The vege garden at the autumn equinox

The east side of the main
vege garden - note the
new compost bins at the
back. Growing here are
leeks, basil, lettuces,
zucchini, silverbeet,
celery, yacon, cabbages,
herbs, and a self-sown tomato
plant.

The west side of the garden,
with dry corn stalks, 
fat pumpkins, carrots,
beans, broccoli, lettuce,
cauliflowers, silverbeet 
and potatoes.







The equinox, that twice yearly point in time and space when the tilt of the axis of the Earth is inclined neither away from nor towards the sun, has just passed. (At thirty-nine minutes before midnight last night, to be precise.) In New Zealand our part of the earth is now turning further away from the sun, the first of the deciduous trees to change colour are putting on tints of red and yellow, and the sweetcorn stalks are starting to go dry and brown and rattly. I must hurry and compost them, along with some rather ripe horse manure, in my brand new compost bins. (Made of recycled corrugated iron and fence posts – thanks, Martin!)

If Ken Ring the Really Wrong earthquake and weather 'predictor' were around I would happily compost him too – he's full of manure, and excess carbon. (Just how wrong he is, on both counts, and why, has been clearly and comprehensively explained by science blogger David Winter - see Ken Ring Can't Predict the Weather and Ken Ring Can't Predict Earthquakes Either. )

I hope I have planted enough leeks, silverbeet, cabbage, cauliflowers and broccoli to see us through the next few months. If not, it's too late now. But I can still do pak choy, rocket and other tough greens. At least there will lots of pumpkin, and hopefully enough spuds. Self-reliance in onions and carrots is next year's challenge.

The weather is not cold yet, and the zucchini and basil are still growing well. All the seasonal fruits are at their peak as well. Every weekend for the past three weeks I have bottled more tomato and herb puree, and I have also made pear and raisin chutney and tomato sauce. Now the blackboy peaches are almost ripe, and the quinces are going golden. If only getting into town and finding a place that sells bottling supplies weren't such a major mission these days! But many people in town would rather have my problems than their own at present, so whenever I leave our valley I take some of the seasonal surplus, raw or preserved, and share it around.

 A surplus of butter beans and basil is a fine thing to have.