlqM/s1600/mother-rosemary.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is mother rosemary. It is a huge plant that stands under my bathroom window and has been growing for about 7 years in this spot. In summer it has delicate purple-blue flowers that attract the bees. While we use rosemary in cooking a few times a week, and don't really need another plant, I have wanted to have a bank of rosemary buses at the pond garden for bees and beauty so have been making baby plants from this one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdRLFQcADZRxh6hD000oX52lYHnv61XWt2RYgeVTt8EDE8CfRj3stdYFGi8Zmpaq4HKvCSxhXZkB0i3qMl9v8o6Ohgv3BmrF3O6GyGxyoRThOVKlevg8kq_FORh2kHu1PVzTJ3JTMtN4/s1600/rosemarystalks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdRLFQcADZRxh6hD000oX52lYHnv61XWt2RYgeVTt8EDE8CfRj3stdYFGi8Zmpaq4HKvCSxhXZkB0i3qMl9v8o6Ohgv3BmrF3O6GyGxyoRThOVKlevg8kq_FORh2kHu1PVzTJ3JTMtN4/s1600/rosemarystalks.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Every time I use rosemary, I simply cut the length I need from the plant and strip off the lower leaves to use in my recipes. The remaining stalk gets added to a glass of water with others and stands on the kitchen windowsill. I refresh the water when needed - a couple times a week, generally.</div>
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After a few weeks these new roots begin to appear. I wait until the majority of the stem is covered with them before planting them into a smallish pot containing a rich <a href="http://its-our-life-for-six.blogspot.com/2012/08/get-foundation-right.html" target="_blank">compost</a> potting soil mixture with some added coco-peat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetV6tEulYkwYChasq0YLZgVLpNXpWnG5OGIRCY106AINrTJ9ijAcmEiKsLxE2HgUoAmBrn91te-skSEJnS0XaTQ-2NeYcXASjYzzNw9TDdExtH0Eo1PR4DCBtX10EuEI1WFVNnBcyCYU/s1600/baby-rosemary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetV6tEulYkwYChasq0YLZgVLpNXpWnG5OGIRCY106AINrTJ9ijAcmEiKsLxE2HgUoAmBrn91te-skSEJnS0XaTQ-2NeYcXASjYzzNw9TDdExtH0Eo1PR4DCBtX10EuEI1WFVNnBcyCYU/s1600/baby-rosemary.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a><br />
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This baby rosemary bush was planted in November and has set itself nicely to the job of growing up. I will transplant it, and its siblings, in a few weeks around the pond.<br />
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As we often need sage for <a href="http://its-our-life-for-six.blogspot.com/p/soap-recipes.html" target="_blank">soap</a>, cooking (it's superb with pork) and for the chicken liver pate that my daughter makes and sells, I have started propagating that delicious herb too. Lavender is also useful for attracting bees, making soap and for the sublime honey and lavender ice-cream I have made before. Lavender is also just for aroma therapy when walking through the garden.<br />
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Do you propagate herbs and plants from cuttings? Tell me about it! I love to learn from your comments.Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-83493737555512329462015-03-11T13:44:00.003+02:002015-03-11T13:44:27.960+02:00Using what we have - a recipeAs I am looking forward to the next seasons crops, I am planning my meals around what is in my pantry and in the garden. This means that it eases up the grocery budget a bit as well and we are "forced" to eat some things that may be a little unusual in their combinations or not firm old favourites. I think it is quite fun to do this 3 or 4 times a year and for those of you, who like me, have chest freezers, its an opportunity to get them empty and cleaned.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhC2SOY-Lt1qp_iQx_UjgkqM1q5cCFp37DMGkQLvR6BwrT4ErJO153mhxnyj-eD6slUMhdOzD5YSl83Sbe03fkGuzGY0AXVOUWgzICs7XN1zZxSh_IH5ZDERt-BwRWisZeR2zt-SRCBM/s1600/leeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhC2SOY-Lt1qp_iQx_UjgkqM1q5cCFp37DMGkQLvR6BwrT4ErJO153mhxnyj-eD6slUMhdOzD5YSl83Sbe03fkGuzGY0AXVOUWgzICs7XN1zZxSh_IH5ZDERt-BwRWisZeR2zt-SRCBM/s1600/leeks.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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In October last year I had the awesome privilege of taking a 5 day trip with my Superman to a long standing friend's farm. It was such a joy <a href="http://its-our-life-for-six.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-slice-of-farm-life.html" target="_blank">to see how she lives with her animals, garden and community</a>. What she does epitomises what I think farm life should be like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1EiFumBp0syHOH-3_zgMbl7dShrv4RCTTnNWxu8I3FP2yudyRIK2ZW6HjZUBZdnTAZIeqbcWCvYiT3DMkWK894BIIPg6mM2ayw4WCD4CyhpqQ2FUiXQZLCRGSDPlERo_wnTnycfmv7w/s1600/tarts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1EiFumBp0syHOH-3_zgMbl7dShrv4RCTTnNWxu8I3FP2yudyRIK2ZW6HjZUBZdnTAZIeqbcWCvYiT3DMkWK894BIIPg6mM2ayw4WCD4CyhpqQ2FUiXQZLCRGSDPlERo_wnTnycfmv7w/s1600/tarts.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><br />
