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Post by jo on Jun 27, 2017 17:11:12 GMT 10
Spent the day digging a new patch for veggies and moved some spring onions, verigated chilli, naranjilla, taro and brazillian spinach to the new garden.... the soil is nice and soft as it is the patch I pulled the sweet potato out of ( I have clay soil and it tends to get hard and compacted) had my chickens helping to dig over the soil as well (one nearly ended up with a spade through its neck) oops
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VegHead
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Post by VegHead on Jun 29, 2017 17:19:07 GMT 10
New plantings of lettuce, kales, brown onions, cranberry, and several new blueberry cultivars. Kipfler potatoes being chitted ready for digging in.
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remnantprep
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Post by remnantprep on Jun 29, 2017 17:43:39 GMT 10
We have a sweet potato patch that needs to be dug. Hopefully we will get a good crop. Broccoli and snow peas and cauliflower are going nicely and have had a few goosberries from the bush. The tumeric is ready to dig up as well and we are getting lots of cherry tomaatos and a few passionfruit
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fei
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Post by fei on Jun 29, 2017 21:49:40 GMT 10
I've not got much in the garden (on the roof of our apartment block) at the moment, but, after years of dealing with the heavy clay sand we have, it looks like I have finally been able to get some good friable soil built up. Using a combination of compost (kobashi and in a pile) and now also mulch, we've been able to build up the soil, plus get good levels of worms etc too. I left it too late to plant much this year though, so my first lot of seedlings for the season were killed off by high temps. We've had a few weeks of monsoon rain interspered with temps in the early thirties though, so some other pumpkins and loofah I planted are now doing well. I don't think we'll get any veg off them though.
On the other hand, our neighbour invested a bunch of money in getting some good raised beds built on another part of the roof, filled with all sorts of mulch, compost and soil, then had shaded frames erected over the top. In a space about 2.5 times what I have, he's been harvesting several cucumbers every day, plus eggplant and tomatoes every few days. I guess all it needs is good soil, and more importantly, more time spent in the setting up and daily watering etc to get a good crop going.
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Post by ziggysdad on Jun 30, 2017 15:18:46 GMT 10
We've got some overseas travel ahead, so Ziggy's Mum hasn't planted any new vegetables in the past couple months. I went out the other day and was quite sad to realize that the only things that are doing much these days are herbs - mostly rosemary...which spreads like a damned week.
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Post by ziggysdad on Jul 2, 2017 15:23:25 GMT 10
Felt really pathetic posting that I've got nothing growing but herbs, so planted an Avocado tree and transplanted four lots of kale.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2017 10:58:12 GMT 10
My lemon tree is fruiting well, but my two young orange trees seem to be struggling to get a foot hold so no fruit from them at present, maybe the potassium sulfate will help green their leaves. The strawberry gwaver is putting out it second crop for the year and is tasty. I harvested the last pumpkins as the frost took its toll the other day.....so pumpkin soup and lots of pumpkin going into the freezer.
I week or so ago I dug over the garden beds and added some lime, blood and bone and magnesium sulfate. Next job is pruning the fruit trees before thinking of spring plantings.
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VegHead
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Post by VegHead on Jul 5, 2017 10:26:11 GMT 10
Please be aware that if too much high-magnesium lime (dolomite) gets added to a soil with clay in it, compaction, airlessness and tightness can occur. Magnesium excess can tighten up a clay subsoil beneath a sandy topsoil, preventing a crop from putting roots there. The effect of magnesium shows how powerful it can be if the soil has a lot of clay in it, even 10 percent clay and too much magnesium can make the soil become rock hard and airless, even if it has had heaps of organic matter put into it.
Also, just an aside, we prune in the warmer months leading into winter, as we have found that this almost completely eliminates most problems as the wounds have had time to heal.
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Post by SA Hunter on Oct 17, 2017 21:44:51 GMT 10
Well, after endless days away with work, I finally got to do a little gardening the past 3 days - here goes!
Planted 8 Black Russian tomatoes ( The BEST tomatoes EVER imho ).
Planted another row of carrots.
