a beginning and a dawn

And here we begin with a dawn. Was it early in the morning or late at night? Is the glass half full or is the glass half empty? What came first, the plant or the seed? It was still dark when I started pottering around my balcony garden - a space about one point five by six metres. Fortunately it is painted thick brick so there is the whole rim space to place plants where they are exposed to more sun, create some privacy from the houses up the hill and don't completely clutter up the ground.

It seemed so tiny after moving from a large garden and yet somehow I am growing more here than I ever achieved there. In this space, shared by a clothesline, a homemade bench seat (planks of wood and milk crates - I was not the original thief!), another seat and recycling bin, I am growing chocolate mint (most delicious), basil, coriander, rosemary, Italian parsley, lettuces, rocket and strawberries, a sweet chilli and a hot habanero one. There are also two pots of aloe vera which is very useful for one who mixes freckled, Scottish skin with the Tasmanian sun!

This still leaves room for several species of succulents (an obsession of mine), a small maple (which substituted as a christmas tree last year), some kind of lily, I think, lobelia, another flowering plant I don't know the name of marigolds and pots where hopefully dill, nasturtiums and sage will sprout soon.

According to Paul Francis Healy who's articles in the Saturday Magazine from The Mercury I enjoy each week, it is now time to plant the first lot of early maturung garlic, sew brassicas and late leeks, carrots, parsnip, beetroot, bush and climbing beans and potatos. Also I could sow cress, more lettuce, pak choi, spring onion, mizuna, mibuna (?), hon sai tai (?), spinach, silverbeet and rainbow chard. I am assuming the two unknoiwn plants are asian greens too. However, there is a point where I may be pushing the limits of space. I may try bok choy as I've had sucess with that before and it never lasts long in the fridge and rainbow chard as it looks great with its many coloured stems.

The 'garden' continues inside with many more succulents, a peace lily and other indoor plants. Anyway, nighttime gardening under the stars is quite enjoyable. I was awake to hear the birds begin their regular dawn chorus and see the sun rise over the Derwent Estuary and the city of Hobart, first light bringing out the sandstone of churchs and other buildings and lighting up the European trees of my neighbourhood (Mount Stuart).

There are far too few native trees in this suburb- I recently tried to keep a Christmas beetle but there were hardly any eucalypts in the street. I know they don't live long at the best of times, but it may have starved a little and it was very unimpressed with the chocolate mint and kept trying to run away from it, However, from the 180 degree windows I can see the gums of The Domain, Knockloftly Reserve and the distant Mount Direction. And I have a very small view of the summit of Mount Wellington. 

I hope my seeds come up soon. It is always exciting to see them push their first leaves through the soil!