Early October Wonder

I was wandering around the garden this morning and felt so happy and amazed at the amount of life and vibrancy surrounding me. There was a background buzz of honey bees collecting pollen, butterflies flitting around and I noticed new sprouts everywhere.

The bees were particularly enjoying this echium plant and the kale plants that have gone to flower.

Plenty of cuttings have proven successful and are happily sprouting away, like this smoke bush cutting.

And these black mulberry tree cuttings. (It's going to be fun trying to fit 20 mulberry trees in my suburban backyard!)

I'm very excited that all my blueberry cuttings are going strong. This one is even trying to flower!

The parent blueberries are looking lovely too and putting on lots of delicate bell flowers.

The tomato plants are going through some serious growth spurts and I've had to take the horticultural fleece off some before the plants burst through the top.

This Black Russian tomato wins the prize for first to flower. Fingers crossed I get get ripe tomatoes by Christmas!

Oca tubers have begun to put out foliage. And no, it is not a weed.

One pineapple guava is getting ready to put on a show of lovely red and white flowers.

This red currant plant is laden with fruit, amazing as I only planted it a couple of months ago.

Lastly, my ever generous black mulberry tree is putting on fruit.

What's amazing you in your garden lately?

Cauliflower Fail

I have real problems growing a cauliflower with good, firm, white curds and this season is no exception. Check out this spaced out specimen...

Cauliflower continues to perplex me. These plants were grown in the same bed as broccoli and the broccoli has produced amazingly well. Heaps of nice little heads and months of sides shoots. The cauli on the other hand, looked all nice and white and compact until it was the size of a toddlers fist, at which point I gently folded over a few leaves to blanch the head. All went well for a week or so then WHAM bits of green and yellow cauliflower started shooting and curling up randomly.

So what could be the problem? Soil consistently moist? Check! Soil full of organic matter such as compost and manure? Check! Fortnightly applications of seaweed solution or weed tea? Check! I've babied these bludgers! Luckily the distorted, yellowed florets still taste yummy, as do the succulent leaves.

I don't know which variety these cauliflowers were as they were purchased as some unmarked seedlings from a local market. Next season I might see if I have more luck with the purple variety  'Violet Sicilian' or stick to the 'Romanesco' broccoli that is very cauliflower-like and is much easier to grow.

Anyone else having similar problems? Anyone super successful and willing to pass on their growing wisdom?