i know i’m early but the other topic was wayback.
broccoli and chokes.
broccoli is probably the best food i know – health wise and taste wise.

pepe said:

i know i’m early but the other topic was wayback.
broccoli and chokes.
broccoli is probably the best food i know – health wise and taste wise.

Chokos?????

pepe said:

i know i’m early but the other topic was wayback.
broccoli and chokes.
broccoli is probably the best food i know – health wise and taste wise.

they look perfect pepe!

pepe said:

i know i’m early but the other topic was wayback.
broccoli and chokes.
broccoli is probably the best food i know – health wise and taste wise.

they look perfect pepe!

pomolo said:

Chokos?????

artichokes

bluegreen said:

pomolo said:

Chokos?????

artichokes

I knew that. Ahem!

Broccoli Rocks!

pomolo said:

pepe said:

i know i’m early but the other topic was wayback.
broccoli and chokes.
broccoli is probably the best food i know – health wise and taste wise.

Chokos?????

artichokes. my wife is a fan. she boils them in lemon water, stem down, for 20 minutes. then pulls off the outer leaves, dipping them in melted, salted butter. at first she just nibbles the bottom bit of the leaf but by the time shes into the heart she’s eating the whole leaf.

pain master said:

Broccoli Rocks!

we had it with rice and peanut sauce for tea. after it digested – i went out and hoed the winter crops going to seed – parsley, kale, spinach, brussel sprouts, cabbage and chard – out the ground.
something about broc gives one energy to burn – or rock on as you say in the north LOL.

pepe said:

pain master said:

Broccoli Rocks!

we had it with rice and peanut sauce for tea. after it digested – i went out and hoed the winter crops going to seed – parsley, kale, spinach, brussel sprouts, cabbage and chard – out the ground.
something about broc gives one energy to burn – or rock on as you say in the north LOL.

I love everything about broccoli, the flavour, the flavour and the flavour!

pepe said:

pomolo said:

pepe said:

i know i’m early but the other topic was wayback.
broccoli and chokes.
broccoli is probably the best food i know – health wise and taste wise.

Chokos?????

artichokes. my wife is a fan. she boils them in lemon water, stem down, for 20 minutes. then pulls off the outer leaves, dipping them in melted, salted butter. at first she just nibbles the bottom bit of the leaf but by the time shes into the heart she’s eating the whole leaf.

Yum, they look lovely, nice harvest Pepe!

the broccoli in photo is yet another example of a complete fluke. i must have bought a punnet of six seedlings and planted them in august. they grew with rain and without any cabbage moths. i put some dolomite lime and fertiliser pellets in with the seedlings but apart from that nothing.
because of their success i tried planting 6 more of my own broccoli seedlings in that same patch last week. only one has survived.

moral : keep planting – you’re bound to flute some good crops.

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

pepe said:

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

You Lucky lucky ………

Rook

Rook said:

pepe said:

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

You Lucky lucky ………Rook

thanks rook.
already have an order for a minature ‘lots of lemon’
i need a few more kalamattas
now who else can i tell about it.
they’re nice people and keen to sell out.

pepe said:

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

Awesome!

bon008 said:

pepe said:

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

Awesome!

Crikey. That’s a serious bargain.
Make sure the Avocado has excellent drainage and protection from wind and frosts.

bon008 said:

pepe said:

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

Awesome!

Oh well done Peps!

pepe said:

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

not jealous, not jealous, NOT!

pepe said:

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

WOW!! What bargains Pepe!! Well done, you’re in for a delicious fruity time!

pepe said:

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

Will they do mail order? LOL. You lucky thing Pepe.

pepe said:

Rook said:

pepe said:

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

You Lucky lucky ………Rook

thanks rook.
already have an order for a minature ‘lots of lemon’
i need a few more kalamattas
now who else can i tell about it.
they’re nice people and keen to sell out.

Up here! Up here!

Crikey. That’s a serious bargain.
Make sure the Avocado has excellent drainage and protection from wind and frosts.
—-
ok – do i need two types of avos?

bought more specials from the closing down nursery

chinese pistacchio
2 poas and 2 quandongs
darwf lots of lemon
lemon myrtle (a native)
black sepote
2 clumping bamboo
garangal (?) ginger
pizza thyme
2 jerusalem artichokes
more kalamatta olives
indigenous understorey plants
a bigger bay laurel than my little one

the list goes on. knockout.

pepe said:

bought more specials from the closing down nursery

chinese pistacchio
2 poas and 2 quandongs
darwf lots of lemon
lemon myrtle (a native)
black sepote
2 clumping bamboo
garangal (?) ginger
pizza thyme
2 jerusalem artichokes
more kalamatta olives
indigenous understorey plants
a bigger bay laurel than my little one

the list goes on. knockout.

awesome! now you’ve got to keep them alive through summer!

pepe said:

bought more specials from the closing down nursery

chinese pistacchio
2 poas and 2 quandongs
darwf lots of lemon
lemon myrtle (a native)
black sepote
2 clumping bamboo
garangal (?) ginger
pizza thyme
2 jerusalem artichokes
more kalamatta olives
indigenous understorey plants
a bigger bay laurel than my little one

the list goes on. knockout.

…soon you’ll be “knocked out” tending to that lot Pepe…but some very good buys there…that’s galangal ginger…these are all investments and I hope they thrive for you…

Fantastic buys Pepe! That’ll keep you busy planting and watering and feeding all those trees! Good onya!

awesome! now you’ve got to keep them alive through summer!
-
yeah – that’s the reason he’s selling – difficult to keep the water up to a large nursery.

So all that rain you got, it wasn’t enough?

(back to eskies)

Dinetta said:

So all that rain you got, it wasn’t enough?

(back to eskies)

it dries out.
i have still got saturated compost heaps – they will help – but basically all trees should be planted in May down south.
so i will have a few losses – they are root bound pots.

Dinetta said:

pepe said:

bought more specials from the closing down nursery

chinese pistacchio
2 poas and 2 quandongs
darwf lots of lemon
lemon myrtle (a native)
black sepote
2 clumping bamboo
garangal (?) ginger
pizza thyme
2 jerusalem artichokes
more kalamatta olives
indigenous understorey plants
a bigger bay laurel than my little one

the list goes on. knockout.

…soon you’ll be “knocked out” tending to that lot Pepe…but some very good buys there…that’s galangal ginger…these are all investments and I hope they thrive for you…

Galangal’s a good one to have – pretty hard to find in the shops. I’ve always wanted a lemon myrtle, too.. looking forward to hearing what you end up cooking up with all these plants!

Is black sepote the chocolate pudding fruit?

Galangal’s a good one to have – pretty hard to find in the shops. I’ve always wanted a lemon myrtle, too.. looking forward to hearing what you end up cooking up with all these plants! Is black sepote the chocolate pudding fruit?
———-
yep its the chocolate pudding one.
thinking back – the one she called the clumping bamboo was labelled sugarcane – does that make sense?

pepe said:

Galangal’s a good one to have – pretty hard to find in the shops. I’ve always wanted a lemon myrtle, too.. looking forward to hearing what you end up cooking up with all these plants! Is black sepote the chocolate pudding fruit?
———-
yep its the chocolate pudding one.
thinking back – the one she called the clumping bamboo was labelled sugarcane – does that make sense?

oooh, yum. What an interesting collection you have :)

As to the clumping bamboo/sugarcane.. I have no idea!

planning my exotic orchard out aloud.