One of the most delicious meals she made for us was her leek tarts. The leeks she grew, the cream she got from her cow, the eggs from her chickens and the cheese from the milk. I have begged her for the recipe, but being busy with her life I haven't received it yet. But that's ok, she's my buddy and all's forgiven :)<br />
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Back on the home front my leeks need to be used and yesterday was the day to use some of them. Not having her recipe I came up with my own, but these were more like mini quiches than her creamy mouthwatering tarts.<br />
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Each one who munched these down gave them 10/10 so I thought I would she the recipe with you.<br />
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I milled 200g of organic spelt, mixed it with a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of olive oil and enough water to bind it.<br />
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I divided it into 12 balls and pushed them each into a muffin tin space after greasing it well. I have two oversized muffin tins, which have 6 to a pan, not 12.<br />
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I used about 10 medium leeks which I softened in a blob of butter with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.<br />
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In a bowl I mixed 6 eggs, 250ml cream, 250ml mixed grated cheese (I had Emmental, Parmesan and Cheddar), then I added the leeks to this.<br />
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I had a little ham left from the weekend which I chopped and added to the raw pasty shells then spooned equal amounts of the egg mixture on top.<br />
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These I baked for 15 - 20 minutes at 180 degrees<br />
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While I waited for them to bake I used our last cherry tomatoes to make a delicious salad.<br />
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I quartered the tomatoes, sprinkled with a little dried chilli flakes, some olive oil and basaltic vinegar. I then used about 20 basil leaves sliced into ribbons to give it a delicious fresh tang.<br />
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It was truly a lunch to be repeated.<br />
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Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043083310487431217.post-48907598259510615802015-03-07T14:12:00.001+02:002015-03-07T15:32:21.496+02:00Getting better yields from a vegetable garden<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">With the change in the morning and evening temperatures signalling autumn, my mind is once again turned to planning for the new season’s crops.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">To be totally honest, summer harvests have been disappointing and because
of my lack of time I certainly have not made the most of what we did get from
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">As I do a mental tally of what we have eaten or stored from the
vegetable garden it really is not boast-able.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NjS0LIr1Lk2lOV6EQmVe1hW8BDrEWRV38PV6C0keCFiJb2qf4aib4Mq6NbP3IvGbmDzkgwL3aaIzfYhZCTKvYMEELVTFaO6165gPQ8OnytwQimNZdNKr6PLu4GkBPqjgjFZENiupq-s/s1600/roasting-tomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NjS0LIr1Lk2lOV6EQmVe1hW8BDrEWRV38PV6C0keCFiJb2qf4aib4Mq6NbP3IvGbmDzkgwL3aaIzfYhZCTKvYMEELVTFaO6165gPQ8OnytwQimNZdNKr6PLu4GkBPqjgjFZENiupq-s/s1600/roasting-tomatoes.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">We had a poor marrow crop this year compared to last, our first two
plantings of corn failed, our tomatoes yielded some fresh for salads but most
had to be <a href="http://its-our-life-for-six.blogspot.com/2014/01/butternut-spinach-and-feta-lasagne-with.html" target="_blank">roasted for pasta sauce</a> and that quantity was only about 4x 1 liter
bags. Herbs we have had a plenty and chilies too…but a girl & her Superman can only eat so
many chilies!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Salad leaves have kept us in good supply while we had hardly any
asparagus due to <a href="http://its-our-life-for-six.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-sad-story-of-my-asparagus-and.html" target="_blank">a slight misunderstanding</a>. Not one cucumber showed up for the
party, which is simply rude! We had two – yes TWO – butternuts come out to play
and no pumpkins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">In my <a href="http://its-our-life-for-six.blogspot.com/2015/01/seed-soup-or-trying-something-new.html" target="_blank">experiment beds</a> all the carrots and turnips came up, but it was
too early for turnips so they went to seed. So all in all, I am a bit
frustrated and saddened but I can truly lay the blame at my door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Please see this as a personal therapy post…I need to vent a little.
