i like december – mainly because i like something to end and this is the end of 09.

i think i have realised a truth about tomatoes, strawbs and corn.

they all like attention. pruning, mulching, fertilising, watering. the person with the greenest thumb does most.

so i’ve just pruned, fert and mulch two self sown toms. it took about an hour but i’ve sorted out the various limbs, pruned some big branches out, tie them up to a fence in espalier fashion and then dosed them up with goodies. i feel as tho’ i’ve turned a corner with toms. it may not work this time but from now on toms get spoilt.

pepe said:

i like december – mainly because i like something to end and this is the end of 09.

i think i have realised a truth about tomatoes, strawbs and corn.

they all like attention. pruning, mulching, fertilising, watering. the person with the greenest thumb does most.

so i’ve just pruned, fert and mulch two self sown toms. it took about an hour but i’ve sorted out the various limbs, pruned some big branches out, tie them up to a fence in espalier fashion and then dosed them up with goodies. i feel as tho’ i’ve turned a corner with toms. it may not work this time but from now on toms get spoilt.

Welcome to the ‘other side’ Pepe. Pepe the tomato grower LOL. (laughting with you, not at you) That goes for rhubarb , citrus , berries..ect ect.

Welcome to the ‘other side’ Pepe.
Pepe the tomato grower LOL. (laughting with you, not at you)
That goes for rhubarb , citrus , berries..ect ect.
————————————————————-
pepe the tomato grower – i like it.
the place in the adelaide hills i gardened for thirty years wasn’t tomato country. this place is. so i might turn the corner. also tomatoes taste too acidic to my palate and because i don’t eat them much i don’t care for them much.
but homegrown tom sauces, pizza bases and fresh salads might change my attitude. i hope so.

pepe said:

i like december – mainly because i like something to end and this is the end of 09.

i think i have realised a truth about tomatoes, strawbs and corn.

they all like attention. pruning, mulching, fertilising, watering. the person with the greenest thumb does most.

so i’ve just pruned, fert and mulch two self sown toms. it took about an hour but i’ve sorted out the various limbs, pruned some big branches out, tie them up to a fence in espalier fashion and then dosed them up with goodies. i feel as tho’ i’ve turned a corner with toms. it may not work this time but from now on toms get spoilt.

Hey pepe. I’ve come to the same realisation! But I think it’s too late for this crop of toms. Wouldn’t know where to start with pruning – they’re really monsters now. But next time we will be paying them daily visits and really getting stuck in.

pepe said:

i feel as tho’ i’ve turned a corner with toms. it may not work this time but from now on toms get spoilt.

Pete used to say to treat the toms tough until they start flowering, then spoil them. Or something along those lines…

bluegreen said:

pepe said:

i feel as tho’ i’ve turned a corner with toms. it may not work this time but from now on toms get spoilt.

Pete used to say to treat the toms tough until they start flowering, then spoil them. Or something along those lines…

Interesting observation BlueGreen, and one with a lot of merits, I think…

i’ve got about 40 strawbs looking good on the western side of the shed. they’re all my own runners – tiogas by the taste. that’s raspberries and sweet peas as the backdrop.
the strawbs have had their first crop so i’ve spoilt them with pruning, mulching, fertiliser and rainwater to get them ready for their second crop – about xmas day i hope.

With all that molly coddling, your own Christmas strawberries would be a just reward!

under the plant pot saucers – frogs, slaters worms – so bowls of permanent water in the garden are worthwhile.
‘cardboard’ cycads are shooting

pepe said:

under the plant pot saucers – frogs, slaters worms – so bowls of permanent water in the garden are worthwhile.
‘cardboard’ cycads are shooting

Those bowls of permanent water certainly are worthwhile…do you find they attract the birds as well?

That cycad looks ready to spring…

Those bowls of permanent water certainly are worthwhile…do you find they attract the birds as well?
—-
most definitely.
the real interesting bit will be a nighttime spotlighting. because no centipedes have drowned in the pool since the inauguration of the ponds i am wanting to see long centipedes draped over the sides, drinking at night.

pepe said:

Those bowls of permanent water certainly are worthwhile…do you find they attract the birds as well?
—-
most definitely.
the real interesting bit will be a nighttime spotlighting. because no centipedes have drowned in the pool since the inauguration of the ponds i am wanting to see long centipedes draped over the sides, drinking at night.

in the idiom of the young’uns, “that would be so cool!”