-2 pecans are growing well in this area

-black and white mulberry should be easy here
-olives and
-chinese pistacchio ditto

-the quandong have to be planted close enough to the poa grass and a wattle or sheoak to feed off them – weird but can be done.

that leaves the avocado, black sapote and macadamia.
mmm – all tropical. best drainage, most water and most heat.
these ones are the challenges i would reckon.

looks like 4 metre centres for the orchard of exotic fruit.
the centre row is staggered two metres because of the existing pecan.

eastern side – olive, olive, pistachio, bay laurel
centre – existing pecans, white mulberry, black mulberry
west (protected by exist. carobs further west) – avocado, macadamia, black sapote.

now for the digging, levelling, good soil, dripper line and planting.

pepe said:

looks like 4 metre centres for the orchard of exotic fruit.
the centre row is staggered two metres because of the existing pecan.

eastern side – olive, olive, pistachio, bay laurel
centre – existing pecans, white mulberry, black mulberry
west (protected by exist. carobs further west) – avocado, macadamia, black sapote.

now for the digging, levelling, good soil, dripper line and planting.

You go Pepe. Happy digging and planting.

pepe said:

exciting shopping news!
full size fruit trees – normally $35-$65 each selling for $10. a free brom with every purchase. the local landscaper is selling out.

so i bought 7 trees and will go back for more. the ‘meditation garden’ will become an exotic fruit orchard.

fejoia – strawberry guava
mulberry black
mulberry white
white fig
big kalamatta olive
reed avocado
quandong

What a bargain! However isn’t fejoia aka Pineapple Guava? I’m confused now cause I was told my fejoia is pineapple guava.

What a bargain! However isn’t fejoia aka Pineapple Guava? I’m confused now cause I was told my fejoia is pineapple guava.
———-
yep your right – feijoa sellowiana – pineapple guava.
seasoned forumites are used to my mistakes. LOL

reed avocado in – that was the only soil i could dig at all and i went straight down two fork depths.
filled with home compost and planted. one down.
these are hardened plants and have stood in the nursery for 1-2 years in full sun just 5 minutes drive from here.

pepe said:

looks like 4 metre centres for the orchard of exotic fruit.
the centre row is staggered two metres because of the existing pecan.

eastern side – olive, olive, pistachio, bay laurel
centre – existing pecans, white mulberry, black mulberry
west (protected by exist. carobs further west) – avocado, macadamia, black sapote.

now for the digging, levelling, good soil, dripper line and planting.

I feel like I’ve had a week’s exercise just reading that.. :)

pepe said:

What a bargain! However isn’t fejoia aka Pineapple Guava? I’m confused now cause I was told my fejoia is pineapple guava.
———-
yep your right – feijoa sellowiana – pineapple guava.
seasoned forumites are used to my mistakes. LOL

reed avocado in – that was the only soil i could dig at all and i went straight down two fork depths.
filled with home compost and planted. one down.
these are hardened plants and have stood in the nursery for 1-2 years in full sun just 5 minutes drive from here.

Aww pooh, I was looking forward to hearing about your progress with strawberry guava! Mine struggles a bit and I don’t think anyone else on the forum has strawberry guava… ?

(Not that I can eat them anyway, but still.. I could give them away or something)

bon008 said:

pepe said:

What a bargain! However isn’t fejoia aka Pineapple Guava? I’m confused now cause I was told my fejoia is pineapple guava.
———-
yep your right – feijoa sellowiana – pineapple guava.
seasoned forumites are used to my mistakes. LOL

reed avocado in – that was the only soil i could dig at all and i went straight down two fork depths.
filled with home compost and planted. one down.
these are hardened plants and have stood in the nursery for 1-2 years in full sun just 5 minutes drive from here.

Aww pooh, I was looking forward to hearing about your progress with strawberry guava! Mine struggles a bit and I don’t think anyone else on the forum has strawberry guava… ?

(Not that I can eat them anyway, but still.. I could give them away or something)

We have one sad specimen Bon. It’s a bit hard to get to with the hose and I’m not good with carting buckets so it suffers a fair bit of neglect

AnneS said:

bon008 said:

pepe said:

What a bargain! However isn’t fejoia aka Pineapple Guava? I’m confused now cause I was told my fejoia is pineapple guava.
———-
yep your right – feijoa sellowiana – pineapple guava.
seasoned forumites are used to my mistakes. LOL

reed avocado in – that was the only soil i could dig at all and i went straight down two fork depths.
filled with home compost and planted. one down.
these are hardened plants and have stood in the nursery for 1-2 years in full sun just 5 minutes drive from here.

Aww pooh, I was looking forward to hearing about your progress with strawberry guava! Mine struggles a bit and I don’t think anyone else on the forum has strawberry guava… ?

(Not that I can eat them anyway, but still.. I could give them away or something)

We have one sad specimen Bon. It’s a bit hard to get to with the hose and I’m not good with carting buckets so it suffers a fair bit of neglect

Mine gets heavily eaten in spring each year, but somehow ends up managing to grow most of its bulk back. Had a few fruit last season but I think rats took them all :D That or the dog..

bon008 said:

AnneS said:

bon008 said:

Aww pooh, I was looking forward to hearing about your progress with strawberry guava! Mine struggles a bit and I don’t think anyone else on the forum has strawberry guava… ?

(Not that I can eat them anyway, but still.. I could give them away or something)

We have one sad specimen Bon. It’s a bit hard to get to with the hose and I’m not good with carting buckets so it suffers a fair bit of neglect

Mine gets heavily eaten in spring each year, but somehow ends up managing to grow most of its bulk back. Had a few fruit last season but I think rats took them all :D That or the dog..

lol. Ours is only a couple of years old but has never fruited. Neither have the fejoia, the chilean guava, the custard apple and all the other trees that my son bought for a couple of years back

However my grapevine that I transplanted from my Mum’s the year before last has heaps of bunches. Last year we only had a few

AnneS said:

lol. Ours is only a couple of years old but has never fruited. Neither have the fejoia, the chilean guava, the custard apple and all the other trees that my son bought for a couple of years back

However my grapevine that I transplanted from my Mum’s the year before last has heaps of bunches. Last year we only had a few

Oooh, yum. We had grapes in the garden when I was growing up, that was so yummy.

I don’t know how old our strawberry guava is.. there were two when we bought the place but one carked it before the retic went in. Wussy!

Hey pepe…hijacked again!

bon008 said:

pepe said:

What a bargain! However isn’t fejoia aka Pineapple Guava? I’m confused now cause I was told my fejoia is pineapple guava.
———-
yep your right – feijoa sellowiana – pineapple guava.
seasoned forumites are used to my mistakes. LOL

reed avocado in – that was the only soil i could dig at all and i went straight down two fork depths.
filled with home compost and planted. one down.
these are hardened plants and have stood in the nursery for 1-2 years in full sun just 5 minutes drive from here.

Aww pooh, I was looking forward to hearing about your progress with strawberry guava! Mine struggles a bit and I don’t think anyone else on the forum has strawberry guava… ?

(Not that I can eat them anyway, but still.. I could give them away or something)

I’ve got one Bon :)
I had half a dozen fruit last year, it’s still quite small. They’re tasty!

I feel like I’ve had a week’s exercise just reading that.. :)
————-

me too

i’d faint out there at present. i don’t know the temp but the ceiling fans are on and pepe the pesky pool poodle is expecting to jump in the pool…..and that’s another job i have to do.

beer anyone?

AnneS said:

Hey pepe…hijacked again!

chuckle – dialogue enriched.
strawberry guavas sound a bit difficult tho’. i’ve never grown any.

I’ve got one Bon :)
I had half a dozen fruit last year, it’s still quite small. They’re tasty!
——————————-

yeah but you can grow orchids LOL.

anyrate i’m not buying anything else until this orchard is established.

pepe said:

AnneS said:

Hey pepe…hijacked again!

chuckle – dialogue enriched.
strawberry guavas sound a bit difficult tho’. i’ve never grown any.

I thought mine was very slow to grow Pepe. Someone’s dog broke a branch off mine and I’ve got 2 now :) My Feijoa took 3 years to fruit – it managed it last year and this year I’ve told it I’m expecting a big crop. Hope it was listening!

pepe said:

I’ve got one Bon :)
I had half a dozen fruit last year, it’s still quite small. They’re tasty!
——————————-

yeah but you can grow orchids LOL.

anyrate i’m not buying anything else until this orchard is established.

