Day 40...

AM

Oh gosh, I nearly cried as I walk up the steps to the garden...First stop DAVE!!! He's perfect, sitting on his favourite leaf at the fish pond, almost as if nothing had happened...Glancing to the right, this was my view...Fortunately on closer inspection, the plants under the cover was only slightly on the flatter side due to the collapse, but at least not broken....I was pleasantly surprised to find that the crop cover wasn't torn and mostly still attached to the spikes in the ground...I must admit I expected worse..

...Wish I could say the same for the rest of the garden...hmmm damage control.... 

PM

So this is the way we learn, trial and error...lucky not at expense of the veggie patch...went back to Chamberlains today and bought another roll of 25mm pipe...Erected the first one on the same principle as the second one, as it seems to have survived better...Also used a few more strings in between to reinforce the structures...Thank goodness we don't have storms like these everyday...

                                      

Day 39...

I covered the other part of the garden...thanks to my 2-legged helper, it went considerably faster today...thank goodness...

As I was driving home later, lightning lit the sky...it was beautiful, until I woke up later that evening to something that felt like a thunderstorm-meets-cyclone!! Gushing wind and the deafening sound of the hail on the roof resulted in near palpitations...awaiting the heart attack I just went back to bed...I'll face the music tomorrow...ugggghhhh.....

Day 36...

I still haven't come around to put the greenhouse/grow tunnel idea into practice...so as I looked at the thirsty leaves of the cabbage and Brussel Sprouts around 10am, I decided to at least try and improvise (again) on my previous idea, just as a temporary solution...

I attached the ends of the pipe to stakes in the ground, this time thinking smaller...ie. just to do one half at a time...this way the previously bought plastic pipe seems firmer and I covered it with the crop cover...(Once again:  This will have to be a 2-man job next time...It's at times like these when you wish you had about 8 legs to keep the cover in place while your hands secure the sides...)

I understand this is not the proper use of the crop cover, but it does let light through and a fair amount of water as well...and maybe it will keep the little airplanes away (Laying eggs>>larvae)..I'll have to do some proper research on the shading nets...in order to do smarter ie. more economical, shopping next time...

Day 35...

While I was planting out the new seedlings I discovered a baby praying mantis, on one of the new spinach plants we brought from the coast.  Shame, I have an idea the poor thing had to endure the whole torturous 8 hours drive on Friday...LOL at least he had a lot of philosophical company (that would be my friend and I trying to solve the world's problems), and a wide variety of sing-along music ranging from 'a Thousand miles' by Vanessa Carlton to Michael Paynter's 'Love the fall'...

Learnt a very valuable lesson today...I've named him...Dave, so meet our new guest, about 1cm in length... Serving God's purpose...that is...Purposely driven...no matter how small we (think we) are... Isn't nature just amazing?!

Day 32...

AM

While at the coast we went on a roadtrip trying to find some memorabilia to bring home...needless to say the 3rd thought that came to me...Plant nursery...

We were looking for a mango tree for quite a while and couldn't find one, so as we entered the most beautiful nursery I have ever seen...'Mango Tree' was all that was bobbing in my head...We found one, for a mere R57 and also bought a seedling tray with 18 plants for...wait for it...wait...a mere R22!! (Yes I know I cheated by buying veggie plants but I just couldn't resist, let's rather call it inspiration for the other plants ;)) Very impressed with our bargain shopping we headed home...

Ps If I'm aloud to do some advertising the nursery is just off the N2 Margate off ramp between Uvongo and Margate called the Froggie Pond...an absolute paradise...and the ladies there...well 'passion for plants' are written all over their faces...these people love what they do... :)

PM

Well we're back from the coast and I'm very exited to see that all is well...I assume that the weather at home was lovely as well...seeing that they all look very happy...(and slightly less chewed than I expected)...These guys are turning into strong young adults now...Amazing what a bit of rain and sunshine can do... :)

Day 24...

Aaaagghhhh something is chewing on the spinach?! Thank goodness for the wonderful world of Internet...again...

It seems like it's some kind of squishy worm causing this frown upon my forehead as I look at the tender leaves of the spinach...I checked all the plants for any traces - obviously I found nothing - guess they hide during the day...I'll check tonight with a torch (wooohahahaha evil laugh)...We're off to a nice place at the beach on the South Coast tomorrow...surely I can't just enjoy my holiday, while they feast off the suffering leaves...

