It's a testamanent to how excited us gardeners get about the #gardenjournal challenge that no sooner did I announce it than a flood came in on the 1st of September! Clearly people had their posts at the ready. This certainly makes my job easier as the last minute ones sometimes miss the deadline and I can't include them. It takes a long time to put this post together so if you are in late please understand why I might not count your post.

Family featured heavily this month - seems the warm weather gets everyone involved. There's been a lot of insects due to rain and some wilted gardens due to the heat, but on the whole, we're still all enjoying it despite setbacks.

@chacald.dcymt grows in an apartment, and the paprika planted by her little one is bearing fruit! Don't you just love it when kids get involved with gardening? @kyleana shared about her kids getting involved too, crushing eggshells for the soil.

@thebigsweed also shared the joy of children in the garden, as well as bumper crop of carrots and cucumber for pickles - plus beets of course, his fave!

@minismallholding in South Australia has been battling powdery mildew and weeds - hopefully she'll be able to bring her garden into order this Spring. Sadly one of her chickens died as well. Sometimes gardening and homesteading can be rough as it is joyful.

Perhaps @fermentedphil's advice can be taken at this point:

It is all a matter of perspective. Weeds can be a problem or they can be a benefit. I choose to see weeds in my garden as (i) food for me, (ii) food for the compost, or (ii) soil amendments. That is, I let the "weeds" grow wild so that I can either use them in my cooking (see my cooking bit below!) or add them to my compost or leave them in the soil due to the many benefits they can have to replenish for example nitrogen. Philosophically, there is a problem with creation ex nihilo, i.e., creation from nothing, but isn't that really what gardening is all about? We create soil/compost from kitchen scraps and weeds, we create food from small seeds, and we create seeds from plants. All we do, as gardeners, is create from something that was not there before.

And despite the tangle, the vegetables grow amongst their native plants, turned into delicous food - and thanks for reminding me of the wonders of chard and lemon! Yum. Perfect.

Isn't @momogrow's garden salad why we do it? THIS is what can be grown on a balcony - amazing. Their peppers are also to die for - wow! Despite problems with powdery mildew too, there's certainly been a lot of healthy vegetables coming from their garden!

@artemislives shared a very different post from her Thai jungle garden - as she was in the Netherlands, she kindly showed us a garden there! She set to work watering in the heat and finding treasures there, like this beautiful rose! The family held a reunion in the garden - what a perfect place for a gathering.

@fanyokami walked us round her garden and showed off her succulents, begonias and more. Plus, a little reminder to feel the earth beneath our feet..now that winter's ending here I might just throw my boots off!

Despite saying he wasn't going to write a super long post, @edprivat still summed up harvest really well - abundant, but overwhelming! We wish him a lovely holiday in Spain.

@stephenpatrick's on the 24th 'starting' a garden post, but I think he's well and truly underway, and the bees approve!

From bees to chickens (chooks here in Australia) @blingit's urban garden is doing well, and her chooks are loving life too.

@multifacetas is struggling with intense heat and lack of water which as we know is tough on plants. Still, her fuschias are growing beautifully. @kennyroy shared the ghaf tree, which is the national tree of the United Arab Emirates. @fruityfruitz wrote a little ode to her plants, reminding herself, and us, that there is beauty even in perfection. @goisal, a new Hive Gardener, shared about their bountiful harvest of oranges. @ifarmgirl is recovering from illness so the garden has been a little neglected - still, lettuce, eggplant and other vegetables are growing despite neglect. @nightbird01 shared her garden and described her mother's love for a medicinal, nutritious garden too. I loved her letter to her garden - I think many would relate!

My beloved garden,
Can you hear the loud screams of my heart full of awe, pleasure, contentment?? I'm a silent lover of yours who does not know how to express her love and affection to you all I know is to love you silently. You stole not only my peace, worries with your charms and daintiness but also gave me uncountable celestial satiety. Just like this, you snatched away all my daydreams and moulded them into a beautiful reality. I will always be your silent lover as long as my breath will continue to accompany my soul. I know I have lots of flaws which becomes hindrance between you and me but believe me I adore you each and every second. You will always be my first and only love.

@blackberryskunk reminds us of the benefits of hemp and how she uses the harvest:

Hemp formed this beautiful buds. It's a one kind of meditation, watching them flower, after months of growing. The trichomes are slowly turning from milky white into brownish-orange color. Soon the buds will get ripe and ready to harvest. I will later use it for CBD extracts such as macerates, tinctures and creams. I will dry some of the buds for tea, spice for my recipes and also for smoking.

But she also shared oyster mushrooms growing outdoors, chillis and other vegetables besides - an a gorgeous picture for the selfie wall below.

@nikv has been working hard clearly out invasive plants, managing the land so that natives revegetate the area:

At first there will be a bumper crop of the weeds that inevitably come to colonise disturbed soil but if properly managed, the native grasses and other grassland plants will return. The difference between ordinary weeds and invasives is that the weeds colonise disturbed soil but invasives outcompete natural vegetation and ruin ecosystems.

Sometimes gardening isn't just putting in a pretty plant or a vegetable and enjoying the result but doing some really hard graft! @umirais is battling caterpillars but can't use chemicals as it may harm her chickens, so she addressed it by 'namely by burning dry banana leaves or burning dry coconut husks and directing the smoke to the part of the plant that is attacked by caterpillars'. Has anyone else tried this method? Her post is fascinating - she also talks about cooking a banana heart curry and cooking catfish over a fire. It's great to see someone living so close to the food sources that sustain them.

@buckaroobaby's garden posts are often populated with animals we don't see - giraffes, elephants and so on. But also beautiful sunbirds... Like many in the southern hemisphere, she's got dry weather on her mind and is prepping her garden accordingly.

@ludmila. shared her gorgeous Hippeastrum. @sofs-su has been contending with a LOT of rain and insects, but is positive, and has even been planting in coconut husks. Don't they look awesome?

@attn's garden seems to be doing okay - including this very bumpy squash! Love how they come in all different shapes and sizes. I know @plantstoplanks has had a decent harvest but sadly she's been too busy to join us this week.

The Selfie Wall

*The selfie wall is really a collection of pictures of Hive Gardeners, so if you have a photo of yourself in the garden, it counts!And yes, there's two of Ed - how could I resist with that face? Nice to see the faces of @thebigsweed, @blingit, @blackberryskunk, @fanyokami and @umirais.

THE WINNERS

To be honest you're all winners - if you've won one recently you might not win again this week, and I do try to spread the love around. Don't be discouraged if you don't win this time - it's all about joining in the community which brings it's own rewards!

The Passion Prize @nightbird01, @umirais and @blackberryskunk win 5 Hive each
The Vegetable Garden Prize @edprivat, @momogrow and @anttn win 3 Hive each
The Selfie Prize goes to @fanyokami this week!

*I do apologise if I missed your post - I'm only human. I've also got a very busy life, so whilst I do try to get to everyone, you must forgive me if I don't get to you all. I can only do my best! If you haven't recieved an upvote at all or any attention, that's a different story - do let me know in the comments below.

With Love,

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