Listening this morning to a science podcast I was horrified to hear about the American FDA being close to a decision on whether a genetically modified salmon - dubbed the 'Frankenfish' - should be approved for human consumption.  Not only do they want us to eat it, they think it should not have to be labelled GM!  That I am offended by, you can choose to eat it if you want to... but having no choice is the problem for me.

This atlantic salmon that has a growth hormone from a chinook salmon and DNA from the eel-like ocean pout can grow two kilograms in less than 500 days, as opposed to nearly 700 days for an unmodified fish.  What happens I say 'if' they get out, run with others and breed? Like the European carp in our Australian waterways?  what a disaster.  Oh no, I have heard the breeding fish will be isolated but when humans are involved.. well... mistakes happen that's for sure.

Seeing the FDA and the Bio Tech industry are in each other's pockets, makes me think we won't have much of a choice but I hope otherwise.  Even China of all countries has reservations, and if they do.. well... we all should.  I've also read this week that for the first time since colonisation Americans are expected to live fewer years than the previous generations... Is it all the GM corn crops, that go into 70% of 'junk food' or is it the GM corn that is fed to all the animals - like cows which should be eating grass!

OK I just have to vent somewhere and try and make some difference.. even if it is only in the form of awareness and making informative choices.

Otherwise a family friend Kevin has given me some lovely seedlings.  I have about half a dozen melons I am trying out in the greenhouse.  I have read that you can keep them in pots, and use a support for them to climb - we'll see how they go.  Watermelons and Rockmelons about 6 weeks old.  I also scored some Capsicum seedlings too.


The vegetable patch is full at the moment, I am waiting for the Borage I planted to stop flowering - the bees love it but it has really taken over.  I've got loads of Broad Beans, Leeks, Garlic, Beets, Rocket, Spinach and Carrots with a few Radish, Cabbage and Cauliflower growing in between.....I am eager to replace them with something else, perhaps some Corn, Cucumber or Squash I am thinking.

Just today too on our 21st day of having our hive there was a number of bees kind of just hovering around the front of the hive. Kind of like a pulsing up and down incorporating a somewhat outward rhythm to it - my guess is new bees, getting their flying skills - how exciting.. tomorrow we open the hive again to see what has been happening.

Melbourne’s dams have banked 24 billion litres in the past week... Most of the rivers in the state are under flood warning.  Major flooding all over the north east of the state and even us city dwellers have been hit with 30mm on average in just a couple of days.

The patch is booming...fully hydrated, plumped up!  Coincidently we have just finished putting in our water tank.  A 3000L slimline next to our garage. We have been away for a week in sunny QLD helping a friend do some renovations so I really noticed the change the recent down pour has made and some 'making room' needed to be made, a little mini harvest!

I've recently brought a book on seed saving, I think we should make the effort to be as self sufficient as possible, besides the saving on buying seeds - I am going to eagerly try and get reading so I can work out what I need to do for my flowering spring onions.    

I am so thrilled to see the bees today buzzing around all of my broad beans.  We are almost ready to get our hive, I am soo excited as this Sunday we finish the second half of our beekeeping course.  Equipment we must buy now and register ourselves for a 'swarm'.. It is the start of the season and I just can't wait.  I know that Mat will be super excited to get out there in his suit.. anything for a dress up!

I don't know how game most of you are to get outside in a Melbourne Winter but I must confess that 15 degree days make it hard to get out there rather than gazing out the window from the comfy warmth with a cup of tea in hand.  I rug up and brave that chill in the air anyhow for a few hours today at least the warmth of the greenhouse makes it a treat to work in.

Today I have painted in pots a few Raspberries which were kindly given to me yesterday after visiting some friends in Fairfield - thank you very much to Jan and Johanna for the gifts, I am quite chuffed. Johanna sweetly gave me about 5 canes of two types - one which fruits in Summer and another which fruits in Autumn from their garden.  Not sure where I will put them in the garden yet but for now I will nurse them in the Greenhouse.  I blended some compost and organic soil mix.

I also potted a Blueberry I had in a small pot and dug up the Passionfruit to see if I could save it from continually being eaten by the Earwig army.

We've recently added a Greenhouse to our backyard so we can eventually use it for our Aquaponics set up. After a many weeks of a couple of hours here and there, we finally got it all together.  We brought it on ebay from a seller called Bloom room.  They have loads of auctions on their new self assembly kits. 

While I have still been reading and researching, which Aquaponic system, what tanks to buy meanwhile my numerous seedlings are needing a home, we've decided to use it as a greenhouse for all our winter veg for the time being.  In the patch they fight with the white butterfly, getting eaten alive by those hatching larvae I have learnt to hate so much. We'll see how they go in the Greenhouse vs. the randoms I have planted in the patch.

So what I have done today is planted my seedlings out in pots, loads of Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts as well as 4 or 5 surprise Tomato Plants that have self seeded in the patch from last season which I thought I would bring indoors to see if we can grow them in winter this year in the greenhouse.
I will post a picture tomorrow of the seedlings and the completed greenhouse :)