Our vegetable garden project

Clean up Australia day 2012

2012-03-03T21:21:00.001+10:00

Well I have been a busy bee indeed. Busy with work and general day to day life. Hence, no posts on my blog for a while, sorry!

Anyway, I'm back.... well for today at least.

I have 2 weeks off work and LOTS to do!

I intend ....no... I will clean the whole house from top to bottom. Clear out any items we no longer use ready for a garage sale we have arranged at work. The garden will also be in for a bit of TLC. Weeds will be no more and the veggie patch will be revived ready for winter planting of

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Beetroot

Lettuce

Silverbeet

Carrot

NO EXCUSES

TODAY

IS THE DAY!

Clean up Australia Day 2012

Key dates for the 2012 Clean Up Australia Day

Clean Up Australia Day - Sunday. 4 March 2012

Business Clean Up Day - Tuesday, 28 February 2012

Schools Clean Up Day - Friday, 2 March 2012

To register or learn more about the 2012 event please visit www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au

History of Clean Up Australia Day

In 1989 an 'average Australian bloke' had a simple idea to make a difference in his own backyard - Clean Up Sydney Harbour. The event received an enormous public response with more than 40,000 Sydneysiders donating their time and energy to clean up the harbour.

The next year Clean Up Australia Day was born. Ian and his committee believed that if a capital city could be mobilised into action, then so could the whole nation. Almost 300,000 volunteers turned out on the first Clean Up Australia Day in 1990 and that involvement has steadily increased ever since.

This simple idea has now become the nation's largest community-based environmental event. Now in its 21st year, the event attracts hundreds of thousands of volunteers from the community, schools and businesses to help clean up, fix up and conserve their environment.

In 2011 more than 565,631 volunteers across Australia helped to celebrate 21 years of Clean Up Australia by donning gloves and filling up Clean Up Australia Day rubbish bags with an estimated 16,449 tonnes of rubbish at 7,477 registered Sites across Australia. A big well done to everyone involved!

"Simple, easy actions can protect the health of our water resources and help save drinking water supplies. There is not one individual who cannot help to make a difference to the health of the environment" - Ian Kiernan AO.

Ian Kiernan's vision is an apolitical, non-profit community campaign in which everyone can participate.

Pond completed!

2011-11-06T18:22:00.001+10:00

Finally, the pond is finished!

You can't really see from the pic above but there is another rock type pond to the left which flows into the raised timber one below.

The pic below is the area before we started.

The water plants are multiplying like mad already.

The decked seating areas we have put at either end have proved to be a lovely spot to sit and have that first cuppa of the day!

All in all job well done by my clever hubby! xx

How does you garden grow?

2011-10-01T18:39:00.000+10:00

Just a quick update on my veggie garden with a few pics.

Ruby grapefruit in flower, grown in a large pot.

Cucumber I am training to grow up a trellis

Cauliflower which has now gone to seed as it is too hot here, bo hoo!

Lettuce is doing really well. Pulled 3 out today to make a salad.

Toms flowering but no fruit as yet

Good old beetroot is going great guns, although this bed is a tad over planted!

More updates coming soon!

Buderim Garden show

2011-10-01T18:09:00.002+10:00

What a lovely day I had at the Buderim Garden Show. The prize winners must have put so much hard work into their entries. Well done everyone!

The kids entries were amazing, such a fantastic way in getting kids into gardening!

These cane begonias were beautiful. I really want some of these but not having much luck in finding them.

Also, as part of the show you were allowed to go and nosey around 6 gardens in Buderim. And I did! I went to all of them! Amazing to see what people started with and what they created out of nothing.

What a lovely way to spend a lazy Sunday!

Pond in progress

2011-09-11T17:28:00.000+10:00

Neil finally persuaded me to put a pond in our rather tropical jungle looking garden at the side of our house. Here are a couple of pics of the area before we started.

Neil got a bit carried away while I was out and built the biggest monstrosity you have ever seen. It was that big I could have done laps in it!

After a little gentle persuasion Neil made it ever so slightly smaller, but still huge! The liner had to be done with 2 pieces sealed together with joiner tape as we couldn't find any liner big enough to do it in one piece.

We intend to put bench type seating a each end too. Neil started to build up the rocks to make a waterfall into the pond. I just gave direction as I hurt my back this week and was not going to go through that pain again.

The moral to this post is never build a pond that is sooooo big that you have to join 2 pieces of liner cos it.......you guessed it .... LEAKS!