I should think you’ve got enough to keep you out of mischief for a while Pepe! LOL

orchid40 said:

bon008 said:

pepe said:

What a bargain! However isn’t fejoia aka Pineapple Guava? I’m confused now cause I was told my fejoia is pineapple guava.
———-
yep your right – feijoa sellowiana – pineapple guava.
seasoned forumites are used to my mistakes. LOL

reed avocado in – that was the only soil i could dig at all and i went straight down two fork depths.
filled with home compost and planted. one down.
these are hardened plants and have stood in the nursery for 1-2 years in full sun just 5 minutes drive from here.

Aww pooh, I was looking forward to hearing about your progress with strawberry guava! Mine struggles a bit and I don’t think anyone else on the forum has strawberry guava… ?

(Not that I can eat them anyway, but still.. I could give them away or something)

I’ve got one Bon :)
I had half a dozen fruit last year, it’s still quite small. They’re tasty!

Oh cool :) I’ll have to start a thread later!

bon008 said:

pepe said:

What a bargain! However isn’t fejoia aka Pineapple Guava? I’m confused now cause I was told my fejoia is pineapple guava.
———-
yep your right – feijoa sellowiana – pineapple guava.
seasoned forumites are used to my mistakes. LOL

reed avocado in – that was the only soil i could dig at all and i went straight down two fork depths.
filled with home compost and planted. one down.
these are hardened plants and have stood in the nursery for 1-2 years in full sun just 5 minutes drive from here.

Aww pooh, I was looking forward to hearing about your progress with strawberry guava! Mine struggles a bit and I don’t think anyone else on the forum has strawberry guava… ?

(Not that I can eat them anyway, but still.. I could give them away or something)

I’ve got one Bin. I don’t like them tho.

pomolo said:

bon008 said:

pepe said:

What a bargain! However isn’t fejoia aka Pineapple Guava? I’m confused now cause I was told my fejoia is pineapple guava.
———-
yep your right – feijoa sellowiana – pineapple guava.
seasoned forumites are used to my mistakes. LOL

reed avocado in – that was the only soil i could dig at all and i went straight down two fork depths.
filled with home compost and planted. one down.
these are hardened plants and have stood in the nursery for 1-2 years in full sun just 5 minutes drive from here.

Aww pooh, I was looking forward to hearing about your progress with strawberry guava! Mine struggles a bit and I don’t think anyone else on the forum has strawberry guava… ?

(Not that I can eat them anyway, but still.. I could give them away or something)

I’ve got one Bin. I don’t like them tho.

Bin = Bon. Sorry about that. Cheap keyboard!

pomolo said:

I’ve got one Bin. I don’t like them tho.

Bin = Bon. Sorry about that. Cheap keyboard!

No worries :)

I don’t like ‘em much either. I wondered if there might be some good recipes if you can grow enough of them, but I think they’re on my fructose malabsorption no-no list in any case.

spanish bells (yucca) and my first carob bean pods

the new driveway – the tank stand with vanished swale not visible in the background – and the exotic fruit tree orchard where 9 new trees are being planted

Oh Pepe, I have never seen yucca flowers before they are beautiful. We have a few in the front yard so hopefully ours will look like that.

Starting to come along pepe.

shell bell said:

Oh Pepe, I have never seen yucca flowers before they are beautiful. We have a few in the front yard so hopefully ours will look like that.

thanks shellbell – great plant – except you have to prune them with an axe !!

veg gardener said:

Starting to come along pepe.

g’day VG.

it takes about 3-4 years to get an orchard up and going. patience is needed. but the 9 plants are mostly a metre or more high in the pot.

pepe said:

veg gardener said:

Starting to come along pepe.

g’day VG.

it takes about 3-4 years to get an orchard up and going. patience is needed. but the 9 plants are mostly a metre or more high in the pot.

Yeah, drive way looks nice.

Hey pepe I see you’ve been busy on GA forum as well! Just been having a look. Haven’t checked it out in yonks

veg gardener said:

pepe said:

veg gardener said:

Starting to come along pepe.

g’day VG.

it takes about 3-4 years to get an orchard up and going. patience is needed. but the 9 plants are mostly a metre or more high in the pot.

Yeah, drive way looks nice.

yep – recycled rubble from the roads. its waterproof when compacted – therefore no weeds.

AnneS said:

Hey pepe I see you’ve been busy on GA forum as well! Just been having a look. Haven’t checked it out in yonks

yeah it’s pretty quiet there. if they had just allowed us to chat they would be getting better answers.

pepe said:

veg gardener said:

pepe said:

g’day VG.

it takes about 3-4 years to get an orchard up and going. patience is needed. but the 9 plants are mostly a metre or more high in the pot.

Yeah, drive way looks nice.

yep – recycled rubble from the roads. its waterproof when compacted – therefore no weeds.

That’s alright then how much it cost per Tonne or Cubic Metre.

That’s alright then how much it cost per Tonne or Cubic Metre.
—-
$8 per tonne instead of $35 for new stuff. so when you become the local bobcat man go and have a chat to the highways department and see if you can get a key to their depot.

pepe said:

That’s alright then how much it cost per Tonne or Cubic Metre.
—-
$8 per tonne instead of $35 for new stuff. so when you become the local bobcat man go and have a chat to the highways department and see if you can get a key to their depot.

Yeah thats alright price for it. Thats all there old tar or road Base?

veg gardener said:

pepe said:

That’s alright then how much it cost per Tonne or Cubic Metre.
—-
$8 per tonne instead of $35 for new stuff. so when you become the local bobcat man go and have a chat to the highways department and see if you can get a key to their depot.

Yeah thats alright price for it. Thats all there old tar or road Base?

mainly road base but with bits of bitumen in it. the bitumen will melt in this heat and then it gets incorporated in the base.

pepe said:

veg gardener said:

pepe said:

That’s alright then how much it cost per Tonne or Cubic Metre.
—-
$8 per tonne instead of $35 for new stuff. so when you become the local bobcat man go and have a chat to the highways department and see if you can get a key to their depot.

Yeah thats alright price for it. Thats all there old tar or road Base?

mainly road base but with bits of bitumen in it. the bitumen will melt in this heat and then it gets incorporated in the base.

Yeah it would have Ag lime in it and some times Cerment to make it stay in place we got Some roadbase with Cerment in it here nextdoor brought home from the quarry a few Kms up the road.

Yeah it would have Ag lime in it and some times Cerment to make it stay in place we got Some roadbase with Cerment in it here nextdoor brought home from the quarry a few Kms up the road.
——————————————————-
this stuff comes from the ‘shoulders’ of the roads. they just throw it away – or stockpile it – because they can’t be bothered reusing it.

pepe said:

Yeah it would have Ag lime in it and some times Cerment to make it stay in place we got Some roadbase with Cerment in it here nextdoor brought home from the quarry a few Kms up the road.
——————————————————-
this stuff comes from the ‘shoulders’ of the roads. they just throw it away – or stockpile it – because they can’t be bothered reusing it.

kk, mostly around here they use cerment ag lime in the road base, but they do hot mix here and then 5 mins Later you have b- doubles driven on it coming from the quarry all day long so we have 4 creeks that run down the road, they have spent a fair bit just grating the side of the road near the drains thinking its going to get the water off the road but it doesn’t work.

Yeah it would have Ag lime in it and some times Cerment to make it stay in place we got Some roadbase with Cerment in it here nextdoor brought home from the quarry a few Kms up the road.
——-
its the same at our quarry – the road is always being resurfaced.

pepe said:

Yeah it would have Ag lime in it and some times Cerment to make it stay in place we got Some roadbase with Cerment in it here nextdoor brought home from the quarry a few Kms up the road.
——-
its the same at our quarry – the road is always being resurfaced.

yep, doesn’t help when its always trucks coming and going.

pepe said:

veg gardener said:

pepe said:

g’day VG.

it takes about 3-4 years to get an orchard up and going. patience is needed. but the 9 plants are mostly a metre or more high in the pot.