pepe said:

under the plant pot saucers – frogs, slaters worms – so bowls of permanent water in the garden are worthwhile.
‘cardboard’ cycads are shooting

not allowed to bowls of permanent water up here, 4 Dengue cases recently in town…

not allowed to bowls of permanent water up here, 4 Dengue cases recently in town…
———————————————————
is that how to spell dengee – i had heard no free water was allowed in the tropics – altho’ someone here said if you empty them every second day mozzies couldn’t breed.

i’m heading off in a minute or two to see an open garden at murray bridge.

my bananas came to nothing so that shoot has been levelled and kero’ed in 2 minutes flat. at least i’m preventing a banana grove like everyone else has here.

my chicks are now so fast that i can only photograph them at night on the perch. the white one might be a rooster – but still too early to sex them IMHO.

pepe said:

not allowed to bowls of permanent water up here, 4 Dengue cases recently in town…
———————————————————
is that how to spell dengee – i had heard no free water was allowed in the tropics – altho’ someone here said if you empty them every second day mozzies couldn’t breed.

Yep, Dengue… I have noted that a temperate climate mosquito which is capable of transmitting Dengue (and is known in some very non-tropical areas of the globe) has been found on the top of Cape York and in the Torres Strait. They are trying to minimise its impact, but if it heads south then it could comfortably live in Sydney or Melbourne.

Dengue, its only a decade away from you Mexicans…

pain master said:

pepe said:

not allowed to bowls of permanent water up here, 4 Dengue cases recently in town…
———————————————————
is that how to spell dengee – i had heard no free water was allowed in the tropics – altho’ someone here said if you empty them every second day mozzies couldn’t breed.

I said that, but I should imagine that not everyone with little ponds (pond-lets?) tips the water out, so the tropical health authorities say “no water containers at all” and this is fair enough. I always tip the bird baths out after 2 – 3 days, let them dry if there’s wrigglers, but others like to think “not in my backyard”…

We’ve got Bramah (F7) forest fever up here…my GP got very excited (professionally speaking) when I exhibited the classic signs of Bramah forest fever but nothing came of it for about 6 weeks, (nothing in the tests) and then Ross River Fever popped it’s head up in the blood cultures….grrrr….

Dengue you don’t want…

Dinetta said:

pepe said:

pain master said:

not allowed to bowls of permanent water up here, 4 Dengue cases recently in town…

is that how to spell dengee – i had heard no free water was allowed in the tropics – altho’ someone here said if you empty them every second day mozzies couldn’t breed.

I said that, but I should imagine that not everyone with little ponds (pond-lets?) tips the water out, so the tropical health authorities say “no water containers at all” and this is fair enough. I always tip the bird baths out after 2 – 3 days, let them dry if there’s wrigglers, but others like to think “not in my backyard”…

We’ve got Bramah (F7) forest fever up here…my GP got very excited (professionally speaking) when I exhibited the classic signs of Bramah forest fever but nothing came of it for about 6 weeks, (nothing in the tests) and then Ross River Fever popped it’s head up in the blood cultures….grrrr….

Dengue you don’t want…

Okies, see how that goes…

Better! :)

Dinetta said:

Dengue you don’t want…

Not twice anyway, and not with different strains!

pain master said:

Dinetta said:

Dengue you don’t want…

Not twice anyway, and not with different strains!

Too much information :(

Dinetta said:

pain master said:

Dinetta said:

Dengue you don’t want…

Not twice anyway, and not with different strains!

Too much information :(

well one dose of Dengue is crappy, but if you get a second dose of one of the other three strains then it becomes hemorrhagic and is the real reason they call it broken bone disease…

the open garden at murray bridge was impressive as they all are.
this was 6,000 sq.m. (acre and a half) which included three houses, lots of paving and some mighty big trees on the banks of the murray river – almost.
i saw the biggest casuarina tree i’ve ever seen and one massive old river red gum had a bracket fungi growing in the hollowed out heartwood section.

apart from that there were individual specimens that i didn’t recognise. a sort of cottage garden below the huge trees. you have to admire anyone with such a huge garden but there was no veges and too much lawn, inconsequential little fountain thingies and basically i was uninspired.

so we walked around but didn’t stay long. i must stick to permaculture type productive stuff since i can’t really appreciate the decorative – just me.

a good buy at the local market held in front of the old gawler railway station on a sunday.

punnets of basil, eggplant, caps $2 each.
individual big toms for $2 each.
instant gardening at half the price of the shops.
a bloke is selling good carrots there as well.

