Giveaway - natural organic and eco products

My daughter was very excited to tell me a couple of weeks ago about a subscription service she had signed up for.  You get a box every month containing samples and full size products that are all organic and non toxic and echo friendly. She lives in America. As we discussed this we agreed that often we want to try out something new, but then never find it on the shelves, or don't want to lay out a huge amount of money for something we might not in fact find that we like.  So we went looking for an Australian alternative.  The idea was that we would share the contents of our boxes over skype, so her enthusiasm got me quite excited about the idea.
After much consideration we settled on notoxbox  and I received my box this week.  This is what I received (photos and descriptions taken from their website)

	Maeve Rosehip face serum 100% certified organic rosehip oil.  Rosehip is packed full of Omega’s, antioxidants and essential fatty acids. Regular use can significantly improve the appearance of wrinkles, scars and stretch marks, boost moisture levels and leave your skin smooth and radiant. Just add 2-3 drops to palms and gently massage into freshly cleansed face & neck.
	Phytocare papaya (paw paw) ointment with Calendula   Made from ALL NATURAL ingredients and 100% Petrochemical Free! Papaya fruit is a fantastic source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. A special fermentation process concentrates these nutrients and cultivates beneficial probiotics. Great for dry lips, dry or irritated skin, protects against wind and cold, and promotes skin elasticity.
	Happy Eyes eye patches   Enriched with plant extracts & moisturisers, the patch cools and comforts on contact while nourishing and hydrating the skin. Tired eyes are soothed and refreshed. Helps with puffiness, swelling & dark circles.
	The Ginger People - Ginger Soother  Ginger can soothe the throat and stomach, warm the internal organs, and ease nausea and ailments from colds to headaches. It’s a powerful antioxidant with over 12 constituents said to be superior to Vitamin E, and helps neutralise free radicals, widely recognised as a common cause of inflammation.
	Comvita olive leaf drops These drops combine the power of fresh-picked Olive Leaf Extract, an antioxidant known for cardiovascular & immune support, and  UMF® 10+ Manuka Honey for its unique antibacterial properties. Olive Leaf Drops are convenient, easy-to-use and portable, for regular use at any time of day.
	Absolute Organic beetroot chips Made with certified organic beetroot, these are a treat, and an alternative to potato chips.
	Pukka chai teas 100% organically grown and fairly traded Chai made with rejuvenating and protective tea, and cinnamon and ginger to keep you warm. Cardamon is beautifully aromatic. Licorice is sweet and soothing. One deliciously warming cuppa! Original, vanilla or green chai.

I also got lots of coupons - for free shipping, special offers for reviewing products etc.  I have signed up for three months, and so far I am liking what I am seeing.  There is an online shop with lots of wonderful products like coconut oil, chia seeds etc, and the prices all seem good. There are also pages of wonderful information on the goodness of coconut oil and ginger, I have signed up for their newsletter so that I don't miss anything.  Ok I am off to go and make up another cup of that wonderful chai - all my favorite flavors!
Go to their website for a chance to win win-a-6-pack-of-matts-munchies drawing is June 30th
Disclaimer: I was not given anything for this review - it is entirely my own observations.  If you do happen to sign up for a subscription please write and tell them you heard about them from my blog and I will get  5.00 credit in their store.  I signed up for my 3 months subscription as a gift and for some reason you get a 15.00 credit which is a great deal I think.  I just ordered some coconut oil, buckwheat kernels  and quinoa, and with my 15.00 coupon and free shipping for June it cost me 6.00.  Happy me :)

Do you bin or bay?

Way back in May it was international compost week and it got me thinking about compost. Of course by now the week is long over, but I still thought a post about composting seemed in order right now.  Here is my compost bin.

 I have often posted about my compost bin, and have met others who say that a compost bin does not work for them.  These are a couple of my observations:
1.  Forget the hot compost/cold compost debate, as there is not enough surface area to hot compost.  A bin works best by being as full as possible.  As everything composts it reduces vastly in volume, so you need to be continually aerating the mix, but if you have two bins you can leave one to mature while adding to the other.
2.  Air is so important!  I mix up my compost with a garden fork a couple of times a week.  I have seen spiral shaped tools for this purpose that look to be quite effective.  My five year old bin is breaking on the top edge because I do mix so much and so vigorously, but think in the end I get a better compost.
3.  There needs to be twice as much brown dry ingredient as wet  ingredients. Leaves, shredded newspaper or cardboard etc.  These will stop your compost getting slimy and smelly.
4.  Kitchen waste, plant clippings etc all make up the wet ingredients
5.  A bin works for those who do not have enough space for a three bay compost system which is a really good way of composting large amounts.
6.  You can grow certain plants as compost activators, such as lemongrass or this comfrey.

