Growing exotic herbs and vegies under the Hill Hoist.

I woke up to a frosty and cold winter morning as you can see from the photograph I have taken from our veranda. And in the right corner of the garden, the old snarled plum tree is stirring from its winter's sleep.




Some of its blossoming buds have already burst into flowers even before I noticed. It is telling me it's time to get off my bottom and make the bed for the herbs garden. I have decided to relocate the old herbs garden as it is looking a bit tired and worn and have chosen to start a new bed under the rotary clothes lines because it is in the sunniest sport in the backyard. The only drawback is that we have to plant low growing vegetables and herbs - before we find our washings and sheets tangling with the tall growing plants such as the sweet corns and tall tomatoes. Unless I can negotiate with my wife that I will fix a retractable clothes lines in the veranda in exchange to use the Hill Hoist ( Aussie rotary clothes line) as a trellis for the cucumber, climbing beans and bitter gourds.



( The Hill Hoist -the Aussie rotary clothes lines)




Many of you may be wondering why I bother to start and grow my own vegetables, when I can get a bunch of bok choi, Chinese Kale (kai lan), and choy sum for less than a dollar each at the Asian grocery stores. Furthermore, these popular and common Asian vegetables are always available and take time and effort to grow. But, I am sure many will agree with me fresh home-grown vegetables have a flavour rarely matched by those bought from a store.
There are many kinds of reason to start a home vegie garden and economy is just one.But if saving cents is my reason it make little sense for me to grow English cabbages or onions which are cheap to buy and always available. On other hand, Asian herbs such as Lemongrass, Vietnamese mints, turmeric, galangal (langkuas) are expensive and availability is variable for such exotic like daun kaduk ( wild betel leaves), We have kept all our precious and exotic herbs indoor during winter as they grow poorly in cool weather and very susceptible to frost. Once the new bed is ready and prepared ,I will move the potted herbs and planted them in the open until autumn next year.