Where did Mr Currant Go?

There was a blank space for a nanosecond on the balcony garden. Blink and you missed it. It is now filled with newly emerging corn shoots and some beans. But what was there before? It had been there several years, prosperous at first then slowly dwindling away, disliking its potbound abode.

It was Mr Currant, and overwinter he looks like this:

In spring he began to grow back, with little leaves visible in the blurry picture below.

But by then it was too late,  I'd made up my mind that he was a goner. There just wasn't room for him in this little balcony and he needed to be a free range currant, to roam free in the larger expanse of a real garden. Or the bin.

But I couldn't bin him. We'd been through years together, through many delicious small harvests around Christmas time. He knows I always wanted a white currant and he is ok with that. So what happened to Mr Currant you ask ...

He now lives with my dear friends and their 2 year old son in Bacchus Marsh. He seems to have survived the transplant so hopefully he gives them some years of harvesty enjoyment. Bye bye Mr Currant.

In other fruit news

The balcony garden isn't just a haven of pampered fruit trees - there are a couple of smaller additions to the sweet goodies. Red currents and strawberries are the other candidates for delicious fruit salad additions. The red current was mostly eaten by snails this year, but a few goodies still got through.

I'm planning on passing the strawberries on to a friend, they're not happy in the pots and would thrive if given proper space and care. No pics of them either, given they haven't fruited in ages!

Tomatoes are also a fruit - but that's a whole other post!

Harvest Monday

The harvests have been coming in thick and fast. They consist of quite a few things, zucchini, snowpeas, tomatoes, eggplants and more. Garlic is all out of the ground and drying on the window sill.

For fruits there are the last of the red currants and some strawberries, both wild strawberries and Kurawase strawberries.

and best of all the first tomatoes!

Zucchinis are a constant harvest and in two different colours. Eggplants are small but tasty and just as constant. Four different days, four different combos.

Snowpeas are at their end, as you can see these two got left on the bush a little too long.

For more harvests pop on over to Daphne's Dandelions for harvest Monday

Harvest Monday

Oh it has been a busy week or two, but the balcony garden waits for no postgrad. I've been harvesting quite a bit recently included in this is:

1. A bunch of oddly shaped purple carrots
2. 3 full sized zukes weighing in at over half a kilo and 3 small baby zukes which went in salad

3. lettuce almost every day (I love my salads)

4. Several strawberries of various kinds

5. Two little stems of red currants!
6. Sage for various pumpkin dishes
7. Three small eggplants which went into a curry

8. 1 head of garlic which went into a risotto (yes all of it) and 2 small heads of poorly formed garlic.

Harvest Monday looks set to be even better from here on in. Head on over to Daphne's Dandelions for mnore harvest monday madness.