Gardening Wednesday

We're being overrun by ants at the moment. Oh, and flies. Obviously both insects like a good shower of rain and hot weather to breed. Well I guess it's good motivation to keep the kitchen clean and tidy! And keep the compost going out to the bin - oh, do they love that compost! I was thinking of a picnic this weekend, but not before I've found a good insect repellent!

Most of the plants are thriving in the garden at the moment. The strawberry plant is giving us strawberries... one at a time.. every few days... (We have to cut it 5 ways!!). Hmmm.. I really should have bought more than one plant!

The pumpkin vines are really going wild! 4 weeks ago a could have held the entire plant in my cupped hands, and now they're all over the garden bed - I have to keep curling them over each other. 4 plants was definitely too many for one garden bed!! I have no idea how many pumpkins will be produced per vine. And my note to self for next time is to plant the sweet corn first, so it can get growing before the pumpkin vines take over!

And we have a strange looking experiment happening in our kitchen at the moment. The children think it's a space ship, but it's actually an avocado seed which I am trying to propagate.

I'm really trying to focus on the good things happening in the veggie patch at the moment, because the first flush of flowers on the trees have now died off, and with the hot weather the thistles, prickles, and other nasty weeds which we have in great abundance are really getting going. It's rather depressing. I think I'm going to have to get my act together and cover great sections of land in mulch and start planting garden beds with cuttings that I have stolen - er, I mean, been given from others. It's a slow thing, this gardening business. I really can't complain, though - every time mum comes to visit she brings a box of cuttings, or plants which have popped up in her compost heap! I love you, mum! (Not just for the plants, you understand...)