Or find seaweed on the beach.

Another thing I did when I had lots of leaves, was fill a bin with shredded damp leaves.  Over the course of time - about one year in my case, this turned into lovely rich leaf mold.  I tipped this out into my veggie patch and things seem to be growing very well in that enriched soil.
I am thinking I would like to either use that leaf bin to store compost as it matures, or else get another compost bin the same as this one and only add to one as the other matures.  Is there anyone else that does this?
How do you make compost?
  

A little craftiness - Bali Bag

A couple of months ago, while we were having a little holiday down in Brisbane, my very good friend gave me a kit to make a bali bag.  I never seem to have the time to sit down and sew, but Monday was a holiday and  I decided not to put it off any longer.
The kit has such gorgeous fabric that I thought I would try the technique out first with some scrap fabric from my stash.   Look at the little basket I made :)

 First of all you cut long strips, sew them together and then fold them over cotton washing line, sewing into a long strip of cotton covered rope.  Then you begin to coil and sew with a large zig zag stitch.  I still need to work on my tension -my cheap little sewing machine was quite stressed.  Hubby made the suggestion that a nice new sewing machine might be on the list for a future birthday present :)   I mentioned that Spotlight have Brother sewing machines on half price specials at time to time ;)  I learnt to sew at 10 on my mothers sewing machine, and remember a little tune I used to sing "bother the brother....." when I had tension issues. I am sure the new sewing machines are much better.

 I  wanted to try out the handle technique I had seen before, and all in all am quite happy with how much fun it was and now feel ready to cut into the yummy bali cotton.

The strips were cut and sewn together and then while I watched TV the first fold was made.  Aren't those colors gorgeous?  I will do a tutorial while I make up the next bag, and post it here.  My new bag is turning out to be useful to have next to my chair to keep ongoing projects at hand (along with my glasses)
I am linking to Knotted Cottons slow blogger linky - check it out here

Fill every inch of space

I think my theory this year has become to fill every inch of space.  Luckily MrFothergills gifted me with lots of seeds, and since I have a small garden I am planting seeds in any empty spot I see. The bok choy is doing very well this year, and I have not been shy with lettuce seeds, scattering them quite thickly.  I tend to like picking the small leaves, so there is no sense in spacing the leafy veggies out to give them room to grow to full size. With the lettuces I cut the outside leaves away, but with the bok choy I cut the middle out and it grows a whole new bunch.  We are having a bit cooler weather than last year, and so the snow peas look as though we might get a good crop this year.  I planted out two trellises.

We have had a lull with pawpaws, I think they like more sunshine, not these overcast days we have been having.  I like to start my day with pawpaw and passionfruit.   One of these days I will have to lop the top off my tall tree so that it will send out branches at an easier to harvest height.

 I got in and cut back all the older stalks of heleconia.  Once they have flowered, they die off, and since they only have a small area I have to try and contain them in that area.

I am really pleased with the edges of the curvy pathways.

We got an umbrella to replace the gazebo, but it throws the shade in weird places, and we miss the big shady area that the gazebo provided.

Still though, hanging out in the garden is simply the best place to be.

Wilting

I don't know what happened - I just took a break from blogging.  As each of my eggplant turned up their noses and succumbed to bacterial wilt I began to wonder if gardening was really all it is cracked up to be....

 This was how I was feeling about trying to grow a few measly vegetables in the tropics.  What with the cost of organic fertilizers, mulches, compost bins, seaweed tonics, etc I was probably paying about 50.00 for each cucumber I got out of my veggie garden!  Then I saw a flower spike on my aloe vera :)

 Gosh, I wondered, have any of my loyal readers ever seen an aloe vera in flower (I never have) It is such a pretty flower too - look at those little bell shaped flowers, and it sure is attracting lots of pollinators.

 So that one little flower spike has managed to give me back my mojo!   We have been enjoying the cucumber, and even have enough to share with the neighbors.

