just a reminder – if you’re in the temperate zone – now is the time to plant winter crops.

P1 &2 spring onions – lucky’s favourite and rapidly making sense to me as well. if recipes call for green onions this is the one. they grow quickly and easily and are harvested by the handful or by chopping off the tops to let them regrow.

P3 – snow peas, green feast and telephone peas. yum yum high protein for vegos. so sweet they never make it to the kitchen.

P4 – carrots. much sweeter than you can buy – excellent for juices.

don’t forget to plant – beetroot and turnip (photo left), lettuce and daikon (middle) and more lettuce (diggers mix) and celery (photo right).
beetroot is useful in salads as well as hamburgers. daikon is good in soups and spicy in salads (like a big mild radish). lettuce you know and celery is used as often as carrots in all types of meals.

pepe said:

just a reminder – if you’re in the temperate zone – now is the time to plant winter crops.

P1 &2 spring onions – lucky’s favourite and rapidly making sense to me as well. if recipes call for green onions this is the one. they grow quickly and easily and are harvested by the handful or by chopping off the tops to let them regrow.

P3 – snow peas, green feast and telephone peas. yum yum high protein for vegos. so sweet they never make it to the kitchen.

P4 – carrots. much sweeter than you can buy – excellent for juices.

I have transplanted out some of the self sown spring onions from this year’s crop. Haven’t managed to do transplant the self-sown ordinary onions into their new bed yet, but they are ok for the moment. Will be a few days (or mabe even weeks) before I can really get stuck into the garden. Just too much happening at present

if you haven’t prepared soil there is always pots

broccoli, onions and perpetual spinach growing out of harm’s way in the potting shed.

pepe said:

if you haven’t prepared soil there is always pots

broccoli, onions and perpetual spinach growing out of harm’s way in the potting shed.

Already planted out some beetroot, which got knocked about by the heat a couple of weeks ago when they were really small. It’s hanging in there, but I might have to sow some more soon. My broccoli seedlings all succumbed to the heat as well. I have carrots at various stages of development and rocket going well. Also have some late tomatoes. My moon and stars watermelon finally has fruit (about 4 or 5 at this stage). I have celery newly germinated in punnets as well.

I have transplanted out some of the self sown spring onions from this year’s crop. Haven’t managed to do transplant the self-sown ordinary onions into their new bed yet, but they are ok for the moment. Will be a few days (or mabe even weeks) before I can really get stuck into the garden. Just too much happening at present
————————————————
where’s my whip – (just joking)

i noticed all the east coast of australia had southeasterly winds one day last week.
your clime (VG and longy as well) is warm temperate and if you don’t get frosts until may – you might have more time for planting.

the whip warning is mainly for those slackos in melbourne LOL.

I’ve also got turnips and swedes that germinated a few days ago. Hope they’ll survive the weekend. MrS and I will both be away and sat and sun are supposed to quite warm (29C and 30C). We are trying to give everything a good deep water today and tomorrow

pepe said:

————————————————
where’s my whip – (just joking)

LOL. Yes well unfortunately, life and commitment have been getting in the way lately.

We often don’t get frosts until June which is why I have a late crop of tomatoes. Also have a second crop of cucumbers, rockies, corn and climbing beans, which were planted a few weeks ago..

Already planted out some beetroot, which got knocked about by the heat a couple of weeks ago when they were really small. It’s hanging in there, but I might have to sow some more soon. My broccoli seedlings all succumbed to the heat as well. I have carrots at various stages of development and rocket going well. Also have some late tomatoes. My moon and stars watermelon finally has fruit (about 4 or 5 at this stage). I have celery newly germinated in punnets as well.

———————————————————————————————

you and mrS run a perpetual garden.

only 6 beetroot survived here, all my first broccoli were slowly destroyed by my pigeons.

i have planted some more beetroot and kohl rabi today.

AnneS said:

pepe said:

————————————————
where’s my whip – (just joking)

LOL. Yes well unfortunately, life and commitment have been getting in the way lately.

We often don’t get frosts until June which is why I have a late crop of tomatoes. Also have a second crop of cucumbers, rockies, corn and climbing beans, which were planted a few weeks ago..

very interesting – late summer crops are risky but one never knows.

i will need until may for all the pumpkins to mature.

I want to get onto mine, but having my neck and back play up has deterred me from getting the next load of soil :(

bluegreen said:

I want to get onto mine, but having my neck and back play up has deterred me from getting the next load of soil :(

frustrating – you can’t aggravate those areas of the body.
maybe some polystyrene trays to at least get some broc and spinach underway.

pepe said:

AnneS said:

pepe said:

————————————————
where’s my whip – (just joking)

LOL. Yes well unfortunately, life and commitment have been getting in the way lately.