Now we have to empty the pond and get some more liner tape, which takes 4 weeks to get in as nobody has it in stock. Now who's bright idea was this pond!

Mish Mash Quiche

2011-09-10T18:11:00.000+10:00

Far too many take away's, I say!

We were doing so well with our healthy eating until our prodigal son, Luke, returned. Neil had lost around 10kgs and I had lost 2kgs. But it all seemed to go out the window....the fat came back! Fatty food that is and the kgs!

Now Luke has gone back to Hamilton Island to work we can't blame him anymore. So we need to nuckle down and get back on track. We needed some fresh produce and my veggie garden only had bok choy ready for harvest. We decided to head to the Suncoast Growers Market in Woombye on Saturday morning. Had a lovely morning wandering around the market and picked up some lovely veggies and plants.

Suncoast Growers Market - Woombye

Silverbeet

Roasting fresh beetroot

Come Friday I was at a loss of what to cook. Not wanting to throw good food away I decided to make a rather unusual quiche with the left overs we had in the fridge. Chicken, silverbeet, onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and beetroot, yes beetroot!

Mish Mash Quiche

Yes I know you're thinking it looks a bit weird, that's why I called it a Mish Mash Quiche! It was yummy, very yummy in fact. I can't wait until the beetroot in our garden is ready and I can make some more weird and wonderful creations.

Our first harvest

2011-09-04T19:26:00.000+10:00

Our veggie garden project is progressing well. After spending time looking at the layout and design we were going to use the first of our veggies are ready for harvest.

Bok Choy

I have picked the ones ready for harvest

We are not great lovers of bok choy but have blanched and frozen some for future stir fries. We have given the neighbours some and the rest I will take to work tomorrow to give to the staff. Bok Choy to go!

The lettuce in the wall pots is doing well

Beetroot is come along nicely

Cauliflower is growing well but still no curds showing

Zucchini is looking good

Tomatoes are slowly but surely heading skywards

Cucumbers are, well, not doing much really

Waiting for strawberries to do something ....anything???

Random tooth I found when digging, and no, it's not mine!

All in all very happy with the progress so far. Wish I had started it years ago!

Vertical vegetable garden ideas

2011-08-27T20:00:00.005+10:00

Having only a small block I am running out of space for my veggies. I have trays full of seedlings and no space left to plant them. I know others have less space than we do and may need some inspiration on where they can plant there vegetables, so here it is..
.. GO VERTICAL!

HAPPY PLANTING!

Grow, grow, growing!

2011-08-14T19:03:00.002+10:00

The weather seems to be warming up at last. Still a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings though. I'm still venturing down to the veggie garden each morning in my 'floor to ceiling' dressing gown to check on my seedlings. Here are some pics I took today.

Bok choy and lettuce

Beetroot and spring onion

Cucumber and cauliflower

Lettuce and spring onions

My home made herb trolley (it's really a sun lounger lol)

Dill

Chives

Veggie garden area before

And after

I have sneaked some carrots in just the other side of the shade house, on the easement.

I really want to grow some butternut pumpkin but don't have enough room. I am going to experiment trying to get it to climb up the fence instead. Not sure if it work but I'll give it a go.

Officially citizens!

2011-08-06T18:10:00.000+10:00

Doesn't time fly.....we have now been in Australia 5 years. We thought it was about time we made things official and become citizens. They put on quite a show..with singers and dancers and afternoon tea!

We got flags!

We got a Grevillea!

We met the Queen!

We had pie, chips, mushy peas and gravy for tea!

And Ryan got a hangover!

Thank-you Australia

WE LOVE YOU!

Gumboot fashionista

2011-07-28T20:54:00.001+10:00

My poor my Ugg boot style slippers were not up to the wear and tear of my gardening escapades. As much as I loved them dearly, I have had to lay them to rest. I am now on the hunt for a highly fashionable pair of gumboots. Or Wellies as my fellow Brits would say!

Now I just have to decide which ones to buy. Decisions, decisions ..........

Seedlings, ponds and husbands!

2011-07-23T20:40:00.001+10:00

Had the day all planned......a pedicure and some retail therapy at the Sunshine Plaza. When I got there, the nail bar place was full and I couldn't be bothered to wait. Not too much of a drama I thought as my toe nails won't be seeing daylight until things warm up a tad anyway.

As for the retail therapy ....well I picked up some real bargains. 3 sets of pyjamas, 2 pairs of slippers, 5 tops/T-shirts, 3 singlets, a pair of trousers, a necklace and four bangles! Oh and I bought everyone home sushi for lunch and spent under $100 all up!

