hot soil and irrigation means the winter crops will jump out the soil – under covers from left background – combo of broccoli, spring onions, silver beet and radicchio –

middle bed- broad beans and right hand side – peas

just one problem -

the weeds grow quicker than the crops -

the answer is to let the weeds grow as a green manure crop and bring your onions and lettuce up in seed trays.
i plant a packet of seed each time because the birds and pests get some and good seedlings are a tradable commodity.

under the shadecloth/vine pergola is the transplanted tumeric and a first ever crop of watercress

Wonderful, and some good ideas there…

Dinetta said:

Wonderful, and some good ideas there…

you guys are coming into the dry season garden – wet soil about to dry out?
someone should show us mexicans what’s happening up there.

justin said:

Dinetta said:

Wonderful, and some good ideas there…

you guys are coming into the dry season garden – wet soil about to dry out?
someone should show us mexicans what’s happening up there.

Oh I would if I could…am currently working on my bush house, it needs to be tied to a house stump first as previous occupant threw my cast iron bed up there and it developed a lean. I hesitate to use the front garden beds as the Grey Nomads steal anything not nailed down. Once the chookens are restrained to the back yard I can get to work on my bush house, planning to do something like your clever wire steps there, not styrofoam boxes tho’ as chookens like to go out of their way to eat those…am seriously considering a lettuce bed between bush house and cherry guava, it only gets half a day’s sun (which is plenty I’m sure) and is protected from the drying breezes.

If I had my druthers and $$$, I would be madly manuring and otherwise fertilising, also adding mulch to about 50 cm…this sounds a lot but it breaks down quickly with the sun and watering…

Am tempted to purchase some South Carolina (not their real names, will find that eventually) roses just for fun but I could put garlic under them…also saw in the paper where somebody new has set up a nursery, all her own grown stock, might ask if she can source Hong Kong Orchids, she recommends we plant NOW so the roots have a chance before the Dry and the Cold…about 10 – 13 weeks off she thinks…

The roses…they’re Noisettes…some enthusiast on another forum has them, also a lady whom I visited had a rotary clothes hoist installed just for her General LaMarque rose…they sound about right for here if I avoid the climbers…

Dinetta said:

justin said:

Dinetta said:

Wonderful, and some good ideas there…

you guys are coming into the dry season garden – wet soil about to dry out?
someone should show us mexicans what’s happening up there.

Oh I would if I could…am currently working on my bush house, it needs to be tied to a house stump first as previous occupant threw my cast iron bed up there and it developed a lean. I hesitate to use the front garden beds as the Grey Nomads steal anything not nailed down. Once the chookens are restrained to the back yard I can get to work on my bush house, planning to do something like your clever wire steps there, not styrofoam boxes tho’ as chookens like to go out of their way to eat those…am seriously considering a lettuce bed between bush house and cherry guava, it only gets half a day’s sun (which is plenty I’m sure) and is protected from the drying breezes.

If I had my druthers and $$$, I would be madly manuring and otherwise fertilising, also adding mulch to about 50 cm…this sounds a lot but it breaks down quickly with the sun and watering…

Am tempted to purchase some South Carolina (not their real names, will find that eventually) roses just for fun but I could put garlic under them…also saw in the paper where somebody new has set up a nursery, all her own grown stock, might ask if she can source Hong Kong Orchids, she recommends we plant NOW so the roots have a chance before the Dry and the Cold…about 10 – 13 weeks off she thinks…

lettuces would be great but i was thinking of more tropical edibles – sweet potatoes, okra, coriander and ginger..
still i see you have a eye on the landscaping – so tis good….

justin said:

hot soil and irrigation means the winter crops will jump out the soil – under covers from left background – combo of broccoli, spring onions, silver beet and radicchio –

middle bed- broad beans and right hand side – peas

just one problem -

the weeds grow quicker than the crops -

One thing we both do well is grow weeds J.

justin said:

Dinetta said:

Wonderful, and some good ideas there…

you guys are coming into the dry season garden – wet soil about to dry out?
someone should show us mexicans what’s happening up there.

I can only say that we are feasting on snake beans and green beans every night. Carrots and beetroot up and running. Cabbage, cauli and lettuce on the way. Two types of tomatoes are making use of their stakes. No flowers as yet. Found out that our navel orange tree has only 4 fruit that I can see. Not sure if it was the flood or the drought that caused the meagre crop. Other citrus are looking good. Persimon not happy. Too wet I think. Picked some rhubarb this arv. Have also got some azalea cuttings shooting. (D couldn’t get any to strike) I win. Lemon geranium is ready to put into the herb bed. Didn’t do any good with the callistemon cuttings but I will try again.

Well, I popped in my first broad bean seeds a couple of days ago. And I’m going to have to start the broccoli and cabbages again -cabbage moths found the seedlings at 4 leaf stage. So into a poly styrene box with close netting over the top for the next lot. I’m hoping I have enough time to get them going properly.

My zucchini have given up….the ten days of heat were too much, despite my watering efforts morning and evening. But I am now getting a few random tomatoes, et the first Tigerella this evening. Not all that impressive.

pomolo said:

justin said:

Dinetta said:

Wonderful, and some good ideas there…

you guys are coming into the dry season garden – wet soil about to dry out?
someone should show us mexicans what’s happening up there.

I can only say that we are feasting on snake beans and green beans every night. Carrots and beetroot up and running. Cabbage, cauli and lettuce on the way. Two types of tomatoes are making use of their stakes. No flowers as yet. Found out that our navel orange tree has only 4 fruit that I can see. Not sure if it was the flood or the drought that caused the meagre crop. Other citrus are looking good. Persimon not happy. Too wet I think. Picked some rhubarb this arv. Have also got some azalea cuttings shooting. (D couldn’t get any to strike) I win. Lemon geranium is ready to put into the herb bed. Didn’t do any good with the callistemon cuttings but I will try again.

beans are great and the cabbage,cauli, lettuce, carrots, beetroot and toms have all grown in the wet ? – that could be down here – except we are all weeping and you have won.
for someone who is away half the time and manages an extended family – that is good going.

silly me – i have planted and lost ginko and pawpaw – not surprising and they were free seedlings - your plectranthus amboinicus is going great in two pots tho’.

buffy said:

Well, I popped in my first broad bean seeds a couple of days ago. And I’m going to have to start the broccoli and cabbages again -cabbage moths found the seedlings at 4 leaf stage. So into a poly styrene box with close netting over the top for the next lot. I’m hoping I have enough time to get them going properly.

My zucchini have given up….the ten days of heat were too much, despite my watering efforts morning and evening. But I am now getting a few random tomatoes, et the first Tigerella this evening. Not all that impressive.

sorry about the cabbage moths – my climbing beans are being eaten by bunnies – yipes!
i popped some broad beans in too but now i’m wondering if i was a bit early – sometimes they don’t fruit until september. we can plant more in july i guess.

I start with the broad bean seeds quite early. And it’s about the only thing I manage to successive plant. I usually forget. Last year I think I had broad beans to pick quite early. Some came up of their own accord really early last year so I just let them go. And they produced really well.

>>Lemon geranium is ready to put into the herb bed. <<

Hope you’ve allowed a lot of space. My scented geraniums always grow into monsters……

justin said:

lettuces would be great but i was thinking of more tropical edibles – sweet potatoes, okra, coriander and ginger..
still i see you have a eye on the landscaping – so tis good….

I was growing some ginger in a pot with the garlic chives, very well it did, too…I’d love to grow some sweet potato but need to get the chooks corralled first…coriander is a winter herb here…

It’s getting to The Day, March 17th, when the sweet peas need to be planted…Just saying…

a little premature?

buffy said:

I start with the broad bean seeds quite early. And it’s about the only thing I manage to successive plant. I usually forget. Last year I think I had broad beans to pick quite early. Some came up of their own accord really early last year so I just let them go. And they produced really well.

>>Lemon geranium is ready to put into the herb bed. <<

Hope you’ve allowed a lot of space. My scented geraniums always grow into monsters……

This lemon geranium is a tiny plant. At least I think it is. The leaves are only frilly edge pea size. I had never seen it before but it was the garnish on some food I had at the local coffee house so I took it home and planted it. Can’t imagine that it grows into a sizeable shub or anything like it. If it does I’ll have to re thnk it’s garden position.

justin said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

you guys are coming into the dry season garden – wet soil about to dry out?
someone should show us mexicans what’s happening up there.

I can only say that we are feasting on snake beans and green beans every night. Carrots and beetroot up and running. Cabbage, cauli and lettuce on the way. Two types of tomatoes are making use of their stakes. No flowers as yet. Found out that our navel orange tree has only 4 fruit that I can see. Not sure if it was the flood or the drought that caused the meagre crop. Other citrus are looking good. Persimon not happy. Too wet I think. Picked some rhubarb this arv. Have also got some azalea cuttings shooting. (D couldn’t get any to strike) I win. Lemon geranium is ready to put into the herb bed. Didn’t do any good with the callistemon cuttings but I will try again.

beans are great and the cabbage,cauli, lettuce, carrots, beetroot and toms have all grown in the wet ? – that could be down here – except we are all weeping and you have won.
for someone who is away half the time and manages an extended family – that is good going.

silly me – i have planted and lost ginko and pawpaw – not surprising and they were free seedlings - your plectranthus amboinicus is going great in two pots tho’.

Only the beans have been growing in the big wet. All the rest are mostly new plantings.

>>This lemon geranium is a tiny plant. At least I think it is. The leaves are only frilly edge pea size. I had never seen it before but it was the garnish on some food I had at the local coffee house so I took it home and planted it. Can’t imagine that it grows into a sizeable shub or anything like it. If it does I’ll have to re thnk it’s garden position.<<

I’d be prepared to bet it gets to shrub size. And probably fairly quickly.

I reckon they would only have picked the very tip leaves for garnish. It’s quite like the rose scented one, the leaves are a bit crinkly. I’ve had both of them get away on me and grow to about 4ft high and as wide. But you can brutally cut them back and they grow again, and in the meantime use the clippings as cuttings.

Pelargonium crispum is the usual lemon scented one.

Dinetta said:

justin said:

lettuces would be great but i was thinking of more tropical edibles – sweet potatoes, okra, coriander and ginger..
still i see you have a eye on the landscaping – so tis good….

I was growing some ginger in a pot with the garlic chives, very well it did, too…I’d love to grow some sweet potato but need to get the chooks corralled first…coriander is a winter herb here…

is winter the ‘dry’ or the ‘wet’?

Dinetta said:

It’s getting to The Day, March 17th, when the sweet peas need to be planted…Just saying…

it’s the ides of march today – good reminder about sweet peas thanks.
everyone would grow sunflowers and sweet peas – if only they didn’t forget to plant them.

justin said:

is winter the ‘dry’ or the ‘wet’?

Dry. Can you grow coriander in the summer down your way?

justin said:

Dinetta said:

It’s getting to The Day, March 17th, when the sweet peas need to be planted…Just saying…

it’s the ides of march today – good reminder about sweet peas thanks.
everyone would grow sunflowers and sweet peas – if only they didn’t forget to plant them.

Sunflowers too? We’ll see…

painmaster said:

a little premature?

it’s not winter yet – but we plan ahead down here – where all growth slows in june.

Dinetta said:

justin said:

is winter the ‘dry’ or the ‘wet’?

Dry. Can you grow coriander in the summer down your way?

it self sows in the winter along with dill. i always have trouble with it going to seed immediately when i plant it in spring – same for tarragon – so they maybe (??) winter crops?

Dinetta said:

justin said:

Dinetta said:

It’s getting to The Day, March 17th, when the sweet peas need to be planted…Just saying…

it’s the ides of march today – good reminder about sweet peas thanks.
everyone would grow sunflowers and sweet peas – if only they didn’t forget to plant them.

Sunflowers too? We’ll see…

don’t plant sunflowers now ! plant them in summer – but don’t forget!
hands up all those who forgot their summer sunflowers this year.

justin said:

it self sows in the winter along with dill. i always have trouble with it going to seed immediately when i plant it in spring – same for tarragon – so they maybe (??) winter crops?

It’s (coriander) a winter crop here, altho’ my daughter was able to grow the same dill plant for 2 years up in TownTown, she was on the top floor of a 3-floor uni college…the reflected sunlight was enough to keep the plant powering and the temperature must have been within range for it not to die off…

add – fennel, dill, coriander, tarragon and turnip to my planting list for this coming winter.

i can plant sweet peas on the fences since i can’t think of an edible winter climber?

justin said:

add – fennel, dill, coriander, tarragon and turnip to my planting list for this coming winter.

i can plant sweet peas on the fences since i can’t think of an edible winter climber?

Well we used to buy sugar snap peas from a local market gardener during winter…winter is our “big” season for all the root vegetables, and cabbage and cauliflour…

>>i can plant sweet peas on the fences since i can’t think of an edible winter climber?<<

I am enamoured of telephone peas. They grew well for me last year. Also snap and snow peas for winter. I don’t think there are others though. Beans don’t like winter down south.

buffy said:

>>i can plant sweet peas on the fences since i can’t think of an edible winter climber?<<

I am enamoured of telephone peas. They grew well for me last year. Also snap and snow peas for winter. I don’t think there are others though. Beans don’t like winter down south.

great – thanks.
yes snow peas and sugar snap – i had overlooked them. in fact i have snow peas planted – a dwarf type?

buffy said:

Pelargonium crispum is the usual lemon scented one.

You forced me to go look it up. It’s Pelargonium crispum ‘minor’ I would say. Even if I never use it in cooking it’s a nice plant to look at anyway.

>>Even if I never use it in cooking it’s a nice plant to look at anyway.<<

I’ve never used any of the scented geraniums in cooking. I have lemon, rose, peppermint and some sort of cinnamony one. I plant them where they get brushed against, near pathways. One of our old dogs used to go and lie against the lemon one….he always smelt lovely!

Dinetta said:

justin said:

it self sows in the winter along with dill. i always have trouble with it going to seed immediately when i plant it in spring – same for tarragon – so they maybe (??) winter crops?

It’s (coriander) a winter crop here, altho’ my daughter was able to grow the same dill plant for 2 years up in TownTown, she was on the top floor of a 3-floor uni college…the reflected sunlight was enough to keep the plant powering and the temperature must have been within range for it not to die off…

Dill belongs to Umbelliferae and as such is biennial, same as parsley, carrots, celery. Grows one year makes seed the next.

Dinetta said:

justin said:

is winter the ‘dry’ or the ‘wet’?

Dry. Can you grow coriander in the summer down your way?

Everything grows here if there is water. Nothing grows if there is not.

justin said:

add – fennel, dill, coriander, tarragon and turnip to my planting list for this coming winter.

i can plant sweet peas on the fences since i can’t think of an edible winter climber?

So what is wrong with climbing snow peas, climbing sugar snap peas, telephone peas? they are all edible winter climbers. A choko vine will still have fruit on it until the hardest frosts get them.

justin said:

buffy said:

>>i can plant sweet peas on the fences since i can’t think of an edible winter climber?<<

I am enamoured of telephone peas. They grew well for me last year. Also snap and snow peas for winter. I don’t think there are others though. Beans don’t like winter down south.

great – thanks.
yes snow peas and sugar snap – i had overlooked them. in fact i have snow peas planted – a dwarf type?

From memory there are both climbing and dwarf sugar snaps but the snow peas are climbers.

buffy said:

>>Even if I never use it in cooking it’s a nice plant to look at anyway.<<

I’ve never used any of the scented geraniums in cooking. I have lemon, rose, peppermint and some sort of cinnamony one. I plant them where they get brushed against, near pathways. One of our old dogs used to go and lie against the lemon one….he always smelt lovely!

Yes, that’s what I grow them for.. for brushing past.. have them at the front door.

Lovely photos and interesting thread.

I can’t grow dill. I grow it and it looks great then the next day it’s keeled over.
It’s on the wish list of things I want to grow successfully that I really suck at, lol.

1.Peas
2. Dill

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

justin said:

it self sows in the winter along with dill. i always have trouble with it going to seed immediately when i plant it in spring – same for tarragon – so they maybe (??) winter crops?

It’s (coriander) a winter crop here, altho’ my daughter was able to grow the same dill plant for 2 years up in TownTown, she was on the top floor of a 3-floor uni college…the reflected sunlight was enough to keep the plant powering and the temperature must have been within range for it not to die off…

Dill belongs to Umbelliferae and as such is biennial, same as parsley, carrots, celery. Grows one year makes seed the next.

There’s parsley plants up here that’ve lasted more than two years and they’ve never gone to seed…not arguing with you, just contributing my observations…but I suppose if you like to collect your own seed you would factor in the biennial time-frame…

Happy Potter said:

Lovely photos and interesting thread.