We often don’t get frosts until June which is why I have a late crop of tomatoes. Also have a second crop of cucumbers, rockies, corn and climbing beans, which were planted a few weeks ago..

very interesting – late summer crops are risky but one never knows.

i will need until may for all the pumpkins to mature.

It’s an experiment. nothing to lose by trying

bluegreen said:

I want to get onto mine, but having my neck and back play up has deterred me from getting the next load of soil :(

Arvo BG. That is always my problem (even when I don’t have heaps of things on). I just get too sore if I’m out there for long

I have just popped into this thread to stare at the word WINTER and try to will it to come sooner.

Our forecast is full of 35 and 36s maximums. So over summer now. Although we got some nice rain in Jan (27mm), there has been not a single drop so far in Feb.

bon008 said:

I have just popped into this thread to stare at the word WINTER and try to will it to come sooner.

Our forecast is full of 35 and 36s maximums. So over summer now. Although we got some nice rain in Jan (27mm), there has been not a single drop so far in Feb.

LOL. winter comes to us all – eventually.

poor perth has had another drought year. that definitely makes gardening very hard.

pepe said:

bon008 said:

I have just popped into this thread to stare at the word WINTER and try to will it to come sooner.

Our forecast is full of 35 and 36s maximums. So over summer now. Although we got some nice rain in Jan (27mm), there has been not a single drop so far in Feb.

LOL. winter comes to us all – eventually.

poor perth has had another drought year. that definitely makes gardening very hard.

I’ve got late tomatoes corn and beans going.. I have done this every year for as long as I can remember. Doesn’t always work well but often does extend the summer food supply which is often burned to a crisp during the hottest months.

I better get sowing seeds into pots. 2 Garden beds are ready to put winter Plantings into, Just need a quick fork over.

pepe said:

P4 – carrots. much sweeter than you can buy – excellent for juices.

So what is the secret to getting your carrot seeds to germinate? I struck it lucky about once …

I’ve got late tomatoes corn and beans going.. I have done this every year for as long as I can remember.
Doesn’t always work well but often does extend the summer food supply which is often burned to a crisp during the hottest months.

———-
that makes two

i lived in the adelaide hills where frosts were guaranteed by may and most often they came in april. so late summer crops are not something i’ve tried.

Veg gardener said:

I better get sowing seeds into pots. 2 Garden beds are ready to put winter Plantings into, Just need a quick fork over.

good – don’t forget to ask the cook what she needs.
personally all the soup ingredients are a high priority here.

Yeehah said:

pepe said:

P4 – carrots. much sweeter than you can buy – excellent for juices.

So what is the secret to getting your carrot seeds to germinate? I struck it lucky about once …

i don’t soak them or anything fancy.

to keep the soil constantly moist for 2 weeks after planting i water twice a day and cover the bed in 75% shadecloth.

Yeehah said:

pepe said:

P4 – carrots. much sweeter than you can buy – excellent for juices.

So what is the secret to getting your carrot seeds to germinate? I struck it lucky about once …

oops – i forgot an important carrot germination hint
- try covering the seed in ‘coir seed raising block’ $4 for 15 litres at B – it’s soaked in water and is very good at germination.

pepe said:

Veg gardener said:

I better get sowing seeds into pots. 2 Garden beds are ready to put winter Plantings into, Just need a quick fork over.

good – don’t forget to ask the cook what she needs.
personally all the soup ingredients are a high priority here.

Shall do

pepe said:

Yeehah said:

pepe said:

P4 – carrots. much sweeter than you can buy – excellent for juices.

So what is the secret to getting your carrot seeds to germinate? I struck it lucky about once …

i don’t soak them or anything fancy.

to keep the soil constantly moist for 2 weeks after planting i water twice a day and cover the bed in 75% shadecloth.

Twice a day! Jeepers, that’s definitely where I went wrong then. Don’t think I’ll bother trying carrots again!

bon008 said:

pepe said:

Yeehah said:

So what is the secret to getting your carrot seeds to germinate? I struck it lucky about once …

i don’t soak them or anything fancy. to keep the soil constantly moist for 2 weeks after planting i water twice a day and cover the bed in 75% shadecloth.

Twice a day! Jeepers, that’s definitely where I went wrong then. Don’t think I’ll bother trying carrots again!

or wait for rain to soak the soil first.
the trouble with small seed like carrots is they are planted only 6mm deep and that top 6mm of soil dries out very quickly on a hot day.
one other hint for carrot germination – whack the soil down hard after planting to ensure there is good soil/seed contact.

Yeehah said:

pepe said:

P4 – carrots. much sweeter than you can buy – excellent for juices.

So what is the secret to getting your carrot seeds to germinate? I struck it lucky about once …

water. don’t let them dry out.

pepe said:

bon008 said:

pepe said:

i don’t soak them or anything fancy. to keep the soil constantly moist for 2 weeks after planting i water twice a day and cover the bed in 75% shadecloth.