'Ping'!! means a plan....Armed with a potent improvised home-made mix (Crushed garlic, water, - dish washing liquid -Sunlight soap and few splashes of Tabasco)...I sprayed all the plants...Just in case the Tabasco isn't quite the peppery scent that they supposedly hate, I cut up a few chilies from the herb garden and sprinkled the contents between the plants...just to make sure...O gosh I hope I don't kill them just because I was too lazy to go to the store to buy the right ingredients....

Day 23...

After a lot of prayers and thumb-holding...the babies are turning into real teenagers now...I'm so proud!  As I was browsing through my gardening book this afternoon, I read that a good way to keep snails away from cabbage plants are to make collars with carton boxes or plastic...I cut up a few old herb pots from the nursery and voila!! Now, hopefully they're safer against the wrath of sluggish snails and suddenly look almost sophisticated :)

Getting so excited - on all the sites I could Google on natural pest control, the praying mantis has been a word I have seen more than a dozen times...Discovered these two this morning on a bell pepper plant scouting for food...or just having a rest on the cool green leaves...I wish now, I had taken this picture with a measuring tape...they're as big as my hand...I have never seen them this big...

Day 20...

AM

I tried virtually every possible way re-positioning the pipe, nearly lost a thumb somewhere in the 5minute intervals between moving the stake within a 10cm square, trying to align the frame, and trying to get our 2 cats to either help or stop playing under, over and through it...The 20mm pipe is way to thin...and wobbly...and definitely not sturdy at all...I didn't think this through properly...It would be perfect if the garden was about 2m in diameter...not 4.5 x 5m...This means that I'll have to think of a more sturdy construction...(Oh and next time I'll get someone - with 2 legs - to assist)

PM

As fate might have it...the dark clouds gathered and thunder rumbled closer quickly...HAIL!!  I frantically searched for as many tallish structures I could find...and pulled the crop cover over...luckily I bought 2, one for each side...(Forget the whales, PLEASE save the babies...)

Day 18...

So I went on some sporadic shopping...with virtual measurements and not quite sure what I'm looking for...I bought some 20mm water pipe in 25m lengths and a Crop Cover... apparently shading cloth has different densities...hmmm so once again back to my favourite activity....Googling...

The internet is a weird and wonderful place with answers for just about anything...(That is if you live in the USA, or the UK or in Australia) I could find very little on what density would be suitable for my veggies in Centurion, Pretoria, South Africa, Southern Hemisphere....Where are all the South Africans? Don't they also wonder about this stuff? Nevertheless, the crop cover will have to do for now, especially with the end-of summer storms we're experiencing....

Day 17...

So I went to Chamberlain's and a few nurseries this morning...browsing around...hmmm I can buy a small greenhouse (DIY Kit) for about R8 000?! Seriously! 

What's worse...it would only be half the size of my current veggie patch...Ok so that idea left, a found a few do it yourself sites on grow tunnels...of course this sounds easy enough...and surely it would be a whole lot cheaper...Tomorrow,  first stop - the hardware store for some DIY stuff!

Day 16...

Woke up this morning on a mission...I need...hehehe no correction - I WANT a greenhouse...or a grow tunnel...or something to make me feel like I'm a serious gardener now ;)  Don't those greenhouses on the telly always look so happy...and free...and country life-like...?! Surely it will also help with the slightly colder winters in Centurion...while protecting them against the grazing sun? (Hahaha who am I trying to convince here?!) That's it, the more I think about it...the more....aghhh I can't resist...off to Google...

Day 13...

Well holding thumbs as the babies are released into adult world...dug a hole and used a handful of seedling compost...Hmmm note to self, the big seedling trays are NOT very user friendly as it's not soft, thus quite difficult getting the little ones out (without damaging the root system at the same time)...Nevertheless, managed to save a handful and off they went...Shame, they almost seem lost in the big garden...

I read that Marigold flowers are the wonder-drug of companion plants...thus at R20 for six at the Strawberry Pot, they also deserved a space over here...

(I need to get around to the Plastic warehouse some time to buy some of the smaller - softer - trays)...

Day 11...

The babies are turning out too darn cute...According to the instructions the Brassicas should be planted out when they are about 5-7cm, so as to not damage the roots...but they're so small...wondering if they will survive in the big world...hmmmm...