Yeah, drive way looks nice.

yep – recycled rubble from the roads. its waterproof when compacted – therefore no weeds.

Is it comfortable to walk on barefoot, pepe?

Been giving a bit of thought to what kind of driveway to have when we build – I like the idea of some sort of compacted material rather than paving or concrete.

pepe said:

spanish bells (yucca) and my first carob bean pods

Thanks for the carob bean pic. I’ve never seen any before. They weren’t like the pictured I had of them in my mind either.

pomolo said:

pepe said:

spanish bells (yucca) and my first carob bean pods

Thanks for the carob bean pic. I’ve never seen any before. They weren’t like the pictured I had of them in my mind either.

Bean meaning to ask pepe, how old is your carob tree? Mine is about 2 years old. Wondering when I might expect to see pods?

Is it comfortable to walk on barefoot, pepe? Been giving a bit of thought to what kind of driveway to have when we build – I like the idea of some sort of compacted material rather than paving or concrete.
————————————————-
my wife and daughter always ask about walking on it barefoot.

it’s better than lots of big sharp gravels because its screened, fine blue metal. so it’s ok but a bit hot in summer i would reckon – and the bits of bitumen might stick.

Bean meaning to ask pepe, how old is your carob tree? Mine is about 2 years old. Wondering when I might expect to see pods?
————————————————
seven years from seed maybe eight. three years in the pot and five in the ground.

beautiful tree – some VERY old specimens in the main streets of angaston and sedan.
i have seven trees and about four are female.

my exotic fruit orchard progress.

eight of the nine trees in – viz – reed avocado, macadamia (unhardened so in shadecloth screen), black sapote (elevated 120mm because land dips), black mulberry, 2 kalamatta olives, bay laurel and white genoa fig (chinese pistacchio too small compared to rest so fig substituted).

only white mulberry to plant but that’s to go in the chick pea crop area and they aren’t ripe yet.

except for the macadamia from B ($35) all the rest cost $10 – so i have an instant orchard – provided they grow. all of them have been planted in a half metre cube of home grown compost.

possibly rain tomorrow.

pepe said:

Is it comfortable to walk on barefoot, pepe? Been giving a bit of thought to what kind of driveway to have when we build – I like the idea of some sort of compacted material rather than paving or concrete.
————————————————-
my wife and daughter always ask about walking on it barefoot.

it’s better than lots of big sharp gravels because its screened, fine blue metal. so it’s ok but a bit hot in summer i would reckon – and the bits of bitumen might stick.

Sounds pretty good – definitely better than our driveway, which used to be gravel but has degraded pretty severely. I don’t usually walk around barefoot when it’s really hot anyway, it’s just in spring and autumn when it would be nice to have the option.

ms pepe has been to the local nusery sale now and she’s come back with

cycads – a ‘cardboard’ cycad and a ferny leaf one. these would probably be good in decorative pots under our pergola – she thinks.

muntries – bush tucker berry bushes.

hippeastrums.

one of my earlier buys was that lemon myrtle that RB displayed. this nursery had an excellent collection. the stock is not selling fast even at giveaway prices.

i found the perfect spot for the galangal ginger and planted it. dappled sun, good drainage, lots of water and fertile soil – a pretty familiar set of requirements.

still looking for bamboo and loquat positions.

cycads – some of the nursery we bought – black hollyhocks – acanthus just starting to flower

Now that’s a plant I haven’t spied for a long time… Acanthus. Thanks pepe :)

corn in front of black sapote which has just been planted – pineapple guava with raspberry brambles to rear – strawbs

pepe said:

corn in front of black sapote which has just been planted – pineapple guava with raspberry brambles to rear – strawbs

Cool. I think we might be going to have fruit (or flowers at least) on our pineapple guava this year. YIPPEE! I’ve never tried them so I hope they don’t disappoint

Cool. I think we might be going to have fruit (or flowers at least) on our pineapple guava this year. YIPPEE! I’ve never tried them so I hope they don’t disappoint
————————————
i’ve never grown them so if you do find a good way of eating the fruit let us know.
i’m told they are quite common in adelaide – so someone is eating them.

the three chicks looking more able now
- the feijoa – pineapple guava – the earlier pic was in fact the loquat.

pepe said:

cycads – some of the nursery we bought – black hollyhocks – acanthus just starting to flower

Did you get broms as well? I don’t remember you mentioning them.

pepe said:

Cool. I think we might be going to have fruit (or flowers at least) on our pineapple guava this year. YIPPEE! I’ve never tried them so I hope they don’t disappoint
————————————
i’ve never grown them so if you do find a good way of eating the fruit let us know.
i’m told they are quite common in adelaide – so someone is eating them.

They’re yummy but not everyone likes them. I have flowers on mine now Yay!!
I just cut them in half and scoop them out with a teaspoon, like Kiwi fruit.

pepe said:

corn in front of black sapote which has just been planted – pineapple guava with raspberry brambles to rear – strawbs

The strawbs I throw away are bigger than that. LOL.

Did you get broms as well? I don’t remember you mentioning them.

the woman doing the selling gave away poas, some bonsai plants and we must have a dozen free bromeliads. i believe the wife and daughter may have bought more than they can handle. time will tell. the broms are sitting in their root bound small pots – so i’m not sure where they are going or whether they will survive. ms pepe’s problem.

pomolo said:

pepe said:

corn in front of black sapote which has just been planted – pineapple guava with raspberry brambles to rear – strawbs

The strawbs I throw away are bigger than that. LOL.

well – prove it with pictures LOL.

pepe said:

Did you get broms as well? I don’t remember you mentioning them.

l. the broms are sitting in their root bound small pots – so i’m not sure where they are going or whether they will survive. ms pepe’s problem.

I have read on another gardening forum, broms have almost no root structure and indeed can survive hot-glued to a board a la elk- and stag-horns…provided they get water of course…

Dinetta said:

pepe said:

l. the broms are sitting in their root bound small pots – so i’m not sure where they are going or whether they will survive. ms pepe’s problem.

I have read on another gardening forum, broms have almost no root structure and indeed can survive hot-glued to a board a la elk- and stag-horns…provided they get water of course…

Damn, had one too many “quotes”

Dinetta said:

pepe said:

l. the broms are sitting in their root bound small pots – so i’m not sure where they are going or whether they will survive. ms pepe’s problem.

I have read on another gardening forum, broms have almost no root structure and indeed can survive hot-glued to a board a la elk- and stag-horns…provided they get water of course…

Damn, had one too many “quotes”

You know what I mean…

pepe said:

pomolo said:

pepe said:

corn in front of black sapote which has just been planted – pineapple guava with raspberry brambles to rear – strawbs

The strawbs I throw away are bigger than that. LOL.

well – prove it with pictures LOL.

Sorry. I ate them all.

spring lasted right thru until now this year.

this heat wave in early november has finalised the winter crops and now there is virtually nothing to eat from the garden. strawbs and spuds are being picked and one mulberry tree is good for foraging.

any attempt at planting beans, zucchini or basil is being knocked by the earwigs and the hot weather. i’ve got big cucumbers, basil, celery, onions and pumpkin seedlings ready to be planted but i’m just potting them up.

corn, carrots and sunflowers are growing well and seem immune to the pests. they are still a long way from harvest tho’.

my epi – zygo – cactus – thingy is out too.

pepe said:

my epi – zygo – cactus – thingy is out too.