There is also lots of bok choy which I have been picking small before the bugs get to it and having it in salads, with amaranth, parsley and basil.  Even my little wild cherry tomato plants are wilting, so not sure what  to do.  The wicking beds are a total disaster - nothing is growing in them, but I have corn starting - that is a first for me, and I cant wait until we pop some lovely juicy corn cobs on the barbeque.

 Gardening for food in the tropics is hard, but then I suppose that is the cost I pay for being able to grow any colorful tropical flowers I want with comparative ease.

We are still having quite long periods of extended rain which means mildew, wilt and fungus in the garden is at an all time high.  No matter how many forecasts you read, or how much you try to prepare for different weather conditions, sometimes I guess you just have to put a lot of effort time and money into getting that 50.00 cucumber.

Mulch, propagating and gifts from neighbours

My favorite gardening show Gardening Australia talked about growing plants solely for mulch.   A waste of space I thought while watching it.  I recently cut back my lemongrass for mulch, but still harvest it for cooking and tea.  One plant that has not been used for much is the cardamom.  I was so excited  upon finding my first plant.  Gosh I could grow my own cardamom seeds ... but no!  It seems that the only cardamom I can grow here is called false cardamom.  The leaves have a very strong smell, and I suppose you could use them in cooking, but mostly the plant gets overgrown and I eventually cut it back and use it as mulch!  I set some aside to see if any of my neighbors want some.  I have the idea (totally un-supported) that strong smelling leaves such as lemongrass and cardamom used as mulch will chase away bugs.

 I planted a clump behind the pawpaw and comfrey,  and then I moved my little "potting bench" out into the garden.  I started off some cuttings of plants that I particularly like that I was trimming back.   No reason - I just wanted to sit out in the garden in my folding chair and it kept my hands busy.  I sat there way, way longer than the time the job required.  Such a  pleasant pastime -  sitting in the garden, admiring it, and reflecting on how blessed I am.

I planted another block of corn further in than the first block, and lay down some mulch as the weeds between them were going crazy.  Against the fence I planted some more green beans - my corn does not look strong enough to support beans, so the three sisters will be neighbours but not right on top of each other.... the squash to come later.  I also planted sweet peas (the flowers) along this fence.  I just adore sweet peas and I got some seeds from MrFothergills in my package.  I know they like a colder climate, but if I could grow some I would be very, very happy.  These are a high scent variety - Oh gosh I can almost smell them. :)  I remember as I child being thrilled with flowers that loved to be picked and put into vases in every room of the house.  The next day the plants would be filled again with lovely sweet smelling bounty.

 This caladium is one of my favourites - it looks paint spattered.

Butterfly season!  I have some caterpillars on my lime tree - it also looks as though there are some bugs or disease on the leaves? - anyone know what I should do about those spots on the leaves?  What are they from?

 I gave my new neighbour some plants and lent her some tools, and she showed up with this for me!

Isn't this a pretty little flower?  this little pot is quite cheery next to the front door.

I blame it on the moon

Ever since I put the little moon badge on my blog I have been noticing how fast time flies.  I have had all sorts of blog posts forming in my mind, but not got around to posting them...
One is about how I cut back and weeded the area alongside the swimming pool.  The lemon grass makes lovely mulch, now hopefully I can keep it looking neat and tidy.

 Along with the lemongrass, there are other herbs for use by any of the local residents.  There are a couple of cherry tomato plants, sawtooth coriander, a couple of basil plants, and this plant, mother of herbs, which is a little like oregano, a little like thyme, in fact very much like a bouquet garni, in a  tropical package.  I am hoping it will spread all over as a ground cover, keeping the weeds out of the garden.

Then I also thought about writing about the colour in the garden.  this little section always brings a smile to my face.

Even the area behind the gate is settling down and looking  nice, although it does need a bit more colour, after I took away the wooden arch and cleared away some excess plants.

 Then also I could write about the veggie garden, and how I planted a million bok choy seeds, and every one of them germinated.   No worries though, as I love the tender leaves in salads, so they get whisked off to the salad bowl as soon as they start to grow up.  Thanks again to Tracy at Sunny Corner Farm for the seeds I got ages ago on a seed swap.

 My cucumbers are looking great - much higher and healthier on this side of the trellis than on the other side - I wonder if it is because this side gets more sunshine?   I don't think so, but will keep an eye on that over the weekend.

Both sides were planted at the correct time for moon planting, but I suppose if I don't have a control how will I know if it is working or not.  Oops that reminds me, I better plant some more radishes as the moon is waning....  The moon waits for no gardener.