I can’t grow dill. I grow it and it looks great then the next day it’s keeled over.
It’s on the wish list of things I want to grow successfully that I really suck at, lol.

1.Peas
2. Dill

Mine is lavender, rosemary, maidenhair…

Dinetta said:

Happy Potter said:

Lovely photos and interesting thread.

I can’t grow dill. I grow it and it looks great then the next day it’s keeled over.
It’s on the wish list of things I want to grow successfully that I really suck at, lol.

1.Peas
2. Dill

Mine is lavender, rosemary, maidenhair…

Strange. Those I can grow in abundance. Rosemary is kept in a pot on or it’d take over. Got maidenhair popping up everywhere in the fernery, and roses I don’t grow, but used to.

Happy Potter said:

Dinetta said:

Mine is lavender, rosemary, maidenhair…

Strange. Those I can grow in abundance. Rosemary is kept in a pot on or it’d take over. Got maidenhair popping up everywhere in the fernery, and roses I don’t grow, but used to.

I may be able to grow roses, not interested for a long time but I’ve gained in experience since the last mass killing…in that the almost-dead specimens out the front have come along since I arrived…

roughbarked said:

justin said:

add – fennel, dill, coriander, tarragon and turnip to my planting list for this coming winter.

i can plant sweet peas on the fences since i can’t think of an edible winter climber?

So what is wrong with climbing snow peas, climbing sugar snap peas, telephone peas? they are all edible winter climbers. A choko vine will still have fruit on it until the hardest frosts get them.

thank you – i was wondering about choko.
climbing peas and sweet peas will be planted as seed this weekend – once i’ve removed the shadecloth and put birdnetting over the peas, bbeans and lettuces.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

buffy said:

>>i can plant sweet peas on the fences since i can’t think of an edible winter climber?<<

I am enamoured of telephone peas. They grew well for me last year. Also snap and snow peas for winter. I don’t think there are others though. Beans don’t like winter down south.

great – thanks.
yes snow peas and sugar snap – i had overlooked them. in fact i have snow peas planted – a dwarf type?

From memory there are both climbing and dwarf sugar snaps but the snow peas are climbers.

the snow pea packet said “provide sticks or light trellessing (sp?)” – but then the height icon said 1-2m. – definitely climbers

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

>>Even if I never use it in cooking it’s a nice plant to look at anyway.<<

I’ve never used any of the scented geraniums in cooking. I have lemon, rose, peppermint and some sort of cinnamony one. I plant them where they get brushed against, near pathways. One of our old dogs used to go and lie against the lemon one….he always smelt lovely!

Yes, that’s what I grow them for.. for brushing past.. have them at the front door.

great shot

not only sweet peas, telephone peas, snow peas, sugar snap peas and chokos are winter climbers – but also -

- hops and a climbing spinach – both are now planted in the winter garden

i’m tired – so all the climbing peas will go in tomorrow.

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

It’s (coriander) a winter crop here, altho’ my daughter was able to grow the same dill plant for 2 years up in TownTown, she was on the top floor of a 3-floor uni college…the reflected sunlight was enough to keep the plant powering and the temperature must have been within range for it not to die off…

Dill belongs to Umbelliferae and as such is biennial, same as parsley, carrots, celery. Grows one year makes seed the next.

There’s parsley plants up here that’ve lasted more than two years and they’ve never gone to seed…not arguing with you, just contributing my observations…but I suppose if you like to collect your own seed you would factor in the biennial time-frame…

If you keep harvesting and the clime isn’t perfect for making seed, such plants may never seed but they won’t be perennial. They will die after maybe at best, five years.

roughbarked said:

If you keep harvesting and the clime isn’t perfect for making seed, such plants may never seed but they won’t be perennial. They will die after maybe at best, five years.

They look like above-ground white carrots after a while…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

If you keep harvesting and the clime isn’t perfect for making seed, such plants may never seed but they won’t be perennial. They will die after maybe at best, five years.

They look like above-ground white carrots after a while…

A properly managed parsley patch will be perennial, as a patch but the plants within the patch will live and make seed and die.. sometimes, mowing the patch will rejuvenate it but if no seed falls or germinates, then a year or two later, there will be no parsley, for a while. There will be a patch of dead white carrots.

Fennel is closest to dill and it is a weed of roadsides and canal banks.

Climbing spinach – Basella rubra

suddenly my lebanese zucchini is all smiles

these two photos show the winter garden a week after the chooks were moved. the shade cloth (see first photo this thread) covers have been replaced with birdnetting. i planted on 10-3-2013 when it was still very hot – but now the seeds are sprouting i just need to water each day and protect against marauding pigeons.
the pigeons, btw, are now feeding over the road on the farmers harvested wheat field – a trick they learnt from 600 screaming correllas.

I have planted out Red Korean and Shandong garlic this morning. And telephone and snap peas on the fence. It was disappointing to find on digging the Summer fallow bed over that the dampness went only about 5mm down. The rest was pretty dusty. Not to worry. I dug in rotting pea straw and dynamic lifter and a few handsful of lime. It can now sit until I get some cabbagey things big enough to plant out there. I have to start again because the cabbage moth caterpillars made a lightning raid…..

buffy said:

I have planted out Red Korean and Shandong garlic this morning. And telephone and snap peas on the fence. It was disappointing to find on digging the Summer fallow bed over that the dampness went only about 5mm down. The rest was pretty dusty. Not to worry. I dug in rotting pea straw and dynamic lifter and a few handsful of lime. It can now sit until I get some cabbagey things big enough to plant out there. I have to start again because the cabbage moth caterpillars made a lightning raid…..

my single bulb garlic has come up after laying dormant all summer. a lot of my garlic crop from last summer is small bulbs – not shooting yet.
i’m watering the soil in the winter garden every day for 15 minutes and it is soaking into the top 200mm after a week.

white moths here too – altho’ i saw them early enuff to stop damage to the broccoli.

i’m looking at the self sown grasses as they emerge to see any useful ‘volunteers’. corn and pumpkin are there but the rest still haven’t been IDed.

justin said:

these two photos show the winter garden a week after the chooks were moved. the shade cloth (see first photo this thread) covers have been replaced with birdnetting. i planted on 10-3-2013 when it was still very hot – but now the seeds are sprouting i just need to water each day and protect against marauding pigeons.
the pigeons, btw, are now feeding over the road on the farmers harvested wheat field – a trick they learnt from 600 screaming correllas.

Fantastic pictures, some good ideas as well…

The pigeons might as well eat the grain while they can, before it’s coated in herbicide prior to planting of the next crop…

justin said:

Climbing spinach – Basella rubra

suddenly my lebanese zucchini is all smiles

I once grew that climbing Spinach.

Was it worthwhile? I am growing perpetual spinach at the moment, which is really just a fine sort of silver beet. It’s lovely, actually.

buffy said:

Was it worthwhile? I am growing perpetual spinach at the moment, which is really just a fine sort of silver beet. It’s lovely, actually.

i have planted silver beet – i just think the garden fences would look good covered in vines – justin’s jungle !

I’ve put some cabbagey things seeds into a cage to fend off the cabbage whites. I planted seed for Kailaan broccoli, Romanesco broccoli, Brussels sprouts, January King cabbage, red Pak Choy, 5 colour silver beet, and perpetual spinach. Oh, and there was some arugula seed that went in too. I think if they all grow we will be very windy around this vicinity in a few months…..

;)

the straw in this photo shows where i just planted my kifler spuds . kiflers were priced at $10 per kilo this week – that’s dearer than ceritified seed. so i planted last year’s ‘smalls’ that were sprouting. i think the reason for the price is our changing diet. a potato salad ‘nicoise’ is delicious, healthy and easy – and it’s a warm spud dish where kiflers are perfect.

the lebanese zucchini is in the foreground and is yeilding my first zuchs for the year.

above left is the sedums just beginning to flower in the oleander bed and – right the jerusalem artichoke flower.

However, i don’t know what this climbing plant is below – any clues?

justin said:

the straw in this photo shows where i just planted my kifler spuds . kiflers were priced at $10 per kilo this week – that’s dearer than ceritified seed. so i planted last year’s ‘smalls’ that were sprouting. i think the reason for the price is our changing diet. a potato salad ‘nicoise’ is delicious, healthy and easy – and it’s a warm spud dish where kiflers are perfect.

the lebanese zucchini is in the foreground and is yeilding my first zuchs for the year.

what is that white pipe and fan looking contraption top centre?

bluegreen said:

justin said:

the straw in this photo shows where i just planted my kifler spuds . kiflers were priced at $10 per kilo this week – that’s dearer than ceritified seed. so i planted last year’s ‘smalls’ that were sprouting. i think the reason for the price is our changing diet. a potato salad ‘nicoise’ is delicious, healthy and easy – and it’s a warm spud dish where kiflers are perfect.

the lebanese zucchini is in the foreground and is yeilding my first zuchs for the year.

what is that white pipe and fan looking contraption top centre?

the pool cover roller.

justin said:

bluegreen said:

what is that white pipe and fan looking contraption top centre?

the pool cover roller.

Ah, thank you. I can see the pool now :D

justin said:

above left is the sedums just beginning to flower in the oleander bed and – right the jerusalem artichoke flower.

However, i don’t know what this climbing plant is below – any clues?

The vine is Maderia Vine. An absolute pest up here but I don’t know about down your way.

justin said:

above left is the sedums just beginning to flower in the oleander bed and – right the jerusalem artichoke flower.

However, i don’t know what this climbing plant is below – any clues?

I’ve got that Sedum too. Bubba Louie gave it to me. Mine’s been in flower for a while now.

pomolo said:

justin said:

above left is the sedums just beginning to flower in the oleander bed and – right the jerusalem artichoke flower.

However, i don’t know what this climbing plant is below – any clues?

The vine is Maderia Vine. An absolute pest up here but I don’t know about down your way.

thanks oh master of ID.
(where is bubba these days?)
rest assured it will not escape and it is a mainly indoors pot.

pomolo said:

justin said:

above left is the sedums just beginning to flower in the oleander bed and – right the jerusalem artichoke flower.

However, i don’t know what this climbing plant is below – any clues?

I’ve got that Sedum too. Bubba Louie gave it to me. Mine’s been in flower for a while now.

i know you like flowers – get well BG amd P.

pomolo said:

The vine is Maderia Vine. An absolute pest up here but I don’t know about down your way.

As soon as I saw the flowers on it, I thought “we need BubbaLouie to say ‘Weed’”…. Not sure why the flowers ticked the box unless it’s cos’, in the photo, they look like asparagus fern flowers and that’s supposed to be a pest now-a-days…

justin said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

above left is the sedums just beginning to flower in the oleander bed and – right the jerusalem artichoke flower.

However, i don’t know what this climbing plant is below – any clues?

I’ve got that Sedum too. Bubba Louie gave it to me. Mine’s been in flower for a while now.

i know you like flowers – get well BG amd P.

Sweet of you to say.

On the left is my winter garden two weeks ago – and on the right is todays photo from the same spot.
2 weeks ago it was hot, dry soil that had been ‘worked’ for a year by the chooks.
now the bird netting hides emerging crops from the pigeons – half the land has weeds germinating while seedlings are growing in boxes.
the autumn equinox (12 hrs day/ 12 hrs night) was on Thursday so the soil is starting to cool off and the days are shortening

the chooks (moved from the winter garden) have scratched over my summer garden – eaten all the bugs and my remaining radishes

meanwhile – broccoli, fennel, onions, lettuces and celery are one week old and getting full sun to speed their growth.

amongst the weeds are (left) watercress surviving only because the pigeons and sparrows are diverted to all the succulent new growth (right)
so far I have IDed dill, sunflower, brassicas, melons and beet amongst the grasses.
in 2 weeks I will take the best seedlings from this ‘grass/green manure’, fork the soil over and plant these seedlings plus the ones from from the seed trays.

justin said:

On the left is my winter garden two weeks ago – and on the right is todays photo from the same spot.
2 weeks ago it was hot, dry soil that had been ‘worked’ for a year by the chooks.
now the bird netting hides emerging crops from the pigeons – half the land has weeds germinating while seedlings are growing in boxes.
the autumn equinox (12 hrs day/ 12 hrs night) was on Thursday so the soil is starting to cool off and the days are shortening

Chookies do work over soil luverly, I have found…you have been industrious, well done!

justin said:

amongst the weeds are (left) watercress surviving only because the pigeons and sparrows are diverted to all the succulent new growth (right)
so far I have IDed dill, sunflower, brassicas, melons and beet amongst the grasses.
in 2 weeks I will take the best seedlings from this ‘grass/green manure’, fork the soil over and plant these seedlings plus the ones from from the seed trays.

Good going…love these pictures…

Dinetta said:

justin said:

On the left is my winter garden two weeks ago – and on the right is todays photo from the same spot.
2 weeks ago it was hot, dry soil that had been ‘worked’ for a year by the chooks.
now the bird netting hides emerging crops from the pigeons – half the land has weeds germinating while seedlings are growing in boxes.
the autumn equinox (12 hrs day/ 12 hrs night) was on Thursday so the soil is starting to cool off and the days are shortening

Chookies do work over soil luverly, I have found…you have been industrious, well done!

it’s the oldest and best soil I’ve got – so far so good – its holding moisture well and draining well.

justin said:

On the left is my winter garden two weeks ago – and on the right is todays photo from the same spot.
2 weeks ago it was hot, dry soil that had been ‘worked’ for a year by the chooks.
now the bird netting hides emerging crops from the pigeons – half the land has weeds germinating while seedlings are growing in boxes.
the autumn equinox (12 hrs day/ 12 hrs night) was on Thursday so the soil is starting to cool off and the days are shortening

You’re so dedicated Justin. I don’t think I’m that sincere about my plants.

justin said:

amongst the weeds are (left) watercress surviving only because the pigeons and sparrows are diverted to all the succulent new growth (right)
so far I have IDed dill, sunflower, brassicas, melons and beet amongst the grasses.
in 2 weeks I will take the best seedlings from this ‘grass/green manure’, fork the soil over and plant these seedlings plus the ones from from the seed trays.

I’m with you there. I cultivate most things that come up when it’s their season from stuff I’ve let go to seed. Today there is Basil, Parsley, Thai Basil, Chives, Cherry tomatoes, Black Russian Tomatoes, cucumbers and two Rock Melon plants. I picked one Melon but it wasn’t ready . There is another one all but ready but I’m going to make sure it’s really ready this time.

pomolo said:

justin said:

On the left is my winter garden two weeks ago – and on the right is todays photo from the same spot.
2 weeks ago it was hot, dry soil that had been ‘worked’ for a year by the chooks.
now the bird netting hides emerging crops from the pigeons – half the land has weeds germinating while seedlings are growing in boxes.
the autumn equinox (12 hrs day/ 12 hrs night) was on Thursday so the soil is starting to cool off and the days are shortening

You’re so dedicated Justin. I don’t think I’m that sincere about my plants.

I was a bit evangelical – trying to get people to plant now – before winter sets in.

pomolo said:

justin said:

amongst the weeds are (left) watercress surviving only because the pigeons and sparrows are diverted to all the succulent new growth (right)
so far I have IDed dill, sunflower, brassicas, melons and beet amongst the grasses.
in 2 weeks I will take the best seedlings from this ‘grass/green manure’, fork the soil over and plant these seedlings plus the ones from from the seed trays.

I’m with you there. I cultivate most things that come up when it’s their season from stuff I’ve let go to seed. Today there is Basil, Parsley, Thai Basil, Chives, Cherry tomatoes, Black Russian Tomatoes, cucumbers and two Rock Melon plants. I picked one Melon but it wasn’t ready . There is another one all but ready but I’m going to make sure it’s really ready this time.

that’s a good list of selfsown – a whole garden in fact!

justin said:

I was a bit evangelical – trying to get people to plant now – before winter sets in.

I hear you, but have some barriers atm. Or rather, insufficient barriers to keep Peter Pan out of the vege patch.

I heard ya too Justin :) I’ve just planted about 150 garlic cloves where basil just got pulled out. Now to dry more sweet basil leaves and then I’ll have enough for a year at least.

bluegreen said:

justin said:

I was a bit evangelical – trying to get people to plant now – before winter sets in.

I hear you, but have some barriers atm. Or rather, insufficient barriers to keep Peter Pan out of the vege patch.

I’m busy with trying to finish budding 28,000 citrus stocks before the end of March. We won’t make it considering that here are still 20,000 to do but I hope it isn’t too many days into April.

Happy Potter said:

I heard ya too Justin :) I’ve just planted about 150 garlic cloves where basil just got pulled out. Now to dry more sweet basil leaves and then I’ll have enough for a year at least.

My basil is still growing but I’ll be shoving the garlic in somewhere, over the next few days.

