Category Archives: Garden

Where’s Laura?

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Laura Rittenhouse

Recently someone asked me if I was just visiting as she’d seen my website link in an email and then gone from there to this “obsolete” blog where I broadcast to the world that I “live” in the Hawkesbury region … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, cat, Chickens, dog, Garden, Nature, Writing | Tagged | 23 Comments

The Psychology of Homemade

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Laura Rittenhouse

I’m a huge fan of marmalade. I gobble the stuff and don’t always need toast to put it on. You might go so far as to call me a marmalade glutton. Which might not sound like a big deal except … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, Recipe, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Soup for Seven

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Laura Rittenhouse

A volunteer pumpkin vine sprung from the compost in autumn. It finally collapsed and the pumpkins needed harvesting before they rotted and/or were eaten by whatever eats pumpkins (rats and possums at least). I know exactly one thing to do with pumpkins, … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Garden, Recipe | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Winter White

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Laura Rittenhouse

It’s early winter here. I grew up in Seattle and there you could tell the season and even the month just by looking out your window. At this time of year (December, after northern hemisphere seasonal adjustment) the trees would … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, Garden, Nature | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Birdbath

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

As I continue to make my way through the garden beds on the farm, I keep uncovering all kinds of cool things. For example, a bird bath. Seriously, you couldn’t see this thing before I cut back some flowering ginger … Continue reading →

Posted in cat, Garden, Nature | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

Walking Lavender

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

Who knew? Lavender actually walks. Probably really really slowly, but walk it does. I imagine the previous occupant of this house put a little pot of lavender by the front path back in the 70s (which is when the house … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, Nature | Tagged | 25 Comments

Evansia Iris

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

In my ongoing struggle to decide what is a weed, what is edible and what everything should be called on the farm, I spent a bit of time trying to identify this beauty. Not because I was in doubt (it … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden | Tagged , | 10 Comments

A Problem with Vines

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

I have always loved vines. To me they mean grapes (and therefore wine 🙂 ), beautiful ivy covering old brick buildings, passion fruit or some beautiful flower like wisteria. Or that’s what they used to mean. Now they mean pests, … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, Nature | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Moving Ginger

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

As part of the move to the farm, Frank and I dug up and took cuttings from some of our Chatswood plants. I dug up all the ginger which was dying back and ready for harvest anyway. I kept a … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Garden | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Duck Pond

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

We have a duck pond on the farm. Or something like a duck pond. It’s a large hole in the ground half-full of water, covered by Azolla (a native water fern), surrounded by grasses and visited by waterbirds. It has … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, Nature | Tagged , | 6 Comments