Sunday, January 6, 2013

A helper in my garden.


It is the summer school holidays here in Australia, so I invited my little brother to stay with us for two weeks. He timed his arrival perfectly, getting here only ten days after our ducklings hatched. He thinks they are the sweetest and feeds them every morning. I will have to check his bags before he leaves to make sure he doesn't smuggle one with him, as I am not sure how keen Mum would be on that!

We have enjoyed lots of fun things together whilst he's been here. But there has also been work to be done, and having an extra pair of hands, even if they are small, does make a big difference. For two and a half hours Thursday afternoon we:
- Cleaned out the duck pond.
- Watered all the vegetable gardens.
- Harvested beans, cucumbers, carrots, capsicums, potatoes, tomatoes, basil and zucchini's .
- Pulled out the last of the carrots.
- Planted tomato seedlings.
- Harvested dried beans and saved the seeds.
- Water bathed the broody chook.
- Weeded the entire yard.

It was interesting having a kids perspective on this whole vegetable growing thing. He was concerned when he uprooted a purple carrot "this one isn't orange", when he harvested yellow pear tomatoes "these are not red", and found a "green worm" (caterpillar). Lessons were taught on heirloom varieties and good vs bad garden bugs. Eating dinner that night he tells us, "I could be a farmer when I grow up, it was really fun pulling out those carrots". I'll be sending him home with some bean seeds so he can give the farming life a try.








Feeling lucky to have had this time with him.

Sam xox

3 comments:

  1. What a great sister you are! It sounds like you've been giving him a fantastic experience! Hopefully he gets the bug to grow stuff from you

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  2. I am sure that this special time with you will be something that he will remember and cherish.
    I still remember my Great grandfather taking me into his beautiful vegetable garden and letting me eat my first snowpeas straight from the plant. I was about 4 years old, but it made such and impression on me.

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  3. Isn't it such fun to watch kids learn about gardens and different kinds of veggies? It's great that he gets this opportunity with you. I remember reaching university and having a fellow student ask what I meant by "pulling up the carrots." They didn't know that carrots grew underground! Every kid should have a chance to learn to grow their own food, I think.
    Thanks for your sweet comments over at my blog, and I love seeing your bright green garden while up here it is freezing cold and feels like the winter (which has barely started) will never end.

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