Put in some seeds - Thai Pink cherry tomato ( very sweet ), zucchini, Carolina Chili & Pumpkin.
I then dug out 2 pits in the front yard ( in a raised area with shrubs & pine bark ), added soil, compost & manure, then planted some QB Pumpkin seeds.
More Basil, and now have a few cherry cuttings I collected - they are soaking in a solution of water & Seasol - once they bud, into the ground they go.
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Post by Peter on Oct 17, 2017 22:07:20 GMT 10
I did a big clean up of the general garden and the vertical herb garden. In the next couple of weeks I'll be planting more.
It's amazing how much work a vertical garden involves; the tiny amount of dirt in each pot requires a lot of watering... if TSHTF I'll probably discard the herbs in it to save water.
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paranoia
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Post by paranoia on Oct 17, 2017 23:11:07 GMT 10
I did a big clean up of the general garden and the vertical herb garden. In the next couple of weeks I'll be planting more. It's amazing how much work a vertical garden involves; the tiny amount of dirt in each pot requires a lot of watering... if TSHTF I'll probably discard the herbs in it to save water.
I think of potted plants in the same way as keeping a small tropical fish tank. Anyone who's tried to keep fish ends up with a rather large tank as you realise the larger body of water holds temperature, ph, ammonia/nitrite/nitrate balance MUCH easier and you've got time before things go bad.
Take those same potted herbs that you need to water twice a day during a Perth summer and stick them in the ground, some of which will go wild if they're not in pure sand. 
I gave up on outdoor potted gardening as it's just too much work. Unless you're REALLY hurting for space I don't see the reasoning behind it... My daughters still do it but anything that isn't a cactus/succulent dies after a couple months as they forget about it for a week here and there.
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Post by Peter on Oct 18, 2017 13:00:21 GMT 10
I agree. It was purely a learning experience; I hope to never depend upon a vertical/potted garden, but if it comes to that there's certainly no harm in having faced the challenge previously.
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Post by SA Hunter on Nov 12, 2017 21:19:37 GMT 10
Bought about 10 rectangular pots from Bunnings ($5 each), drilled out water holes on the bottom, and filled them with soil, manure, compost etc. Have a few growing herbs, tomatoes, radish, spring onion, carrots and dwarf beans.
34c tomorrow, so will be planting some more pumpkin seeds, carrot seeds, and cucumber ( found Armenian cucumber seedlings, so decided to give them a go ).
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Post by SA Hunter on Dec 27, 2017 20:48:18 GMT 10
Found a large round pot - drilled out holes for water to run out - it held 100 litres of soil/compost.
Planted Lebanese and Apple Cucumber.
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Post by ziggysdad on Dec 29, 2017 11:09:01 GMT 10
Harvested some Kaffir Limes and Lilly Pilly (Rain Cherries) from the garden yesterday. Turns out we have over a dozen edible trees/shrubs on the property and my wife and daughter are enjoying the ‘bush tucker’
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Post by Peter on Dec 29, 2017 22:59:48 GMT 10
Harvested some Kaffir Limes... Are the kaffir fruit any good? I've only ever used the leaves as a flavouring herb... |
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Post by spinifex on Jan 4, 2018 19:45:20 GMT 10
The fruit are excellent. The rind is an intense version of the leaf flavouring (I use it in thai coconut curry) and the juice is very nice too although there isn't a lot of compared to what you get from a nice, fully ripe Tahitian lime.
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Post by ziggysdad on Jan 5, 2018 10:48:14 GMT 10
Harvested some Kaffir Limes... Are the kaffir fruit any good? I've only ever used the leaves as a flavouring herb... Worked well in Rum and Coke! |
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Post by ziggysdad on Jan 5, 2018 10:48:56 GMT 10
Are the kaffir fruit any good? I've only ever used the leaves as a flavouring herb... Worked well in Rum and Coke! And Vodka Tonics!! |
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Post by SA Hunter on Feb 26, 2018 12:23:53 GMT 10
The seeds I planted in my pots are coming through - more carrots, peas, broad beans, turnips & onions.
Experimental, but looking good so far.
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