Week 7.
Seedlings.
Everywhere.
This week I was busy planting seedlings, and carrying heavy buckets of soil, potting mix and was doing a lot of bending to mulch and weed.
My favourite so far is the Chinese Hairy Gourd / Melon. Sweet, delicious white flesh that is used in Asian cooking.. Yum!
After not a lot of success with chives, I finally have some success!
This pic is of the rockies a week after planting, and after a little four legged assistance in spreading the mulch….
FINALLY was able to plant out my herbs. The – Basil – took – forever, just to get to this size. (Pic on the right) I finally got sick of waiting and poured straight worm juice on them and they grew almost overnight!
Sage (on the left) grew really well from the word go – but I still laced that with worm juice too…
And yes, you are seeing correctly. This is pumpkin number 15 below.
Ahhh yeah… I kind of killed a whole bunch of seedlings by forgetting they were in the greenhouse on one Dubbo’s really, really, hot days. Eeek! Sorry little one’s. First loss of this entire gardening venture. Only 1x Hairy Gourd and 1x Capsicum survived 🙁
All looks a little deathy doesn’t it?
Here are my three pumpkin hills – apparently they are really fussy and like good drainage?! Ha. Tell that to my 15 pumpkins that are all over the yard…!
These are Australian Butter Pumpkins, and like most of my vegies are an heirloom variety.
First harvest of our lemongrass crop!
Thanks Deb, Rach’s absence was my unplanned gain! Just seems to keep growing and growing.
These aren’t from my garden, but hopefully one day soon I’ll have enough vegies to roast!
Mel out.
Lessons:
They’re really important this week.
- More of a reminder for me in relation to gardening…When doing a lot of bending, it is important to use correct squatting technique WITH correct muscle function. Bending repetitively, with correct technique means NOTHING if your muscles aren’t contracting properly to unload your joints.
- I questioned how people get through life without Pilates? I, being young, healthy and fit – was carrying buckets around the yard and felt the increase in load in my lower back. Every. Single. Time. I had to work hard whilst carrying to make sure to decompress and distribute the load evenly.
- I wonder…. Do non-Pilates people even realise when they are doing things that load their spines and joints? Or do they only realise when they hit 50+ and they get pain??? Whilst carrying the heavy buckets I was thinking to myself…
- This is true for all lifting and loading activities in life. Not just gardening. Are you aware of when you load your spine? Do you know how to properly unload it during those very movements? No? Ask me. I know how. And I can teach you. Take care of your back and take care of your joints. Thank goodness for Pilates =)
Read another blog about safer ways to garden HERE.