Twice a day! Jeepers, that’s definitely where I went wrong then. Don’t think I’ll bother trying carrots again!

or wait for rain to soak the soil first.
the trouble with small seed like carrots is they are planted only 6mm deep and that top 6mm of soil dries out very quickly on a hot day.
one other hint for carrot germination – whack the soil down hard after planting to ensure there is good soil/seed contact.

6mm? hmm probably most often a lot less. like parsley.. sprinkle seed on ground and sprinkle moisture retaining stuff like the coir metioned. Sprinkle it no deeper than the seed is thick.(carrots seed is way less than 6mm). I use grape marc.. but beautiful freshly made compost is similar. The really clever tip is use hessian or just sacking. Just chuck it on top and stop it from drying out on top(by watering of course). Ever noted that when you lay an old potato or wheat bag on the ground and wet it, worms appear as if by magic..? Carrots take a minimum of 2 weeks to germinate and don ‘t need light for tat trick. They do however as has been said, hate drying out.

so, the shade cloth idea isn’t too bad but a roll of hessian is far better.

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

bon008 said:

Twice a day! Jeepers, that’s definitely where I went wrong then. Don’t think I’ll bother trying carrots again!

or wait for rain to soak the soil first.
the trouble with small seed like carrots is they are planted only 6mm deep and that top 6mm of soil dries out very quickly on a hot day.
one other hint for carrot germination – whack the soil down hard after planting to ensure there is good soil/seed contact.

6mm? hmm probably most often a lot less. like parsley.. sprinkle seed on ground and sprinkle moisture retaining stuff like the coir metioned. Sprinkle it no deeper than the seed is thick.(carrots seed is way less than 6mm). I use grape marc.. but beautiful freshly made compost is similar. The really clever tip is use hessian or just sacking. Just chuck it on top and stop it from drying out on top(by watering of course). Ever noted that when you lay an old potato or wheat bag on the ground and wet it, worms appear as if by magic..? Carrots take a minimum of 2 weeks to germinate and don ‘t need light for tat trick. They do however as has been said, hate drying out.

so, the shade cloth idea isn’t too bad but a roll of hessian is far better.

even a plank of wood over the seed will work, but check regularly for germination as you will need to remove it once the seedlings start emerging. This system works well if you can’t be around to water twice a day.

Having said that, even though I have been able to germinate carrots I am yet to grow them to something worth eating!!

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

or wait for rain to soak the soil first.
the trouble with small seed like carrots is they are planted only 6mm deep and that top 6mm of soil dries out very quickly on a hot day.
one other hint for carrot germination – whack the soil down hard after planting to ensure there is good soil/seed contact.

6mm? hmm probably most often a lot less. like parsley.. sprinkle seed on ground and sprinkle moisture retaining stuff like the coir metioned. Sprinkle it no deeper than the seed is thick.(carrots seed is way less than 6mm). I use grape marc.. but beautiful freshly made compost is similar. The really clever tip is use hessian or just sacking. Just chuck it on top and stop it from drying out on top(by watering of course). Ever noted that when you lay an old potato or wheat bag on the ground and wet it, worms appear as if by magic..? Carrots take a minimum of 2 weeks to germinate and don ‘t need light for tat trick. They do however as has been said, hate drying out.

so, the shade cloth idea isn’t too bad but a roll of hessian is far better.

even a plank of wood over the seed will work, but check regularly for germination as you will need to remove it once the seedlings start emerging. This system works well if you can’t be around to water twice a day.

Having said that, even though I have been able to germinate carrots I am yet to grow them to something worth eating!!

Yes.. after the seed has germinated the next part of the trick comes in. Which should have been instituted in the beginning(ie; bed preparation). The carrot seed is sown on the tops of the beds which have deep furrows either side. Considering that you have been keeping the tops wet.. there is the obvious that the water ends up in the bottom of the furrows. When the covers are taken off the germinated seed, the watering is mostly thereafter done by putting water into the furrows(though at first some moisture will still have to be at the surface to avoid losing all those tiny plants.(Rainy days are the best for all of the above.. The tricks are to help with days that aren’t so rainy). .. yes, fill the furrows up and allow the water to soak in. Deep soaking will be the trick you need to play to force carrots to grow carrots below the leaves and soil.

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

or wait for rain to soak the soil first.
the trouble with small seed like carrots is they are planted only 6mm deep and that top 6mm of soil dries out very quickly on a hot day.
one other hint for carrot germination – whack the soil down hard after planting to ensure there is good soil/seed contact.

