borlottis: our growing edge

Pruned the orchard carefully one freezing winter's weekend last year, not a task I took lightly. I read book after book, practised in my head, on paper, then on an actual tree.

We took especial care of this particular apple, the one with the most delectable red fruit, dappled gold shoulders and crisp white flesh.

By October, things were looking gooood. Really good. 

Then it completely stopped raining. It's been a bit of a disaster, this summer.

Well, let's step back a little. It's been difficult, but not altogether a disaster. There's been no fruit for us, as we, once again, left the fruit to thirsty rosellas and grey currawongs. It's been brutally dry and I thought they deserved something.

The vegetable garden's had some incredible successes, though. Hello, tomato-fest! Hell-oo zucchini madness! Perfect conditions for a Mediterranean vegetable garden.   

I never have any trouble keeping up with zucchini. Gardeners often moan about the glut, but not me. No way. There's so much to do with them, a recipe for every stage of growth. Even those huge marrow-sized ones that lurk beneath the leaves.

My nemesis, however, remains the elusive borlotti bean. For the past three summers (and a few before that let me tell you) I have patiently pushed seed into pots of sifted compost, nursed seedlings through all sorts of conditions. Yet no matter what I do, no matter from whom I obtain seed, my dreams of freshly podded borlotti beans simmered with home-grown garlic and sage and thyme and lashings of good, green olive oil never quite come off. Until - ta-dah - the smallest but sweetest of victories this year.   

They are bush variety - I'd've preferred a climber, but beggers cannot be choosers - that I sowed into jiffy coir pellet-things and there's not a lot of pod action, but at last. Success! Enormously proud of self, and all grown with scant but carefully applied watering. Next year will be the true success I dream about.  

Genie's hosting a great little event called Our Growing Edge, and this little success story is my submission.

 

Comments

[Genie]

Thanks for your submission to Our Growing Edge. I tried jiffy pellets for the first time. They are like some kind of voodoo magic. This is the first year we have planted food in the garden and I admit, I feel like a child with how excited I get each time some progress - no matter how tiny - is made. I'm not sure if my beans are the bush or the climbing variety yet, but I've made chicken wire cages for them to do their thing. Fingers crossed.

[Denise]

I like your borlotti dream, Lucinda. Cheers to your dream coming true, even if you have to wait until next year. I'm sure that delicious pot of beans will be well worth the wait.