Welllllllll, I don’t know about you mob, but listening to a Prime Ministerial presser just before bed just ain’t the snooze inducer it used to be.
In fact, I didn’t get much sleep last night. I am worrying, like the rest of us, about the future, my family, my friends, catching a deadly illness, work, whether my kids (both of whom have a disability) will cope with social distancing and the shut down of their entire world.
Just a couple of concerns, then.
This morning, I had to get outside. If it was blowing a gale, I was getting outside. If it was pouring with rain directly over my noggin, I was getting outside into my garden.
Luckily, it was one of those perfect Autumn days we get here in Adelaide, when the sky is clear, the sun is shining, and the temperature is light and airy, but not too cool. Perfect for planting blueberries.
Blueberries do not grow well in the ground in our area. They require an acidic soil, and most soils in Adelaide are slightly alkaline. Not all of them though: we lived in a southeastern suburb many years ago that must have had perfect blueberry conditions. I know this because it was home to giant, stunning camellia bushes. I have never seen such camellias. Camellias, azaleas, and blueberries are all acid soil loving plants, requiring a special acidic potting mix if you are going to grow them in a pot.
I am growing two varieties: Blue Rose, and Brigitte. I know nothing about the respective pros and cons of these varieties, except that they cross-pollinate each other. I am growing them on our sunny balcony, and hoping it will not be too hot for them. If it is, I will move them. I planted them in large pots, with a full bag of Azalea/Camellia potting mix in each pot. I want the blueberries to have room to grow well. If they do well, I will probably plant more: blueberries are one of my favourite fruits.
I also planted more seeds in new and recycled trays. This time I mostly focused on salad and Asian greens:
- Pak choy;
- Shungiku, also called Chop-suey greens;
- Four kinds of lettuce: Amish Deer-tongue, All-year, Australian Yellow, and Marvel of Four Seasons. Australian Yellow Lettuce is from the Digger’s Club and is the most reliable and delicious variety, but I grow Marvel of Four Seasons and Amish Deer-tongue because really: such cool names. Marvel is from Green Harvest Seeds.
- Coriander;
- Cauliflower Purple Sicily;
- Silverbeet Fordhook Giant.
Finally, I washed some more pots in diluted methylated spirits (although I recently discovered you can make hand sanitiser out of it, so maybe I shouldn’t waste it on old pots!!), and potted up some violas. Because salad greens are all very well, but if I am going to be stuck at home, I will be surrounded by flowers.
Here’s some of last year’s jonquils to cheer you up.