(At myself mostly!)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I am however one of those people who do not beat themselves up for
long – just a good tongue lashing in the mirror and then its time to move on. I
have therefore been doing some research – which is partly to get my mind in the
right mode and partly to increase my knowledge – on how to get the vegetable
garden to yield more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Here follows my decisions….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Motivation</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Yup – the first thing to deal with is my own motivation. Even though we cut back on much superfluous stuff over the last few months, I am still a
busy woman. But there are times when I could go out to the veggie garden or
make <a href="http://its-our-life-for-six.blogspot.com/2011/08/spring-production-line.html" target="_blank">newspaper pots </a>for new seedling, but I don’t. I ignore that and do
something else – also good, also worthwhile but not what will feed into the
greater goal of growing more vegetables. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">So I need to deal with me. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I’ll go and
do that then...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Soil</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana;">I have noticed for a while now that my beans and corn have a yellow tinge to them, especially the ones in our newer section of the garden. This means that there is not enough nitrogen for them to stay nice and green. Growing vegetables organically means that I need to continually add manure, worm casing or blood meal. I have struggled to find blood meal in SA and I would only want it from an organic source anyway. So it is horse manure from a friend’s stable and our own worm casings and tea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtUozmBIAitwVL0bu-8giJz44baaPlXwz7tcHx8g43Csh7h2DRBcE0yp2Fqm1qLttbyxsOSGNE1AhqKcXD1l9Kdb0FJn52zwovaB8THnAr1GIh9i6VI4NQ-i2y26FqtQHAgmxDHrePo4/s1600/IMG_4030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtUozmBIAitwVL0bu-8giJz44baaPlXwz7tcHx8g43Csh7h2DRBcE0yp2Fqm1qLttbyxsOSGNE1AhqKcXD1l9Kdb0FJn52zwovaB8THnAr1GIh9i6VI4NQ-i2y26FqtQHAgmxDHrePo4/s1600/IMG_4030.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I also need to add topsoil as some of my beds have sunk way below the
raised bed level. I have sourced topsoil, into which we will add our own
compost and horse manure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Because the winter vegetables, like broccoli, that I will be putting
in shortly need a dose of fishmeal too into those beds. Later in the season I
will add some Bounce Back pellets to all beds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mwn3T2UDG80OL4vRJISa53AUdNDlXy1j_ZJIHeL4z1I6QFg3Pnsz0rK7_6s4CmZLYKZVp4m9jgzBu-_GCCKG0ySSobs0b43JgKzSqtjnzdeuhZ8hPSVqXD2cVwPAQ4r0uVEwliOiSlQ/s1600/IMG_4027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mwn3T2UDG80OL4vRJISa53AUdNDlXy1j_ZJIHeL4z1I6QFg3Pnsz0rK7_6s4CmZLYKZVp4m9jgzBu-_GCCKG0ySSobs0b43JgKzSqtjnzdeuhZ8hPSVqXD2cVwPAQ4r0uVEwliOiSlQ/s1600/IMG_4027.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The soil is the starting place for all good vegetables. I have learned
that you cannot save on compost hoping to get good yields. My compost is a bit
slow to turn over at the moment because we haven’t had rain for a while, and I
have forgotten to water the heap, but just yesterday we emptied the cages and added
it back in layers alternating with leaves, manure and existing compost from the
heap. A good watering once a week and covering it should have it ready by the
end of March.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">As the Stinkwood tree, which dominates our front garden, starts to drop it's leaves I am going to get Sam to make leaf mould. This will be a great mulch for summer days next year.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Spacing</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">With the quality of the soil boosted I am going to plant my plants much
closer together. I have always tried to follow the given instruction but most
of the time those spacing guidelines are for the absolute maximum size of the
ready to harvest veg. We tend to eat our vegetables smaller than larger so I am
going to halve the spacing requirements when I sow the seed and see how it
goes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2__sCRHuINVWCHeoZL5gT-p76KU-aNHFoHeEEkg22qAo3yWozHkH5Fp5UJW7wgY3iQ5Etutg3ybOMkzciYjcvvWqm8AV5YqhEbJtdK5xDcqEWYV4Av3wZLSHB_4-dvlIqNzfz5BApPc/s1600/aubergines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2__sCRHuINVWCHeoZL5gT-p76KU-aNHFoHeEEkg22qAo3yWozHkH5Fp5UJW7wgY3iQ5Etutg3ybOMkzciYjcvvWqm8AV5YqhEbJtdK5xDcqEWYV4Av3wZLSHB_4-dvlIqNzfz5BApPc/s1600/aubergines.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Vertical</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">In addition to closer spacing I am going to keep experimenting with
vertical growing. Unfortunately all the climbing and running veg come to an end
in summer, except for peas. The peas will use the cucumber frame that we built