these local markets will one day partially replace the bigger retailers i hope. it’s open air and therefore is really popular on a fine day like yesterday.

my bean, lettuce and spinach seeds have been reluctant to grow this year. i can and will replant but last year we had rain at exactly the same time and things boomed.
it was probably the once-in-a-lifetime sale at the local nursery that threw everything out of kilter here. once i had bought the exotic bamboos, fruit trees and veges all other plants were forgotten until i had the newly purchased potplants growing in the ground.

currently the stars of my garden are -
kennebec spuds
jerusalem artichokes

- with carrots, ginger, sweet corn, sunflowers in the medium good category.

i’m pretty sure that the sweet peas should have finished flowering by now – global cooling – or second coming?
the last photo is of a salvia that has revived remarkably from being almost dead during the drought.

jerusalem artichokes are tubers that are currently growing faster than anything else in the vege patch.
transplanted sunflowers are great fun.
corn just starting to flower.

pepe said:

i’m pretty sure that the sweet peas should have finished flowering by now – global cooling – or second coming?
the last photo is of a salvia that has revived remarkably from being almost dead during the drought.

Nice to see some colour Pepe.

you might remember that i decided to design a garden in the last remaining dead lawn space and get the missus to implement my plans. a deliberate role reversal that i thought would be good for both of us.

it never worked. unless you think reverse psychology is a victory.

the missus when straight to work – came up with a more complex design – bought the plants without consultation – and is currently working the soil over.

funny that – basically i will never get to design an ornamental garden whilst in her company. she’s not even fully conscious that override button has been pushed.

still – from my point of view – one automatic garden coming up LOL.

pepe said:

you might remember that i decided to design a garden in the last remaining dead lawn space and get the missus to implement my plans. a deliberate role reversal that i thought would be good for both of us.

it never worked. unless you think reverse psychology is a victory.

the missus when straight to work – came up with a more complex design – bought the plants without consultation – and is currently working the soil over.

funny that – basically i will never get to design an ornamental garden whilst in her company. she’s not even fully conscious that override button has been pushed.

still – from my point of view – one automatic garden coming up LOL.

It’s a female thing Pepe. An ability to see the big picture even if it’s impossible to get there.

it’s a female thing Pepe. An ability to see the big picture even if it’s impossible to get there.
————-
i doubt that it is really a female talent. more of a female dominance in the field of all things beautiful/ all things pertaining to the home. obviously josh (GA) can deliver an aesthetic as well as a productive garden.
i’m thinking my vege patch (a male field in our family) might suddenly become more aesthetic. i see visions of wavering grasses, wild splashes of colour and an interplay of light and shade coming to my vege patch soon.

pepe said:

you might remember that i decided to design a garden in the last remaining dead lawn space and get the missus to implement my plans. a deliberate role reversal that i thought would be good for both of us.

it never worked. unless you think reverse psychology is a victory.

the missus when straight to work – came up with a more complex design – bought the plants without consultation – and is currently working the soil over.

funny that – basically i will never get to design an ornamental garden whilst in her company. she’s not even fully conscious that override button has been pushed.

still – from my point of view – one automatic garden coming up LOL.

You have no idea how much I wish that would happen here… :D :D :D

pepe said:

it’s a female thing Pepe. An ability to see the big picture even if it’s impossible to get there.
————-
i doubt that it is really a female talent. more of a female dominance in the field of all things beautiful/ all things pertaining to the home. obviously josh (GA) can deliver an aesthetic as well as a productive garden.
i’m thinking my vege patch (a male field in our family) might suddenly become more aesthetic. i see visions of wavering grasses, wild splashes of colour and an interplay of light and shade coming to my vege patch soon.

So flowery Pepe, I’d like to see that.

You have no idea how much I wish that would happen here… :D :D :D
—————————
in the end neither of us had our vision come true. we planted the root bound pots of poas ($2 per 4” pot) x 14. i never achieved the height i wanted and ms. p. never got her interwoven freeform swatches of colour. we did work together in the end – so it probably just takes one of the partners to move and the other will be inspired.
probably the cost of lots of pots or seedlings will compromise the design tho’.

pomolo said:

pepe said:

it’s a female thing Pepe. An ability to see the big picture even if it’s impossible to get there.
————-
i doubt that it is really a female talent. more of a female dominance in the field of all things beautiful/ all things pertaining to the home. obviously josh (GA) can deliver an aesthetic as well as a productive garden.
i’m thinking my vege patch (a male field in our family) might suddenly become more aesthetic. i see visions of wavering grasses, wild splashes of colour and an interplay of light and shade coming to my vege patch soon.

