Had the best morning. Finally started ripping out the agapanthus along the driveway. It's been there for years and is a mess. After a couple of hours with a small pick and pitchfork, the first of the garden of pelargoniums has begun.

Also I've discovered the 18 month old compost is absolutely beautiful! So good you could bathe in it. (Gardeners will get it.) So I can move various rotting food scraps and leaves around and start a new compost, new garden bed and top up the veggies. In other news the sweet potato has over wintered successfully, which is new for Melbourne but I'm not mad. There was a tiny wee sweet potato in the compost that I initially mistook for a carrot. It's been replanted as a seed, now that we're close to the top half of the year.

The weather has taken a cold turn, which is normal for this time of year though it does feel like it's straight off the Southern ocean. I'm glad I didn't put in the tomatoes or basil. The broccoli and other brassicas that bolted to seed in warm August may now sow a decent late cool crop. Since they are able to cross pollinate there may be a mix of purple cauliflower, purple broccoli, mustard, kale, rocket and collard greens. With a bit of romanesco and brussels sprouts the offspring could end up looking suitable for space station experiments. The lettuce from the F2 generation reverted to something like 17th (?) century French lettuce ancestor, which was exciting. F2 broad beans are powering ahead.

Still waiting to see if more lettuce, coriander or parsley will make an appearance. Might be a good time to sow collard greens and let nature have Her way. The plan is to put in another few fruit trees, as the veggies growing in shade seem to be doing better in the changing climate. That could actually be a win. I will investigate. For science!

#botanypirate #gardening #homegrown #permaculture #springveggies #brassicas #australia