Happy Potter said:

I heard ya too Justin :) I’ve just planted about 150 garlic cloves where basil just got pulled out. Now to dry more sweet basil leaves and then I’ll have enough for a year at least.

garlic is a good point – some are coming up gratis but I haven’t planted my main lot. – I will wait for the corn to finish and plant garlic and onion there

week three in my winter garden and the grass is now 100mm high (4”).
the two polystyrene boxes under the bird netting (on right) are the lettuce, broccoli and fennel seedlings hardening up.
broad beans are now big enough to remove the netting and have been weeded leaving the self sown sunflowers as supports.
watercress is doing surprisingly well outdoors – helped by 5mm rain overnight.
next week I will save the best self sown seedlings, add fertiliser and fork over the three beds in the foreground.

justin said:

week three in my winter garden and the grass is now 100mm high (4”).
the two polystyrene boxes under the bird netting (on right) are the lettuce, broccoli and fennel seedlings hardening up.
broad beans are now big enough to remove the netting and have been weeded leaving the self sown sunflowers as supports.
watercress is doing surprisingly well outdoors – helped by 5mm rain overnight.
next week I will save the best self sown seedlings, add fertiliser and fork over the three beds in the foreground.

I’m nowhere near as advanced as you in plantings.. still trying to make room to start.
But I did transplant some celery, cabbage and broccoli in the twilight. I’d been grafting citrus on Corbie Hill all day. That’s an hour of driving each way.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

week three in my winter garden and the grass is now 100mm high (4”).
the two polystyrene boxes under the bird netting (on right) are the lettuce, broccoli and fennel seedlings hardening up.
broad beans are now big enough to remove the netting and have been weeded leaving the self sown sunflowers as supports.
watercress is doing surprisingly well outdoors – helped by 5mm rain overnight.
next week I will save the best self sown seedlings, add fertiliser and fork over the three beds in the foreground.

I’m nowhere near as advanced as you in plantings.. still trying to make room to start.
But I did transplant some celery, cabbage and broccoli in the twilight. I’d been grafting citrus on Corbie Hill all day. That’s an hour of driving each way.

celery, cabbage and broc is a fair amount for after work.
I have found some self-sown cabbage and beet seedlings amongst the germinated grasses – but sometimes nature is dumb – because there are many more more sunflower, tomato, melon and corn seedlings – all of them out of season.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

week three in my winter garden and the grass is now 100mm high (4”).
the two polystyrene boxes under the bird netting (on right) are the lettuce, broccoli and fennel seedlings hardening up.
broad beans are now big enough to remove the netting and have been weeded leaving the self sown sunflowers as supports.
watercress is doing surprisingly well outdoors – helped by 5mm rain overnight.
next week I will save the best self sown seedlings, add fertiliser and fork over the three beds in the foreground.

I’m nowhere near as advanced as you in plantings.. still trying to make room to start.
But I did transplant some celery, cabbage and broccoli in the twilight. I’d been grafting citrus on Corbie Hill all day. That’s an hour of driving each way.

celery, cabbage and broc is a fair amount for after work.
I have found some self-sown cabbage and beet seedlings amongst the germinated grasses – but sometimes nature is dumb – because there are many more more sunflower, tomato, melon and corn seedlings – all of them out of season.

Nature is not always dumb.. Maybe out of season but maybe also extra seed can be made id the season is long enough. I’ve had years where frosts don’t come until July. Hlobal warming had changed the seasons during my life. Our average was 35 consecutive frosts and our record is 75 consecutive frosts but in the last 20 years, many winters we could hardly string five frosts together.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

I’m nowhere near as advanced as you in plantings.. still trying to make room to start.
But I did transplant some celery, cabbage and broccoli in the twilight. I’d been grafting citrus on Corbie Hill all day. That’s an hour of driving each way.

celery, cabbage and broc is a fair amount for after work.
I have found some self-sown cabbage and beet seedlings amongst the germinated grasses – but sometimes nature is dumb – because there are many more more sunflower, tomato, melon and corn seedlings – all of them out of season.

Nature is not always dumb.. Maybe out of season but maybe also extra seed can be made id the season is long enough. I’ve had years where frosts don’t come until July. Hlobal warming had changed the seasons during my life. Our average was 35 consecutive frosts and our record is 75 consecutive frosts but in the last 20 years, many winters we could hardly string five frosts together.

maybe – I will transplant many of the sunflowers – so we’ll see if they have time to go to seed. I will try to keep a coupla corn untouched – I bet they don’t have time to seed.
the tomatoes will be potted and grown behind plastic.
I’m a global warming skeptic altho’ I agree with climate change because – hey – all things change.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

celery, cabbage and broc is a fair amount for after work.
I have found some self-sown cabbage and beet seedlings amongst the germinated grasses – but sometimes nature is dumb – because there are many more more sunflower, tomato, melon and corn seedlings – all of them out of season.

Nature is not always dumb.. Maybe out of season but maybe also extra seed can be made id the season is long enough. I’ve had years where frosts don’t come until July. Hlobal warming had changed the seasons during my life. Our average was 35 consecutive frosts and our record is 75 consecutive frosts but in the last 20 years, many winters we could hardly string five frosts together.

maybe – I will transplant many of the sunflowers – so we’ll see if they have time to go to seed. I will try to keep a coupla corn untouched – I bet they don’t have time to seed.
the tomatoes will be potted and grown behind plastic.
I’m a global warming skeptic altho’ I agree with climate change because – hey – all things change.

Well the climate does and has.. changed. What we have to deal with is the here and now with a thought for the future based upon glimpses of the past.

week 4 in my winter garden sees the broad beans grown too large for bird attack

- and two beds have been forked over, burying the weeds.

The bed in the foreground has four rows of root crop seeds planted -
- and placed under shadecloth – to keep the top 6mm damp in this hot sun.

Getting some good ideas for protection arrangements…

Dinetta said:

Getting some good ideas for protection arrangements…

all the hoops, netting, stakes and seed trays need to be stored in the shed and then emerge at the right time.
from now on – til sept – we can go into hothouse mode – and i’m thinking the ex-chook shed can be closed in with hothouse plastic and give me a nice winter sleeping – er – propagation room.

this is part of last November’s garlic crop. it’s still very hard and edible. it should be soft and sprouting.
I will have to buy some garlic to plant.

P1 – peas are flowering 6 weeks after planting. they have been weeded, mulched and protected from birds
P2 – a packet of lettuce seedlings is a lot of seedlings – but lettuce grow quickly and get eaten quickly

P1 – a concoction of weeds including nettle, silver beet, amaranth, lettuce – we are having a wild salad tonight – so add sweet potato leaves, Italian parsley, a bit of chicory and that’s our fresh greens for tonight.
P2 – fennel and broccoli seedlings to be planted out in about two weeks.

fennel, broccoli, rocket and all the lettuces planted that I can fit in – and plenty of seedlings left to giveaway.
it has rained today which almost guarantees successful transplanting.

I probably will plant carrots and beetroot in the places where radish and turnip failed to germinate.
feral sunflowers, tomatoes and corn still growing but none will make the seed stage imo.

I bought 5 1y.o.asparagus for $4 yesterday and they have been potted up.

this winter garden was planted on march 10.
there is sufficient growth now to relax and just weed.
i’m picking radicchio and peas.
the self sown corn, sunflowers and toms have enjoyed the indian summer and the biggest sunflower is a metre high.

justin said:

this winter garden was planted on march 10.
there is sufficient growth now to relax and just weed.
i’m picking radicchio and peas.
the self sown corn, sunflowers and toms have enjoyed the indian summer and the biggest sunflower is a metre high.

Luscious…is that a corn you’ve got growing there, about bottom LHS, with a pumikin?

Dinetta said:

justin said:

this winter garden was planted on march 10.
there is sufficient growth now to relax and just weed.
i’m picking radicchio and peas.
the self sown corn, sunflowers and toms have enjoyed the indian summer and the biggest sunflower is a metre high.

Luscious…is that a corn you’ve got growing there, about bottom LHS, with a pumikin?

the corn, toms and sunflowers are self seeded.
next to the corn is a brassica of some sort? mostly it looks like cauli but (since this bed hasn’t had cauli that I recall) is probably savoy cabbage.

the self sown tomatoes and sunflowers are beginning to form flower heads – RB might be right about their intentions to propagate the species just before winter sets in.

my spuds have been – weeded – mulched with the chook house sweepings – liquid fertilised – topped with wood ash and finally – grape marc. these are the kiflers and I have grown to prefer them to my old favourites.

justin said:

my spuds have been – weeded – mulched with the chook house sweepings – liquid fertilised – topped with wood ash and finally – grape marc. these are the kiflers and I have grown to prefer them to my old favourites.

Good to see other people using grape marc. Have you tried the Royal Blue potatoes yet?

roughbarked said:

justin said:

my spuds have been – weeded – mulched with the chook house sweepings – liquid fertilised – topped with wood ash and finally – grape marc. these are the kiflers and I have grown to prefer them to my old favourites.

Good to see other people using grape marc. Have you tried the Royal Blue potatoes yet?

no – are you suggesting they go on the shopping list?

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Have you tried the Royal Blue potatoes yet?

no – are you suggesting they go on the shopping list?

Well, try eating some first to see if they are to your taste.

justin said:

the self sown tomatoes and sunflowers are beginning to form flower heads – RB might be right about their intentions to propagate the species just before winter sets in.

whaddya mean, might be right? ;)

It is nature at work. How can it be wrong?

roughbarked said:

justin said:

the self sown tomatoes and sunflowers are beginning to form flower heads – RB might be right about their intentions to propagate the species just before winter sets in.

whaddya mean, might be right? ;)

It is nature at work. How can it be wrong?

your birthday is soon so i’ll humour you – and nature too (if there’s a difference) – but they haven’t set seed yet LOL.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

the self sown tomatoes and sunflowers are beginning to form flower heads – RB might be right about their intentions to propagate the species just before winter sets in.

whaddya mean, might be right? ;)

It is nature at work. How can it be wrong?

your birthday is soon so i’ll humour you – and nature too (if there’s a difference) – but they haven’t set seed yet LOL.

:) they’ll give it their damndest.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

whaddya mean, might be right? ;)

It is nature at work. How can it be wrong?

your birthday is soon so i’ll humour you – and nature too (if there’s a difference) – but they haven’t set seed yet LOL.

:) they’ll give it their damndest.

the difference between success and failure is a hair’s breadth.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

your birthday is soon so i’ll humour you – and nature too (if there’s a difference) – but they haven’t set seed yet LOL.

:) they’ll give it their damndest.

the difference between success and failure is a hair’s breadth.

or a decent frost…

bluegreen said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

:) they’ll give it their damndest.

the difference between success and failure is a hair’s breadth.

or a decent frost…

Depends on the year. I’ve had sunflowers still in full seed making capacity in mid June.
I’ve seen tomatoes being picked in late July.

bluegreen said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

:) they’ll give it their damndest.

the difference between success and failure is a hair’s breadth.

or a decent frost…

no frosts here – but once this late heat goes – the growth rate slows down in the cold – and disease gets them.
I could probably get another month of growth using hothouse plastic surrounds.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

justin said:

the difference between success and failure is a hair’s breadth.

or a decent frost…

Depends on the year. I’ve had sunflowers still in full seed making capacity in mid June.
I’ve seen tomatoes being picked in late July.

you’re living in a very variable area – in the Adelaide hills the latest frost (in 30 years of winters) was in may.
were the late tomatoes edible? – or had the cold made them tasteless?

justin said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

or a decent frost…

Depends on the year. I’ve had sunflowers still in full seed making capacity in mid June.
I’ve seen tomatoes being picked in late July.

you’re living in a very variable area – in the Adelaide hills the latest frost (in 30 years of winters) was in may.
were the late tomatoes edible? – or had the cold made them tasteless?

Late tomatoes only work in warm spots. ;) Hence if they ripen they do have taste, yes.

In my six decades the record of 75 consecutive frosts has come down to a handful. We’d be lucky to have more than 10 in a row now.

roughbarked said:

In my six decades the record of 75 consecutive frosts has come down to a handful. We’d be lucky to have more than 10 in a row now.

I still remember the winter of 1965…bleeding hands (my mother did not believe a 10 year old was entitled to warm gloves at school, or cream for the hands)…unable to sleep properly because of the chill…broken garden hoses, frozen solid, icicles hanging off the fencing wire and, apparently, snow at Emerald (Q)…We haven’t had one like that, since…

That was when we started “slow burns” of sawdust under the mango tree of a night, and also the paw-paws…they worked if we could get the burn going all night…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

In my six decades the record of 75 consecutive frosts has come down to a handful. We’d be lucky to have more than 10 in a row now.

I still remember the winter of 1965…bleeding hands (my mother did not believe a 10 year old was entitled to warm gloves at school, or cream for the hands)…unable to sleep properly because of the chill…broken garden hoses, frozen solid, icicles hanging off the fencing wire and, apparently, snow at Emerald (Q)…We haven’t had one like that, since…

That was when we started “slow burns” of sawdust under the mango tree of a night, and also the paw-paws…they worked if we could get the burn going all night…

terrific memory there.

I remember the worst frost in the Adelaide hills and driving down into the Torrens valley where the frost was still 12 metres high in the gum trees after breakfast. that year the minus seven degrees Celsius killed everyone’s hothouse plants. .

justin said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

In my six decades the record of 75 consecutive frosts has come down to a handful. We’d be lucky to have more than 10 in a row now.

I still remember the winter of 1965…bleeding hands (my mother did not believe a 10 year old was entitled to warm gloves at school, or cream for the hands)…unable to sleep properly because of the chill…broken garden hoses, frozen solid, icicles hanging off the fencing wire and, apparently, snow at Emerald (Q)…We haven’t had one like that, since…

That was when we started “slow burns” of sawdust under the mango tree of a night, and also the paw-paws…they worked if we could get the burn going all night…

terrific memory there.

I remember the worst frost in the Adelaide hills and driving down into the Torrens valley where the frost was still 12 metres high in the gum trees after breakfast. that year the minus seven degrees Celsius killed everyone’s hothouse plants. .

Yep I’ve seen frost 20 m up trees and in those seasons I lost a lot of orchids. I had people bring me plants burnt in the mid section but not top or bottom. They said nobody could explain it to them. I said it is easy to see that it was an inversion layer.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Depends on the year. I’ve had sunflowers still in full seed making capacity in mid June.
I’ve seen tomatoes being picked in late July.

you’re living in a very variable area – in the Adelaide hills the latest frost (in 30 years of winters) was in may.
were the late tomatoes edible? – or had the cold made them tasteless?

Late tomatoes only work in warm spots. ;) Hence if they ripen they do have taste, yes.
In my six decades the record of 75 consecutive frosts has come down to a handful. We’d be lucky to have more than 10 in a row now.

some luck!
frost is one of the principle sculptors of the garden – so you do remember them. I was always amazed to find the ground covered in white – and then unbelieving when everything went brown shortly afterwards.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

you’re living in a very variable area – in the Adelaide hills the latest frost (in 30 years of winters) was in may.
were the late tomatoes edible? – or had the cold made them tasteless?

Late tomatoes only work in warm spots. ;) Hence if they ripen they do have taste, yes.
In my six decades the record of 75 consecutive frosts has come down to a handful. We’d be lucky to have more than 10 in a row now.

some luck!
frost is one of the principle sculptors of the garden – so you do remember them. I was always amazed to find the ground covered in white – and then unbelieving when everything went brown shortly afterwards.

My dad defined them as white frosts and black frosts. In a white frost plants survive. In a black frost that’s what you see.. black plants.

justin said:

I remember the worst frost in the Adelaide hills and driving down into the Torrens valley where the frost was still 12 metres high in the gum trees after breakfast. that year the minus seven degrees Celsius killed everyone’s hothouse plants. .

What a shocker!! Frost 12 metres high! Hardly credible but Nature sure does some strange things …

SIL at Cambooya, moves her potplants into the house for winter and once she asked me what to do, they were dying of the cold of a night…I didn’t know then, but now I would tell her to put one of those insular blankets over them, the kind that campers use…

roughbarked said:

Yep I’ve seen frost 20 m up trees and in those seasons I lost a lot of orchids. I had people bring me plants burnt in the mid section but not top or bottom. They said nobody could explain it to them. I said it is easy to see that it was an inversion layer.

You mean, frost coming from the bottom and icy cold air descending…there being a warmish layer sandwiched in the middle?

roughbarked said:

My dad defined them as white frosts and black frosts. In a white frost plants survive. In a black frost that’s what you see.. black plants.

I know of someone, every frost was a black frost…she loved drama in her storytelling…we used to call the black frosts, woodeners, cos that’s what they did…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Yep I’ve seen frost 20 m up trees and in those seasons I lost a lot of orchids. I had people bring me plants burnt in the mid section but not top or bottom. They said nobody could explain it to them. I said it is easy to see that it was an inversion layer.

