Saying goodbye to autumn

With only a couple of days of autumn left I thought I would take note of what is growing in the garden at this time of the year as I usually forget so it will be good to have a record for future reference. It has been an unseasonably warm autumn and except for an icy blast from the south during the first weekend in May, most days have been 20 degrees Celsius or even warmer.

Last year I grew cabbages for the first time and it didn't take long before I became aware of the pesky cabbage moths and butterflies as the crop was almost decimated.

 

 So this autumn the cabbages were put in the watersaver garden and covered with a protective net from NetPro in Stanthorpe, Queensland and so far so good.

We still have lots of varieties of chillies growing....

...as well as a few cherry tomatoes.

Some of the herbs like the basil are going to seed...

...the soapwort isn't looking as happy as it was...

...but the herb robert is just loving the cooler weather...

 

...the comfrey is still looking okay but I believe it doesn't like the frost so I may have to nurse it through winter.

Plenty of avocados have been grown from seed over the years and are still going strong...

 

....the passionfruit flowers are looking amazing...

...the mandarins are ripening...

...and the olive trees are waiting for someone to give them some TLC.

Our tamarillo tree died from lack of water this year but since then three other trees have sprung up around the back yard thanks to some of the wildlife...

...the pretty calendulas are attracting bees to the garden...

...and the leaves on the pecan nut tree are turning yellow and falling to the ground leaving bare branches which the cockatoos won't be happy about as they love eating our pecan nuts!

The old favourites, pelargoniums, are looking pretty and bring some colour to the garden...

...as do the delicate violets growing in little clumps here and there.

Now that citrus fruits are ripening and many people may have a glut of fruit and perhaps vegetables as the season progresses, don't forget that you can register with Ripe Near Me if you would like to give away or sell some of your excess so that it doesn't go to waste. Actually, I just noticed that they will be holding an Edible-izing Adelaide Event on the 15th June and Costa Georgiadis and Sophie Thomson from Gardening Australia will be there.

One of the founders of Ripe Near Me, Alistair Martin was interviewed recently on ABC Radio and you can listen to the interview Finding Backyard Fruit  if you would like to know more. Also some of my readers would know Sarah Munroe, who is a user of Ripe Near Me, and she was also interviewed and asked about her experience with giving and receiving fruit and vegetables in her area. 

My first anniversary giveaway will start on Saturday so don't forget to visit if you would like to be in the running for one of the four Australian wildlife books I mentioned in my last post.  I will be having a separate competition for one of the books for overseas readers as well.

So, that wraps up autumn! The forecast for winter is for above average temperatures and lower than average rainfall so it will be interesting to see what actually eventuates. I have loved this autumn with its warm days and cool nights which is so unusual for us in our cool temperate region. I hope your autumn has been as pleasant if you live in Australia and that your spring has been the same if you live in the northern hemisphere.