6mm? hmm probably most often a lot less. like parsley.. sprinkle seed on ground and sprinkle moisture retaining stuff like the coir metioned. Sprinkle it no deeper than the seed is thick.(carrots seed is way less than 6mm). I use grape marc.. but beautiful freshly made compost is similar. The really clever tip is use hessian or just sacking. Just chuck it on top and stop it from drying out on top(by watering of course). Ever noted that when you lay an old potato or wheat bag on the ground and wet it, worms appear as if by magic..? Carrots take a minimum of 2 weeks to germinate and don ‘t need light for tat trick. They do however as has been said, hate drying out.

so, the shade cloth idea isn’t too bad but a roll of hessian is far better.

even a plank of wood over the seed will work, but check regularly for germination as you will need to remove it once the seedlings start emerging. This system works well if you can’t be around to water twice a day.

Having said that, even though I have been able to germinate carrots I am yet to grow them to something worth eating!!

Friends tried the plank of wood years ago … tried it myself without success, all I can think is that I missed checking on the day the seeds germinated and managed to smother them.

Other times I tried watering twice a day but yes, on hot days that wasn’t enough. Hadn’t tried hessian or shadecloth though.

My only success was one year when I was in a hurry, pulled back rather deep mulch (probably 10-15cm of well settled straw/hay) just far enough to make a single shallow row … then we had a wet week. I think the deep mulch helped prevent drying out but I suspect the overcast and rainy weather was the crucial factor.

6mm?

hmm
probably most often a lot less.
like parsley.. sprinkle seed on ground and sprinkle moisture retaining stuff like the coir metioned. Sprinkle it no deeper than the seed is thick.(carrots seed is way less than 6mm). I use grape marc.. but beautiful freshly made compost is similar.
—————————————————————————————————-

6mm is ok.
my daughter has had success with water crystals. she’s given me some and they swell into gel bubbles full of water. they might improve water holding capacity – but you still can’t let the seed dry out.- worth a try.

6mm is ok but I wouldn’t go any deeper.

roughbarked said:

6mm is ok but I wouldn’t go any deeper.

agreed – but now i’m worried by parsley.
i’ve given up trying to germinate parsley. the thing is – it germinates itself. amazing what seed will do if you leave them alone LOL.

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

6mm is ok but I wouldn’t go any deeper.

agreed – but now i’m worried by parsley.
i’ve given up trying to germinate parsley. the thing is – it germinates itself. amazing what seed will do if you leave them alone LOL.

The trick with parsley seed is to allow it to fully mature and dry on the plant and fall in situ. sprinkle some compost on top similar to carrots and water. They don’t require quite as much care with water as carrots do. I have had perennial parsley beds for decades.. They are around 3×3 m in size. if they go to seed to quickly, I run the mower over them and get an extended season.

pepe said:

just a reminder – if you’re in the temperate zone – now is the time to plant winter crops.

P1 &2 spring onions – lucky’s favourite and rapidly making sense to me as well. if recipes call for green onions this is the one. they grow quickly and easily and are harvested by the handful or by chopping off the tops to let them regrow.

P3 – snow peas, green feast and telephone peas. yum yum high protein for vegos. so sweet they never make it to the kitchen.

P4 – carrots. much sweeter than you can buy – excellent for juices.

You’re doing well in the vegie domain Pepe.

AnneS said:

pepe said:

————————————————
where’s my whip – (just joking)

LOL. Yes well unfortunately, life and commitment have been getting in the way lately.

We often don’t get frosts until June which is why I have a late crop of tomatoes. Also have a second crop of cucumbers, rockies, corn and climbing beans, which were planted a few weeks ago..

Gee! You and Pepe put me to shame. I’d say I only dabble in vegie gardening.

bon008 said:

I have just popped into this thread to stare at the word WINTER and try to will it to come sooner.

Our forecast is full of 35 and 36s maximums. So over summer now. Although we got some nice rain in Jan (27mm), there has been not a single drop so far in Feb.

It’s a shame that the cyclone that has been hovering around your coast is moving away. Even with a bit of wind you could have done with the weather change that a cyclone brings.

pomolo said:

pepe said:

just a reminder – if you’re in the temperate zone – now is the time to plant winter crops.

P1 &2 spring onions – lucky’s favourite and rapidly making sense to me as well. if recipes call for green onions this is the one. they grow quickly and easily and are harvested by the handful or by chopping off the tops to let them regrow.

P3 – snow peas, green feast and telephone peas. yum yum high protein for vegos. so sweet they never make it to the kitchen.

P4 – carrots. much sweeter than you can buy – excellent for juices.

You’re doing well in the vegie domain Pepe.

Fantastic:)

Put the whip away Pepe. I got my winter seedlings today. Broc, cabbage cauli and leeks and I have Lucky’s sp’ onions in seed punnets. My garlic will go in soon too.
Parsley and celery went in a couple weeks ago. Strangely, celery likes the winter here.