You mean, frost coming from the bottom and icy cold air descending…there being a warmish layer sandwiched in the middle?

I think it is the other way ‘round, a frost layer sandwiched between two warmer layers, as the frost burn was in the mid section of the plants.

bluegreen said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Yep I’ve seen frost 20 m up trees and in those seasons I lost a lot of orchids. I had people bring me plants burnt in the mid section but not top or bottom. They said nobody could explain it to them. I said it is easy to see that it was an inversion layer.

You mean, frost coming from the bottom and icy cold air descending…there being a warmish layer sandwiched in the middle?

I think it is the other way ‘round, a frost layer sandwiched between two warmer layers, as the frost burn was in the mid section of the plants.

I need a second coffee…which I’ll do after going back to the car and clearing the ash tray and locking the glovebox… hijack!!!!

I too remember more savage frosts where the car windscreen had to be scraped with gloved hands, hoses burst from being left out and the footpaths slippery with ice.
I was 8 months pregnant and just about to stop work and on my last day of work, slid on my backside down the whole length of the train station downramp to the platforms. That was not fun but I was not hurt and continued on my way. Baby was fine.
More recently, few years back, it had rained one day then a severe frost that night. Mrs daughter was wailing that someone had glued her car locks, but they were just iced up. It took a jugful of water to unfreeze her car door lock.

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Yep I’ve seen frost 20 m up trees and in those seasons I lost a lot of orchids. I had people bring me plants burnt in the mid section but not top or bottom. They said nobody could explain it to them. I said it is easy to see that it was an inversion layer.

You mean, frost coming from the bottom and icy cold air descending…there being a warmish layer sandwiched in the middle?

No I mean rising and falling air is sandwiching an extremely cold layer.

Dinetta said:

bluegreen said:

Dinetta said:

You mean, frost coming from the bottom and icy cold air descending…there being a warmish layer sandwiched in the middle?

I think it is the other way ‘round, a frost layer sandwiched between two warmer layers, as the frost burn was in the mid section of the plants.

I need a second coffee…which I’ll do after going back to the car and clearing the ash tray and locking the glovebox… hijack!!!!

a second coffee normally does help – and if that fails hijacking is a last resort.

the garden I started on march tenth is now beyond the opening and into the middle game.
P1 – self sown tomatoes and sunflowers crowd out the silver beet, peas, radicchio, spring onion, lettuce, rocket and self sown dill.
P2 – French breakfast radish is ready to eat
P3 – cos lettuce are a star of ‘salad nicoise’ and crisp lettuce is inspirational for vegos generally
P4 – globe artichokes look their best with their old trunks but will be cut right bsck to the new leaves soon

those artichokes are rather triffid looking! Looks like your garden is powering along :)

bluegreen said:

those artichokes are rather triffid looking! Looks like your garden is powering along :)

thanks – the chokes are a very tough customer and they look it – at times.

justin said:

the garden I started on march tenth is now beyond the opening and into the middle game.

How scrumptious and fresh it all looks!

I have grown watercress for the first time – it is a bitter taste but blends into salads like rocket.
..and the broad beans have failed to flower – even tho’ sunflowers, tomatoes and peas are all flowering. I fear that the b. beans do not flower until spring.
the sunflowers are five foot (1500mm) high – that’s impressive growth since march

your broadbeans will not flower until Spring as you suspect. Even then it may take a little while before they set. But they will, and you will have yummy broadbeans coming out your ears :)

justin said:

I have grown watercress for the first time – it is a bitter taste but blends into salads like rocket.
..and the broad beans have failed to flower – even tho’ sunflowers, tomatoes and peas are all flowering. I fear that the b. beans do not flower until spring.
the sunflowers are five foot (1500mm) high – that’s impressive growth since march

Yummy!! Also, the sunflower crops here are ready to come off…perfeck weather just now…

Dinetta said:

justin said:

I have grown watercress for the first time – it is a bitter taste but blends into salads like rocket.
..and the broad beans have failed to flower – even tho’ sunflowers, tomatoes and peas are all flowering. I fear that the b. beans do not flower until spring.
the sunflowers are five foot (1500mm) high – that’s impressive growth since march

Yummy!! Also, the sunflower crops here are ready to come off…perfeck weather just now…

the first broad beans flowers have just appeared. great news – my French beans were largely useless the summer past – so to have little b.bs will be welcome.

justin said:

the first broad beans flowers have just appeared. great news – my French beans were largely useless the summer past – so to have little b.bs will be welcome.

the pods still may not set until the weather warms up again

bluegreen said:

justin said:

the first broad beans flowers have just appeared. great news – my French beans were largely useless the summer past – so to have little b.bs will be welcome.

the pods still may not set until the weather warms up again

ok – 20 cyber cents says they will set.
I think the frost will burn the flower but no frosts here.
I know peas planted on the shortest day lose all their flowers to frost but I reckon this lot will come thru’.

justin said:

bluegreen said:

justin said:

the first broad beans flowers have just appeared. great news – my French beans were largely useless the summer past – so to have little b.bs will be welcome.

the pods still may not set until the weather warms up again

ok – 20 cyber cents says they will set.
I think the frost will burn the flower but no frosts here.
I know peas planted on the shortest day lose all their flowers to frost but I reckon this lot will come thru’.

Broad beans are tougher than peas but the cold weather still inhibits the flowering and seed set. Broad beans will also go on and fruit longer than peas as the weather warms up.

justin said:

I know peas planted on the shortest day lose all their flowers to frost but I reckon this lot will come thru’.

Can you still plant peas then?

Dinetta said:

justin said:

I know peas planted on the shortest day lose all their flowers to frost but I reckon this lot will come thru’.

Can you still plant peas then?

My mother always planted peas at least twice so that they both flowered before the frosts and after. She only had a few days without peas that way.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

bluegreen said:

the pods still may not set until the weather warms up again

ok – 20 cyber cents says they will set.
I think the frost will burn the flower but no frosts here.
I know peas planted on the shortest day lose all their flowers to frost but I reckon this lot will come thru’.

Broad beans are tougher than peas but the cold weather still inhibits the flowering and seed set. Broad beans will also go on and fruit longer than peas as the weather warms up.

also needs to be warm enough for bee activity.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

justin said:

I know peas planted on the shortest day lose all their flowers to frost but I reckon this lot will come thru’.

Can you still plant peas then?

My mother always planted peas at least twice so that they both flowered before the frosts and after. She only had a few days without peas that way.

smart mum :)

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

ok – 20 cyber cents says they will set.
I think the frost will burn the flower but no frosts here.
I know peas planted on the shortest day lose all their flowers to frost but I reckon this lot will come thru’.

Broad beans are tougher than peas but the cold weather still inhibits the flowering and seed set. Broad beans will also go on and fruit longer than peas as the weather warms up.

also needs to be warm enough for bee activity.

Warm enough for native insect activity. European bees are not the most important pollinator.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Broad beans are tougher than peas but the cold weather still inhibits the flowering and seed set. Broad beans will also go on and fruit longer than peas as the weather warms up.

also needs to be warm enough for bee activity.

Warm enough for native insect activity. European bees are not the most important pollinator.

nods

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Broad beans are tougher than peas but the cold weather still inhibits the flowering and seed set. Broad beans will also go on and fruit longer than peas as the weather warms up.

also needs to be warm enough for bee activity.

Warm enough for native insect activity. European bees are not the most important pollinator.

“I couldn’t find much info about it on the internet so I had to take a flower to bits and have a look. Very clever it is. The stigma inside the flower is folded over and spring-loaded like a catapult. Given even the lightest touch (i.e. by a bee hovering about wondering how the hell to get in) it boings up and slaps itself straight into the pollen.

Plants are so unsubtle about these things. It’s all wham bam thank you ma’am. Or a nymphomaniac on a spring, in this instance.

Maybe if I’d googled for “nymphomaniac on a spring” I’d have got a few more hits. Ah well. And now anybody else who googles for it is going to find my gardening blog and be very disappointed.

So, a broad bean flower doesn’t even need to be pollinated by bees, even though that’s what it’s designed for. Which is probably just as well: I saw a bee the other day chewing through the base of the flowers to get straight to the nectar without bothering to go inside. Lazy little bugger.”

From, here

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

also needs to be warm enough for bee activity.

Warm enough for native insect activity. European bees are not the most important pollinator.

“I couldn’t find much info about it on the internet so I had to take a flower to bits and have a look. Very clever it is. The stigma inside the flower is folded over and spring-loaded like a catapult. Given even the lightest touch (i.e. by a bee hovering about wondering how the hell to get in) it boings up and slaps itself straight into the pollen.

Plants are so unsubtle about these things. It’s all wham bam thank you ma’am. Or a nymphomaniac on a spring, in this instance.

Maybe if I’d googled for “nymphomaniac on a spring” I’d have got a few more hits. Ah well. And now anybody else who googles for it is going to find my gardening blog and be very disappointed.

So, a broad bean flower doesn’t even need to be pollinated by bees, even though that’s what it’s designed for. Which is probably just as well: I saw a bee the other day chewing through the base of the flowers to get straight to the nectar without bothering to go inside. Lazy little bugger.”

From, here

Essentially, such a flower only needs the plants to be blown about in a stiff breeze. Which broad bean plants do so readily we often have to tie them up to keep them standing.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Warm enough for native insect activity. European bees are not the most important pollinator.

“I couldn’t find much info about it on the internet so I had to take a flower to bits and have a look. Very clever it is. The stigma inside the flower is folded over and spring-loaded like a catapult. Given even the lightest touch (i.e. by a bee hovering about wondering how the hell to get in) it boings up and slaps itself straight into the pollen.

Plants are so unsubtle about these things. It’s all wham bam thank you ma’am. Or a nymphomaniac on a spring, in this instance.

Maybe if I’d googled for “nymphomaniac on a spring” I’d have got a few more hits. Ah well. And now anybody else who googles for it is going to find my gardening blog and be very disappointed.

So, a broad bean flower doesn’t even need to be pollinated by bees, even though that’s what it’s designed for. Which is probably just as well: I saw a bee the other day chewing through the base of the flowers to get straight to the nectar without bothering to go inside. Lazy little bugger.”

From, here

Essentially, such a flower only needs the plants to be blown about in a stiff breeze. Which broad bean plants do so readily we often have to tie them up to keep them standing.

But now.. since we have all read the link posted above and requoted numerous times.. What we need is a source of these, “My favourite … and I mean my favourite broad bean ever … is the un-named Victorian red-flowered variety. I love it. The flowers are the most beautiful colour and glow in the sunlight. It’s a smaller and more dainty plant than a conventional broad bean and grows to about 3ft with three red-tinged stems which usually stay up without support. The pods are small and the beans are pale green and about two-thirds the size of a modern type. But they are very abundant. And the flavour and texture are fantastic. I also found that other than a bit of nibbling by bean weevils the plant was fairly resistant to everything and only mildly bothered by blackfly.
“

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

justin said:

I know peas planted on the shortest day lose all their flowers to frost but I reckon this lot will come thru’.

Can you still plant peas then?

My mother always planted peas at least twice so that they both flowered before the frosts and after. She only had a few days without peas that way.

Well, there you go! :)

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

Can you still plant peas then?

My mother always planted peas at least twice so that they both flowered before the frosts and after. She only had a few days without peas that way.

Well, there you go! :)

Speaking of shortest day.. that’s when you plant onions because they will take until the longest day to be ready.

roughbarked said:

“I couldn’t find much info about it on the internet so I had to take a flower to bits and have a look. Very clever it is. The stigma inside the flower is folded over and spring-loaded like a catapult. Given even the lightest touch (i.e. by a bee hovering about wondering how the hell to get in) it boings up and slaps itself straight into the pollen.

Plants are so unsubtle about these things. It’s all wham bam thank you ma’am. Or a nymphomaniac on a spring, in this instance.

Maybe if I’d googled for “nymphomaniac on a spring” I’d have got a few more hits. Ah well. And now anybody else who googles for it is going to find my gardening blog and be very disappointed.

So, a broad bean flower doesn’t even need to be pollinated by bees, even though that’s what it’s designed for. Which is probably just as well: I saw a bee the other day chewing through the base of the flowers to get straight to the nectar without bothering to go inside. Lazy little bugger.”

From, here

That was interesting reading, and I went to the Blog…had to stop myself racing out and planting a bean seed just for the heck of it…

roughbarked said:

But now.. since we have all read the link posted above and requoted numerous times.. What we need is a source of these, “My favourite … and I mean my favourite broad bean ever … is the un-named Victorian red-flowered variety. I love it. The flowers are the most beautiful colour and glow in the sunlight. It’s a smaller and more dainty plant than a conventional broad bean and grows to about 3ft with three red-tinged stems which usually stay up without support. The pods are small and the beans are pale green and about two-thirds the size of a modern type. But they are very abundant. And the flavour and texture are fantastic. I also found that other than a bit of nibbling by bean weevils the plant was fairly resistant to everything and only mildly bothered by blackfly.
“

That’s the bit that made me want to rush out with a bean seed…

roughbarked said:

Speaking of shortest day.. that’s when you plant onions because they will take until the longest day to be ready.

Indeedy! So I’ve got some time then…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Speaking of shortest day.. that’s when you plant onions because they will take until the longest day to be ready.

Indeedy! So I’ve got some time then…

I plant them almost all year round anyway if that can be applied to transplanting.. some are for onions some are for seed and the rest make spring onions. ;)

I would like to find some of the red flowering broad beans.

Sitting here, which I shouldn’t be because the day is glorious .. I note that the Yellow throated miners are doing my whole yard over.. old fruit, insects.. fruitfly.. Cabbage butterfly caterpillars, those pesky grey aphids.. and just now there was an English blackbird aggressively trying to force them out of this territory(he’s got another think coming). The spiny cheeked honeyeaters will back up the miners and the butcherbird is their friend also, when they need one. They all run and hide when the sparrowhawk is about. The variegated wrens are more worried about cats.

Dinetta said:

justin said:

I know peas planted on the shortest day lose all their flowers to frost but I reckon this lot will come thru’.

Can you still plant peas then?

peas are often planted on june 21st, in the cold temperate hills where I used to inhabit, because they are ready first thing in spring.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

also needs to be warm enough for bee activity.

Warm enough for native insect activity. European bees are not the most important pollinator.

“I couldn’t find much info about it on the internet so I had to take a flower to bits and have a look. Very clever it is. The stigma inside the flower is folded over and spring-loaded like a catapult. Given even the lightest touch (i.e. by a bee hovering about wondering how the hell to get in) it boings up and slaps itself straight into the pollen.

Plants are so unsubtle about these things. It’s all wham bam thank you ma’am. Or a nymphomaniac on a spring, in this instance.

Maybe if I’d googled for “nymphomaniac on a spring” I’d have got a few more hits. Ah well. And now anybody else who googles for it is going to find my gardening blog and be very disappointed.

So, a broad bean flower doesn’t even need to be pollinated by bees, even though that’s what it’s designed for. Which is probably just as well: I saw a bee the other day chewing through the base of the flowers to get straight to the nectar without bothering to go inside. Lazy little bugger.”

From, here

good writing – LOL.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

My mother always planted peas at least twice so that they both flowered before the frosts and after. She only had a few days without peas that way.

Well, there you go! :)

Speaking of shortest day.. that’s when you plant onions because they will take until the longest day to be ready.

interesting.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Speaking of shortest day.. that’s when you plant onions because they will take until the longest day to be ready.

Indeedy! So I’ve got some time then…

I plant them almost all year round anyway if that can be applied to transplanting.. some are for onions some are for seed and the rest make spring onions. ;)

I would like to find some of the red flowering broad beans.

Sitting here, which I shouldn’t be because the day is glorious .. I note that the Yellow throated miners are doing my whole yard over.. old fruit, insects.. fruitfly.. Cabbage butterfly caterpillars, those pesky grey aphids.. and just now there was an English blackbird aggressively trying to force them out of this territory(he’s got another think coming). The spiny cheeked honeyeaters will back up the miners and the butcherbird is their friend also, when they need one. They all run and hide when the sparrowhawk is about. The variegated wrens are more worried about cats.

we can see your mind is outside lol.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

Indeedy! So I’ve got some time then…

I plant them almost all year round anyway if that can be applied to transplanting.. some are for onions some are for seed and the rest make spring onions. ;)

I would like to find some of the red flowering broad beans.

