This coming Sunday, the 6th of March, the lovely boys from Geronimo Jerky will be celebrating the opening of their fabulous new store. This new store is located in a charming suburban shopping street, and it just so happens that this street is only a two minute walk from my house.
Out the front of the new store are four wooden planter boxes. I'm sure they were once filled with beautiful, well-cared for plants, but they currently display weeds, overgrown herbs, and woody bushes.
The boys at Geronimo want to create something exciting in their planter boxes, and they have asked me to do it.
I am going to be the curator of my very own garden boxes on a strip of public land.
I feel like I've come into my own here. I am having visions of vegetable magnificence, glorious bushels of fine produce which people will come from near and far to lay their eyes upon. I feel as though I may perhaps merit some sort of special badge.
Of course, we all know that with my track record it could end up being a bit of a gardening disaster, so I do have a plan.
I am going to fill it all with lovely fresh seedlings, just before opening day. You can't go too wrong there. And I only live down the road, if things start going to pot I'll sneak down there in the middle of the night with new seedlings... nobody ever has to know... it'll create a marvelous new urban myth about vegetables transforming themselves overnight.
Anyway, enough of my blathering.
I need your help. It has to be a vegetable, it has to be fabulously exciting, and it has to be out in full sun. And that's full Brisvegas sun, which is a particularly strong sun indeed.
What shall I plant?
28 comments:
They've predicted around 35 degrees for the next couple of days so maybe wait until the weekend to plant ;-)
My suggestions would be beetroot, rainbow silverbeet, parsley and radishes. Oh and maybe shallots and rocket always do well.
Oh goodness, thank you so much Missy, I hadn't realised... although I should have, it's blooming boiling today! I love the idea of rainbow silverbeet and rocket, beetroot doesn't like me though. Radishes I'd have to see what they looked like, I don't eat them so have never grown them. And shallots are a great idea, nice foilage! Thank you :)
How about adding spike-y chives? :-)
YOU are so lucky - have a wonderful time with this, and please post on your progress!
SG what are spike-y chives? And yes, I am very excited :) I really hope I can make something that looks really good. Doesn't matter too much about what produces, but it does have to look striking.
What about Lemongrass as a feature!
I love to see rosemary in places where people can brush past and release its wonderful perfume. It should grow well in your area, with good drainage, it is just too darn wet here! Growing as a perennial it will look and smell lovely year round.
Phoebe I love lemongrass, that's an excellent idea, thank you!
And AA, rosemary, of course! It does grow well here, even I can keep it alive. I do love a bit of contrast in foliage, even though I seem to have troubles spelling it!
Definately herbs Ali, with a mix of veg in the middle...one of my capsicum is in a pot near the house in full sun and it dosnt mind it at all...sounds exciting, .x
Considering the expected weather conditions (and who is going to water the plants?) I would be planning to plant "Mediterranean" veg, and herbs. Rosemary (as suggested by others) would be ideal, but also thyme and oregano. Some bush tomatoes would look good. What about capsicums and chillis?(maybe some of those compact multi-coloured ones?) Or your famous aubergines? Don't go for anything tall, or that bolts easily if not watered regularly - like spinach. Hey, this is going to be an exciting project for you!
Suzanne, yes, definitely herbs, I agree... they smell so lovely when people brush past them.
Mark, you champion, how did I know you were going to suggest chillis?! And they are a great idea, I will have to do some research, I'd like to try to get different ones with lots of different coloured chillis. I hadn't really thought about watering, but I was just down there and the soil is really parched. It's amazing that there are things growing in it, and the bushes look quite healthy, who knows what they are living on.
How exciting for you! I'm with the others herbs I reckon. And rainbow silveerbeet great. Have fun.
I saw a mass planting of chillies (outside a cafe at a cemetery of all places). It looked fantastic...all those little red and yellow chillies. I also love all of Missy's suggestions. Rainbow chard is divine. Good luck...soon you will be able to give up the day job. LOL
Hazel I love the idea of masses of chillis, lovely and hardy, and great colours too... Rainbow silverbeet scares me a little though, I've not grown it myself yet, and I'm not confident of being able to!
I went and cleared out three of the boxes this afternoon, the fourth one is full of overgrown herbs and I am going to try and save some of them.
Fun : ) This sounds so great darl, I'll bring you some sheep manure on Thursday if you like. I think some tall corn would be really cool. You may have to be careful with chillis if they will be at a child friendly height... You are just the woman for this job : )
Wow, what a great project Ali, Have you thought about Climbing beans, you could make an attractive trellis for them to climb...fast growing and they could act as a screen if neccesary? Definetly plenty of herbs and maybe a bay leaf tree, you can prune these into topiary trees....All the best and Have Fun...:)
I'd be a little scared of chilis within easy reach of kids and the idiotic, but a wonderful scented herb garden would be great. Looks like a lot of work- but fun, good luck!