Happy Potter said:

Put the whip away Pepe. I got my winter seedlings today. Broc, cabbage cauli and leeks and I have Lucky’s sp’ onions in seed punnets. My garlic will go in soon too.
Parsley and celery went in a couple weeks ago. Strangely, celery likes the winter here.

i could never use the whip on you HP – you will have bolted already. LOL.
brilliant – and yeah – the celery likes winter best.

pomolo said:

bon008 said:

I have just popped into this thread to stare at the word WINTER and try to will it to come sooner.

Our forecast is full of 35 and 36s maximums. So over summer now. Although we got some nice rain in Jan (27mm), there has been not a single drop so far in Feb.

It’s a shame that the cyclone that has been hovering around your coast is moving away. Even with a bit of wind you could have done with the weather change that a cyclone brings.

I know, it sounds terrible to say it, but when the first one was coming our way and we all went and prepared, tidied up yards, took down shade sails etc – it was really disappointing to not even get a drop of rain.

Still, at least this summer I have the greywater keeping the fruit trees alive – if not for that I’d be struggling outside after work every day and handwatering, and I don’t have the energy to do that and get all my daily physio homework done.

Have just realised that the greywater system won’t be able to stay when the new house is built – because we’ll have three extra bedrooms, we won’t be about to satisfy the Health Dept’s rule on the minimum dispersal areas. Poop.

Sorry, back to winter plantings.. :)

Picked up the start of my winter plantings from bunnings yesterday arvo, Ill sow some seed into pots so I can get a couple of crops in.

Veg gardener said:

Picked up the start of my winter plantings from bunnings yesterday arvo, Ill sow some seed into pots so I can get a couple of crops in.

because I allow self seeding. I have Broccoli, cabbage, lettuce(various) chard, beetroot, onions, radish, parsley, carrots, etc.. to transplant or thin.

not many may have tried this but I regularly use cuttings of the the brassicas eg: broccoli , kale etc.. are able to be grown from bits snipped off existing plants.

Winter seedlings that will go into this weekend are Snow Peas, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli , Celery, Beetroot, and two Punnets of Silver beet, need some for Human and Poultry.

roughbarked said:

not many may have tried this but I regularly use cuttings of the the brassicas eg: broccoli , kale etc.. are able to be grown from bits snipped off existing plants.

ok i’ve noted that for the future – i’ve never tried it before but will give it a go this year.
i’ve got plenty of kale seedlings selfsown.

Veg gardener said:

Winter seedlings that will go into this weekend are Snow Peas, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli , Celery, Beetroot, and two Punnets of Silver beet, need some for Human and Poultry.

excellent.
they will need irrigation until the rains come. it’s normal to ‘plant the irrigation at the same time as the crop’.

pepe said:

Veg gardener said:

Winter seedlings that will go into this weekend are Snow Peas, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli , Celery, Beetroot, and two Punnets of Silver beet, need some for Human and Poultry.

excellent.
they will need irrigation until the rains come. it’s normal to ‘plant the irrigation at the same time as the crop’.

The Bed that had the A-frame over it has been rested and is where Im thinking about putting them, shall give them a good drink every couple of days.

Veg gardener said:

pepe said:

Veg gardener said:

Winter seedlings that will go into this weekend are Snow Peas, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli , Celery, Beetroot, and two Punnets of Silver beet, need some for Human and Poultry.

excellent.
they will need irrigation until the rains come. it’s normal to ‘plant the irrigation at the same time as the crop’.

The Bed that had the A-frame over it has been rested and is where Im thinking about putting them, shall give them a good drink every couple of days.

that should be ok waterwise.

is one bed big enough?

brassicas at 1 metre apart can be interplanted with peas – but i’m thinking you might need more space?

pepe said:

Veg gardener said:

pepe said:

excellent.
they will need irrigation until the rains come. it’s normal to ‘plant the irrigation at the same time as the crop’.

The Bed that had the A-frame over it has been rested and is where Im thinking about putting them, shall give them a good drink every couple of days.

that should be ok waterwise.

is one bed big enough?

brassicas at 1 metre apart can be interplanted with peas – but i’m thinking you might need more space?

yep, shall have some planted into another bed.

Do you actually start doing winter plantings when it still feels like summer? Or do you wait for it to start cooling down?

Saturday Very hot. Humid. Max 38
Sunday Very hot. Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 38
Monday Partly cloudy. Min 26 Max 35
Tuesday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Wednesday Very hot. Sunny. Min 24 Max 38
Thursday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Friday Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 37

Yeh, just another excuse for me to go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.

I have a problem with winter plantings. Because I haven’t enough vege beds and the summer things are still powering on, in fact at their best right now and I want to wait until they are dying off to clear them for winter stuff. Then time to build them up again and rest time before re planting. It’s so frustrating. I’ve a mind to rip up the rest of the lawn and let it revert to lawn next summer. But I know once I swipe it for veges, there’s no going back.
I have some large pots so I can use them for the interim, but then when the beds are available I’m planting out established greens. Argh.