When I got home Neil was busy out the back smashing the banana tree to pieces...that's another story. Anyway, I set about planting out some of the seedlings I have been growing in my mini greenhouse. Here are some pics.

Cucumber

Bok choy

Cauliflower

Beetroot

Spring onions to go into wall baskets tomorrow

Now, back to the story about Neil and the Banana tree. After being inspired at the Qld Garden Expo by the ponds they had on display he decided he wants to build ANOTHER pond. I thought the novelty would wear off but he seems to be on a mission. The only place it can go is in the side garden. The only problem is that a huge banana tree with a base of about 2 metres stood in it's way. Notice I said stood and not stands...the banana tree is no more, RIP. I knew I shouldn't have left him home alone!

Growing cauliflower tips

2011-07-21T12:40:00.003+10:00

First things first, visit the gardenate website http://www.gardenate.com/ to check the growing season for you area. Then decide where you're are going to plant them. If you are planting the cauliflower with other vegetables then make sure they are with veggies they like to be with!

Avoid growing cauliflower with: Climbing (pole) beans, tomato, peppers (chili, capsicum), eggplant (aubergine), strawberry, mustard.

Cauliflower are compatible with: Dwarf (bush) beans, beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs like sage, dill and chamomile.

Follow the instructions on the seed packet for planting depth and width etc. Not rocket science, but you would be surprised how many people get this part wrong. If you are planting into a container make sure it is big enough to accommodate a fully grown cauliflower.

Cauliflower are pretty heavy when full grown which makes it prone to being top heavy. To overcome this when planting out seedlings plant them up to where the first set of leaves start, this will make it more sturdy.

The cauliflower has very demanding nutritional needs so feed them weekly with potash, liquid seaweed or compost tea. As heads appear a drink of worm wee or liquid fish fertiliser will improve size and shape of the heads.

Watch for the white butterfly. Apparently, large pieces of eggshell can be scattered amongst cabbages to confuse the white butterfly. The theory goes that it will mistake the eggshells for other butterflies and leave the area looking for less populated plants to lay its eggs on.

When the white cauliflower head starts developing you'll need to protect it from the sun and rain. One way to do this is to tie two leaves together over the head using rubber bands/twine to prevent the curd becoming discoloured.

Keep the water up for your cauliflowers, especially if things start warming up. Remember to water the soil, avoiding watering the white head.

When they look good enough to eat, they are! So go ahead and pull them out!

Ok... so you got a bit carried away with planting...and now you don't know what to do with them all!

Cauliflower cheese

Piccalilli

Indian spiced potato and cauliflower

Cauliflower soup

If that's not enough to wet your appetite then you could always freeze some for a rainy day! Or if you're feeling generous I'm sure the neighbours won't say no and don't forget the compost bin won't say no to the cauliflower leaves!

Happy planting!

I want a trug!

2011-07-17T21:50:00.001+10:00

I knew I should have bought the trug I saw at the Garden Expo. At the time I thought I would be able to pick one up quite easily. But, I haven't seen any in the shops around here.

http://ourkitchengarden.com.au/

I remembered the name of the stall that had them for sale at the Expo and luckily they have a website so I can order one online. Actually, they have a few things on their site that I might just HAVE to buy! Anyway, can't stop I have a shopping cart half full!

Vegetable garden design ideas

2011-07-13T21:32:00.017+10:00

I have been twiddling my thumbs a bit the past week waiting for the seedlings to grow. I have planted some out but the others are too small or have refused to germinate. Namely, the capsicum but I think it's still way too cold for them anyway. I think my giving up smoking 3 days ago is also making me a little impatient, just a little though!

Some friends of ours came round on the weekend to have a look at what we have done as they want to start a veggie patch too. That led me to thinking just how fantastic a vegetable garden could look if you had the right inspiration. Here are some of my favourite veggie garden pics.

It's amazing what you can do with a small area on a tight budget and you could go wild if space and money were not an issue. I suppose everyone has their own ideas but it's good to get a bit of inspiration now and again!

Winter planting guide

2011-07-12T18:26:00.003+10:00

If you are looking for some pointers on what to grow in your climate through the seasons the http://www.gardenate.com/ website is a must. Below an extract from the site for the next 2 months in my climate, sub-tropical. If you are new to growing veggies this site is a great place to start your "what should I grow list"!

