Spaghetti squash...maybe.

[wildflower]

My vege patch successes so far have been a bit hit and miss.
I've been lovingly tending to what I -think- is a spaghetti squash. It was the only one that germinated this past spring, it's stayed predictably small (I'm good at growing normal sized varieties in miniture...) and has only produced one squash.
Having never seen a spaghetti squash before I'm taking a punt.

I've watched it grow slowly, slowly over the past couple of months. Tonight I picked it and it's currently cooking. The real test is if it shreds.
If it IS a squash I've saved the seeds :P. If it's not...well...consider it part of the learning experience.

[red]

i hope it is - i love spaghetti squash.with lots of butter.. yum

[wildflower]

It's not
Can't say that I'm surprised.
I may have picked it too young, but I suspect it was never a spaghetti squash all along. I'm also good at planting things and forgetting to label them!

I've got my autumn planting in now, but I don't think they're goinbg to get very far before the frosts hit. BUT, like I said, it's all part of the learning experience.
I'm also holding out hope that it's not only my gardening ineptitude but also my soil. I'm building it up with the compost, season by season, but I can't help but feel a little sorry for myself when first-timers manage to get jungle growth from their veges while mine just refuses to grow.

I've got that brown-thumb, but I'm not letting it stop me from trying. It just makes me that much more excited when I get zucchinis grow overnight, or garlic bulbs sprout in a day.

[red]

I think, with some veg, it just takes a few seasons to get the hang of learning how to grow them - I've had to relearn a lot of things since moving house.. the soil is different, the greenhouse not in such a sunny position etc.

I also grow lots of different things, so sometimes one thing fails, but other succeed.

[Jessiebean]

What are you planting for autumn? (desperate for ideas myself here and our climates are similar!) I am on a steep learning curve here and a bit miffed because of the amount of mildew my pumpkins have ...
I have some rainbow chard (hopefully- must chuck some iron based pellets around as the snails begin soon) and I will get som broad beans in and probably spinach.. then I hit a blank and can't think of anything else to plant!

[wildflower]

I can't recommend Kale enough.
Last year it was practically all that I got out of the garden that was edible. So hardy here. Barely takes a knock with frosts and I get much better germination rates compared to brussel sprouts.
Last year I had the red kale from Diggers. This year I've got the same shape, but in green from Eden Seeds.
The only thing to be careful of is the cabbage moths, they love to eat it as much as I do. I'm stringing up a line of 'fake' moths this arvo though, so we'll see if that keeps them away. Apparently they wont lay eggs where they think other moths are laying.

Give garlic a go if you have a spot that you wont need until summer. I just went down to the local farmer's markets, got a couple of heads. That way I knew they were locally grown and untreated. The guy at the shop was so helpful, too! He said to break them up, wet them lightly (he said to wet them, then dry them off...I'm much lazier), put them in a sunny spot (I have one of those cheap plastic greenhouses), and wait for them to sprout. Then plant them like you would any other bulb. Mine have come up great! BUT I won't know what havest will be like until summer...