Sitting here, which I shouldn’t be because the day is glorious .. I note that the Yellow throated miners are doing my whole yard over.. old fruit, insects.. fruitfly.. Cabbage butterfly caterpillars, those pesky grey aphids.. and just now there was an English blackbird aggressively trying to force them out of this territory(he’s got another think coming). The spiny cheeked honeyeaters will back up the miners and the butcherbird is their friend also, when they need one. They all run and hide when the sparrowhawk is about. The variegated wrens are more worried about cats.

we can see your mind is outside lol.

I believe it usually is.. yep.

http://www.diggers.com.au/shop/product/S008/BROAD%20BEAN%20CRIMSON%20FLOWERED.aspx

red flowering b.b.- is this it ?

justin said:

red flowering b.b.- is this it ?

Looks like the culprit but at $4 for 12 seeds.. Looks like I’d better become a member or bludge a favour off someone who is.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

“I couldn’t find much info about it on the internet so I had to take a flower to bits and have a look. Very clever it is. The stigma inside the flower is folded over and spring-loaded like a catapult. Given even the lightest touch (i.e. by a bee hovering about wondering how the hell to get in) it boings up and slaps itself straight into the pollen.

Plants are so unsubtle about these things. It’s all wham bam thank you ma’am. Or a nymphomaniac on a spring, in this instance.

Maybe if I’d googled for “nymphomaniac on a spring” I’d have got a few more hits. Ah well. And now anybody else who googles for it is going to find my gardening blog and be very disappointed.

So, a broad bean flower doesn’t even need to be pollinated by bees, even though that’s what it’s designed for. Which is probably just as well: I saw a bee the other day chewing through the base of the flowers to get straight to the nectar without bothering to go inside. Lazy little bugger.”

From, here

Essentially, such a flower only needs the plants to be blown about in a stiff breeze. Which broad bean plants do so readily we often have to tie them up to keep them standing.

But now.. since we have all read the link posted above and requoted numerous times.. What we need is a source of these, “My favourite … and I mean my favourite broad bean ever … is the un-named Victorian red-flowered variety. I love it. The flowers are the most beautiful colour and glow in the sunlight. It’s a smaller and more dainty plant than a conventional broad bean and grows to about 3ft with three red-tinged stems which usually stay up without support. The pods are small and the beans are pale green and about two-thirds the size of a modern type. But they are very abundant. And the flavour and texture are fantastic. I also found that other than a bit of nibbling by bean weevils the plant was fairly resistant to everything and only mildly bothered by blackfly.
“

I have a packet of them somewhere. Got them from diggers.

roughbarked said:

But now.. since we have all read the link posted above and requoted numerous times.. What we need is a source of these, “My favourite … and I mean my favourite broad bean ever … is the un-named Victorian red-flowered variety. I love it. The flowers are the most beautiful colour and glow in the sunlight. It’s a smaller and more dainty plant than a conventional broad bean and grows to about 3ft with three red-tinged stems which usually stay up without support. The pods are small and the beans are pale green and about two-thirds the size of a modern type. But they are very abundant. And the flavour and texture are fantastic. I also found that other than a bit of nibbling by bean weevils the plant was fairly resistant to everything and only mildly bothered by blackfly.
“

sounds yum. you know you are going to have to send us all seeds now? :P

roughbarked said:

I would like to find some of the red flowering broad beans.

Oops! You were quoting someone else!

Diggers Club sell a Crimson Flowered Variety

roughbarked said:

justin said:

red flowering b.b.- is this it ?

Looks like the culprit but at $4 for 12 seeds.. Looks like I’d better become a member or bludge a favour off someone who is.

someone beat me to it. No longer a member myself, but you would be able to save seed from your harvest for you next crop.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

red flowering b.b.- is this it ?

Looks like the culprit but at $4 for 12 seeds.. Looks like I’d better become a member or bludge a favour off someone who is.

i’m not a member but I will be ordering those other beans buffy recommended plus some more hybrid corn and others so i’ll post you a packet for your birthday.
it won’t be quick tho’ – dinetta has my email.

I am cabbage underscore patch underscore chook at (not) coolmail dot com…feel free to send me truly lame jokes, I just love them!

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

But now.. since we have all read the link posted above and requoted numerous times.. What we need is a source of these, “My favourite … and I mean my favourite broad bean ever … is the un-named Victorian red-flowered variety. I love it. The flowers are the most beautiful colour and glow in the sunlight. It’s a smaller and more dainty plant than a conventional broad bean and grows to about 3ft with three red-tinged stems which usually stay up without support. The pods are small and the beans are pale green and about two-thirds the size of a modern type. But they are very abundant. And the flavour and texture are fantastic. I also found that other than a bit of nibbling by bean weevils the plant was fairly resistant to everything and only mildly bothered by blackfly.
“

sounds yum. you know you are going to have to send us all seeds now? :P

I have to find them lol, but I don’t think there were many in it. Rather I will grow it and save the seed :)

Well I don’t know what I’ve done with the picture of the red broadbeans in flower, but I’m sure I put it up here at some stage. Can’t find it in my Photobucket now though.

:)

buffy said:

Well I don’t know what I’ve done with the picture of the red broadbeans in flower, but I’m sure I put it up here at some stage. Can’t find it in my Photobucket now though.

:)

So, when you grew them were they as good as the description I copied?

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

red flowering b.b.- is this it ?

Looks like the culprit but at $4 for 12 seeds.. Looks like I’d better become a member or bludge a favour off someone who is.

i’m not a member but I will be ordering those other beans buffy recommended plus some more hybrid corn and others so i’ll post you a packet for your birthday.
it won’t be quick tho’ – dinetta has my email.

You are generous. :)

I’m just wondering who does have my contact details.. HP does I think.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Looks like the culprit but at $4 for 12 seeds.. Looks like I’d better become a member or bludge a favour off someone who is.

i’m not a member but I will be ordering those other beans buffy recommended plus some more hybrid corn and others so i’ll post you a packet for your birthday.
it won’t be quick tho’ – dinetta has my email.

You are generous. :)

I’m just wondering who does have my contact details.. HP does I think.

I did have your email at one time but not now. Or I can’t remember which one.. does it have the word ‘surf’ in it?

Maybe Justin could email me and I’ll forward to BlueGreen?

Dinetta said:

Maybe Justin could email me and I’ll forward to BlueGreen?

only I don’t have RB’s addy.

I grew the red flowered broadbeans for the flowers. I think the beans themselves were not dissimilar to the ordinary ones, but a bit finer and smaller. I’m not a great broadbean eater, I grow them to dig the roots into the soil. And I chop up the tops for mulch. Mostly my friends and neighbours are the ones who actually eat the beans. I now buy a packet (I have a full one and one with three seeds left in it at the moment and I’m about to go to Casterton and plant a block of them over there) and plant them amongst ordinary broadbeans. The red ones are a bit shorter, but it looks prettier. Like I interplant corn with cornflowers because it looks pretty.

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

i’m not a member but I will be ordering those other beans buffy recommended plus some more hybrid corn and others so i’ll post you a packet for your birthday.
it won’t be quick tho’ – dinetta has my email.

You are generous. :)

I’m just wondering who does have my contact details.. HP does I think.

I did have your email at one time but not now. Or I can’t remember which one.. does it have the word ‘surf’ in it?

Scratch the above, that’s not you. I don’t have your email addy then RB.

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

i’m not a member but I will be ordering those other beans buffy recommended plus some more hybrid corn and others so i’ll post you a packet for your birthday.
it won’t be quick tho’ – dinetta has my email.

You are generous. :)

I’m just wondering who does have my contact details.. HP does I think.

I did have your email at one time but not now. Or I can’t remember which one.. does it have the word ‘surf’ in it?

Nope.

I have several emails. Anyone who is a Flickr member can Flickr mail me. The same Flickr mail address is a yahoo mail. Then there is mcnativeatgmaildotcom ;)

roughbarked said:

I have several emails. Anyone who is a Flickr member can Flickr mail me. The same Flickr mail address is a yahoo mail. Then there is mcnativeatgmaildotcom ;)

I can’t find you @ flickr – are you “roughbarked” there?

roughbarked said:

that would go well with my dead and dying artichoke shot.
yep – winter leftovers are good p’graphic subjects.

buffy said:

I grew the red flowered broadbeans for the flowers. I think the beans themselves were not dissimilar to the ordinary ones, but a bit finer and smaller. I’m not a great broadbean eater, I grow them to dig the roots into the soil. And I chop up the tops for mulch. Mostly my friends and neighbours are the ones who actually eat the beans. I now buy a packet (I have a full one and one with three seeds left in it at the moment and I’m about to go to Casterton and plant a block of them over there) and plant them amongst ordinary broadbeans. The red ones are a bit shorter, but it looks prettier. Like I interplant corn with cornflowers because it looks pretty.

i’m letting the ‘flanders poppies’ grow between everything in the winter garden because it brightens up the pure green of winter.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

that would go well with my dead and dying artichoke shot.
yep – winter leftovers are good p’graphic subjects.

Right click on that photo, Justin, and “Open in New Tab”. This is a photo on RoughBarked’s flickr…does this help with the email stuff?

justin said:

roughbarked said:

I have several emails. Anyone who is a Flickr member can Flickr mail me. The same Flickr mail address is a yahoo mail. Then there is mcnativeatgmaildotcom ;)

I can’t find you @ flickr – are you “roughbarked” there?

yes but I’m probably difficult to google. I’m a shifty character.

I’m trying an experiment, involving an old window, hay twine and a couple of stakes. I’m wondering if the capsicum/chilli plants can survive the Winter without a complete glasshouse.

buffy said:

I’m trying an experiment, involving an old window, hay twine and a couple of stakes. I’m wondering if the capsicum/chilli plants can survive the Winter without a complete glasshouse.

Will watch with interest…do you get frosts?

Yes, we do get frosts. But that is protected from behind by the neighbour’s Callistemon and it will still get some air flow and rain. If they don’t survive, they don’t survive. They are lucky to get this much attention around here!

buffy said:

Yes, we do get frosts. But that is protected from behind by the neighbour’s Callistemon and it will still get some air flow and rain. If they don’t survive, they don’t survive. They are lucky to get this much attention around here!

Sometimes I think the solution is to put a desk fan out there overnight!!

the flowering self-sown sunflowers , cos lettuce and —- dada—-

the new roo – running like a dinosaur – huddle by name

the first photo is the golden ash tree flower. I could see bees harvesting the branches but this is the first time I’ve seen this winter flower.
my mystery self sown brassica turns out to be mustard – I think?

and the winter dead and dying – this time a massive pine tree

justin said:

the first photo is the golden ash tree flower. I could see bees harvesting the branches but this is the first time I’ve seen this winter flower.
my mystery self sown brassica turns out to be mustard – I think?

and the winter dead and dying – this time a massive pine tree

Which tree do you call a golden ash tree?

the brassica looks like it is probably rape or canola.. if not then it is your broccilini.

justin said:

the first photo is the golden ash tree flower. I could see bees harvesting the branches but this is the first time I’ve seen this winter flower.
my mystery self sown brassica turns out to be mustard – I think?

and the winter dead and dying – this time a massive pine tree

I must’ve missed that pic. Is cypress canker happening down your way? It’s certanily happening up here. Some trees are in terrible shape. In some cases it’s a whole row for trees. Including my Cupresses cashmeriana. It died a year or so ago. I loved it too.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

the first photo is the golden ash tree flower. I could see bees harvesting the branches but this is the first time I’ve seen this winter flower.
my mystery self sown brassica turns out to be mustard – I think?

and the winter dead and dying – this time a massive pine tree

Which tree do you call a golden ash tree?

the brassica looks like it is probably rape or canola.. if not then it is your broccilini.

the golden ash isn’t pictured there.- it’s deciduous and I will look for an old pic.
ok – canola and broccolini has never been planted therein – so probably something else – a cross between cauli and sprouts/mustard?

pomolo said:

justin said:

and the winter dead and dying – this time a massive pine tree

I must’ve missed that pic. Is cypress canker happening down your way? It’s certanily happening up here. Some trees are in terrible shape. In some cases it’s a whole row for trees. Including my Cupresses cashmeriana. It died a year or so ago. I loved it too.

not sure – I thought – weakened by drought and chewed by curl grub. could be old age – at least 40+ y.o.
we saw, when we bought the place that the perimeter pines were going to be a cost – so we just have to remove them as they die. hopefully we can use them as firewood if we do it slowly enough.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Which tree do you call a golden ash tree?

the brassica looks like it is probably rape or canola.. if not then it is your broccilini.

the golden ash isn’t pictured there.- it’s deciduous and I will look for an old pic.
ok – canola and broccolini has never been planted therein – so probably something else – a cross between cauli and sprouts/mustard?

Does it taste like mustard?

justin said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

and the winter dead and dying – this time a massive pine tree

I must’ve missed that pic. Is cypress canker happening down your way? It’s certanily happening up here. Some trees are in terrible shape. In some cases it’s a whole row for trees. Including my Cupresses cashmeriana. It died a year or so ago. I loved it too.

not sure – I thought – weakened by drought and chewed by curl grub. could be old age – at least 40+ y.o.
we saw, when we bought the place that the perimeter pines were going to be a cost – so we just have to remove them as they die. hopefully we can use them as firewood if we do it slowly enough.

Can’t see which species it is from the image.. The questions should all be answered when the tree is removed for autopsy.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Which tree do you call a golden ash tree?

the brassica looks like it is probably rape or canola.. if not then it is your broccilini.

the golden ash isn’t pictured there.- it’s deciduous and I will look for an old pic.
ok – canola and broccolini has never been planted therein – so probably something else – a cross between cauli and sprouts/mustard?

Does it taste like mustard?

Do you buy bird or chook feed?

roughbarked said:

justin said:

pomolo said:

I must’ve missed that pic. Is cypress canker happening down your way? It’s certanily happening up here. Some trees are in terrible shape. In some cases it’s a whole row for trees. Including my Cupresses cashmeriana. It died a year or so ago. I loved it too.

not sure – I thought – weakened by drought and chewed by curl grub. could be old age – at least 40+ y.o.
we saw, when we bought the place that the perimeter pines were going to be a cost – so we just have to remove them as they die. hopefully we can use them as firewood if we do it slowly enough.

Can’t see which species it is from the image.. The questions should all be answered when the tree is removed for autopsy.

radiata – and last time this happened the curl grubs were in the wood. the white ants will reduce the outer trunk (under the bark) to sawdust in about two years.

these two trees are golden ash – and the leaves have barely fallen before it flowers and attracts bees.

justin said:

these two trees are golden ash – and the leaves have barely fallen before it flowers and attracts bees.

I’d be able to tell better if you either took a photo of the bare smaller new branches or described how they look without the leaves. Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’ has golden yellow new bark and big black buds. The Fraxinus species usually take a while to mature to flowering(up to 30 years) but when they do it is always when the branches are devoid of leaves. Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’ may flower male one year or female the next, tough sometimes both male and female will be on the same tree. The seeds will be seen maturing even before the leaves show. However it is still a bit early for them to start flowering at this time of the year.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

these two trees are golden ash – and the leaves have barely fallen before it flowers and attracts bees.

I’d be able to tell better if you either took a photo of the bare smaller new branches or described how they look without the leaves. Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’ has golden yellow new bark and big black buds. The Fraxinus species usually take a while to mature to flowering(up to 30 years) but when they do it is always when the branches are devoid of leaves. Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’ may flower male one year or female the next, tough sometimes both male and female will be on the same tree. The seeds will be seen maturing even before the leaves show. However it is still a bit early for them to start flowering at this time of the year.

I’ll do a bit of fotography and get back to ya.
amazing to find someone who even knows the tree – they came from an old colonial garden in birdwood, sa.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

these two trees are golden ash – and the leaves have barely fallen before it flowers and attracts bees.

I’d be able to tell better if you either took a photo of the bare smaller new branches or described how they look without the leaves. Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’ has golden yellow new bark and big black buds. The Fraxinus species usually take a while to mature to flowering(up to 30 years) but when they do it is always when the branches are devoid of leaves. Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’ may flower male one year or female the next, tough sometimes both male and female will be on the same tree. The seeds will be seen maturing even before the leaves show. However it is still a bit early for them to start flowering at this time of the year.

I’ll do a bit of fotography and get back to ya.
amazing to find someone who even knows the tree – they came from an old colonial garden in birdwood, sa.

