June is the first month of winter. Since the month of May was quite warm, I was wondering if it would even get cold at all. The day before winter officially started I was dressed in a singlet and a skirt. But the next day, cold wind blew and the sun was nowhere to be seen. As it turned out, we had a freezing week that first week of June. Winter had arrived.

Rambling Pumpkin Vine

Pumpkins have been one of those plants that I don’t have success with. When I say don’t have success, pumpkins will start to form, get to the size of a golf ball then shrivel up and drop off. But the actual vines will grow like crazy.

The first year I moved into my house, we had an awesome pumpkin harvest. The neighbours pumpkin vine trailed down into our garden and we got a few yummy pumpkins. But ever since then, nothing!

I don’t intentionally plant pumpkins in my garden. But vines will pop up in my lawn because I feed my guinea pigs pumpkin scraps. These I do pull out. If the vines pop up where they won’t get in the way, I will leave them there and let them do their thing.

Along with the ceylon spinach that has taken over a part of my garden, is a pumpkin vine that has done the same. And, I’m happy that there is one pumpkin that has continued to grow past the golf ball stage and developed into the right size.

Looking at all those pumpkin leaves also got me thinking if the leaves were edible. And guess what – they are. I found a couple of interesting recipes – a Congolese dish and an Indian spiced one. I also found a Thai recipe for stir fried pumpkin shoots.

If you would like some tips on cooking pumpkin leaves, I suggest that you check out this article  ‘Did you know you could eat Pumpkin Leaves?’

First Time Garlic Grower Here

I have not grown garlic before, but I always wanted to try planting it. I would look at the sprouting garlic bulbs in my veggie bowl, and think “plant garlic” but never do it. This month, that changed for me when I took the plunge and finally planted garlic . It wasn’t that dramatic really!

There is a website that I love, called The Micro Gardener . It was here that I found an awesome guide, titled ‘growing gorgeous garlic’. What made me love it even more is it’s a super simple guide with really great tips.

I used organic garlic bulbs, which I bought from my local fruit and veg shop. Once I had planted them into their pot, I couldn’t believe I had waited so long to grow my own garlic – it was so easy! I guess the real test will be come harvest time, but like anything new, you will never know unless you give it a try.

Warming Herbal Tea

Having lemon balm, mint and pineapple sage in my veggie patch at the moment means I can make fresh pots of herbal tea. It is a real joy to me to go out into the garden, pick what I would like to put in the teapot, pour in boiling water and let those herbs infuse. The great part about making your tea like this is you can experiment with flavours and strengths.

I love teapots as well. I have a collection. It is also joyful to pick out my favourite teapot at that moment and have it sitting on my desk while I’m waiting for my tea to brew. Simple delights that brighten the day.

Black Beauty Capsicums

These shiny little beauties are growing on the capsicum plant. I’m surprised as I haven’t given the actual plant any TLC but it still produced fruit. A friend made a curried vegetable salad for a BBQ. The main ingredient was capsicums and it was delicious. So I think I know how these capsicums will be cooked.

 

So there is a little bit about my veggie patch this month. If you would like regular updates, then like the Gardenware Facebook page.

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR JUNE HAPPENINGS IN YOUR VEGGIE PATCH? WE WOULD LOVE TO KNOW! PLEASE LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.