You tried to pull a fasty Pepe. I thought that big flower was your cactus but it’s a hippy. You nearly had me fooled. I immediately thought that it was a colour I didn’t have in my ephi collection. Your real cactus (that isn’t an ephi I don’t think) is looking very floral anyway.

four cycads in big new pots on the terrace. old bamboo blinds shading the rest of the terrace. muntries as ground cover by the sacred bambbo and a million other pots from the nursery sale dotting the paving.

for the first time since the pergola has been up – about a year – the place isn’t looking like a desert.
and it’s cooler as well. pots are watered every day. we is verry pleesed.

pepe said:

four cycads in big new pots on the terrace. old bamboo blinds shading the rest of the terrace. muntries as ground cover by the sacred bambbo and a million other pots from the nursery sale dotting the paving.

for the first time since the pergola has been up – about a year – the place isn’t looking like a desert.
and it’s cooler as well. pots are watered every day. we is verry pleesed.

where’s the pictures?

bluegreen said:

pepe said:

four cycads in big new pots on the terrace. old bamboo blinds shading the rest of the terrace. muntries as ground cover by the sacred bambbo and a million other pots from the nursery sale dotting the paving.

for the first time since the pergola has been up – about a year – the place isn’t looking like a desert.
and it’s cooler as well. pots are watered every day. we is verry pleesed.

where’s the pictures?

do you want blistering whiteout sunshine or semi dark moon shots. i will of course try my best to post some tomorrow. wait 41 C tomorrow – maybe monday would be better lighting. my camera just can’t cope with contrasts.

photos of the cycads in new pots and various other potplants of the terrace.

one day this will be an exotic fruit orchard.
- macadamia in its shadecloth enclosure, sunflowers and avocado on old bonfire heap – carobs in background.
- black sapote with corn, ponds and bouganvillia.

pepe said:

photos of the cycads in new pots and various other potplants of the terrace.

Somebody’s been busy!

Dinetta said:

pepe said:

photos of the cycads in new pots and various other potplants of the terrace.

Somebody’s been busy!

Sure have been busy Pepe :)

That last pic with the pots gathered around the post gave me an idea.. what I would do( not that I’m suggesting you do this ) …planter box from one post to the next and planted up with all of those. Kinda encloses the area , provide shade and still have a view..

pepe said:

one day this will be an exotic fruit orchard.
- macadamia in its shadecloth enclosure, sunflowers and avocado on old bonfire heap – carobs in background.
- black sapote with corn, ponds and bouganvillia.

That could easily be our fruit orchard pepe, except ours is white sapote, locquat, custard apple, strawberry guava, figs, fejoia, cherry, pepino, carob, avocado, lemonade lemon, bush lemon, nashi pear, ordinary pear, pink lady apple, olive, macadamia, walnut, blueberry, raspberry, chilean guava, lily pilly, plums, mandarin, white muskat grapes, tamarillo, jabaticoba, brazilian cherry (Eugenia uniflora). When and if they all fruit it will be an amazing fruit salad!

That last pic with the pots gathered around the post gave me an idea.. what I would do( not that I’m suggesting you do this ) …planter box from one post to the next and planted up with all of those. Kinda encloses the area , provide shade and still have a view..
—————————————————-

we’re going to plant the black clumping bamboo in the now defunct lawn. they will form a shade and an edge. but we are looking for ideas – so thanks.

That could easily be our fruit orchard pepe, except ours is white sapote, locquat, custard apple, strawberry guava, figs, fejoia, cherry, pepino, carob, avocado, lemonade lemon, bush lemon, nashi pear, ordinary pear, pink lady apple, olive, macadamia, walnut, blueberry, raspberry, chilean guava, lily pilly, plums, mandarin, white muskat grapes, tamarillo, jabaticoba, brazilian cherry (Eugenia uniflora). When and if they all fruit it will be an amazing fruit salad!
—————————————-

you win anneS.
that is a big orchard – and yeah there is more than a person can eat if they all fruit.
is that brazilian cherry edible? – my daughter just bought one

pepe said:

That last pic with the pots gathered around the post gave me an idea.. what I would do( not that I’m suggesting you do this ) …planter box from one post to the next and planted up with all of those. Kinda encloses the area , provide shade and still have a view..
—————————————————-

we’re going to plant the black clumping bamboo in the now defunct lawn. they will form a shade and an edge. but we are looking for ideas – so thanks.

Hey pepe. we’ve been talking about that this morning, but the cost of it is a bit of deterrent for us. How much have you got? Would one say 200mm pot be enough or would we need more?

Hey pepe. we’ve been talking about that this morning, but the cost of it is a bit of deterrent for us. How much have you got? Would one say 200mm pot be enough or would we need more?
———————————————
black clumping bamboo does retail at about $70 per pot. i got about 5 of them for $10 each.
i’m a first timer with clumping bamboo so i don’t know but i suspect it can be divided – so your stock will gradually increase.

pepe said:

That could easily be our fruit orchard pepe, except ours is white sapote, locquat, custard apple, strawberry guava, figs, fejoia, cherry, pepino, carob, avocado, lemonade lemon, bush lemon, nashi pear, ordinary pear, pink lady apple, olive, macadamia, walnut, blueberry, raspberry, chilean guava, lily pilly, plums, mandarin, white muskat grapes, tamarillo, jabaticoba, brazilian cherry (Eugenia uniflora). When and if they all fruit it will be an amazing fruit salad!
—————————————-

you win anneS.
that is a big orchard – and yeah there is more than a person can eat if they all fruit.
is that brazilian cherry edible? – my daughter just bought one

I assume so pepe. My son (who bought most of the trees) is really into exotic fruits and he wanted to try the brazilian cherry. Most of them were bought from Diggers so were only small plants and it will be some time before we can expect fruit.

My son has gone back to Canberra this morning :(

The visit was too short. We went for a walk around the orchard on Fri and found that the guavas, fejoia, lilly pilly, bush lemon etc all have flowers and/or fruit for the first time.

Oh and I knew I forgot something…we’ve also got a white mulberry!

pepe said:

That could easily be our fruit orchard pepe, except ours is white sapote, locquat, custard apple, strawberry guava, figs, fejoia, cherry, pepino, carob, avocado, lemonade lemon, bush lemon, nashi pear, ordinary pear, pink lady apple, olive, macadamia, walnut, blueberry, raspberry, chilean guava, lily pilly, plums, mandarin, white muskat grapes, tamarillo, jabaticoba, brazilian cherry (Eugenia uniflora). When and if they all fruit it will be an amazing fruit salad!
—————————————-

you win anneS.
that is a big orchard – and yeah there is more than a person can eat if they all fruit.
is that brazilian cherry edible? – my daughter just bought one

It tastes like medicine. :(

pepe said:

That could easily be our fruit orchard pepe, except ours is white sapote, locquat, custard apple, strawberry guava, figs, fejoia, cherry, pepino, carob, avocado, lemonade lemon, bush lemon, nashi pear, ordinary pear, pink lady apple, olive, macadamia, walnut, blueberry, raspberry, chilean guava, lily pilly, plums, mandarin, white muskat grapes, tamarillo, jabaticoba, brazilian cherry (Eugenia uniflora). When and if they all fruit it will be an amazing fruit salad!
—————————————-

you win anneS.
that is a big orchard – and yeah there is more than a person can eat if they all fruit.
is that brazilian cherry edible? – my daughter just bought one

wasn’t trying to skite, sorry pepe. Just commenting that we had a few of the same types of fruit trees as you but also letting you know what else I had. I’m not really into one-upmanship

1. son reckons that with the variety of fruit trees etc that we have, we should be able to have some fruit from our own trees at any time of the year. Will be great if that eventuates. However the taste of the brazilian cherry is a bit of a worry!

AnneS said:

the taste of the brazilian cherry is a bit of a worry!

Maybe it’s meant to be a cooking / bottling cherry? Off to Google…

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/brazcherry.htm
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

With all respect to all parties in this discussion, the taste could be a matter of opinion?

Dinetta said:

AnneS said:

the taste of the brazilian cherry is a bit of a worry!

