We now have 48 fruit or nut trees planted

Been here about 18 months and have this many fruit trees planted now. Most of it happened this winter after we had felled the silver birch trees which were keeping the sun off the section. Three different figs, six dfferent apples, two pears, three plums (Damson, Hawera and Luisa), three feijoas, three cranberries, one grapefruit, three kiwifruit, one lemonade, one lemon, one gooseberry, three grapes, three passionfruit of which one is grafted and has two varieties on it, two blueberry, four raspberries, one boysenberry, 2 thornless blackberries, two tamarillos, two red currants, one nectarine, one apricot, one macadamia nut.. I think that is all. Apples are golden delicious/something else, sturmer, lobo, Monty's Surprise, gosh I forgot the others.

We have 8 blocks of vege garden in which there is very good garlic and onions, heaps of broad beans some of which are ready. This week I dug all the parsnips and have buried them in sawdust in the front part near the letterbox and dug a trench round it.

Huge pile of compost that Ben and I made and Paul turned is looking ready. Wow, we should have good tomatoes this year. Next job is to repot the heritage tomatoes I have growing.

Planted parsnips today

Yes it took a while to prepare the ground. Have put in rock dust, powdered seaweed and blood and bone, not to mention a bit of lime. Fortunately had the iphone playing new tunes all the time so managed to get the ground fairly fine. Then I planted the soaked seeds and put on some sacks.

Must keep it well watered and take the sacks off the moment they germinate.

The tiny celeriac plants I grew from seed have also been planted but the cat dug it up. I also sprinkled some celeriac seed around. My word it is so tiny. My sister Lesley in Christchurch said she grew her plants in trays last June!

And I have taken off the netting from the strawberries, which have been so wonderful. The pine needles mulch has been a great success. The strawberries are now having babies and I am not sure what I will do with them. I got mine from Christabel Jackson in March and maybe I will keep them for others.

The beans are flowering and the tomatoes are setting. The peas are nearly finished though another lot is coming up. I have just bought some wallflowers to plant tomorrow.