Fraxinus excelsior is European

Another famous Fraxinus, is actually a sport from the Desert Ash <Fraxinus oxycarpa<="" i=""> which has now been renamed Fraxinus angustfolia subsp. oxycarpa and hails more from southern Europe into Africa. Fraxinus oxycarpa as it was known then was being cultivated in Australia, SA in fact by a man well known to be the father of the opal industry, one Tully Wollaston. His property in the Adelaide Hills was known as ‘Raywood’ So this new tree came into the world from the fact that Tully Wollaston took the sported branches to Kew Gardens on one of his opal selling trips and had the Kew gardeners propagate this new sport back onto Desert Ash seedlings via grafting. This tree is now known as the Claret Ash or Fraxinus angustifolia subsp. oxycarpa ‘Raywood’, So in fact the Fraxinus family have a lot to do with South Australia. as teh Claret Ash

I’m surprised that you are surprised that people know it. I have a golden ash in the back of the house at Casterton which must be 40-50 years old and is a damn nuisance for filling the gutters with leaves and stuff. Golden ash was a very popular tree to plant in Victoria in the 1950s. There was a claret ash there too, but it was where it could easily have fallen on the house in two directions, so we had it felled in the safe direction some 10 years ago.

In Hawkesdale, a town about 28 km south of us here the highway is lined with claret ash that were planted about 30 years ago.

buffy said:

I’m surprised that you are surprised that people know it. I have a golden ash in the back of the house at Casterton which must be 40-50 years old and is a damn nuisance for filling the gutters with leaves and stuff. Golden ash was a very popular tree to plant in Victoria in the 1950s. There was a claret ash there too, but it was where it could easily have fallen on the house in two directions, so we had it felled in the safe direction some 10 years ago.

In Hawkesdale, a town about 28 km south of us here the highway is lined with claret ash that were planted about 30 years ago.

I knew that homesick poms planted elms, poplars and ashes all over the new continent to feel at home. ……. and in places like Stirling SA and the Australia Felix the autumn colour makes everyone suspend their judgement for 3 months a year. But when I started looking at tree planting in the 70’s, I read Ellis Stone and others, who saw the beauty of the gum and other natives. European trees were about as popular as termites in ya ridgebeam then, and this is how I started planting natives and never dared look at the imported deciduous trees. Thus info has been sparse on these 10 y.o. ash trees .

the leaves are on and there seems to be a male, non flowering tree and about four females.
they are twelve years old, lived in pots for 3-5 years and have been planted here for about 8 years.

buffy said:

I’m surprised that you are surprised that people know it. I have a golden ash in the back of the house at Casterton which must be 40-50 years old and is a damn nuisance for filling the gutters with leaves and stuff. Golden ash was a very popular tree to plant in Victoria in the 1950s. There was a claret ash there too, but it was where it could easily have fallen on the house in two directions, so we had it felled in the safe direction some 10 years ago.

In Hawkesdale, a town about 28 km south of us here the highway is lined with claret ash that were planted about 30 years ago.

True. I’ve grown hundreds of thousands of Ash trees because it was always one of the standard items of the nursery trade.

justin said:

buffy said:

I’m surprised that you are surprised that people know it. I have a golden ash in the back of the house at Casterton which must be 40-50 years old and is a damn nuisance for filling the gutters with leaves and stuff. Golden ash was a very popular tree to plant in Victoria in the 1950s. There was a claret ash there too, but it was where it could easily have fallen on the house in two directions, so we had it felled in the safe direction some 10 years ago.

In Hawkesdale, a town about 28 km south of us here the highway is lined with claret ash that were planted about 30 years ago.

I knew that homesick poms planted elms, poplars and ashes all over the new continent to feel at home. ……. and in places like Stirling SA and the Australia Felix the autumn colour makes everyone suspend their judgement for 3 months a year. But when I started looking at tree planting in the 70’s, I read Ellis Stone and others, who saw the beauty of the gum and other natives. European trees were about as popular as termites in ya ridgebeam then, and this is how I started planting natives and never dared look at the imported deciduous trees. Thus info has been sparse on these 10 y.o. ash trees .

Well I’m more of a natives person myself I’d grow nothing else if I could get people to buy them. However the only time in history where people were clamouring for natives was during Bob Hawke’s tenure.

justin said:

the leaves are on and there seems to be a male, non flowering tree and about four females.
they are twelve years old, lived in pots for 3-5 years and have been planted here for about 8 years.

To tell the truth they don’t look terribly golden. They look like ash yes. So they are probably Fraxinus excelsior or simply Fraxinus angustifolia subsp. oxycarpa rather than Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’

The main difference apart from the attractive yellow young growth is that the golden ash only grows to 7 m while the European Ash may reach heights up to 45 m. So unless you pinched the seeds from some larger garden complex it is unlikely to be the European Ash.

There is one thing that everyone should remember about ash. That in Australia, in general if the trees were purchased from a nursery or garden centre for a suburban back yard then it would be one of three., the Claret Ash, the Golden Ash or the Desert Ash. In 99% of instances the first two would be budded onto the Desert Ash as the rootstock. The other two don’t produce viable seed and both are prone to the rootstock overtaking the grafted scion within the first few years of planting. Which is in general what does happen in many instances. The Desert Ash is now an invasive weed. It does set millions of viable seed and is the hardiest of the Ash species in Australian conditions.
The claret ash is one of the most useless trees on earth that just happens to be planted everywhere. IMHO.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

the leaves are on and there seems to be a male, non flowering tree and about four females.
they are twelve years old, lived in pots for 3-5 years and have been planted here for about 8 years.

To tell the truth they don’t look terribly golden. They look like ash yes. So they are probably Fraxinus excelsior or simply Fraxinus angustifolia subsp. oxycarpa rather than Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’
!The main difference apart from the attractive yellow young growth is that the golden ash only grows to 7 m while the European Ash may reach heights up to 45 m. So unless you pinched the seeds from some larger garden complex it is unlikely to be the European Ash.

There is one thing that everyone should remember about ash. That in Australia, in general if the trees were purchased from a nursery or garden centre for a suburban back yard then it would be one of three., the Claret Ash, the Golden Ash or the Desert Ash. In 99% of instances the first two would be budded onto the Desert Ash as the rootstock. The other two don’t produce viable seed and both are prone to the rootstock overtaking the grafted scion within the first few years of planting. Which is in general what does happen in many instances. The Desert Ash is now an invasive weed. It does set millions of viable seed and is the hardiest of the Ash species in Australian conditions.
The claret ash is one of the most useless trees on earth that just happens to be planted everywhere. IMHO.

desert ash then. so far no viable seed here – altho’ these were seed from an original that we left behind.. I will check again this spring because I haven’t noticed the bees on the bare branches before.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

the leaves are on and there seems to be a male, non flowering tree and about four females.
they are twelve years old, lived in pots for 3-5 years and have been planted here for about 8 years.

To tell the truth they don’t look terribly golden. They look like ash yes. So they are probably Fraxinus excelsior or simply Fraxinus angustifolia subsp. oxycarpa rather than Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’
!The main difference apart from the attractive yellow young growth is that the golden ash only grows to 7 m while the European Ash may reach heights up to 45 m. So unless you pinched the seeds from some larger garden complex it is unlikely to be the European Ash.

There is one thing that everyone should remember about ash. That in Australia, in general if the trees were purchased from a nursery or garden centre for a suburban back yard then it would be one of three., the Claret Ash, the Golden Ash or the Desert Ash. In 99% of instances the first two would be budded onto the Desert Ash as the rootstock. The other two don’t produce viable seed and both are prone to the rootstock overtaking the grafted scion within the first few years of planting. Which is in general what does happen in many instances. The Desert Ash is now an invasive weed. It does set millions of viable seed and is the hardiest of the Ash species in Australian conditions.
The claret ash is one of the most useless trees on earth that just happens to be planted everywhere. IMHO.

desert ash then. so far no viable seed here – altho’ these were seed from an original that we left behind.. I will check again this spring because I haven’t noticed the bees on the bare branches before.

The Desert Ash is an attractive tree and very hardy, out in open parkland. Unlike the Claret Ash which is fugly and prone to snapping brittle branches. Though if I had Desert Ash I’d probably go looking for a street planted golden ash, pinch a couple of the lovely golden sticks and graft them on where I chain-sawed the desert ash off. Preferably put the ash through the chipper and plant some natives or a walnut tree. er Any edible fruit or nut bearing tree is preferable to a non-native potential weed that is well known to tear up footpaths and drains, not to mention house foundations. If autumn colours are what you are after, a persimmon is one of the better bets.

I have to disagree on the claret ash. They are truly beautiful as an avenue along the highway. I would have planted eucs, but there you go. I can still admire their beauty.

buffy said:

I have to disagree on the claret ash. They are truly beautiful as an avenue along the highway. I would have planted eucs, but there you go. I can still admire their beauty.

They can be beautiful with care and in good locations. My mother had a beauty in her backyard that I spent a lot of time under. However I was speaking in overall performance south eastern Aus. They are over planted and uncared for in general and as such, they are a bad choice.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

I have to disagree on the claret ash. They are truly beautiful as an avenue along the highway. I would have planted eucs, but there you go. I can still admire their beauty.

They can be beautiful with care and in good locations. My mother had a beauty in her backyard that I spent a lot of time under. However I was speaking in overall performance south eastern Aus. They are over planted and uncared for in general and as such, they are a bad choice.

That tree was removed in 1998 on orders from my brother after my mother passed. I still have parts of it here.

The Desert Ash is an attractive tree and very hardy, out in open parkland. Unlike the Claret Ash which is fugly and prone to snapping brittle branches. Though if I had Desert Ash I’d probably go looking for a street planted golden ash, pinch a couple of the lovely golden sticks and graft them on where I chain-sawed the desert ash off. Preferably put the ash through the chipper and plant some natives or a walnut tree. er Any edible fruit or nut bearing tree is preferable to a non-native potential weed that is well known to tear up footpaths and drains, not to mention house foundations. If autumn colours are what you are after, a persimmon is one of the better bets.

———————————————-

a persimmon planted in ’06 failed due to poor drainage in clay – so did avocado.
this is not in the garden as such but outside in an area I don’t wish to water much.
the ash (and carobs planted together) give shade, height and view – and exist on winter rain.

justin said:

The Desert Ash is an attractive tree and very hardy, out in open parkland. Unlike the Claret Ash which is fugly and prone to snapping brittle branches. Though if I had Desert Ash I’d probably go looking for a street planted golden ash, pinch a couple of the lovely golden sticks and graft them on where I chain-sawed the desert ash off. Preferably put the ash through the chipper and plant some natives or a walnut tree. er Any edible fruit or nut bearing tree is preferable to a non-native potential weed that is well known to tear up footpaths and drains, not to mention house foundations. If autumn colours are what you are after, a persimmon is one of the better bets.

———————————————-

a persimmon planted in ’06 failed due to poor drainage in clay – so did avocado.
this is not in the garden as such but outside in an area I don’t wish to water much.
the ash (and carobs planted together) give shade, height and view – and exist on winter rain.

So, over the property in general, you are telling me that your soil types differ that much? I’m personally wondering why you didn’t cross reference with reverse plantings.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

The Desert Ash is an attractive tree and very hardy, out in open parkland. Unlike the Claret Ash which is fugly and prone to snapping brittle branches. Though if I had Desert Ash I’d probably go looking for a street planted golden ash, pinch a couple of the lovely golden sticks and graft them on where I chain-sawed the desert ash off. Preferably put the ash through the chipper and plant some natives or a walnut tree. er Any edible fruit or nut bearing tree is preferable to a non-native potential weed that is well known to tear up footpaths and drains, not to mention house foundations. If autumn colours are what you are after, a persimmon is one of the better bets.

———————————————-

a persimmon planted in ’06 failed due to poor drainage in clay – so did avocado.
this is not in the garden as such but outside in an area I don’t wish to water much.
the ash (and carobs planted together) give shade, height and view – and exist on winter rain.

So, over the property in general, you are telling me that your soil types differ that much? I’m personally wondering why you didn’t cross reference with reverse plantings.

during the renovation of the house we filled large areas of the yard. so inside the curtilage, where the citrus grow there is 500mm of fill (imported sand, old sheep manure and topsoil mixed).
the natural soil is a bit of loam atop a metre and a half of clay.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

The Desert Ash is an attractive tree and very hardy, out in open parkland. Unlike the Claret Ash which is fugly and prone to snapping brittle branches. Though if I had Desert Ash I’d probably go looking for a street planted golden ash, pinch a couple of the lovely golden sticks and graft them on where I chain-sawed the desert ash off. Preferably put the ash through the chipper and plant some natives or a walnut tree. er Any edible fruit or nut bearing tree is preferable to a non-native potential weed that is well known to tear up footpaths and drains, not to mention house foundations. If autumn colours are what you are after, a persimmon is one of the better bets.

———————————————-

a persimmon planted in ’06 failed due to poor drainage in clay – so did avocado.
this is not in the garden as such but outside in an area I don’t wish to water much.
the ash (and carobs planted together) give shade, height and view – and exist on winter rain.

So, over the property in general, you are telling me that your soil types differ that much? I’m personally wondering why you didn’t cross reference with reverse plantings.

during the renovation of the house we filled large areas of the yard. so inside the curtilage, where the citrus grow there is 500mm of fill (imported sand, old sheep manure and topsoil mixed).
the natural soil is a bit of loam atop a metre and a half of clay.

It will all settle down over time, with your help that time may or not be shortened.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

So, over the property in general, you are telling me that your soil types differ that much? I’m personally wondering why you didn’t cross reference with reverse plantings.

during the renovation of the house we filled large areas of the yard. so inside the curtilage, where the citrus grow there is 500mm of fill (imported sand, old sheep manure and topsoil mixed).
the natural soil is a bit of loam atop a metre and a half of clay.

It will all settle down over time, with your help that time may or not be shortened.

all the garden beds are rising – about 25mm a year i’d reckon. I keep adding fertiliser and mulch.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

during the renovation of the house we filled large areas of the yard. so inside the curtilage, where the citrus grow there is 500mm of fill (imported sand, old sheep manure and topsoil mixed).
the natural soil is a bit of loam atop a metre and a half of clay.

It will all settle down over time, with your help that time may or not be shortened.

all the garden beds are rising – about 25mm a year i’d reckon. I keep adding fertiliser and mulch.

Someone with a sense of humour I see.
Yes I built a six foot fence and promptly started filling up the interior. Now I need a fence extension.. but that wasn’t what I meant.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

during the renovation of the house we filled large areas of the yard. so inside the curtilage, where the citrus grow there is 500mm of fill (imported sand, old sheep manure and topsoil mixed).
the natural soil is a bit of loam atop a metre and a half of clay.

It will all settle down over time, with your help that time may or not be shortened.

all the garden beds are rising – about 25mm a year i’d reckon. I keep adding fertiliser and mulch.

in that case – I still don’t know what you mean.

I have just forked over and planted six beds in the orchard area. its an area of about 400sq.m. and slowly the ms. is being won over to it becoming a permanent winter garden.
the citrus inside the curtilage are crowding my attempts at feeding the family and , what once seemed a large area, is now looking like bits of soil between the trees.
I now have overflow beds of spuds, garlic, lettuce & celery, broad beans and wheat planted between the orchard trees..
and it’s the only spot I can hope to grow summer melons. (water is the problem but melons can be watered using the shower water saved before the water heats up – if u kno’ wat I mean?)

justin said:

I have just forked over and planted six beds in the orchard area. its an area of about 400sq.m. and slowly the ms. is being won over to it becoming a permanent winter garden.
the citrus inside the curtilage are crowding my attempts at feeding the family and , what once seemed a large area, is now looking like bits of soil between the trees.
I now have overflow beds of spuds, garlic, lettuce & celery, broad beans and wheat planted between the orchard trees..
and it’s the only spot I can hope to grow summer melons. (water is the problem but melons can be watered using the shower water saved before the water heats up – if u kno’ wat I mean?)

Wow you’ve got it all “happening”, Justin!

justin said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

It will all settle down over time, with your help that time may or not be shortened.

all the garden beds are rising – about 25mm a year i’d reckon. I keep adding fertiliser and mulch.

in that case – I still don’t know what you mean.

I have just forked over and planted six beds in the orchard area. its an area of about 400sq.m. and slowly the ms. is being won over to it becoming a permanent winter garden.
the citrus inside the curtilage are crowding my attempts at feeding the family and , what once seemed a large area, is now looking like bits of soil between the trees.
I now have overflow beds of spuds, garlic, lettuce & celery, broad beans and wheat planted between the orchard trees..
and it’s the only spot I can hope to grow summer melons. (water is the problem but melons can be watered using the shower water saved before the water heats up – if u kno’ wat I mean?)

You can hedge the citrus.
I am not sure that there is a lot of water to be saved before it heats up. This would depend on your hot water system and your drainage. All my drainage water is stolen by trees before it gets far from the house.

the spuds are ‘dutch cream’ – a soft one best as mash and baked imo. it’s lovely to have the home grown potato back after several months absence
these little toms are self sown and, despite it being june, are fruiting – like the sunflowers in the last photo.

it’s june but the only real wintry weather has been the last week of may and the first week of june – so expect theunusual

this is where I’ve planted my ‘overflow’ crops of spuds, garlic, lettuce, celery, barley and wheat.
I am hoping this ‘working the soil’ will give me space for the summer melons.

