GREEN FINGERS

I started the veggie garden the day we moved in to Sea Cottage. I was fascinated by the whole permaculture/companion planting concept and knew this was the way forward. As long as everything could be planted in neat rows and look perfectly symmetrical how difficult could it be! Its been 6 months and my three huge beds filled with perfectly straight (colour coded) rows have today been replaced by a bed the size of a parking space and a collage of seedlings that seem to blend together so simply and so naturally (ok maybe there is still a slight colour code). Clearly the result of a learning curve that all my knowledgable permaculturists knew I would have to go through.

I have never been particularly interested in gardening, I prefer hobbies with quicker results but I am quite set on eating organically and only cook with fresh ingredients so it made perfect sense to have my own vegetable and herb garden especially now that we have so much space. Its been a rocky road of trial and error, frustration, irritation and despondency. Dont get me wrong, I did get some amazing results and some bizarrly gigantic produce but when you start out and you realise that you don't actually know how to plant, when to plant, how prune, should you prune, what to grow, what not to grow, how to irrigate, how to fertilize, how to mulch, what the hell is mulch, how to make compost, the list is neverending. Luckily thanks to lots of experienced advise and to Simon for holding me back from pulling everything out and starting again (now I just pull things out one at a time when he's out!) I think I am starting to make progress, whether its progress with gardening or whether its progress with the art of patience I'm not sure but I have learnt alot and I think this new little patch is going to be a treasure chest of delicious ingredients for future recipes.
Thanks also to Herbie (Herbert) who has been helping me in the blazing sun today which has been very entertaining, he's been listening to my Ipod, jiving, whistling and singing away while he weeds and plants. I better make him his own playlist!
And, thank you to Si, the creative half, for the layout of the garden x see below

Here is a basic vegetable companion planting list for all the beginners out there like me:
Asparagus: Parsley, Capsicum, Basil, Lettuce + Tomato
Basil: Tomato + Most Vegetables & Herbs
Beans: Potato, Corn, Lettuce, Brinjal, Cucumber, Strawberry, Celery, Carrots, Cauliflower, Spinach
Beetroot: Onion, Lettuce, Spinach
Broccolli: Onions, Leeks, Celery
Brussel Sprouts: Potato
Cabbage: Onion
Carrot: Peas, Leeks, Lettuce + Chives
Cauliflower: Onions + Leeks
Celery: Tomato, Leeks + Beans
Corn: Lettuce, Peppers, Cucumber, Beans + Peas
Cucumber: Radish, Lettuce, Beans, Peas + Artichokes
Eggplant: Beans, Peppers + Lettuce
Lettuce: Beetroot, Strawberry, Radish + Corn
Mint: Cabbage + Tomato
Onion: Lettuce, Cabbage + Carrots
Parsley: Tomato, Asparagus, Carrot + Peppermint
Parsnip: Shallots, Chives + Lettuce
Peas: Cucumber, Radish, Turnips, Corn, Carrots + Beans
Potato: Tomato, Cucumber, Sunflower, Green Beans, Peas + Broad Beans
Pumpkin: Corn
Radish: Peas, Lettuce + Nasturtium
Shallots: Carrots, Beetroot + Mint
Spinach: Strawberry + Most plants
Strawberry: Lettuce + Bush Beans
Tomato: Asparagus, Basil + Peppers
Zucchini: Parsley, Tomato, Spinach, Corn + Squash