last year and I will probably make another one for elsewhere in the garden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I have a large expanse of wall that I am quiet keen on using as the
backdrop to an <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/espalier-apple-trees-zmaz93onztak.aspx" target="_blank">espalier apple tree</a>. I will be doing some research on this and
then seeing what comes of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Water</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Watering may be a challenge in summer because of adding more plants to
the beds than before. Here in winter we have plenty of rain and I generally do
not need to water at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I <i>really really really </i>(<u>Hey Superman do you get the hint</u>) want to get an
irrigation system installed. It doesn’t need to be on a timer, it needs to just
have a simple black piping around the edge of the beds with some low sprinkler
heads that I can plug the hose from the borehole into instead of dragging the
hose and the sprinkler around for two days to water the whole garden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I think it will also waste less and help with the water pressure
issues we have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Fruit</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">We have two apple trees, two avocado trees, a bramble for berries, a
prolific fig tree, two lemon trees and two orange trees, two grape vines and
loads of Cape Gooseberry plants. Our strawberries are grown in baskets and are
now sending out their runners. Despite this we only had enough strawberries
this year for one batch of jam and some fresh each day for breakfast. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">We also have a splendid granadilla vine which really comes in this year as our winner producer. It makes me smile every time I walk in from the carport as it trails its way over the gate.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Our figs
were used in jam, preserves and ice cream, our apple and orange trees are new,
but our lemon trees give is a few lemons each season. Our avocados trees gave
us their first few fruits this year after being in the ground for 6 and 4
years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Companion planting</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I dabble with this all the time and what I actually enjoy most is the
variety and colors that <a href="http://its-our-life-for-six.blogspot.com/search/label/companion%20gardening" target="_blank">companion planting</a> gives to the vegetable beds. It is
also a way for me to bring flowers into the garden, which the pollinators need.
It may not directly increase the yields but companion planting does keep the
bugs down (…down – not gone – as this utopia I have not yet found!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Pollinators</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I recently connected again with a friend’s brother who is an urban beekeeper.
This movement of homing bees on top of garage roves is taking the world by
storm and its <a href="http://www.wdccapetown2014.com/projects/project/290" target="_blank">hitting South Africa too</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Slight problem…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I am very allergic. Mmmh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">But this beekeeper will install two hives here for me and maintain
them, collect the honey and everything for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">This means that our garden will have more bees, which I have battled
to attract for all the years we have grown veggies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I have tasted his honey too and it’s like toffee…supremely delicious.
I guess you can tell which way I am leaning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">All that I am waiting for is to get municipal confirmation that we are
indeed able to be part of this movement. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b><i>Excited!!!!</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">So there is the big plan. Looks so good and simple on the page, but
there is a Rands and Cents as well as time cost to calculate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkl4GFmw4JfDXEcw2muaixHRTqq0Qdxciln8PNcA7JoDp3wrpHyHeEAEsTW86qU3_udutLJTKE48eRV6JY0ztv_UdJc1245otnDyMBKp49OBjJS1wDOKX04aNEIssUYLxXbGlYOE5XNF4/s1600/springonions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkl4GFmw4JfDXEcw2muaixHRTqq0Qdxciln8PNcA7JoDp3wrpHyHeEAEsTW86qU3_udutLJTKE48eRV6JY0ztv_UdJc1245otnDyMBKp49OBjJS1wDOKX04aNEIssUYLxXbGlYOE5XNF4/s1600/springonions.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana;">I think I had better go and make myself a Red Latte and contemplate the future here on our little patch of Earth and how we can implement all my plans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana;">Thanks for reading and I do hope you are inspired to increase your garden yields this year too.</span></div>
Urban Homestead South Africahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15744814544809179491noreply@blogger.com7