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Diggers Rest – Where did my garden go? Eco gardening tips; Tofu Salad.
January 10, 2012

Jan 2012 Issue #76

Hello,

What fun that we both love gardening. Thanks for joining me.

1) Where did my garden go?
2) Eco gardening tips
3) Tofu Salad

"Wake up and accept that we must take part in driving change that is based on an understanding of environmental realities that so many continue to deny. In other words, that it's not all about us, it's what's all about us that needs caring for properly." ~ Brian Turner

Where did my garden go?

I'm back home from over 2 months o’seas, mostly in Sydney and beautiful Noosa, Australia. My veggie garden disappeared whilst I was gone, even though a (non-gardening) friend ventured in to pick a few meals!

How come the weeds grew so fast?
I estimated that the convolvulus grew in from the back reserve at the rate of 3cm per day!
The blackberry slightly less fast.
Dandelions sprouted from nowhere and grew 1 metre...

But don't worry, I'm happy, I've found my garden now :-)

Happy New Year 2012

Thank you to Angela, who sent me her homegrown Christmas card. She writes, "To show my thanks, here's a special pic of my garden! It's rye, used as a green fertilizer and grown on Kweekland in Arnhem, NL."
(I believe Kweekland is a garden complex in Holland).

Rye Xmas message< p>

Eco gardening tips

  • Now when did I...?
    If you grew amazing carrots one year but not the next; or if your late cabbages thrived, but the caterpillars had a feast of the early ones... then you need to keep a garden journal of when, what and how you planted this that and t'other, so you can repeat successes and avoid disappointments.

    My grubby old notebooks kept getting lost or my pen didn’t work in my shed, so I now use an online garden planner and reminder. I got used to it reluctantly I must admit, but now praise it sky high. Efficient, fun and useful, you can have a 30 day free trial first, and you may fall in love with it like me: Interactive Vegetable Garden Planner.

  • Join the noise club:
    If you don't use a leaf-blower, whippersnapper or mower, why not join the noise party with your vacuum cleaner? I read in the local paper that apparently by using an extra-long tube you can rid your citrus trees of squadrons of stink bugs over summer.

    Simply position over bug, press power and, hey presto, stinko disappears up the tube.

  • Fridge storage:
    If you've got a large drawer in the bottom of your fridge, you may like to try this method: Replace with oblong, sealable plastic containers that fit into the space. This helps fruit and veg stay fresher longer and you only need to pull out each container when you need it.

    See here for heaps of first-hand ideas on: How to keep veggies fresh once picked.

Tofu Salad

My daughter-in-law, Gina, served up this dish recently. We had it in small bowls as a side dish to homemade dumplings in mushroom sauce. Very delectable.

Ingredients

  • 300gms tofu
  • 1 Lebanese cucumber about 18cm long
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 2 tsps soy sauce
  • 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil.

Method

  1. In bowl mix soy sauce, vinegar and oil.
  2. Cube tofu, chop cucumber into 1cm bits, crush and chop garlic.
  3. Add to bowl and carefully mix all ingredients together.

Preparation: 10 minutes
Serves: 4 people as a side dish.

Happy gardening,
Megan
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