So flowery Pepe, I’d like to see that.

in the cold light of day i can see a few probs. if you wanted instant colour you would have to buy in advanced red cabbage, and if you wanted a splash of colour to highlight the green you would have to time the growth of everything to correspond. still thinking.

pepe said:

pomolo said:

pepe said:

it’s a female thing Pepe. An ability to see the big picture even if it’s impossible to get there.
————-
i doubt that it is really a female talent. more of a female dominance in the field of all things beautiful/ all things pertaining to the home. obviously josh (GA) can deliver an aesthetic as well as a productive garden.
i’m thinking my vege patch (a male field in our family) might suddenly become more aesthetic. i see visions of wavering grasses, wild splashes of colour and an interplay of light and shade coming to my vege patch soon.

So flowery Pepe, I’d like to see that.

in the cold light of day i can see a few probs. if you wanted instant colour you would have to buy in advanced red cabbage, and if you wanted a splash of colour to highlight the green you would have to time the growth of everything to correspond. still thinking.

And the answer is……..

Herbs, companion planting and chillies.
Red basil, lime green oregano, multicoloured chillies, marigolds and nasturtium as sacrificial cabbage white butterfly fodder. Triple benefit to the marigolds…they add a splash of colour, they are the source of natural pyrethrin so they can deter some pests, and are sacrificial to those they don’t deter. Nasturtium leaves and flowers can be eaten in salads (a peppery taste), I prefer to just throw the petals in as they look prettier than the leaves, they also tend to get eaten by insects instead of your vegies.

hortfurball said:

pepe said:

pomolo said:

So flowery Pepe, I’d like to see that.

in the cold light of day i can see a few probs. if you wanted instant colour you would have to buy in advanced red cabbage, and if you wanted a splash of colour to highlight the green you would have to time the growth of everything to correspond. still thinking.

And the answer is……..

Herbs, companion planting and chillies.
Red basil, lime green oregano, multicoloured chillies, marigolds and nasturtium as sacrificial cabbage white butterfly fodder. Triple benefit to the marigolds…they add a splash of colour, they are the source of natural pyrethrin so they can deter some pests, and are sacrificial to those they don’t deter. Nasturtium leaves and flowers can be eaten in salads (a peppery taste), I prefer to just throw the petals in as they look prettier than the leaves, they also tend to get eaten by insects instead of your vegies.

Oh and for the wavering grasses you mentioned, how about lemon grass?

hortfurball said:

hortfurball said:

pepe said:

in the cold light of day i can see a few probs. if you wanted instant colour you would have to buy in advanced red cabbage, and if you wanted a splash of colour to highlight the green you would have to time the growth of everything to correspond. still thinking.

And the answer is……..

Herbs, companion planting and chillies.
Red basil, lime green oregano, multicoloured chillies, marigolds and nasturtium as sacrificial cabbage white butterfly fodder. Triple benefit to the marigolds…they add a splash of colour, they are the source of natural pyrethrin so they can deter some pests, and are sacrificial to those they don’t deter. Nasturtium leaves and flowers can be eaten in salads (a peppery taste), I prefer to just throw the petals in as they look prettier than the leaves, they also tend to get eaten by insects instead of your vegies.

Oh and for the wavering grasses you mentioned, how about lemon grass?

I made lemon grass tea the other day, nearly died from the taste. Forgot it was citronella, they look and smell the same :)

And the answer is……..
Herbs, companion planting and chillies.
Red basil, lime green oregano, multicoloured chillies, marigolds and nasturtium as sacrificial cabbage white butterfly fodder. Triple benefit to the marigolds…they add a splash of colour, they are the source of natural pyrethrin so they can deter some pests, and are sacrificial to those they don’t deter. Nasturtium leaves and flowers can be eaten in salads (a peppery taste), I prefer to just throw the petals in as they look prettier than the leaves, they also tend to get eaten by insects instead of your vegies.
—————————————————————-
yep – i’m getting inspired again here.
i haven’t got coloured basil or oregano but i’ve got the rest. toms for height, cabbage, lettuce and spinach for background green. marigolds, nasturtium and chillies sound good and i have got.
ta hfb – have you done it before yourself?