Planting in July for the Australia - sub-tropical zone

January

Beetroot (also Beets)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Chinese Lanterns)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Carrot	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Chives (also Garden chives)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Dill	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Endive	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Garlic	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Kohlrabi	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Lettuce	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Mustard greens (also gai choy)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Parsnip	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Peas	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Radish	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Rocket (also Arugula/Rucola)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Shallots (also Eschalots)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Silverbeet (also Swiss Chard or Mangold)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Snow Peas (also Sugar Peas, Mangetout, Chinese Peas)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Spring onions (also Scallions, Bunching onions)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Thyme (also Common thyme)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from June

Preparing for August

Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Asparagus	Plant in garden.	Harvest from 24 months
Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean, Goa bean)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Basil	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Beetroot (also Beets)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Burdock (also Gobo (Japanese Burdock))	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Cabbage	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Chinese Lanterns)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Capsicum (also Bell pepper, Sweet pepper)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Carrot	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Celeriac	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Celery	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from December
Chilli (also Hot peppers)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Chinese cabbage (also Wong bok, wong nga pak)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Chives (also Garden chives)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Climbing beans (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Collards (also Collard greens, Borekale)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Coriander (also Cilantro)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Cucumber	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Daikon (also Japanese radish, Lo Bok)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Dill	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Dwarf beans (also French beans, Bush beans)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Eggplant (also Aubergine)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Fennel (also Bronze fennel)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Globe artichokes	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June
Jerusalem Artichokes (also Sunchoke)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Kohlrabi	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Leeks	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Lettuce	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Luffa (also Loofah, plant sponge)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Marrow	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Mint (also Garden mint)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Mustard greens (also gai choy)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
NZ Spinach (also Warrigal greens)	Bring on in boxes	Harvest from October
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from November
Onion	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from February
Oregano (also Pot Marjoram)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Parsnip	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Potato	Plant in garden.	Harvest from December
Pumpkin	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Radish	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Rocket (also Arugula/Rucola)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Rockmelon (also Canteloupe)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Sage (also Common Sage)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from 18 months
Shallots (also Eschalots)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Silverbeet (also Swiss Chard or Mangold)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Spring onions (also Scallions, Bunching onions)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Squash (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Summer savory (also 'Bean Herb')	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Sunflower	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October
Sweet corn (also maize)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November
Tomatillo	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Tomato	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Turnip	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September
Watermelon	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from October
Winter Savory (also Savory)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from September
Zucchini (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from September

Qld Garden Expo 2011

2011-07-09T15:58:00.002+10:00

Finally, a day off from gardening! So what did we decide to do with this free time? Go to the QLD Garden Expo in Nambour of course!

We wanted to get there early to see Costa Georgiadis (the guy from the TV series Costa'a Garden Odyssey). He was doing a talk on soil and giving tips on how to get your garden healthy and productive. The only problem was, I think the whole of the Sunshine Coast had the same idea! When we got there every seat was taken!

I sneaked my way behind the stage waving Neil's very professional camera around in the vain attempt that people would think I was an official photographer. It seemed to do the trick as people started moving and letting me in. Trying to get a decent photo was another drama as Costa doesn't keep still. This photo was taken at the one and only second he wasn't waving his arms around in the air!

We then went for a wander around the kitchen garden.

Neil posing with some VERY big pots!

Me posing with a VERY big fire pit!

There were lots of interesting display and stalls to look at.

And of course lots and lots of plants!

We bought some sweet potato from this stall to plant in our veggie garden.

We bought 6 jars of chutney from this stall. We could hardly walk away and not buy anything given that we had tried every one they had on the tasting table. It was hard to choose as they were all so yummy!

By this time I could see Neil was getting rather distracted by the pond displays.

We already have a pond on the front deck which we made ourselves.

But now Neil wants to build something like this in the back yard!

OMG I can feel another project coming on!

Veggie Shade house is finished

2011-07-02T15:08:00.012+10:00

I must say that putting the shade netting on went much better than I anticipated. I was expecting Neil and I to have a big fall out but we are still talking!

We even managed to create a roll up door which I am particularly proud of. Now I just have to plant out the seedlings. At this rate I may get Sunday afternoon off!

In the dog house

2011-07-02T14:55:00.003+10:00

After some blood sweat and tears from Neil, Ryan and Dan the soil is now in the beds. Mind you I think the empty beer bottles was evidence that they had sufficient refreshments to keep them going!

The problem I now have is William and Harry seem to think the beds are for them!

Harry the Hunter!

William the Wimp!

Now in need of a damn good bath!

They better get their backsides off there soon or they'll get a good watering!

Building the raised vegetable garden

2011-07-01T18:06:00.005+10:00

We are plodding along nicely.