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

not many may have tried this but I regularly use cuttings of the the brassicas eg: broccoli , kale etc.. are able to be grown from bits snipped off existing plants.

ok i’ve noted that for the future – i’ve never tried it before but will give it a go this year.
i’ve got plenty of kale seedlings selfsown.

May it be noted that I have never grown kale before. I was at a friends place and asked him if he minded if I took a bit off his kale plant.. of course he didn’t mind.

planted it out in one of the toughest beds in the universe.. A year later it looks to have become permanent.

bon008 said:

Do you actually start doing winter plantings when it still feels like summer? Or do you wait for it to start cooling down?

Saturday Very hot. Humid. Max 38
Sunday Very hot. Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 38
Monday Partly cloudy. Min 26 Max 35
Tuesday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Wednesday Very hot. Sunny. Min 24 Max 38
Thursday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Friday Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 37

Yeh, just another excuse for me to go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.

You have my deepest sympathies. I would become inert in those conditions. In a permanent puddle of sweat, at that.

May it be noted that I have never grown kale before. I was at a friends place and asked him if he minded if I took a bit off his kale plant.. of course he didn’t mind.

planted it out in one of the toughest beds in the universe.. A year later it looks to have become permanent.

Well done! Can you identify what you did right or was it pure luck?

bon008 said:

Do you actually start doing winter plantings when it still feels like summer? Or do you wait for it to start cooling down?

Saturday Very hot. Humid. Max 38
Sunday Very hot. Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 38
Monday Partly cloudy. Min 26 Max 35
Tuesday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Wednesday Very hot. Sunny. Min 24 Max 38
Thursday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Friday Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 37

Yeh, just another excuse for me to go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.

nah – i found that drought allowed all kind of bad stuff to exist in the soil. there are weevils and evil fungi around that amplify the drought problems. grow your own seedlings in pots or trays and wait for the season to break.

Happy Potter said:

I have a problem with winter plantings. Because I haven’t enough vege beds and the summer things are still powering on, in fact at their best right now and I want to wait until they are dying off to clear them for winter stuff. Then time to build them up again and rest time before re planting. It’s so frustrating. I’ve a mind to rip up the rest of the lawn and let it revert to lawn next summer. But I know once I swipe it for veges, there’s no going back.
I have some large pots so I can use them for the interim, but then when the beds are available I’m planting out established greens. Argh.

both you and your soil have had a fabulous, famous summer. you both deserve a rest but..

..it’s a long cold winter without some homegrown so..
.. pots and trays of homegrown seedlings until the land is free and renewed.

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

not many may have tried this but I regularly use cuttings of the the brassicas eg: broccoli , kale etc.. are able to be grown from bits snipped off existing plants.

ok i’ve noted that for the future – i’ve never tried it before but will give it a go this year.
i’ve got plenty of kale seedlings selfsown.

May it be noted that I have never grown kale before. I was at a friends place and asked him if he minded if I took a bit off his kale plant.. of course he didn’t mind.

planted it out in one of the toughest beds in the universe.. A year later it looks to have become permanent.

good point – i’ve got a hot dry corner that needs a tough occupant. currently marigold and amaranthus grow there – but a red russian kale would be a good idea.

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

pepe said:

ok i’ve noted that for the future – i’ve never tried it before but will give it a go this year.
i’ve got plenty of kale seedlings selfsown.

May it be noted that I have never grown kale before. I was at a friends place and asked him if he minded if I took a bit off his kale plant.. of course he didn’t mind.

planted it out in one of the toughest beds in the universe.. A year later it looks to have become permanent.

good point – i’ve got a hot dry corner that needs a tough occupant. currently marigold and amaranthus grow there – but a red russian kale would be a good idea.

And I think that kale has a certain “architectural” quality in terms of attractiveness ;)

But then again most mainstream people think it’s odd that I find vegie gardens beautiful!

bon008 said:

Do you actually start doing winter plantings when it still feels like summer? Or do you wait for it to start cooling down?

Saturday Very hot. Humid. Max 38
Sunday Very hot. Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 38
Monday Partly cloudy. Min 26 Max 35
Tuesday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Wednesday Very hot. Sunny. Min 24 Max 38
Thursday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Friday Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 37

Yeh, just another excuse for me to go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.

bugger those temps bon! A lot of winter crops are planted in summer to get some good growth in before it gets cold and slows things down.

bluegreen said:

bon008 said:

Do you actually start doing winter plantings when it still feels like summer? Or do you wait for it to start cooling down?

Saturday Very hot. Humid. Max 38
Sunday Very hot. Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 38
Monday Partly cloudy. Min 26 Max 35
Tuesday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Wednesday Very hot. Sunny. Min 24 Max 38
Thursday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Friday Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 37

Yeh, just another excuse for me to go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.

bugger those temps bon! A lot of winter crops are planted in summer to get some good growth in before it gets cold and slows things down.