Oh and for the wavering grasses you mentioned, how about lemon grass?
——-
you’re good – lemon grass is in.

here’s the dead lawn we are currently planting as ‘poa’ grasses with a couple of quandongs growing in the two middle clumps. they were root bound and dry in their 4” (100mm) pots but will turn a blue colour when they revive.
question: does anyone know of a red, purple or yellow native grass that be planted as complimentary addition to these?

pepe said:

here’s the dead lawn we are currently planting as ‘poa’ grasses with a couple of quandongs growing in the two middle clumps. they were root bound and dry in their 4” (100mm) pots but will turn a blue colour when they revive.
question: does anyone know of a red, purple or yellow native grass that be planted as complimentary addition to these?

Now that looks nice Pep. I have burgundy grass growing and it is. Burgundy I mean. No idea if it’s a native or not. Grows fairly tall and gets flufy seed heads.

Now that looks nice Pep. I have burgundy grass growing and it is. Burgundy I mean. No idea if it’s a native or not. Grows fairly tall and gets flufy seed heads.
———
american
fluffy seed heads could be a problem by the pool.
still its the first on the list. thanks.
there are some coppery coloured native grasses. not easy to find at present.

pepe said:

And the answer is……..
Herbs, companion planting and chillies.
Red basil, lime green oregano, multicoloured chillies, marigolds and nasturtium as sacrificial cabbage white butterfly fodder. Triple benefit to the marigolds…they add a splash of colour, they are the source of natural pyrethrin so they can deter some pests, and are sacrificial to those they don’t deter. Nasturtium leaves and flowers can be eaten in salads (a peppery taste), I prefer to just throw the petals in as they look prettier than the leaves, they also tend to get eaten by insects instead of your vegies.
—————————————————————-
yep – i’m getting inspired again here.
i haven’t got coloured basil or oregano but i’ve got the rest. toms for height, cabbage, lettuce and spinach for background green. marigolds, nasturtium and chillies sound good and i have got.
ta hfb – have you done it before yourself?

Sort of…our very first only partially successful attempt at a vegie patch 2 houses ago. I’ve learned a lot since then, LOL!
We didn’t have the marigolds and nasturtiums in amongst the vegies, we had 3 vegie beds with pathways around and between and a little dog fence around the whole. We planted them all around the outside as a border next to the dog fence so that any leg raising on the dog fence would hit the sacrificial plants if it made it through the fence…also hoping to mask the smell of the vegies from the insects, LOL!

pepe said:

here’s the dead lawn we are currently planting as ‘poa’ grasses with a couple of quandongs growing in the two middle clumps. they were root bound and dry in their 4” (100mm) pots but will turn a blue colour when they revive.
question: does anyone know of a red, purple or yellow native grass that be planted as complimentary addition to these?

Afraid not Pepe, but Cordylines and flaxes are from the next island over, LOL!
I’ve found flaxes need a little too much babying and a lot too much water or they get temperamental but if you were prepared to add a little supplementary water, then Cordyline ‘Red Fountain’ is to die for.
http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=Cordyline+%27Red+Fountain%27&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=&oq=

pomolo said:

pepe said:

here’s the dead lawn we are currently planting as ‘poa’ grasses with a couple of quandongs growing in the two middle clumps. they were root bound and dry in their 4” (100mm) pots but will turn a blue colour when they revive.
question: does anyone know of a red, purple or yellow native grass that be planted as complimentary addition to these?

Now that looks nice Pep. I have burgundy grass growing and it is. Burgundy I mean. No idea if it’s a native or not. Grows fairly tall and gets flufy seed heads.

Sounds like Pennisetum, Pom. It’s not native, South African from memory. There are a couple of very similar ones, one sterile, one is a potential environmental weed. Sometimes the nurseries get them mixed up and sell the weed as the sterile form. Here’s hoping yours is sterile.

Afraid not Pepe, but Cordylines and flaxes are from the next island over, LOL!
I’ve found flaxes need a little too much babying and a lot too much water or they get temperamental but if you were prepared to add a little supplementary water, then Cordyline ‘Red Fountain’ is to die for.
——————-
righto and thanks for the suggestion. i saw ‘carex comans bronze’ in my searching yesterday. also nz. cordyline is noted but i think the ms. and i will find something drought proof and nearer home.

in the vege garden (coming up when i move the chooks in with the chicks) i will have a heck of a lot of amaranthus seedlings to plant as a patch of red colour and height. it’s a weed here but so are nasturtium and marigold.