The raised vegetable boxes we bought from Bunnings are all put together. And before anyone starts on the 'oh, you shouldn't used treated pine for vegetables' lecture I DO KNOW THAT! These are ACQ treated timber so OK to use for veggies.

We bought the star pickets and 50mm rural poly pipe for the poly tunnel structure from Crosby's Rural Supplies in Nambour. I never got to meet the legendary Mr Peter Crosby (the owner for 50 years) as Neil went to pick the stuff up. Apparently, he still has stuff there priced in pounds and chickens running around the shop! I must go and pay him a visit as I'm sure he will entertain me greatly and give me some tips on growing veggies.

Now we just have to put the soil in and fix the netting I bought over the poly pipe. Easy peasy!
I have no doubt this weekend will involve a lot of hard work, a bit of swearing and a few glasses of Chardonnay!

What are we growing?

2011-06-29T18:08:00.006+10:00

We are growing Bok choy, lettuce, red onions, cherry toms, chillies, various capsicum, cucumber, parsnip, cauliflower and beetroot. Only growing what we will eat. I think we will be sick of veggies. Unless of course they don't grow in our little veggie patch. If they don't we will just have to survive on rump steak!

Mini greenhouse

2011-06-28T19:25:00.004+10:00

We have babies!

I only planted these 10 days ago and the bok choy, lettuce, cabbage and beetroot have all germinated. I'm waiting rather impatiently for the others to appear. Now we've got to get the soil and compost into the veggie boxes so I can plant them out. More blisters!

The work begins

2011-06-26T20:50:00.007+10:00

We ordered 9 cubic metres of Mary River gravel to cover both areas. Luckily, Luke's (our Son) mate Ryan was here to help as it was a massive job to spread this lot. Luckily, Luke was at work as he would have been a much use as a chocolate teapot! Sorry Luke!

Notice the dogs ( William & Harry) are penned into one of the veggie boxes!

That's because they would have savagely attacked Bruce's dog Archie if they were let loose!

Luckily for Archie, William and Harry were restrained as I'm sure they would have eaten him for breakfast! lol

Neil and Ryan, still smiling, plod on putting the 6 veggie boxes together.

I must add that the construction of the boxes needed a little female direction, of course I provided this (Neil & Ryan would not admit to their blunder)! Though I'm not pictured I did work my arse off and sustain several blisters as a result. I will keep you posted on how the veggie garden project unfolds.

It's all about the preparation

2011-06-26T20:09:00.010+10:00

OK.... so here I am thinking.....what can I do with that wasted bit of garden at the front of my house? We can't build anything on it as the main sewer is there and it gets waterlogged in the heavy rains. We live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

I know...build a raised veggie garden! And while we're at it extend the drive onto the awful water/river/rock pool garden, or whatever the previous owner called it. I just called it " bloody mosquito's" every time I got out of the car!

I know that we need to build a retaining wall and get a guy with a digger to level it all off. Luckily, good old Bruce next door (who used to be a landscape gardener) has a contact. So I give him a call and the serious stuff started!

So we are going great guns until we had to bore down 1 metre to make the holes for retaining wall posts. By this stage, as it was a public holiday we had an array of males not doing much, just leaning on shovels! Namely, the neighbours! Then Bruce ( from next door) shouted " WATER! " He was smiling so I just laughed until his face turned into one of horror and I was in state of panic. My hubby (Neil) went to investigate and YES there was water, lots of it!

We had gone through the mains water pipe! And before you start thinking "why didn't you find out where the pipes were first" WE DID! BUT the idiot that built the house decided to put some more pipes down after it was approved just to piss us off! We thought we had fixed the mains water but the joints kept leaking and Neil was out there at 9pm with floodlights in a 1 metre deep hole full of water trying to fix it. Needless to say, he was not a happy bunny and was swearing like a trooper. Finally, he fixed it so we carried on with the work.

However, the saga continued as we then went through the main sewer pipe too! Hard to believe but, yes we did and before you start thinking "why didn't you find out where the pipes were first" WE DID! BUT the idiot that built the house decided to put some more pipes down after it was approved just to piss us off! History repeating itself!

The pipe was fixed but we decided to hold fire for a week before back filling just to check there were no leaks. Being impatient I wanted to keep the project going. I popped down to Bunnings and bought a mini green house and ordered some seeds from Green Harvest online http://www.greenharvest.com.au for my patch. I spent a quiet Sunday afternoon planting the seeds and put them out on the back deck to get them started.