SUMMER CROPS in RAISED GARDEN BEDS

Our summer heat is unrelenting, but I am constantly amazed how the plants are coping.  Up in the olive grove, we have a couple of year old apple trees and must have 20 or so healthy apples taking shape - we never expected to be able to grow apples out here.  The fig tree is also laden with figs and of course both these trees are netted - having lost most of our olives thanks to our flying wildlife.  We planted 2 avocado trees and 1 in particular is thriving.  The 3 nut trees are green and lush, but we won't expect any crops from these for a few years.  At the moment, I am just thankful they are alive.

Nearer the house we grow herbs and vegetables in raised garden beds.  In one bed I am still picking grape tomatoes each morning, but this crop should expire in the next couple of weeks.  However in another garden bed lots is going on.  The strawberries, although looking luxuriant, have almost completed flowering.  Unfortunately they are trying to take over the garden which contains fennel, basil, oregano, thyme, sage, parsley, chives, spring onion, eggplants, capsicums, pumpkins and asparagus and rhubarb crowns.  I let the fennel go to seed and have had to cut down the longer stalks as they sway in the wind at night and trigger the light sensors on the house.  However I now have a wonderful container of fennel seed to use through winter.  I think all of the herbs are benefiting from being under the fennel flowers and are gaining a little relief from the long hours of searing sun.  A couple of self seeding pumpkin vines are probably not a good idea in the raised tank, but it will be interesting to see if they run along the red gravel.

 

Planting has ceased until autumn, but now will be the time to raid the worm farm and top up all the gardens with the wonderful black mud they produce.  The dominant insect in the raised garden bed is the lady bird and we have no pests at all eating any of the crops.  The beds were chosen as the rabbits can't climb the sides and also as an architectural feature at the back of the house.