Food Gardens

It has been more than a year since my last post. I have neglected the garden choosing to paraglide, bird and butterfly watch and take long walks. During this time the native place garden has been left to its own devices. Since we did not have any delicate plants but mostly native plantings the garden took care of itself managing to go by with infrequent watering, pruning and weeding. i got used to the unkempt look. The climbers and shrubs around the house stood by us and flowered profusely wowing the guests and this only made me more complacent.

Consuelo sent me some herb seeds from Italy in December and i planted them in the new year. Now my excitement began to grow and each weekend as i approached Kamshet and Native Place all i could think about was running into the garden and checking on my seedlings. This led to a complete makeover of the garden. We had loads to do in terms of cutting back, pruning, clearing, manuring, and watering.

Today we have loads of basil, oregano, thyme, chamomile as well as some sage, tomatoes, beans and pumpkins growing well. Have also planted ginger, garlic, sweet potato and got a new rotating composter. I feel on top of the world - i have always wanted to grow my own herbs and this is a dream come true for me. My attention has now turned to growing food and using every tiny area in the garden to grow edibles. It's amazing to make the link from the garden to the kitchen and onto the table

Peace Bliss & Happy Landings

Astrid Rao