Maybe it’s meant to be a cooking / bottling cherry? Off to Google…

like Morello sour cherries perhaps…

although this site claims that it is delicious, and even better after refrigeration…

wasn’t trying to skite, sorry pepe. Just commenting that we had a few of the same types of fruit trees as you but also letting you know what else I had. I’m not really into one-upmanship #1 son reckons that with the variety of fruit trees etc that we have, we should be able to have some fruit from our own trees at any time of the year. Will be great if that eventuates. However the taste of the brazilian cherry is a bit of a worry!
—————
i’m pleased someone has a bigger orchard – i don’t know what i’m doing really – so someone with more ambition is comforting.
i agree about oneupmanship – but i bet i get bigger black sapotes LOL.

Dinetta said:

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/brazcherry.htm
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

With all respect to all parties in this discussion, the taste could be a matter of opinion?

everything a matter of opinion – pomegranates are useless but they are easy to grow and therefore some will come up with a p. juice or summin.

bluegreen said:

Dinetta said:

AnneS said:

the taste of the brazilian cherry is a bit of a worry!

Maybe it’s meant to be a cooking / bottling cherry? Off to Google…

like Morello sour cherries perhaps…

although this site claims that it is delicious, and even better after refrigeration…

Oh well we’re up for a challenge so we we;ll give it a go!

pepe said:

Dinetta said:

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/brazcherry.htm
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

With all respect to all parties in this discussion, the taste could be a matter of opinion?

everything a matter of opinion – pomegranates are useless but they are easy to grow and therefore some will come up with a p. juice or summin.

They have Pomegranate juice in Woolies now!

bluegreen said:

Dinetta said:

AnneS said:

the taste of the brazilian cherry is a bit of a worry!

Maybe it’s meant to be a cooking / bottling cherry? Off to Google…

like Morello sour cherries perhaps…

although this site claims that it is delicious, and even better after refrigeration…

We had brazilian cherries growing when we were kids. I ate them to be smart but they were mostly acidic and unappetising. That may be because we didn’t allow them to fully ripen before we scoffed them. Mum made them into jam but not very often because my father owned a section at the Brisbane markets and used to bring home cases of the choisest fruit almost daily.

Aside from all that, B cherry is a lovely bush/shrub. Ours was clipped back and was very dense. It’s well worth growing even if it never produces fruit.

orchid40 said:

pepe said:

Dinetta said:

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/brazcherry.htm
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

With all respect to all parties in this discussion, the taste could be a matter of opinion?

everything a matter of opinion – pomegranates are useless but they are easy to grow and therefore some will come up with a p. juice or summin.

They have Pomegranate juice in Woolies now!

Cripes, we used to eat pomegranates too, when we were kids. I didn’t go for them either. Such a waste of time and effort when you’ve got cases of fruit from the markets, waiting to be eaten at home.

it does sound as tho’ the brazilian cherry is mainly ornamental – like the chinese pistachio.

i’m putting drip irrigation in three places other than the exotic fruit tree orchard.

- circular drive bed – prunus nigra, 3 apples, 2 mulberry, quince, fig and bay tree.
- buddlejas, raspberries and abutilons
- front bed – jackarandas, quinces, roses, artemesias and others.

in a heat wave its impossible to hand water all these plus the veges, citrus etc. and the drip gives a deeper watering less often. watering restrictions need to be relaxed as 50% of gardeners are ignoring the rules and they only represent 4% of the state’s water consumption anyway.

pepe said:

watering restrictions need to be relaxed as 50% of gardeners are ignoring the rules and they only represent 4% of the state’s water consumption anyway.

That’s very true, but the outcome (green lush lawns, bountiful herbage) is more obvious…

pepe said:

it does sound as tho’ the brazilian cherry is mainly ornamental – like the chinese pistachio.

i’m putting drip irrigation in three places other than the exotic fruit tree orchard.

- circular drive bed – prunus nigra, 3 apples, 2 mulberry, quince, fig and bay tree.
- buddlejas, raspberries and abutilons
- front bed – jackarandas, quinces, roses, artemesias and others.

in a heat wave its impossible to hand water all these plus the veges, citrus etc. and the drip gives a deeper watering less often. watering restrictions need to be relaxed as 50% of gardeners are ignoring the rules and they only represent 4% of the state’s water consumption anyway.

You’ve got yourself a mammoth task haven’t you Pepe? Good on you for all you’re doing in the gardens. Plus your heatwave. Thanks for passing it on too. 31c here a 9am. I’m just a grease spot atm.

Pepe, your garden is a foodie’s delight! All those fruit trees plus all the vegetables WOW! You’ll have to hire fruit pickers at harvest time!

orchid40 said:

Pepe, your garden is a foodie’s delight! All those fruit trees plus all the vegetables WOW! You’ll have to hire fruit pickers at harvest time!

a foodies delight LOL – that is my aim but at present i’ve not got a lot of veges. i need toms, caps, spinach, basil, cucumbers in right now – but heat waves and pests are preventing it.

Pepe I have got some baby Lebanese Eggplant, about 1½ inches long now, what happens next???

Dinetta said:

Pepe I have got some baby Lebanese Eggplant, about 1½ inches long now, what happens next???

watch them grow bigger? :P

LOL! These don’t grow very big, and I’d hate to leave them on until over-ripe or summink….

Good thread here, answered my question…

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=496

Hope you don’t think I’ve hijacked your thread Pepe?

Dinetta said:

Good thread here, answered my question…

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=496

Hope you don’t think I’ve hijacked your thread Pepe?

I get the SGA newsletter, but I haven’t looked at their forum before.

Dinetta said:

Good thread here, answered my question…

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=496

Hope you don’t think I’ve hijacked your thread Pepe?

nah – but i think if you pick my brains you might find them shriveled.

eggplant is the same as capsicum and tomato – basically composty soil with an emphasis on phosporous rather than nitrogen. full sun and constantly moist soil.
what’s an inch and a half long? – the plant or the fruit?

bluegreen said:

Dinetta said:

Good thread here, answered my question…

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=496

Hope you don’t think I’ve hijacked your thread Pepe?

I get the SGA newsletter, but I haven’t looked at their forum before.

Neither have I. I find the newsletter a bit gung-ho, and wrote to protest their use of an Eastern something Froglet in an article about canetoads. They responded but I am sure they have no idea of the damages done by canetoads…or by people who think any amphibian with stripes and pointy toes must necessarily be a canetoad…very misleading photo I thought, even tho’ the reply pointed out the caption was right at the bottom of the newsletter…

pepe said:

eggplant is the same as capsicum and tomato – basically composty soil with an emphasis on phosporous rather than nitrogen. full sun and constantly moist soil.
what’s an inch and a half long? – the plant or the fruit?

The fruit…

Dinetta said:

pepe said:

eggplant is the same as capsicum and tomato – basically composty soil with an emphasis on phosporous rather than nitrogen. full sun and constantly moist soil.
what’s an inch and a half long? – the plant or the fruit?

The fruit…

so its quite a large plant and can withstand fertiliser then.

normally at flowering time i would apply a liquid fertiliser – seaweed, potash or pigeon poo.

pepe said:

Dinetta said:

pepe said:

eggplant is the same as capsicum and tomato – basically composty soil with an emphasis on phosporous rather than nitrogen. full sun and constantly moist soil.
what’s an inch and a half long? – the plant or the fruit?

The fruit…

so its quite a large plant and can withstand fertiliser then.

normally at flowering time i would apply a liquid fertiliser – seaweed, potash or pigeon poo.

The plant is 12 to 15 inches tall. I have been pinching the flowers out until recently, until I was sure the plant was established in the garden bed. Have been throwing worm wee over it, also some kelp/fish emulsion about 3 weeks ago. Just deep watering it along with the tomatoes about once a week or when they look a bit stressed from the heat…it is deep mulched with chick pea mulch, which I find gives the best protection from soil moisture loss…

The reason I asked you is because you and Lucky seem to have very similar summers to me. Speaking of which, do I understand aright, your parsley will withstand full summer sun once established?