Perhaps you should make a little sign to put in each bed, saying "Please water me", in the hope that your mates in the shop will provide a supply of water - and a watering-can.
Crikey Ali, do you get a grant from the Arts Council?
I'm so envious of your weather, and you're sure its got to be veg???
How about the three sisters? Corn, squash and climbing beans? Might be a lot too much to expect people to be patient enough to wait for it to come good. So how about just corn (dwarf multicoloured?)
Mal I suggested veg because I think that it's different and people will look, and I also have a thing about how lovely it would be if we planted more vegetables in ornamental gardens, for everyone to partake of the produce.
My one worry with it though is how easy and fun (for a teenager!) it would be to rip them out. We'll see.
I love the idea of corn, lovely and tall, very striking. And climbing beans too, that would look lovely climbing up the corn. Squash I've not had luck with and have sworn off it, but I could come round!
A little sign is a great idea Mark, and I might also tell the children of these guys, little kids can be fabulously pedantic about things they have been told to do I have noticed.
Kat I was also concerned about chillis and little people (I'd forgotten about numbnuts though!), and I'm not sure what to do there... I did have my heart set on chillis.
GJ a trellis is the most FABULOUS idea, and I had to pull out the little bushes that were actually acting as a screen, so yes, a trellis would replace that really nicely.
Jodie you lovely young thing, I would love some manure! The plants will be as happy as little pigs in mud.
Corn is in... it sounds like a really good idea, although I'm worried about the season. Is there a proper season for corn here?
All sounds great Ali - well done!
I think you'd be ok if you planted corn now, we have some on the go at the moment.
Depending on how much room you have left at this stage - how about a variety of lettuce and/or cabbage. Quite a few different colours going on there. Have fun!
Thanks Wendy, I'd like to go with corn!
I love the idea of lettuce, maybe I could scatter some seeds around to pop up in between other things??? And cabbage I like too, I haven't actually grown it myself though, does it grow well here do you know?
Can't suggest plants properly because of difference in climate but,if I were to have such a project here, I would have to choose things people wouldn't want to eat (the fruits would simply be clipped off and wasted before they were ripe) things without shallow roots (because they would be pulled out easily) things without flowers on stems (because flowers on stems would be picked) and things which wouldn't damage children if said children decided to grab hold of them (so things with thorns or spines would be out too). Therefore . . . I'd look for something tough and woody which will put roots deep in very firmed down earth, which put be pleasant to look at but not tempting to damage or take.
Rosemary sounds a good idea (I see someone has suggested that) but Rosemary can splurge and obstruct the way - which wouldn't be popular outside a shop.
However - if you can grow Rosemary, does that mean you can grow lavender? It's not a vegetable but it would be something you could encourage people (including children and teenagers) to touch. There are lots of different sizes, different shapes and textures of leaves, even quite radically different aromas; some sweet, some surprisingly spicey. They quite like dry, not rich, ground . . . but I don't know whether there are varieties which would tolerate your temperatures . . .
Esther
Esther you make some very good points, and ones that I hadn't thought of.
Rosemary I think is a really good idea, nice and hardy. And yes, we can grow lavender. I don't know many varieties, I only know of the French and English types, I have some in my yard which I am pretty sure is French. Or English, I can't remember now.
I like very much the idea of people touching the plants, so pretty smells are definitely on the list.
Thank you for your comment Esther, you are much more sensible a thinker than myself!
Post lots of photos would love to see them. perenial basil - one with small leaves smells great and is lots hardy! What about sprinkling seeds every so often. Its fun to see new things coming up when you walk past and others - esp kids - will notice too. Cosmos good for attracting good insects and are pretty and hardy. Cherry tomatoes - hardy and fruitful.
Corn is more a summer plant, not for winter I don't think... so plan it for next spring.
Kale might be good during the winter - you can get some great ornamental looking ones. As ElsieMay suggested cherry tomatoes pretty much all year round.
For the trellis this coming season you would probably be better with peas or snow peas.
Elsie May scattering seeds is a wonderful idea, and you are right, everyone loves to watch something grow. At least I do anyway!
Donna for the life of me I cannot find kale. Where are they hiding the stuff?!
I think Hazel's masses of chillies is a simply fab-tastic idea. In fact it has inspired be to plant some out the front of my own front yard on the road side(for purely evil reasons mind you). Then those little weasley, meddling kiddies might learn to look and not touch :) boohoo har har harrrrgh
There you go, that's a lovely thought... how about just a chilli border around your house :p
The plants have been chosen and planted, for the rest of my marvellous commenters they will have to be contented with photos tomorrow, you however my dear, can see for yourself firsthand the wonder I have wrought, whilst munching on your beef jerky samples.
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