Dinetta said:

justin said:

I have just forked over and planted six beds in the orchard area. its an area of about 400sq.m. and slowly the ms. is being won over to it becoming a permanent winter garden.
the citrus inside the curtilage are crowding my attempts at feeding the family and , what once seemed a large area, is now looking like bits of soil between the trees.
I now have overflow beds of spuds, garlic, lettuce & celery, broad beans and wheat planted between the orchard trees..
and it’s the only spot I can hope to grow summer melons. (water is the problem but melons can be watered using the shower water saved before the water heats up – if u kno’ wat I mean?)

Wow you’ve got it all “happening”, Justin!

1. the farmers have planted canola and broad beans across the road so they enjoyed this past week of sunshine
2. instead of mowing with a push mower, like I did last year, i’m endeavouring to spray my two acres- mowing is difficult on wet soursob and only lasts for two weeks – whereas spraying should last for 3 months.
3. birds are flourishing now that the ginger cat has gone – new noisy miners, more redrumps, new hollands, wrens, crows, wagtails, white cheeks, spoggies and blackbirds then I’ve ever seen here before. there are aerial wars and both of us have had pairs of birds hurtle past our heads. …. and let me tell yas – those blackbirds fly at breakneck speed only an inch off the ground when sweeping in below the carobs…. and they are heavy little sods too.

lots more happening as well …

roughbarked said:

justin said:

justin said:

all the garden beds are rising – about 25mm a year i’d reckon. I keep adding fertiliser and mulch.

in that case – I still don’t know what you mean.

I have just forked over and planted six beds in the orchard area. its an area of about 400sq.m. and slowly the ms. is being won over to it becoming a permanent winter garden.
the citrus inside the curtilage are crowding my attempts at feeding the family and , what once seemed a large area, is now looking like bits of soil between the trees.
I now have overflow beds of spuds, garlic, lettuce & celery, broad beans and wheat planted between the orchard trees..
and it’s the only spot I can hope to grow summer melons. (water is the problem but melons can be watered using the shower water saved before the water heats up – if u kno’ wat I mean?)

You can hedge the citrus.
I am not sure that there is a lot of water to be saved before it heats up. This would depend on your hot water system and your drainage. All my drainage water is stolen by trees before it gets far from the house.

we have a septic system that would cope with the entire Australian army – so we intercept shower water before it leaves the cubicle – about 20 litres a day – more or less.

P1 – cos lettuce with rocket and some mignonette – its lovely to have lettuce again and the birds are not too destructive here – altho they are destroying the peas 1 metre away from here.
P2 – my jungle – rampant growth of the self sown have made a joke of the paths, the alignment and order that started out being a bed of spinach, radicchio and broccoli. across the paths the broad beans are flowering and are 1300mm high and held up by my twine enclosure.
P3 – the old faithful salvia is doing what it’s s’pose to.

Looking fantastic Justin:) I’m envious of your growing space.

Happy Potter said:

Looking fantastic Justin:) I’m envious of your growing space.

The growing space will become more limited when all the trees grow bigger

The marvels of fog can only be appreciated when you suddenly notice all the dew-jewelled spiders’ webs…

Dinetta said:

The marvels of fog can only be appreciated when you suddenly notice all the dew-jewelled spiders’ webs…

fog is precipitation when things catch and hold it. I’ve got a stack of photos of how mini webs and moss etc hold jewelled paradises in a square inch.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

The marvels of fog can only be appreciated when you suddenly notice all the dew-jewelled spiders’ webs…

fog is precipitation when things catch and hold it. I’ve got a stack of photos of how mini webs and moss etc hold jewelled paradises in a square inch.

I’m about to give up on the internet. Flickr has made it almost impossible for me to work with.. anyway try this shot..

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

The marvels of fog can only be appreciated when you suddenly notice all the dew-jewelled spiders’ webs…

fog is precipitation when things catch and hold it. I’ve got a stack of photos of how mini webs and moss etc hold jewelled paradises in a square inch.

Precipitation is right…I left the back sliding door open about 12 inches, for Shadow to get in and out…and I have about 12 inches by 1 yard of dew on my floor, from the door into the house…

roughbarked said:

I’m about to give up on the internet. Flickr has made it almost impossible for me to work with.. anyway try this shot..

Truth to tell, I thought of you and your photographs when I saw the jewelled webs…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

I’m about to give up on the internet. Flickr has made it almost impossible for me to work with.. anyway try this shot..

Truth to tell, I thought of you and your photographs when I saw the jewelled webs…

This will find some of the ones related to water.. http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=99559986@N00&q=water

roughbarked said:

This will find some of the ones related to water.. http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=99559986@N00&q=water

Some stunning shots there RoughBarked… just stunning…thanks for the link…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

This will find some of the ones related to water.. http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=99559986@N00&q=water

Some stunning shots there RoughBarked… just stunning…thanks for the link…

A lotta rubbish shots too.. I don’t always put the filters on. However, I tell my kids and wife when they say “Why don’t you only show your best shots?” My answer is.. it is about telling a story, not about claiming fame.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

This will find some of the ones related to water.. http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=99559986@N00&q=water

Some stunning shots there RoughBarked… just stunning…thanks for the link…

A lotta rubbish shots too.. I don’t always put the filters on. However, I tell my kids and wife when they say “Why don’t you only show your best shots?” My answer is.. it is about telling a story, not about claiming fame.

Yes. A couple of times I was thinking, well I wonder what was happening there?

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

Some stunning shots there RoughBarked… just stunning…thanks for the link…

A lotta rubbish shots too.. I don’t always put the filters on. However, I tell my kids and wife when they say “Why don’t you only show your best shots?” My answer is.. it is about telling a story, not about claiming fame.

Yes. A couple of times I was thinking, well I wonder what was happening there?

It was probably just me uploading a photo to use to explain something.. somewhere else.

You could always send me the link.. and ask.. ;)

However many people also suffer from using Windows because Mac and Windows have different gamma settings thus many of my photos appear too dark to have detail. but like I said.. I’m not seeking fame and have only a few friends who care at all yet they don’t have internet connections and mine has disconnected mid-post seventeen times in the last hour.

It is basically a waste of my time and money trying.. I could be out there gardening and repairing my house or wonder of wonders, actually getting a job doing something that is able to be appreciated for its worth..

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

A lotta rubbish shots too.. I don’t always put the filters on. However, I tell my kids and wife when they say “Why don’t you only show your best shots?” My answer is.. it is about telling a story, not about claiming fame.

Yes. A couple of times I was thinking, well I wonder what was happening there?

It was probably just me uploading a photo to use to explain something.. somewhere else.

You could always send me the link.. and ask.. ;)

However many people also suffer from using Windows because Mac and Windows have different gamma settings thus many of my photos appear too dark to have detail. but like I said.. I’m not seeking fame and have only a few friends who care at all yet they don’t have internet connections and mine has disconnected mid-post seventeen times in the last hour.

It is basically a waste of my time and money trying.. I could be out there gardening and repairing my house or wonder of wonders, actually getting a job doing something that is able to be appreciated for its worth..

Well if your photography gives you happiness, that’s all that matters…the rest is icing on top…

Dinetta said:

Well if your photography gives you happiness, that’s all that matters…the rest is icing on top…

:)

You are a dear.

Happy Potter said:

Looking fantastic Justin:) I’m envious of your growing space.

thanks – HP. plenty of space but water is a bit scarce.

justin said:

Happy Potter said:

Looking fantastic Justin:) I’m envious of your growing space.

thanks – HP. plenty of space but water is a bit scarce.

some of my photos show how nature repairs that problem.

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

Looking fantastic Justin:) I’m envious of your growing space.

The growing space will become more limited when all the trees grow bigger

chuckle – I thought that as I was writing – but this area is 20×20m and has got no pool, no patio, grass garden, herbs, asparagus etc. –
so it is much bigger.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

Happy Potter said:

Looking fantastic Justin:) I’m envious of your growing space.

thanks – HP. plenty of space but water is a bit scarce.

some of my photos show how nature repairs that problem.

and if I could remember the details I could point to a Bill Mollison video that displayed how men may mechanically devise methods to return windblown salt pan back to full groundcover.

I can describe a few methods if you wish me to orate prolifically.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

Looking fantastic Justin:) I’m envious of your growing space.

The growing space will become more limited when all the trees grow bigger

chuckle – I thought that as I was writing – but this area is 20×20m and has got no pool, no patio, grass garden, herbs, asparagus etc. –
so it is much bigger.

I do envy you with four times the garden space.. but I shouldn’t because I have about three times yours, free for me to play with planting and recreating a native ecosystem.

However.. it seems that the latter still spills into the former so that my half acre is stripped to less than a quarter of that, for veg.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

A lotta rubbish shots too.. I don’t always put the filters on. However, I tell my kids and wife when they say “Why don’t you only show your best shots?” My answer is.. it is about telling a story, not about claiming fame.

Yes. A couple of times I was thinking, well I wonder what was happening there?

It was probably just me uploading a photo to use to explain something.. somewhere else.

You could always send me the link.. and ask.. ;)

However many people also suffer from using Windows because Mac and Windows have different gamma settings thus many of my photos appear too dark to have detail. but like I said.. I’m not seeking fame and have only a few friends who care at all yet they don’t have internet connections and mine has disconnected mid-post seventeen times in the last hour.

It is basically a waste of my time and money trying.. I could be out there gardening and repairing my house or wonder of wonders, actually getting a job doing something that is able to be appreciated for its worth..

yeah – that bit about being appreciated is something a lot of people say.
you have been remarkably open with your knowledge – you probably could run a good blog on your own.
now i’m homebrewing and trying to figure out how to use pelletized hops – waste of time really – but there is this bloke ‘Craig ‘ who runs a utube series on homebrewing – and he’s remarkably good at it …but he’s probably saying something about a normal job under his breath as well LOL.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

Happy Potter said:

Looking fantastic Justin:) I’m envious of your growing space.

thanks – HP. plenty of space but water is a bit scarce.

some of my photos show how nature repairs that problem.

I can’t find you on flickr – not under RB??

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

thanks – HP. plenty of space but water is a bit scarce.

some of my photos show how nature repairs that problem.

and if I could remember the details I could point to a Bill Mollison video that displayed how men may mechanically devise methods to return windblown salt pan back to full groundcover.

I can describe a few methods if you wish me to orate prolifically.

LOL – just as long as you don’t ventilate politically.
I have read the permaculture books but didn’t get much from them.
but orate on…

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

The growing space will become more limited when all the trees grow bigger

chuckle – I thought that as I was writing – but this area is 20×20m and has got no pool, no patio, grass garden, herbs, asparagus etc. –
so it is much bigger.

I do envy you with four times the garden space.. but I shouldn’t because I have about three times yours, free for me to play with planting and recreating a native ecosystem.
However.. it seems that the latter still spills into the former so that my half acre is stripped to less than a quarter of that, for veg.

soil and water are what you need – space is can be a liability – I am thinking hard about fencing and rotating chooks

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

thanks – HP. plenty of space but water is a bit scarce.

some of my photos show how nature repairs that problem.

I can’t find you on flickr – not under RB??

I’ve had my preferences set from the beginning to: no google search of roughbarked.
It is more simply done if you click on the links I’ve put up in this naughty corner of the interbet.

once on the page.. click the message envelope icon.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

chuckle – I thought that as I was writing – but this area is 20×20m and has got no pool, no patio, grass garden, herbs, asparagus etc. –
so it is much bigger.

I do envy you with four times the garden space.. but I shouldn’t because I have about three times yours, free for me to play with planting and recreating a native ecosystem.
However.. it seems that the latter still spills into the former so that my half acre is stripped to less than a quarter of that, for veg.

soil and water are what you need – space is can be a liability – I am thinking hard about fencing and rotating chooks

Buffy bought a chook powered lawnmower thingy but any handy person could make a dozen for the price she paid.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

I do envy you with four times the garden space.. but I shouldn’t because I have about three times yours, free for me to play with planting and recreating a native ecosystem.
However.. it seems that the latter still spills into the former so that my half acre is stripped to less than a quarter of that, for veg.

soil and water are what you need – space is can be a liability – I am thinking hard about fencing and rotating chooks

Buffy bought a chook powered lawnmower thingy but any handy person could make a dozen for the price she paid.

finding that handy person is the problem here :)

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

soil and water are what you need – space is can be a liability – I am thinking hard about fencing and rotating chooks

Buffy bought a chook powered lawnmower thingy but any handy person could make a dozen for the price she paid.

finding that handy person is the problem here :)

Do you pay in hugs?

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Buffy bought a chook powered lawnmower thingy but any handy person could make a dozen for the price she paid.

finding that handy person is the problem here :)

Do you pay in hugs?

I would even feed them! There is a shortage of available able bodied men around here. They are either busy on their own farms/business, or old and decrepit!

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

finding that handy person is the problem here :)

Do you pay in hugs?

I would even feed them! There is a shortage of available able bodied men around here. They are either busy on their own farms/business, or old and decrepit!

I’d love to help out but at the moment it would require moving my other half too.

Which wouldn’t necessarily be such a problem if conditions prevailed but that’s another story.. I’m going to slip this perhaps racial anecdote in here,, Her grandmother told me this.. She got a knock on he door and she found one of the often seen still walkabouting aborigines of her day on her step asking.. “You got any food missus?” she aid, “yes I do if you help me by chopping some wood for the fire..” “OK missus just show me” “here is the axe and here is the wood.. bring some up for the stove when you have cut a bit..” He says, “ can’t work on an empty stomach missus.” rubbing his belly as he spoke.

So. she fed him.
and off he went woodheap-wards a while later grandma goes down looking to see why no wood was forthcoming.. Here’s her erstwhile woodchopper asleep against a tree.

She shakes him awake and says.. “where’s the wood to cook your dinner?”

He said rubbing eyes.. “sorry missus when eat full belly no good for working.. have to sleep..”

she said.. “OK so now chop the wood?” He said, sorry missus. No work on empty stomach.”

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Do you pay in hugs?

I would even feed them! There is a shortage of available able bodied men around here. They are either busy on their own farms/business, or old and decrepit!

I’d love to help out but at the moment it would require moving my other half too.

Which wouldn’t necessarily be such a problem if conditions prevailed but that’s another story.. I’m going to slip this perhaps racial anecdote in here,, Her grandmother told me this.. She got a knock on he door and she found one of the often seen still walkabouting aborigines of her day on her step asking.. “You got any food missus?” she aid, “yes I do if you help me by chopping some wood for the fire..” “OK missus just show me” “here is the axe and here is the wood.. bring some up for the stove when you have cut a bit..” He says, “ can’t work on an empty stomach missus.” rubbing his belly as he spoke.

So. she fed him.
and off he went woodheap-wards a while later grandma goes down looking to see why no wood was forthcoming.. Here’s her erstwhile woodchopper asleep against a tree.

She shakes him awake and says.. “where’s the wood to cook your dinner?”

He said rubbing eyes.. “sorry missus when eat full belly no good for working.. have to sleep..”

she said.. “OK so now chop the wood?” He said, sorry missus. No work on empty stomach.”

clever fellow. I reckon there are a more than a few of them in every race and culture ;)

Your other half would be welcome too.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

some of my photos show how nature repairs that problem.

I can’t find you on flickr – not under RB??

I’ve had my preferences set from the beginning to: no google search of roughbarked.
It is more simply done if you click on the links I’ve put up in this naughty corner of the interbet.

once on the page.. click the message envelope icon.

ok i think you have a new friend – justin
my brewing partner showed up and i have my first ‘enhanced’ brew underway.
very nerve racking when you do something for the first time – i need a homebrew LOL.

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

I can’t find you on flickr – not under RB??

I’ve had my preferences set from the beginning to: no google search of roughbarked.
It is more simply done if you click on the links I’ve put up in this naughty corner of the interbet.

once on the page.. click the message envelope icon.

ok i think you have a new friend – justin
my brewing partner showed up and i have my first ‘enhanced’ brew underway.
very nerve racking when you do something for the first time – i need a homebrew LOL.

Pepe! welcome back! Where’ve you been ? ;)

If anyone needs a homebrew this evening, it’s me!
LOL

Happy Potter said:

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

I’ve had my preferences set from the beginning to: no google search of roughbarked.
It is more simply done if you click on the links I’ve put up in this naughty corner of the interbet.

once on the page.. click the message envelope icon.

ok i think you have a new friend – justin
my brewing partner showed up and i have my first ‘enhanced’ brew underway.
very nerve racking when you do something for the first time – i need a homebrew LOL.