What is this thing you call winter????????????

I also use Grape Marc to get the carrotts seeds going, and I have had great success, so much so that I have to thin them out, took me a few tries to work out what would do the trick though :)
I usually plant sugar snap peas but I might give the green feast and telephons ones a go this season, they sound good. Also will try the Dorikon, I usually plant french raddish but nice to try something new.

bon008 said:

Do you actually start doing winter plantings when it still feels like summer? Or do you wait for it to start cooling down?

Saturday Very hot. Humid. Max 38
Sunday Very hot. Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 38
Monday Partly cloudy. Min 26 Max 35
Tuesday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Wednesday Very hot. Sunny. Min 24 Max 38
Thursday Sunny. Min 24 Max 37
Friday Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 37

Yeh, just another excuse for me to go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.

You can complain all you like Bon. Those temps call for a howl or two. I’ll be thinking of you and all the other Perthites.

Gosh a thread that is about gardening. On our forum……….. Unbelieveable! LOL.

pomolo said:

Gosh a thread that is about gardening. On our forum……….. Unbelieveable! LOL.

Shhhh! You’re not supposed to say things like that out load, you’ll jinx it and some nosy parker will come in and hijack the thread with meaningless jibber-jabber!!

Yeehah said:

pomolo said:

Gosh a thread that is about gardening. On our forum……….. Unbelieveable! LOL.

Shhhh! You’re not supposed to say things like that out load, you’ll jinx it and some nosy parker will come in and hijack the thread with meaningless jibber-jabber!!

out LOUD … sorry, my bad …

I usually plant snap peas and snow peas early. low growers like greenfeast too.
Two seasons for peas here. The frosts slow down flowering but if plantings can be staggered so that one lot flowers before the frosts and another lot afterwards. I usually plant the telephone peas so they fruit in spring.

I plant several radishe types. The salad radishes can be planted several times as they only take a few weeks to mature. The Chines white radish may take two seasons.

daff said:

I also use Grape Marc to get the carrotts seeds going, and I have had great success, so much so that I have to thin them out, took me a few tries to work out what would do the trick though :)
I usually plant sugar snap peas but I might give the green feast and telephons ones a go this season, they sound good. Also will try the Dorikon, I usually plant french raddish but nice to try something new.

the daikon grow 300mm long – so be warned. they will break off their tip when you are pulling them out of hard ground. easy growing and a good mild heat.

pomolo said:

Gosh a thread that is about gardening. On our forum……….. Unbelieveable! LOL.

check out the topic thread madam – you will find most are garden related.
- altho’ you seem to think only veges are gardening and things like – ‘iris ID’ are games or fun or summin.

roughbarked said:

I usually plant snap peas and snow peas early. low growers like greenfeast too.
Two seasons for peas here. The frosts slow down flowering but if plantings can be staggered so that one lot flowers before the frosts and another lot afterwards. I usually plant the telephone peas so they fruit in spring.

I plant several radishe types. The salad radishes can be planted several times as they only take a few weeks to mature. The Chines white radish may take two seasons.

peas can be planted in spring. in fact my old neighbour always planted them on the shortest day (june 21st) because of the frosts. he said they would flower after the frosts had gone and he was right more often then not.

Thanks for the heads up I did NOT realise that daikon would grow sooo big, might pass on that one :)

I might also try the June 21st pea planting, see if they do alright with the frost :)

pepe said:

pomolo said:

Gosh a thread that is about gardening. On our forum……….. Unbelieveable! LOL.

check out the topic thread madam – you will find most are garden related.
- altho’ you seem to think only veges are gardening and things like – ‘iris ID’ are games or fun or summin.

Are you having a go at me Pepe? You wouldn’t dare would you? LOL.

Yeehah said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

6mm? hmm probably most often a lot less. like parsley.. sprinkle seed on ground and sprinkle moisture retaining stuff like the coir metioned. Sprinkle it no deeper than the seed is thick.(carrots seed is way less than 6mm). I use grape marc.. but beautiful freshly made compost is similar. The really clever tip is use hessian or just sacking. Just chuck it on top and stop it from drying out on top(by watering of course). Ever noted that when you lay an old potato or wheat bag on the ground and wet it, worms appear as if by magic..? Carrots take a minimum of 2 weeks to germinate and don ‘t need light for tat trick. They do however as has been said, hate drying out.

so, the shade cloth idea isn’t too bad but a roll of hessian is far better.

even a plank of wood over the seed will work, but check regularly for germination as you will need to remove it once the seedlings start emerging. This system works well if you can’t be around to water twice a day.

Having said that, even though I have been able to germinate carrots I am yet to grow them to something worth eating!!

Friends tried the plank of wood years ago … tried it myself without success, all I can think is that I missed checking on the day the seeds germinated and managed to smother them.

Other times I tried watering twice a day but yes, on hot days that wasn’t enough. Hadn’t tried hessian or shadecloth though.