the summer garden
overall shot showing the replanting of spring onions and lettuce which didn’t germinate too well.
- corn and sunflowers for xmas
- kennebec spuds flowering and slightly heat effected
- broccoli doing ok

there are a few probs
- rhubarb has got large numbers of ants farming it (?) – borax has been used.
- lemon tree lacks either – epsom salts – iron chelates – or ?
- first passionfruit are turning yellow – aren’t they spose to be black?
- celery aren’t growing fast enough

pepe said:

- lemon tree lacks either – epsom salts – iron chelates – or ?
- first passionfruit are turning yellow – aren’t they spose to be black?

yes with the lemon tree, try both. get rid of the grass underneath. check ph of soil.

what sort of passionfruit is it? was it grafted? could be the root stock has taken over?

Oh I do like your garden Pepe, it’s so rustic and informal and so productive. Also very interesting! The corn and sunflowers look great!

I think you have Banana Passionfruit there Pepe – rootstock from the black one. The leaves look like it anyway but I’m no expert. The lemon probably would like a feed of Epsom Salts or Seasol or Iron Chelates.

pepe said:

there are a few probs
- rhubarb has got large numbers of ants farming it (?) – borax has been used.
- lemon tree lacks either – epsom salts – iron chelates – or ?
- first passionfruit are turning yellow – aren’t they spose to be black?
- celery aren’t growing fast enough

Rhubarbs dry..well I suppose everythings dry, but they need more water than most , so drown the ants and treat the rhubarb. Your lemon tree looks exactly the same as mine. After iron chelates and urea treatments , it doesn’t look any different.

The passionfruit looks like a banana PF, or it’s a rootstock taking over.

Dunno about the celery.. too hot for it there? Mines way bigger, stays damp and is in part shade.

thanks for the suggestions.

passionfruit is grafted and is spose to be black – i still have the tag. so i’ll wait.

the ants are cutting into the leaves and drinking the juice of the rhubarb. they are also inside the curtilage area so i’ve spread ant granules on the trading tracks. i watered the celery and rhubarb well.

the lemon tree ? sounds like epsom salts coming up – in water with seaweed.

pepe said:

thanks for the suggestions.

passionfruit is grafted and is spose to be black – i still have the tag. so i’ll wait.

if it was a grafted Nelly Kelly then it is the rootstock you have growing there. I have a Nelly Kelly and it is not like that in leaf or fruit, but looks like the rootstock suckers I get.

bluegreen said:

pepe said:

thanks for the suggestions.

passionfruit is grafted and is spose to be black – i still have the tag. so i’ll wait.

if it was a grafted Nelly Kelly then it is the rootstock you have growing there. I have a Nelly Kelly and it is not like that in leaf or fruit, but looks like the rootstock suckers I get.

ok thanks BG.
not good news i presume. there is a lot of fruit forming and the main trunk doesn’t appear to have been overrun by a water shoot. it is a ned kelly.

pepe said:

the summer garden
overall shot showing the replanting of spring onions and lettuce which didn’t germinate too well.
- corn and sunflowers for xmas
- kennebec spuds flowering and slightly heat effected
- broccoli doing ok

How do you use the sunflowers Pepe?

pepe said:

there are a few probs
- rhubarb has got large numbers of ants farming it (?) – borax has been used.
- lemon tree lacks either – epsom salts – iron chelates – or ?
- first passionfruit are turning yellow – aren’t they spose to be black?
- celery aren’t growing fast enough

I’m jealous. We haven’t planted anything edible. Too dry. We got to eat the corn but only because we poured on the water. Everything else failed.

pepe said:

the summer garden
overall shot showing the replanting of spring onions and lettuce which didn’t germinate too well.
- corn and sunflowers for xmas
- kennebec spuds flowering and slightly heat effected
- broccoli doing ok

Great Corn and Sunnyflowers!

bluegreen said:

yes with the lemon tree, try both. get rid of the grass underneath. check ph of soil.

What she said.

orchid40 said:

Oh I do like your garden Pepe, it’s so rustic and informal and so productive. Also very interesting! The corn and sunflowers look great!

