The wonder of nature...

I've been really enjoying getting into some serious work in the garden, since I retired. We've had good rain over the last week but before that I was concerned about the level of water in the tanks was getting a bit low. In that situation, I don't use the hose with the tank water, I use a watering can . So for quite a few weeks I've been trudging up the rise from where the tanks are to the veggie garden at the back of the house...good exercise every morning.

Our tanks nestled in under the front veranda

The results of that effort means that the veggie seedlings are doing well, especially the lettuce crop, the rocket and the herbs. The potato plants are doing well...above ground any way at the moment and the tomato seedlings have trebled in size. When I was working, I would leave home just after 6.30am and get home around 4.30-5; often I would be too tired to water the garden, especially with a watering can, at that time, so the garden got a bit neglected.

Some of our homegrown salad leaves being washed

I learned from my father (a keen gardner and former farmer/orchardist) to not presume a plant was dead just because it looked that way! These days we also have things like 'Seasol' that help distressed plants. About 6 weeks ago one of my potted geraniums 'did battle' with the whippersnipper. When I found it, the leaves were all gone and there was just stem and that didn't look too flash either. A non gardener like DH would have despatched it to the bin but I watered it with a weak solution of 'Seasol' and left it in a safer place. For a few weeks, nothing...and then a week or so later , some little green shoots. Now it's looking pretty good and ready to be potted on shortly.

Tiny green shoots appear on the still ravaged stem

The potato crop #1 patch

Another plant that looked like it was a 'goner' was a potted hippeastrum which had been forgotten when overgrown by a camellia. When I uncovered it, most of its leaves were gone with only one limp one slowly decaying away. The 'hippies' are due to start flowering next month so I was a bit loath to re-pot this one so used the seasol solution treatment. The other week I noticed flower 'buds' already shooting, so it'll be fine. Repotting can happen at a later stage. I discovered after reading a US blog that hippeastrums are known as amaryllis there.

The flower bud/stalks that have formed

Being almost spring means 'lots of things are happening' in the garden at the moment and i'm enjoying being 'in the thick of it'! lol