The plant is 12 to 15 inches tall. I have been pinching the flowers out until recently, until I was sure the plant was established in the garden bed. Have been throwing worm wee over it, also some kelp/fish emulsion about 3 weeks ago. Just deep watering it along with the tomatoes about once a week or when they look a bit stressed from the heat…it is deep mulched with chick pea mulch, which I find gives the best protection from soil moisture loss… The reason I asked you is because you and Lucky seem to have very similar summers to me. Speaking of which, do I understand aright, your parsley will withstand full summer sun once established?
—————————-
sounds like a good job is already being done on the eggplant. keep it up.
both types of parsley will take full summer sun and not even flinch.

Thanks Pepe :)

I’ll deepen the mulch around the parsley then, and keep up with the worm wee to them…

lizard weather – and guess who’s quick enough to catch one in each hand?
daughters – you got to love em.

pepe said:

lizard weather – and guess who’s quick enough to catch one in each hand?
daughters – you got to love em.

hehe, what a lovely photo :)

pepe said:

lizard weather – and guess who’s quick enough to catch one in each hand?
daughters – you got to love em.

Healthy looking lizards…were they on your place?

a blue tongue and a skink – she saw them both from the pool.

i can’t believe how she does it – but they didn’t struggle at all in her hands.

pepe said:

lizard weather – and guess who’s quick enough to catch one in each hand?
daughters – you got to love em.

Cool…… great pics

it doesn’t look like much but i have planted the summer garden and ‘ere tis –

it doesn’t look like much
+++++++++++++++++
Looks alright to me Pep.
As long as that’s how it’s supposed to look you’re doin OK i thought.
I didn’t get those fotos of my beds for you either did i?
I’ll see what i can find.

Longy said:

it doesn’t look like much
+++++++++++++++++
Looks alright to me Pep.
As long as that’s how it’s supposed to look you’re doin OK i thought.
I didn’t get those fotos of my beds for you either did i?
I’ll see what i can find.

thanks
yeah you’re slack – all these jaunts up north are just avoidance LOL.
i trust the bushfires are well away from the missus and the dawg?

pepe said:

Longy said:

it doesn’t look like much
+++++++++++++++++
Looks alright to me Pep.
As long as that’s how it’s supposed to look you’re doin OK i thought.
I didn’t get those fotos of my beds for you either did i?
I’ll see what i can find.

thanks
yeah you’re slack – all these jaunts up north are just avoidance LOL.
i trust the bushfires are well away from the missus and the dawg?

Yeah i am slack, however, i do have a couple of snaps on my camera. Just trying to upload at snail’s pace. Bushfires are/were all done around my area. Oldest youngun is home. He can take care of things as required.

A few scruffy spuds dying off in the foreground bed. Tomatoes, chillies and caps in the rear row. Back bed has a few gherkins in their early stages.

This bed on about the 3rd crop. Some zuchs in the front, beans in back, the last of some brassices in the back row with a Big Beef tomato. It was supposed to grow thru winter but never did. Now it’s a monster.

and a snap of the ponytails in flower. Notice my lense cap wasn’t fully open.
The old Sony is about dead i reckon.

This one and the following 2 are full size.

and a snap of the ponytails in flower.
——————————————

the ponytails are a spectacular plant.
the raised beds look like the hanging gardens of babylon – even spuds trailing over the edge. nice. the birdnetting structure is a good idea as well.

tell the missus she has done an excellent job LOL.

That’s all she wrote.

This one and the following 2 are full size.
————————-
the zuchs look like monsterria – big leaves.

pepe said:

and a snap of the ponytails in flower.
——————————————

the ponytails are a spectacular plant.
the raised beds look like the hanging gardens of babylon – even spuds trailing over the edge. nice. the birdnetting structure is a good idea as well.

tell the missus she has done an excellent job LOL.

Yeah they had a great flowering season all over the place this year. A result of the dry spring i reckon. It also triggered fruit set in mangoes too.
The hanging spuds of babble on would have been still growing but for a particularly wet period, they are a few different varieties. A purple skin and flesh one, some red skinned ones and some desiree yellows. All my feral spuds up the back paddock produced a good crop which we’re eating now, with a few more to dig. So we should be in spuds for a while.

pepe said:

This one and the following 2 are full size.
————————-
the zuchs look like monsterria – big leaves.

Yeah just after i took that shot, they got a fungal prob and i cutoff the main stem and allowed the plants to regrow from a sideshoot.So they have goe berko again.

the birdnetting structure is a good idea as well.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
They’re actually finer than bird netting. Fruit fly proof.

I’m intending to build proper nets for the beds. Probably 2. One 2m high and one 1m high. Out of poly tubing. I’ll get some netting from here http://www.polynet.com.au/

Have it cut and sown to fit by an upholsterer mate and i should be bug proof.

The hanging spuds of babble on would have been still growing but for a particularly wet period, they are a few different varieties. A purple skin and flesh one, some red skinned ones and some desiree yellows. All my feral spuds up the back paddock produced a good crop which we’re eating now, with a few more to dig. So we should be in spuds for a while.
———
my feral spuds have just finished and aren’t big but are very tasty. mainly coliban and desiree. the kennebecs are being irrigated and form an edge to that new summer garden shown earlier.

novel idea to chop the zuch off for resprouting – i’ve never heard of that one.

Longy said:

I’m intending to build proper nets for the beds. Probably 2. One 2m high and one 1m high. Out of poly tubing. I’ll get some netting from here http://www.polynet.com.au/

Have it cut and sown to fit by an upholsterer mate and i should be bug proof.

do they let the bees in ?

I would have thought it too early to have a crop of spuds ready down your way.
The Zuchinni thing was bit of an experiment. The main stem started to rot after we got a bunch of rain. I think the straw mulch was too close. It split and oozed all along the stem, i picked the last few zuchs and noticed a small reprout, so i cutoff the main stem and away it went. Looks successful as when i left home there were lots of female flowers on it. Few males too which is interesting.

do they let the bees in ?

++++++++++++++++++
No they don’t pepe, and this is one of the problems with netting for fruitfly.
I don’t put the net on until fruit is set and pests are active. To achieve further fruit set, (although tommies will set a few off a bunch with no assistance), i have used a tiny paintbrush. However, if i v=can get my first tomatoes about 3/4 size and the top of the plant has small fruits, then it’s enough as the plant will probably be succumbing to fungal blights etc byt the time the top ones ripen.

my spuds were winter spuds – planted july – no frost here and no irrigation either – so they grew in 5 months.

that fruit setting then netting is all about timing i imagine.
my passionfruit have set – so BG and RB were right about them being hermaphrodites. good – six decent fruit so far – none ripe.

i’m picking delicious strawbs but no raspberry fruit is evident. HP has eaten raspberries already so i’m confused.

pepe said:

my spuds were winter spuds – planted july – no frost here and no irrigation either – so they grew in 5 months.

that fruit setting then netting is all about timing i imagine.
my passionfruit have set – so BG and RB were right about them being hermaphrodites. good – six decent fruit so far – none ripe.

i’m picking delicious strawbs but no raspberry fruit is evident. HP has eaten raspberries already so i’m confused.

I would have thought you got frosts. Even up here we get a few mild ones.
Yes timing seems to be the key with the nets. I was away when the fruit fly became active this time and a few young fruit got hit. I think i have arrested the problem now though.
I’m leaving the top of the netting slightly open on a few tommies. The bees will have easy access to new top flowers but the lower fruit, which attracts the FF are still protected. It’s a risk not being there to monitor if it works but i’ll see i guess.
Dunno about berries and brambles. Tho i do like a blackberry pie.

Longy said:

and a snap of the ponytails in flower. Notice my lense cap wasn’t fully open.
The old Sony is about dead i reckon.