What she said too. :)

How do you use the sunflowers Pepe?
———————————-
sunflowers are really good for the birds and bees as well as cheeriness, height and colour in the garden.
when the seed are ripe you can pick them and feed them to the chooks. at first they think you are mad but soon they learn how to pick the seed from the head and it becomes their favourite autumn food.
if you have a bin out of rodent’s way you can store them for a month if they are dry. it fattens the birds in readiness for winter.
if the cockies and parrots get to them first i reckon that is a bonus. its great having the big birds in the garden. that whole patch would have cost me about 20cents in seeds.

like a good boy i have – weeded and pH tested the lemon tree soil (twice!).
pH is green – between 6 and 7. so no probs.
i spread lots of zeolite on the bared soil, watered in with epsom salts and seaweed and replaced the well rotting mulch/ manure.
so if that tree doesn’t perform now i have a rusty nail that will fix it for sure LOL.

pepe said:

like a good boy i have – weeded and pH tested the lemon tree soil (twice!).
pH is green – between 6 and 7. so no probs.
i spread lots of zeolite on the bared soil, watered in with epsom salts and seaweed and replaced the well rotting mulch/ manure.
so if that tree doesn’t perform now i have a rusty nail that will fix it for sure LOL.

So you cleared away the grass from under it .. good boy :)
It will thank you for that alone.

Happy Potter said:

pepe said:

like a good boy i have – weeded and pH tested the lemon tree soil (twice!).
pH is green – between 6 and 7. so no probs.
i spread lots of zeolite on the bared soil, watered in with epsom salts and seaweed and replaced the well rotting mulch/ manure.
so if that tree doesn’t perform now i have a rusty nail that will fix it for sure LOL.

So you cleared away the grass from under it .. good boy :)
It will thank you for that alone.

maybe but that ‘onion weed style of grass has been there throughout the life of the tree. the tree has produced masses of fruit.

pH testing progresses -

the soil around the new poa grasses – (8 -10.5 bright purple) – very alkaline !! i will have to mulch with something acidic.

new summer garden / old chook run – pH about 8 between green and purple – probably good for peas, brassicas, onions – a bit alkaline. i’ll test my compost to see if that will neutralise it.

at least i know the kit works. scuse my new obsession.

nothing is acidic on the entire block. three samples of my homegrown compost show it to be extremely alkaline. soil, sand and pure pigeon poo are all neutral.

i wonder if the landscape suppliers would mine me testing their grape marc?

pepe said:

nothing is acidic on the entire block. three samples of my homegrown compost show it to be extremely alkaline. soil, sand and pure pigeon poo are all neutral.

i wonder if the landscape suppliers would mine me testing their grape marc?

SA soils are known to be alkaline. If the suppliers won’t let you test it, don’t buy it. But if they are worth their salt they would let you test it.

pepe said:

nothing is acidic on the entire block. three samples of my homegrown compost show it to be extremely alkaline. soil, sand and pure pigeon poo are all neutral.

i wonder if the landscape suppliers would mine me testing their grape marc?

See if you can get pine needle mulch ? Mostly neutral at my place , PH 7 on the dot.

they let me test the grape marc and it is extremely acidic – yellow on the pH tester. so i guess i’ll be mulching everything in grape marc during the coming year.

surprising my pine needles were pH7 as well HP. – as were pigeon poo, forest mulch and chicken manure. i expected them all to be acidic.

pepe said:

they let me test the grape marc and it is extremely acidic – yellow on the pH tester. so i guess i’ll be mulching everything in grape marc during the coming year.

sounds like you have your solution there pepe :)

Happy Potter said:

pepe said:

nothing is acidic on the entire block. three samples of my homegrown compost show it to be extremely alkaline. soil, sand and pure pigeon poo are all neutral.

i wonder if the landscape suppliers would mine me testing their grape marc?

See if you can get pine needle mulch ? Mostly neutral at my place , PH 7 on the dot.

Be aware that pines and any pine products release enzymes into the soil that prevent emergent growth, hence why you never see undergrowth in pine plantations…
Cow manure is acid. Horse and sheep manure are neutral, Chicken manure is alkaline so throwing the contents of the chicken coop around liberally could have contributed to the alkalinity.
Any of the agricultural sulphurs will help to neutralise alkaline soil…
Iron sulphate
Potassium sulphate
Magnesium sulphate
Manganese sulphate

pepe said:

they let me test the grape marc and it is extremely acidic – yellow on the pH tester. so i guess i’ll be mulching everything in grape marc during the coming year.

surprising my pine needles were pH7 as well HP. – as were pigeon poo, forest mulch and chicken manure. i expected them all to be acidic.