Pepe! welcome back! Where’ve you been ? ;)

gawd – how did I do that?

very confusing ?
you know I tried to become a registered member of GA – but I couldn’t because someone already had my name !
that someone was me but I couldn’t figure out how to tell them LOL.

justin said:

Happy Potter said:

pepe said:

ok i think you have a new friend – justin
my brewing partner showed up and i have my first ‘enhanced’ brew underway.
very nerve racking when you do something for the first time – i need a homebrew LOL.

I give up – just call me justinpepe!

Pepe! welcome back! Where’ve you been ? ;)

gawd – how did I do that?

very confusing ?
you know I tried to become a registered member of GA – but I couldn’t because someone already had my name !
that someone was me but I couldn’t figure out how to tell them LOL.

justin said:

justin said:

Happy Potter said:

I give up – just call me justinpepe!

Pepe! welcome back! Where’ve you been ? ;)

gawd – how did I do that?

very confusing ?
you know I tried to become a registered member of GA – but I couldn’t because someone already had my name !
that someone was me but I couldn’t figure out how to tell them LOL.

LMAO! Yep, have a brew lol!

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

I can’t find you on flickr – not under RB??

I’ve had my preferences set from the beginning to: no google search of roughbarked.
It is more simply done if you click on the links I’ve put up in this naughty corner of the interbet.

once on the page.. click the message envelope icon.

ok i think you have a new friend – justin
my brewing partner showed up and i have my first ‘enhanced’ brew underway.
very nerve racking when you do something for the first time – i need a homebrew LOL.

What you did was log in as pepe because that’s your Flickr registration. The browser must have remembered it for you.

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

I’ve had my preferences set from the beginning to: no google search of roughbarked.
It is more simply done if you click on the links I’ve put up in this naughty corner of the interbet.

once on the page.. click the message envelope icon.

ok i think you have a new friend – justin
my brewing partner showed up and i have my first ‘enhanced’ brew underway.
very nerve racking when you do something for the first time – i need a homebrew LOL.

What you did was log in as pepe because that’s your Flickr registration. The browser must have remembered it for you.

Anyway, is there a story that goes with this?

roughbarked said:

Anyway, is there a story that goes with this?

Looks like a sheep and rabbit-proof fence…that’s mining the other side of it…by the look of the soil, it’s copper/gold bearing soil…??

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Anyway, is there a story that goes with this?

Looks like a sheep and rabbit-proof fence…that’s mining the other side of it…by the look of the soil, it’s copper/gold bearing soil…??

Yes .. there does appear to be a fence which keeps out something and indications of shallow digging which could have been for numerous reasons but shallow depth gold mining could be one and is one well recorded in South Australia. So far we are both on the same page. Not knowing any other details and there being numerous places to guess plus the fact that I’ve not explored the area around Adelaide at all apart from a tiny section near Aldgate, If I tossed in a guess at the location it would probably be out by miles. But in the spirit of fantasizing, how about Woodside?

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

ok i think you have a new friend – justin
my brewing partner showed up and i have my first ‘enhanced’ brew underway.
very nerve racking when you do something for the first time – i need a homebrew LOL.

What you did was log in as pepe because that’s your Flickr registration. The browser must have remembered it for you.

Anyway, is there a story that goes with this?

Opal dugouts beside grazing land?

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

What you did was log in as pepe because that’s your Flickr registration. The browser must have remembered it for you.

Anyway, is there a story that goes with this?

Opal dugouts beside grazing land?

Not Opal dirt.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

ok i think you have a new friend – justin
my brewing partner showed up and i have my first ‘enhanced’ brew underway.
very nerve racking when you do something for the first time – i need a homebrew LOL.

What you did was log in as pepe because that’s your Flickr registration. The browser must have remembered it for you.

Anyway, is there a story that goes with this?

ok – are you telling me something ? – that’s sandy creek IMG2537

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

What you did was log in as pepe because that’s your Flickr registration. The browser must have remembered it for you.

Anyway, is there a story that goes with this?

ok – are you telling me something ? – that’s sandy creek IMG2537

hello everyone – when I come off flickr to here i’m pepe.
confused? – have a homebrew – coffee of course.

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

What you did was log in as pepe because that’s your Flickr registration. The browser must have remembered it for you.

Anyway, is there a story that goes with this?

ok – are you telling me something ? – that’s sandy creek IMG2537

Sandy Creek. Is that all the data you have got? Do you know how many Sandy Creeks there are in Australia?

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

Anyway, is there a story that goes with this?

ok – are you telling me something ? – that’s sandy creek IMG2537

Sandy Creek. Is that all the data you have got? Do you know how many Sandy Creeks there are in Australia?

so it’s best to go private so no one can knick my images?
ok

justin said:

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

ok – are you telling me something ? – that’s sandy creek IMG2537

Sandy Creek. Is that all the data you have got? Do you know how many Sandy Creeks there are in Australia?

so it’s best to go private so no one can knick my images?
ok

Umm.. If you go private you would need to make all your friends part of the group that can see it. To stop them pinching them just go through your security settings and disallow downloads..

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Sandy Creek. Is that all the data you have got? Do you know how many Sandy Creeks there are in Australia?

so it’s best to go private so no one can knick my images?
ok

Umm.. If you go private you would need to make all your friends part of the group that can see it. To stop them pinching them just go through your security settings and disallow downloads..

I could have commented on your Flickr but I assumed that you would notice my comment earlier if I put it here and I haven’t stolen your picture. Merely linked it to here.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

so it’s best to go private so no one can knick my images?
ok

Umm.. If you go private you would need to make all your friends part of the group that can see it. To stop them pinching them just go through your security settings and disallow downloads..

I could have commented on your Flickr but I assumed that you would notice my comment earlier if I put it here and I haven’t stolen your picture. Merely linked it to here.

many thanks thief LOL.

justin said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

Umm.. If you go private you would need to make all your friends part of the group that can see it. To stop them pinching them just go through your security settings and disallow downloads..

I could have commented on your Flickr but I assumed that you would notice my comment earlier if I put it here and I haven’t stolen your picture. Merely linked it to here.

many thanks thief LOL.

Many apologies if offence has been caused.. Much gratitude for allowing me to see your images.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

I could have commented on your Flickr but I assumed that you would notice my comment earlier if I put it here and I haven’t stolen your picture. Merely linked it to here.

many thanks thief LOL.

Many apologies if offence has been caused.. Much gratitude for allowing me to see your images.

no offence – help appreciated – where are the security settings?

justin said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

many thanks thief LOL.

Many apologies if offence has been caused.. Much gratitude for allowing me to see your images.

no offence – help appreciated – where are the security settings?

Mouse-over your icon on top right of Flickr pages.. select settings.. scroll down to

Your profile

For your profile, edit who can see what or if it’s searchable

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Many apologies if offence has been caused.. Much gratitude for allowing me to see your images.

no offence – help appreciated – where are the security settings?

Mouse-over your icon on top right of Flickr pages.. select settings.. scroll down to

Your profile

For your profile, edit who can see what or if it’s searchable

But more importantly on the settings page.. select Privacy and Permissions. Have a play there.

roughbarked said:

justin said:

roughbarked said:

Many apologies if offence has been caused.. Much gratitude for allowing me to see your images.

no offence – help appreciated – where are the security settings?

Mouse-over your icon on top right of Flickr pages.. select settings.. scroll down to

Your profile

For your profile, edit who can see what or if it’s searchable

But more importantly on the settings page.. select Privacy and Permissions. Have a play there.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

justin said:

no offence – help appreciated – where are the security settings?

Mouse-over your icon on top right of Flickr pages.. select settings.. scroll down to

Your profile

For your profile, edit who can see what or if it’s searchable

But more importantly on the settings page.. select Privacy and Permissions. Have a play there.

done and thanks again
bbl.

justin said:

ok – are you telling me something ? – that’s sandy creek IMG2537

I was going to say before, but I couldn’t be sure, I thought Pepe /Justin had put that image up before, regarding land degradation because of mining in the area…now how could I possibly remember a photograph like that….

justin said:

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

Anyway, is there a story that goes with this?

ok – are you telling me something ? – that’s sandy creek IMG2537

hello everyone – when I come off flickr to here i’m pepe.
confused? – have a homebrew – coffee of course.

so what do we call you? without being rude I mean.

pomolo said:

justin said:

pepe said:

ok – are you telling me something ? – that’s sandy creek IMG2537

hello everyone – when I come off flickr to here i’m pepe.
confused? – have a homebrew – coffee of course.

so what do we call you? without being rude I mean.

‘He who must be obeyed’ maintains a certain appeal – (provided of course you mean it sincerely and are not just being sarcastic)
HWMBO has less appeal.

who’s livio ? – is he the far north weatherman?

justin said:

pomolo said:

justin said:

hello everyone – when I come off flickr to here i’m pepe.
confused? – have a homebrew – coffee of course.

so what do we call you? without being rude I mean.

‘He who must be obeyed’ maintains a certain appeal – (provided of course you mean it sincerely and are not just being sarcastic)
HWMBO has less appeal.

who’s livio ? – is he the far north weatherman?

I don’t know about far north but he’s our weatherman.

Dinetta said:

justin said:

ok – are you telling me something ? – that’s sandy creek IMG2537

I was going to say before, but I couldn’t be sure, I thought Pepe /Justin had put that image up before, regarding land degradation because of mining in the area…now how could I possibly remember a photograph like that….

an old conservation park is under attack from sand mining – so most of the locals are caught in a dilemma – do I pay to truck sand from 35 kilometres away or do I help to destroy a piece of remnant bush? it’s a memorable story … I think?
PS – the rain will help the revival of the banksia trees – because the recent dry seasons are partly to blame for the demise of the flora.

transplanted the ‘Jamaican grass’ (which is a type of black bamboo) from the vege garden area to the fenceline. got about four pots of it as well.
also dug out one patch of comfrey and spread the leaves in a circle around three of the citrus. a bloke said this will do citrus a wealth of good. also spread grape marc and straw mulch on the same trees.

this should give me more space in the designated garden area. carrots, beetroot and spuds are being infiltrated by mice holes dug into their root zones. so I will clean the whole area out.
my asparagus is still green in four out of ten spikes. the time for redoing the asparagus bed is fast approaching.

I thought nature was crazy throwing up tomato, sunflower and corn seedling in march but all three have started to fruit thanks to an indian summer.
the broad beans haven’t set pods – altho’ the plant is 5’0” high and flowering

pepe said:

I thought nature was crazy throwing up tomato, sunflower and corn seedling in march but all three have started to fruit thanks to an indian summer.
the broad beans haven’t set pods – altho’ the plant is 5’0” high and flowering

So dost thyself not accept my hypothesis that plants do or die to survive?

;)

the orchard area is rough and is planted with crops that only get winter rain (no irrigation)
P1 – the barley and wheat are sprouting under protective netting. – P2 – the garlic grows without protection.
P3 – fennel grows easily here, and we eat it when the bulb is small like this

I wondered what vegetable it was, and realised it was someone’s finger!

Bit of perception something or other, there…

pepe said:

I thought nature was crazy throwing up tomato, sunflower and corn seedling in march but all three have started to fruit thanks to an indian summer.
the broad beans haven’t set pods – altho’ the plant is 5’0” high and flowering

They all look good: I’m coming back as your vegetables in my next life…

Dinetta said:

I wondered what vegetable it was, and realised it was someone’s finger!

Bit of perception something or other, there…

Nothing an optometrist couldn’t fix.

Dinetta said:

They all look good: I’m coming back as your vegetables in my next life…

funny.. I was also thinking along those lines. :)

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

I thought nature was crazy throwing up tomato, sunflower and corn seedling in march but all three have started to fruit thanks to an indian summer.
the broad beans haven’t set pods – altho’ the plant is 5’0” high and flowering

So dost thyself not accept my hypothesis that plants do or die to survive?

;)

I dost – but nature often fails in its crazy gamble? so is it crazy to back such odds?
remember that only the sunflower has fully succeeded and the cold has now slowed the growth rate to imperceptible.
I have covered the north face of the chook house in plastic – well soon – it is getting cold and my armchair will soon be moved into the warmth.

Dinetta said:

I wondered what vegetable it was, and realised it was someone’s finger!

Bit of perception something or other, there…

:) a size comparison because the toms are still tiny.

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

I thought nature was crazy throwing up tomato, sunflower and corn seedling in march but all three have started to fruit thanks to an indian summer.
the broad beans haven’t set pods – altho’ the plant is 5’0” high and flowering

So dost thyself not accept my hypothesis that plants do or die to survive?

;)

I dost – but nature often fails in its crazy gamble? so is it crazy to back such odds?
remember that only the sunflower has fully succeeded and the cold has now slowed the growth rate to imperceptible.
I have covered the north face of the chook house in plastic – well soon – it is getting cold and my armchair will soon be moved into the warmth.

nature doth not ascribe to such mortal perceptions.. it is after all dog eat dog out there.. and we have to at least admit that.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

I wondered what vegetable it was, and realised it was someone’s finger!

Bit of perception something or other, there…

Nothing an optometrist couldn’t fix.

I _am_wearing my glasses…maybe they need cleaning…

for the forum femmes – flowers – salvia and nureems (sp?) – my brain is a spelling sieve

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

I wondered what vegetable it was, and realised it was someone’s finger!

Bit of perception something or other, there…

Nothing an optometrist couldn’t fix.

I am etc etc

pepe said:

for the forum femmes – flowers – salvia and nureems (sp?) – my brain is a spelling sieve

Nice! Would you mean “nerines”? Amazing at this time of the year…

Dinetta said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Nothing an optometrist couldn’t fix.

I am etc etc

I’m often seen with up to three pairs resting on my nose if needs demand it.

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

So dost thyself not accept my hypothesis that plants do or die to survive?

;)

I dost – but nature often fails in its crazy gamble? so is it crazy to back such odds?
remember that only the sunflower has fully succeeded and the cold has now slowed the growth rate to imperceptible.
I have covered the north face of the chook house in plastic – well soon – it is getting cold and my armchair will soon be moved into the warmth.

nature doth not ascribe to such mortal perceptions.. it is after all dog eat dog out there.. and we have to at least admit that.

my self-sown coriander and dill have developed nicely – they came up at the right season and responded to the clues of soil temperature and rain. that’s what I expect. I look to nature to give me reasonable clues as to the correct planting times. garlic and spuds shoot when ready to plant.
but these selfish bastards are hogging the ground out of season.!!!
still tis interesting – and the sunflowers are kinda like triumphant totem poles with broad smiling beams.

and btw – the mystery brassica is canola – it came from a packet of birdseed I used as green manure.
so ok roughie two pepe nil – boohoo hoo – it s almost beer time – yeah.

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

I dost – but nature often fails in its crazy gamble? so is it crazy to back such odds?
remember that only the sunflower has fully succeeded and the cold has now slowed the growth rate to imperceptible.
I have covered the north face of the chook house in plastic – well soon – it is getting cold and my armchair will soon be moved into the warmth.

nature doth not ascribe to such mortal perceptions.. it is after all dog eat dog out there.. and we have to at least admit that.

my self-sown coriander and dill have developed nicely – they came up at the right season and responded to the clues of soil temperature and rain. that’s what I expect. I look to nature to give me reasonable clues as to the correct planting times. garlic and spuds shoot when ready to plant.
but these selfish bastards are hogging the ground out of season.!!!
still tis interesting – and the sunflowers are kinda like triumphant totem poles with broad smiling beams.

and btw – the mystery brassica is canola – it came from a packet of birdseed I used as green manure.
so ok roughie two pepe nil – boohoo hoo – it s almost beer time – yeah.

all that says is that roughy is not as silly as he looks. it doesn’t say anything about other contributors drinking problems.. ;)

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

nature doth not ascribe to such mortal perceptions.. it is after all dog eat dog out there.. and we have to at least admit that.

my self-sown coriander and dill have developed nicely – they came up at the right season and responded to the clues of soil temperature and rain. that’s what I expect. I look to nature to give me reasonable clues as to the correct planting times. garlic and spuds shoot when ready to plant.
but these selfish bastards are hogging the ground out of season.!!!
still tis interesting – and the sunflowers are kinda like triumphant totem poles with broad smiling beams.

and btw – the mystery brassica is canola – it came from a packet of birdseed I used as green manure.
so ok roughie two pepe nil – boohoo hoo – it s almost beer time – yeah.

all that says is that roughy is not as silly as he looks. it doesn’t say anything about other contributors drinking problems.. ;)

tish not a probhem – lol – time to cook tea – cyas.

>>Nice! Would you mean “nerines”? Amazing at this time of the year…<<

Yep, they are nerines. I have white, soft pink, hot pink and a special one that is a bright red/pink. The bright one flowered over a month ago. The whites and pinks are around now. You never seem to get all colours out at once for a mixed vase. It is the right time of year for them here in the Southern regions.