My only success was one year when I was in a hurry, pulled back rather deep mulch (probably 10-15cm of well settled straw/hay) just far enough to make a single shallow row … then we had a wet week. I think the deep mulch helped prevent drying out but I suspect the overcast and rainy weather was the crucial factor.

Apart from the watering regime ants are the biggest limiting factor to a good carrot germination I reckon. I tend to sow my carrots very thickly working on the principle that the ants might leave some for me. I used to follow my dad’s idea of soaking the seed in kerosene to stop the ants, but I don’t worry about it now. I just figure that if I sow heaps I’ll end up with some.

Carrots were easy to get germinating and grow well for me, but it’s only because I’m at home and can go out and tend to them several times a day with a gentle watering, and weeding.
But I don’t bother too much with them because they take such a while to grow and.. I dislike carrots. They’re one of the things that are grown locally and are fine and are actually cheaper for me to buy than grow. The plastic bagged variety in the s’market have hard thick cores and fall apart in slow cooked dishes, but the locally grown ones don’t.

pomolo said:

pepe said:

pomolo said:

Gosh a thread that is about gardening. On our forum……….. Unbelieveable! LOL.

check out the topic thread madam – you will find most are garden related.
- altho’ you seem to think only veges are gardening and things like – ‘iris ID’ are games or fun or summin.

Are you having a go at me Pepe? You wouldn’t dare would you? LOL.

if you look under the ‘by topic’ heading you’ll see that most topics are gardening related. we are experts at hijiack, productive transgressions and chat in general – but nevertheless most topics are garden related.

no – i would never sling off at you poomolo – how could you think such a thing. LOL.

Happy Potter said:

Carrots were easy to get germinating and grow well for me, but it’s only because I’m at home and can go out and tend to them several times a day with a gentle watering, and weeding.
But I don’t bother too much with them because they take such a while to grow and.. I dislike carrots. They’re one of the things that are grown locally and are fine and are actually cheaper for me to buy than grow. The plastic bagged variety in the s’market have hard thick cores and fall apart in slow cooked dishes, but the locally grown ones don’t.

Might have been in storage for to long HP, we get a few bins like that every months in the Markets.

Veg gardener said:

Happy Potter said:

Carrots were easy to get germinating and grow well for me, but it’s only because I’m at home and can go out and tend to them several times a day with a gentle watering, and weeding.
But I don’t bother too much with them because they take such a while to grow and.. I dislike carrots. They’re one of the things that are grown locally and are fine and are actually cheaper for me to buy than grow. The plastic bagged variety in the s’market have hard thick cores and fall apart in slow cooked dishes, but the locally grown ones don’t.

Might have been in storage for to long HP, we get a few bins like that every months in the Markets.

there is a good carrot grower in the barossa valley. but i prefer my own but i have occasionally bought some freshies.

pepe said:

Veg gardener said:

Happy Potter said:

Carrots were easy to get germinating and grow well for me, but it’s only because I’m at home and can go out and tend to them several times a day with a gentle watering, and weeding.
But I don’t bother too much with them because they take such a while to grow and.. I dislike carrots. They’re one of the things that are grown locally and are fine and are actually cheaper for me to buy than grow. The plastic bagged variety in the s’market have hard thick cores and fall apart in slow cooked dishes, but the locally grown ones don’t.

Might have been in storage for to long HP, we get a few bins like that every months in the Markets.

there is a good carrot grower in the barossa valley. but i prefer my own but i have occasionally bought some freshies.

Tasmania has good carrots, Shall check out where the Victoria grower when i see a Pallet in the cool rooms.

Veg gardener said:

pepe said:

Veg gardener said:

Might have been in storage for to long HP, we get a few bins like that every months in the Markets.

there is a good carrot grower in the barossa valley. but i prefer my own but i have occasionally bought some freshies.

Tasmania has good carrots, Shall check out where the Victoria grower when i see a Pallet in the cool rooms.

it’s interesting that you work in a vegetable wholesaler/packaging plant. you are in a position just to pick the best of what you need and not have to grow at all.
perhaps you should experiment with the ones that they aren’t selling at work.

i.e. kohl rabi, lemon verbena, chocolate mint and many more

pepe said:

Veg gardener said:

pepe said:

there is a good carrot grower in the barossa valley. but i prefer my own but i have occasionally bought some freshies.

Tasmania has good carrots, Shall check out where the Victoria grower when i see a Pallet in the cool rooms.

it’s interesting that you work in a vegetable wholesaler/packaging plant. you are in a position just to pick the best of what you need and not have to grow at all.
perhaps you should experiment with the ones that they aren’t selling at work.

i.e. kohl rabi, lemon verbena, chocolate mint and many more

To get the good prices you have to buy it all in big boxes. We get the stuff we don’t grow here from the markets.