GROW IT

Grow it veg boxes delivered to your home
-just add water for and instant veggie garden.
Bravo!

Rainbow Dinner

I was sitting on my balcony eating dinner and
listening to the crazy nestling
of about what sounded like a billion rainbow lorikeets,
when my friend called.

I have spent the day gardening, planting, re potting, digging,
happy.

"So what are you eating?"

Blue kale
Red cabbage
Yellow Millet
Rainbow chard
Mustard Greens
White garlic
Golden ginger.

"Can you take a photo...?"
"O.K!"









Served with a dash of Ume Plum Vinegar
a simple meal now
shared with a friend.

Urban Crop

We all had Cos last night
for saturday night dinner-
it was from my garden
and a comment was made about all the soil on the kitchen floor
and how lovely it was
as well as
the little snail that crawled up the wall out of the compost..

The fabulous Jacq sent on this today:


This small coriander is for sale and still it its soil-
its called an Urban Crop .

The plants have their root system intact, are in soil, alive when you buy them
a pot plant with out the pot!
Have a look at the link for more information its really interesting!

Urban Crop are at Batch today on Carlisle street, if you are in the area pop down and check them out,
and....Batch is so great!

The Plot

Naturally we sell Organic fruit and Veg
here at the Elwood general store,
and deal with customers anxiety in imperfection
on a daily basis.



If we all took care of
and tendered our own gardens
I wonder if that anxiety in imperfection would slowly dissolve?



I will never stop promoting
Growing your own vegetables.
ORGANICALLY
Even if its just a few small pot plants on the window sill
its the most joyful thing.



So here are some images from 'the plot'
Caroline and I share.
Its about the size of a grave.
Full of life.



When ever I have a spare moment
I am down in that plot
with the parrots, cockatoos and wrens.



Digging about
or just simply sitting and watching things grow.



Everyday
Turning over a new leaf.



Listening and
Looking upward.



All the life in that tiny space!

I relish in the fact that we grow
and pick
and take home
and eat
and grow some more.



Check out the St.Kilda
Veg out community gardens
on the land of the old bowls club
just behind Luna Park
next to the peanut farm oval.

Now they'd have to be the greatest directions ever!

Piles of things

on the ground.....

....pinned to the wall


up against the wall...


on the desk



TO DO LIST

working backwards:

Eating Animals- Jonathan Safran Foer
Lupin seeds, Australian
Lupin Flour-Gluten free, low carb, high protein, high fiber, low GI
Gardening Australia- Permaculture and Organic Gardening
In defense of Food-Michael Pollan
Organic Traders calalogue
Invoices, pay them, organize them, check them through-
fruit and Veg boxes
full of Stock
and things to sort through

dont slip on leaves on way to office.

Pick up pot plant and replant.

No Rotten Tomatoes thrown at this performer!

LOOK AT THESE MAMAs!
were perhaps once smokin jazz lyrics sung out by
Mr.Westlake of Daylesford from behind the baby grand.



Today though 'Look at these Mamas'
are shreiks of delight at the results of his move
from city to country



As much as we miss his daily in store visits
and impromptu mini piano recitals,
we at the Elwood General Store
are very happy to receive up to date horticulture status reports
from our beloved friend Mr.Michael Westlake.

Mr.Westlake famous for his paper bag poetry,
one could never place any of his purchases into a bag
without first writing a 'poem' on the outside,
now resides in the picturesque town of Daylesford.



One would often be working away
typing at the computer keyboard
of the General store office/Tony's apartment
when MYOB would appear to play a tune.

After clicking at the mouse one would soon realize
it wasn't a delightful new feature of the book keeping program

but our Mr.Westlake twinkling away on the ivories of Tony's piano.

In no time Tony would be playing the guitar
and the Westklake/Elliott soiree would begin-
hence the late invoice payments and scrappy account keeping.

Bird the cat on backing vocals,
would sing from the top of the printer
also preventing any incoming faxes.




Michael, we will always have a coffee waiting for you on fridays
even if you don't come into town-
and 'Congrats' on the fruits of your new labour.
We miss you but you are happy and thats all that matters
our beloved friend. X

Grow your own way.

Here is a Typical inner city Elwood Apartment block,
round 1930's era, a bachelor pad.



Rented by Tony and Bird.



Surrounded by iridescent Bougainvillea. plane trees. palms,
Lillie's, box hedge and hydrangeas.
A typical Elwood non native garden.



Grey water goes from the laundry room onto the hydrangeas
because it can basically....Tony put a pipe out the window
leading the water out the window instead of down the drain.
He uses biodegradable, sulphate free, non fragrance laundry powder.



A few years ago down by the fig tree
he ( and his fabulous x-girlfriend)
began a small veggie plot.



The compost and worm farm
are kept here,
4 apartments,
5 people,
use these worm farm and compost bins.




The bit of free dirt was prepared with compost
worm litter and straw. it is planted about 4 times a year
somethings come in,
somethings come out, the veggies always change
there is never really bare soil.



The garden is all organic, no need for chemicals
just worm juice and a bit of chili spray,
(boiled chili water with a bit of penny royal)
sometimes it gets a fine net covering,
(there are lots of hungry possums)
and a keen eye.



One may think that as a renter
living in an inner city apartment block
you may not be able to "grow your own way" ( sing that like Stevie Nicks)
but you'd be mistaken..

Dig it up!

Yesterday a man complained about the price of
Organic vegetables, he had a good old moan
asked for a bag for his tiny purchase,
spat out words about the economy like I had
been the sole cause for its downfall by selling him a carrot,
and then drove off in a giant 4 wheel drive
that he had parked right out the front of the store.

When Tony and I were in Guatemala
we camped on the banks of Lago de Atitlan
amongst the vegetable plots and bull rushes.
We were at our happiest
and formulated all kinds of plans for the future.
The Elwood general Store, a stepping stone,
was generated out of that time
on the banks of a volcanic lake.

We met a Dutch man who lived in Santigo de Atitlan.
He was there helping with earthquake relief
and he and his partner shared their home
and their stories with us.
We all used to roast coffee beans together.

Another person who was staying with our new friends,
one day let out a large lament
astounded at how little one needed
to be happy in life.
She sighed and moaned
about not having a garden in her Chicago home.

Our Dutch friend said very calmly
in a soft accent that ended words hard
" You want a garden?
Sure you have room,
you have the perfect size
your car port- dig it up,
there's your garden!"

I have never forgotten it.

This is one of Meg, P.J and Z's gardens on their 1/4 acre block:

More wonderful victories here

I will post Tone's apartment block veggie
garden and my apartment block veggie garden soon.....they are much smaller victories.