Some wedding photographers charge heaps for effects like that!

i thinned out the sunflower patch and then planted the thinnings throughout the summer garden. the 300mm high newly transplanted sunflowers went very droopy in the afternoon and then chirpy again in the morning. in a day or so i’ll know how many have survived.

i always thought that women (my wife in partic.) had ‘the eye’ and could compose decorative gardens better than a man ever could.
now that my wife is working and i’m the stay at home person i’m beginning to get this ‘eye’.
only it isn’t an ‘eye’ at all. it’s an intimate understanding of the problem and an evolving list of possible alternative solutions.
so if you walk pass the clothesline a dozen times a day you first of all detect that something in the composition (height etc.) of that bit of garden is wrong. then, over time, you mentally seek possible solutions until such time as you have a revelation and then act on it.
sorry girls – yet another talent is universal – rather than gender specific.

the lemon verbena tree surrounded by corn.
the new exotic fruit orchard with the other corn.
one of the six ponds now saving the lives of frogs and centipedes (that are no longer drowning in the pool).

pepe said:

one of the six ponds now saving the lives of frogs and centipedes (that are no longer drowning in the pool).

How often do you empty/re-fill the pond?

I should do something like this, but at this stage I reckon I’d end up letting them dry out too often. Actually the best thing would be to rig them up to the scheme water irrigation, but in summer they’d still dry out between watering days.

bon008 said:

pepe said:

one of the six ponds now saving the lives of frogs and centipedes (that are no longer drowning in the pool).

How often do you empty/re-fill the pond? I should do something like this, but at this stage I reckon I’d end up letting them dry out too often. Actually the best thing would be to rig them up to the scheme water irrigation, but in summer they’d still dry out between watering days.

currently the new summer garden is so embryonic that i water it every morning and these ponds get topped up. twice a week i tip all the water out – crush the slugs living underneath and renew the water completely.
one ‘pond’ that gets most sun turns to algae everyday when its hot.

question – are these ponds legal in nth queensland – or does ross river virus and gangee (?) fever prevent it ?

pepe said:

currently the new summer garden is so embryonic that i water it every morning and these ponds get topped up. twice a week i tip all the water out – crush the slugs living underneath and renew the water completely.
one ‘pond’ that gets most sun turns to algae everyday when its hot.

question – are these ponds legal in nth queensland – or does ross river virus and gangee (?) fever prevent it ?

Good question.. but I have no idea!

pepe said:

the lemon verbena tree surrounded by corn.
the new exotic fruit orchard with the other corn.
one of the six ponds now saving the lives of frogs and centipedes (that are no longer drowning in the pool).

Love the mulch provided for them to hide under…

pepe said:

question – are these ponds legal in nth queensland – or does ross river virus and gangee (?) fever prevent it ?

Not illegal AFAIK, but inadvisable…however if they are being tipped out and rinsed out twice a week, then there is no problem…not aware of any mozzie that can grow from eggs to adulthood in 48 hours but I could be wrong…great canetoad traps…

pepe said:

i always thought that women (my wife in partic.) had ‘the eye’ and could compose decorative gardens better than a man ever could.
now that my wife is working and i’m the stay at home person i’m beginning to get this ‘eye’.
only it isn’t an ‘eye’ at all. it’s an intimate understanding of the problem and an evolving list of possible alternative solutions.
so if you walk pass the clothesline a dozen times a day you first of all detect that something in the composition (height etc.) of that bit of garden is wrong. then, over time, you mentally seek possible solutions until such time as you have a revelation and then act on it.
sorry girls – yet another talent is universal – rather than gender specific.

I recently did some work with a lady designer and a blokey landscaper, I was QnA. And the Blokey landscaper said the same; that he had worked often with said lady designer and he feels that it was a chick thing to be able to envisage what was on a plan and how it would appear on the ground. And he was happy for the sheila to continue to do so, he was happy doing the implementation.

I recently did some work with a lady designer and a blokey landscaper, I was QnA. And the Blokey landscaper said the same; that he had worked often with said lady designer and he feels that it was a chick thing to be able to envisage what was on a plan and how it would appear on the ground. And he was happy for the sheila to continue to do so, he was happy doing the implementation.
—————-
that’s probably true of 90% of male/female relationships – but now that i’ve had the ideas i’m waiting for the missus to implement LOL.

my sunflowers have all taken. they were thinnings and bare rooted but three cool days with a splattering of rain means they have successfully transplanted.

sunflowers in the vege or ornamental garden are good because -
- a tall strong plant that provides partial shade
- a vertical element in a low vege patch
- good strong corner pegs if you’re dragging the hose around
- a bird and bee attractant
- chook food and human food too if you can be bothered shelling them (v.difficult)
- the famous flower that tracts the sun by turning its head from east to west each day.
- they take very little room and can probably be used as a growing trellis for climbing beans and cucumber.

Morn Pepe. The sunflowers sound great :)
Unfortunately the earwigs made short work of my sunflower seedlings.. will try that again another time.
————————
now is another time.
buy s.seeds in bulk as pet food from the stupidmart or the fodder store (grey is reputedly better than black).
plant them thickly in all the gaps of the garden – particularly where toms, cueys need partial shade or as a windbreak to the west..
the earwigs go into recess about now – as they mature they go back to eating the rotting material.
plenty of earwigs around here but the damage has dropped.

pepe said:

Morn Pepe. The sunflowers sound great :)
Unfortunately the earwigs made short work of my sunflower seedlings.. will try that again another time.
————————
now is another time.
buy s.seeds in bulk as pet food from the stupidmart or the fodder store (grey is reputedly better than black).
plant them thickly in all the gaps of the garden – particularly where toms, cueys need partial shade or as a windbreak to the west..
the earwigs go into recess about now – as they mature they go back to eating the rotting material.
plenty of earwigs around here but the damage has dropped.

Ok , and thanks for the bulk seeds tip. I’d noticed the earwigs have let up on their munching lately. I have some root barrer-ing work to do, and a few pavers to be put between the back vege beds. Sunflowers along the fence will come in handy for shading toms in this s’west facing bed.

the last little (long dead) lawn area is now being planned as a free form drift of mixed native grasses. its about 6×6m and the size of a small courtyard. i had it planned as black bamboo on one side and wattle, poas and quandong on the other. but now the wife has expanded the vision into gently swaying mass plantings of grasses and hoses have been laid out to illustrate where the red sand paths will go.
so the idea of me visualising and her implementing has hit a snag.LOL.

morning
fine misty rain here. ms and i pruned all weekend. we’ve both got new secateurs – felco #4 for me.
raspberries, carobs, the whole front poppy patch, the natives were all trimed. lavendar too. so there’s a pile of compost to run the mower over – sometime.

my raspberries have got flowers and i tied some into bunches like sir pete recommended.

the ponds – note the rhubarb isn’t dead yet.
black sapote is doing well – sunflowers and corn.
first pomegranates
comfrey looks comfy

first raspberry flowers
my attempt at tying up the canes and bunches of grapes in gap of fences

these silk worms have eaten half a mulberry tree

the poa grasses we bought for about $1.50 each from the closing down nursery and the bare patch of lawn they will be planted in.

corn flattened by the gale force winds have been propped up with straw.
kennebec spuds, transplanted sunflowers and carrots
one of the free broms from the nursery sale
galangal ginger sprouting from the tuber

and dats all folks

comfrey looks comfy
——————————————————-

Well done:)

pepe said:

these silk worms have eaten half a mulberry tree

are they pets, or do you harvest the silk?

pepe said:

corn flattened by the gale force winds have been propped up with straw.

they look like they will go on to produce

bluegreen said:

pepe said:

corn flattened by the gale force winds have been propped up with straw.

they look like they will go on to produce

the silkworms are ms pepe’s and she uses them as a prop in her job as teacher. apart from that they are a pest that we swear we will never grow them again – each year we swear and each year we weaken.

the corn will do well i think as long as there isn’t another gale in the next two weeks.

pepe said:

we’ve both got new secateurs – felco #4 for me.

and for the other half?

pain master said:

pepe said:

we’ve both got new secateurs – felco #4 for me.

and for the other half?

wilkinson rapid 2200. it wasn’t her b’day present so we tried a half price set. so far so good.
we started with handmedowns then bought elcheapos and now have finally decided to buy something that works. we hope.