Progress on 'The Master Plan'

In my last post I discussed my "Plan" for my garden and desire to produce heaps of home grown goodness for my hubbie and I. And here is how far I have progressed:

August:

•Plant green manure crops into empty garden beds.

•Plant out raspberries and new plants from garden show into large pots. Can't decide where to put them!!

•Purchase small greenhouse.

•Finish harvesting winter vegetables.ONGOING

•Plant out beetroot and lettuce seedlings.

•Plant another polystyrene box with carrot seeds. CHECK

•Plant the following seeds in seed raising mix in the greenhouse and keep protected until after the last frost: amaranth, artichoke, basil, beans, beetroot, burdock, capsicum, carrots, celeriac, celery, chilli, chives, coriander, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, kohlrabi, kale, lettuce, yam, potatoes, pumpkin, radish, rocket, rockmelon, rosella, shallots, silverbeet, spring onion, squash, sunflower, corn, tomato, watermelon (always wanted to try growing these babies) and zucchini. (According to the Gardening Australia vege guide, some of these can be planted out during August...so I'll see how I go). Planted tomato seeds and used half softdrink bottles as mini green houses...

•Deepen the front gardens gradually and add Magic Mix to plant vegetables in amoungst the flowers. Leave the gardens with the sweet peas as they are for the time being.
 
 
Hmmm....so I've started...not a great deal accomplished, but I'm on my way. This morning I got outside and planted up a polystyrene box with carrot seeds and planted six little asparagus seeds. This is a major long term project as it will be about 3 years before I can harvest asparagus spears, but I figure you have to start somewhere.
 
Becc and I have planted 1 year old crowns at the community garden and they are developing well. The thing is that you can't harvest spears for a couple of years, so my little seeds that I planted today should start producing a year after ours at the community garden. I'm planning ahead!!
 
I have also decided where I'm going to plant out my little beetroot seedlings and lettuce seedlings and have planted bean, sunflower, pea (I think - didn't label them) and some other surprises that I can't quite remember. I was also at the nursery through the week and they had some very sad looking seed potatoes which I got very cheaply, chopped them up and dried them so that I could plant them out and I planted them yesterday. I really hope they survive. The last batch of potatoes were going very well and I was extremely excited about the prospect of home grown potatoes..but then the frost hit...a heavy killing frost...and my potatoes were no more... I finally gave up on them reshooting this week and emptied out the bag they were growing in and found about 20 baby potatoes no bigger than a bantam egg. As disappointed as I am that the frost killed the plants, I'm thrilled that we will get to eat some lovely little potatoes tonight for dinner. I just hope this next lot of seed potatoes yeilds a bigger crop.
 

I am still planning on purchasing a small greenhouse from the local cheap shop, but will have to wait a pay or two. Once I have it I'll transfer newly germinated seeds into the greenhouse from the plastic boxes I have to use to keep the seeds safe from the mice until they have germinated.
 
So, let the master plan continue!!!
 

Emily xoxo