Lyrebirds and tomatoes

In February 2012 my garden journal said ' the veggie patch has been invaded by possums, lizards and caterpillars. The tomatoes, silverbeet, dill and parsley are  all eaten by pests".

It was a low point in veggie growing.

In February 2014 we have been pest free, on the whole, thanks to Cheryl's super duper cages that she has been erecting from recycled materials over the last several months.

Mellow Yellows

We have harvested more than 10kg of tomatoes since 28 Dec 2013. We have particularly enjoyed the heavy cropping Mellow Yellow which is low acid and has a firm skin and a soft flesh. Average weight per fruit is 150g. We used it in the tomato sauce for our second meal. It is a glorious golden colour all through. We have had 5 different types of tomatoes this year including cherry,  grape and medium sized Romas.

Our main challenge this month has been 2 lyrebirds - a couple of bachelor boys roaming free, loving the grubs they can find at the base of the cages. Despite their basketballer - sized feet, one has even jumped up on the pot holding the small pomegranate bush and dug up the plant in its quest for the best tasting grub. I would forgive them everything if they would just display their harp-like tails for us. But all they leave us with is a mess of holes and dirt. Still, we are very privileged to have them visit us. For a wonderful video demonstrating the sounds the lyrebird can mimic click here.