Your chicken manure is neutral??? Humour me and test different bits of it?

hortfurball said:

pepe said:

they let me test the grape marc and it is extremely acidic – yellow on the pH tester. so i guess i’ll be mulching everything in grape marc during the coming year.

surprising my pine needles were pH7 as well HP. – as were pigeon poo, forest mulch and chicken manure. i expected them all to be acidic.

Your chicken manure is neutral??? Humour me and test different bits of it?

ok – pH testing is my strong suit at present.
all results seem to be influenced by the limestone underlay beneath the 2 metres of clay topsoil here – so other peoples’ results will vary. (now i’m writing disclaimers ! – pepe’s results will be final and so correspondence ….blah blah LOL)

pH test results for a chicken turd:
- white parts of turd – lime green = pH5 – so it’s acidic like you say horty.
- beige sections of turd goes a darker green – therefore tending to neutral.
the chook manure from the landscape supplier is neutral.

i also tested barley straw since the sweepings from my henhouse floor are mainly barley.
barley is mainly neutral but goes dark purple in places (pH8) – so the fungus decay might be alkaline.

only on this forum are results so immediate (and trivial).

sad news – the avocado tree seems to have died last night. it was always weak as were all the specimens being sold for $10 at the nursery. the other eight trees are doing well including the macadamia and black sapote.

new toms and lemon basil have been planted in the old compost bins. so my new summer garden is taking shape in the fenced area recently vacated by the chooks. the new chicks are having no trouble with the rooster now that they are all in the same pen. so 5-6 week old chicks are ok to mix with the main flock.

pepe said:

pH test results for a chicken turd:
- white parts of turd – lime green = pH5 – so it’s acidic like you say horty.
- beige sections of turd goes a darker green – therefore tending to neutral.
the chook manure from the landscape supplier is neutral.

i also tested barley straw since the sweepings from my henhouse floor are mainly barley.
barley is mainly neutral but goes dark purple in places (pH8) – so the fungus decay might be alkaline.

only on this forum are results so immediate (and trivial).

Actually I was expecting it to be alkaline. I have tested chicken manure here and come up with an alkaline result…
although, maybe I tested dynamic lifter and presumed chicken manure would be the same.

Oh btw, I probably should have been more specific when I asked you to test different bits of it, LMAO!! I just meant different handfuls, but lovely of you to go to the bother of dissecting the individual poo for me, ROFL!!

Oh btw, I probably should have been more specific when I asked you to test different bits of it, LMAO!! I just meant different handfuls, but lovely of you to go to the bother of dissecting the individual poo for me, ROFL!!
————————
handfuls?? i only need a teaspoon – and the drops ran from white to beige sections of de turd so two readings came up.

picked and chipped the first kennebec spuds last evening and confirmed that these are the world’s best spud. and now i have a source for uncertified (but reliable disease free) seed spuds. strawbs and corn are ever so close to picking as well.

gardening is reduced to one word in this heat – watering

everytime i apply water to a vege plant it suddenly comes back to life.
- and its almost impossible to apply enuff – corn, carrots, summer broc., spuds, strawbs, toms, cueys, celery and even mints and basil are all as successful as their water intake.

- new grasses where the old lawn once was
- jamaican grass – sold to us as clumping black bamboo
- broccoli, spinach and watermelon wilt in the heat
- corn and sunflowers grow tall in this weather.

pepe said:

- new grasses where the old lawn once was
- jamaican grass – sold to us as clumping black bamboo
- broccoli, spinach and watermelon wilt in the heat
- corn and sunflowers grow tall in this weather.

Wow…… won’t know the place…. we so have to see you at your place next month:)

one fallen pine tree.

Is that the one over the fence?????

pepe said:

one fallen pine tree.

good photo.

Lucky1 said:

Is that the one over the fence?????

yep – over the back fence.

….and now we can see a small bushfire starting in scrub to the south of us.
a few drops falling but i think the rain will pass us by

pepe said:

Lucky1 said:

Is that the one over the fence?????

yep – over the back fence.

….and now we can see a small bushfire starting in scrub to the south of us.
a few drops falling but i think the rain will pass us by

When we were out this morning, coming home we faced the Adelaide Hills…..we weren’t sure if it was smoke or haze over the city hills area.

pepe said:

Lucky1 said:

Is that the one over the fence?????

yep – over the back fence.

….and now we can see a small bushfire starting in scrub to the south of us.
a few drops falling but i think the rain will pass us by

fire is out and a big one on the other side of town is now being controlled – reduced risk is the official announcement.
not any wind today but its very hot. i’m sweating just sitting.