Grapes

This picture is one bunch of my first ever homegrown edible buch of grapes.

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First summer fruit

I have been so caught up with work and the client from hell I failed to report on berry crops. We are having strawberries but we never get a lot at one time. We have had our first boysenberries and the vine is doing fantastically. We have also enjoyed some red raspberries, something seems to be wrong with the black raspberries it seems to be dying. Red currants are looking good, going to have a lot of chilean guavas, blackberries are starting to flower, no sign of any ivory(orange )raspberries. I have been trying hard to get the grapes to grow properly.
This winter was so bad I couldn't get my tomatoes to grow from seed the same for capsicums. I had to but some plants from a nursery - beefsteak, dwarf and roma plum tomatoes. I had already bought 2 heirloom plants that are producing the first fruit - purple haze and zebra(i think).

I am taking five days off work completely . Today I went on Cameron's kindy trip. Monday Teresa is taking a sick day/mental health day after doing Optimist yachting all this week. I am not going to take her class we are going to have a morning together, coffee a bit of christmas shopping. Tuesday is Cameron's first school visit he I will be there all morning so I will be in Napier on my own for the morning I'll go for a run and then have a coffee on my own somewhere , sounds good to me.

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Front garden hedge in progress & greenhouse

Nine new feijoa trees

Coninue cutting down trees, they've been gradually reduced over the last few years. I am finishing them off with the chainsaw and I was going to dig them out but Teresa told me to hire a man with a stump grinder to hurry up the process. I said I didn't mind the exercise but I think she wants it done quicker than I can do it.



Greenhouse

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Weekly traing 30Mar-5Apr &fruit trees

We bought 8 more feijos trees to make our front hedge we had planned to buy all different varieties but these were NZ$10 each and all other varieties were $20.

Swim

3 swims total 3000m band and ball

Bike

3 trainer sessions total 7.20 miles

Run

3 x 2miles 6 miles total

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Garden news:Greenhouse & new fruit trees

We've been wanting to buy a greenhouse for the past 12months but the ones we found were really to expensive right now. Then a few weeks ago we went to Palmers garden centre in Napier(they have coffee shop and a great children's playground) and we found this greenhouse approx 1900mm by 1200mm for NZ$249 about a quarter the price of other similar sized ones. I have already got tomatoes going. I also planted pepper and aubergines. I am using my bucket method and plan to put in some more. I'll try and get a photo soon.

In addition we got another apple tree reduced from NZ$30 to 15 and another feijoa variety for $10. I have been clearing the front of all its old trees and ivy (which is a killer). I was slowed down when the electric chainsaw I had for 12months died the second time I used it and it took about 5weeks for repairs / I was actually given a new one. I plan to plant the new feijoa at the weekend as part of the plan to replace the old trees with a hedge of all different feijoa varieties. In addition I am going to move an exsisting feijoa tree from the middle of the garden to also be part of the the hedge because if I don't it will bug the symmetrical part of me that will feel annoyed that its not with the rest.
It's funny I don't feel that away about all the others trees, although I didn't feel our exsisting apple tree needed company.

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Garden update

Couldn't resist the other variety of Pepino.

When we went for the Pepino we came across a solitary blackberry. We didn't hesitate it brings back childhood memories of blackberrying with family. We thought we couldn't get them in New Zealand.


We have also been eating home grown courgettes(zuchinni), cucumber, tomatoes,lots of basil, mint, oregano,thyme, beans and lettuce,the first 2 blueberries, and peppers (we're trying to leave them alone to turn red)

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New fruit alert

Teresa asked if I could buy a berry plant for Cameron to give her for Christmas. I had seen these in the garden centre and I thought it was a bit different plus it said that it was good in pots on the deck which is exactly what Teresa wanted. It is a Pepino incredible Ruby. They also had another version which is has a skin sort of the colour of the inside of this purple one.

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Fruit update

This is the latest fruit tree in the garden.

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Boysenberries

Raspberry Ivory

We have had this one for 2 summers and the we have had only a few rather small berries so far.

Raspberry Ebony

I must come clean on this one. We have had this in the ground for 2 summers now and we have yet to see any sign of fruit. But we live in hope.

Raspberry Aspiring

Feijoa

Chilean Guavas

Blueberries

Red currants

Unexpected arrival

A few posts ago I mentioned that I'd ordered Teresa's Christmas present now because the company said they would only be ready for Novemberish. Today a courier van turned up, I usually see it arrive from my desk/office/corner of the dining room (I do have a big desk though). I was expecting a book from the WDA web designers association (complimentary - called 'the internet unmasked'- I'm not a member my clients are not bothered about a logo which I would have to pay for. They just want someone they can talk to in plain English and see what I can do and be affordable ) The arrival was the banana plant, there is no way I can hide it for 8months so now I've got to think of another surprise. Teresa is off the opinion that we shouldn't buy anymore because even with a quarter acre section there is only so much space. At the weekend we did buy one more blueberry bush and the last two of our chilean guava plants that will eventually complete the hedge at the bottom of the deck.

Speaking of my clients earlier in the post I have acquired a new one. An established shop called Baby Heaven which has changed hands and the new owner wants an online shop, she had been quoted $10 000 by a local big firm (she only wants basic not flying to the moon and back technology). I expained that I was low on experience with ecommerce but was trying to get more and I thought that we could benefit each other. I would get low stress experience and she would get a working online shop very cheaply. And my other current client Aquahawks swimming club have asked for online shopping for goggles , etc But they insisted that I put extra on the invoice for extras because I was working so cheaply, I tried to protest!!! I know Jane from the club so I was doing them 'mates rates' 20% discount. The club have been given funding for it and had to pay the full invoice before acertain date which goes against the way I usually work but I'm not complaining.

The Aquahawks job is especially pleasing because somebody else competing for it made me feel stupid a few years ago when I was starting out. I had been to see him at his office (by his invitation) about the possibility of doing some work and I left feeling very small and foolish. Any way things have moved on since then.