OK, here are some pictures of what I need to do to stop our place being over-run by feral vegetation, and also to make it a more pleasant back yard.
I’ll upload the photos to photobucket and then put them here…
stay chuned…
Dinetta said:
Looking south east…this leucaena thicket will need to be destroyed, as that corner should be my natives corner…
Hope this enlarges better…
this is the south-west corner of the house…leucaena thicket again…you can just see the yukka/succulent in the bottom RHS…long strappy leaves with striped edges
Nup, what button do I have to push to make them bigger thumbnails? I think I’ve pushed all the sizing options I can…
Wow a big job ahead there !!!!! dont forget after shots !
Dinetta said:
Nup, what button do I have to push to make them bigger thumbnails? I think I’ve pushed all the sizing options I can…
the size is determined when you upload the pictures to photobucket. but if that is as big as they come then not much you can do about it.
bluegreen said:
Dinetta said:
Nup, what button do I have to push to make them bigger thumbnails? I think I’ve pushed all the sizing options I can…
the size is determined when you upload the pictures to photobucket. but if that is as big as they come then not much you can do about it.
Dammit, Janet!
thanks BlueGreen
The Estate said:
Wow a big job ahead there !!!!! dont forget after shots !
If I can get the camera, there will be progress shots…
:)
Dinetta do you live on a large block of land??? The photos remind me of the homestead we grew up on.
Lucky1 said:
Dinetta do you live on a large block of land??? The photos remind me of the homestead we grew up on.
It’s 20 acres, bisected by the house into 2 paddocks…MrD says the house block is 2 acres but I reckon it’s a quarter acre…lots of mowing with the 4 stroke at the moment!
Dinetta said:
Whoops
This is the vegetable bed, it has one basil plant on the RHS of the electric fence pole…
The 4 – 5 white tapes are the electric fence. There is a weldmesh fence on the other sides of this front yard, and this is how we keep Elle Wuffles At Home while we are away…she can helicopter but she can’t jump forward (over the fence), so this patch in front of the vegetable bed, is her “run”.
she has enormous respect for the electric fence…we hope it keeps neighbourhood woofs out of Puta’s patch as well…
What you can see behind the bed, is green panic grass…great in a paddock but horrible in the garden…
Lucky1 said:
Dinetta do you live on a large block of land??? The photos remind me of the homestead we grew up on.
Also this is a besser block on three “floating” slabs home, the owner builder owned the local besser block factory and he just kept going. The orientation is North East and it is brilliant.
Huge house, in need of renos but we need to finish eddy-kating the last two enfants first…
Dinetta said:
Lucky1 said:
Dinetta do you live on a large block of land??? The photos remind me of the homestead we grew up on.
It’s 20 acres, bisected by the house into 2 paddocks…MrD says the house block is 2 acres but I reckon it’s a quarter acre…lots of mowing with the 4 stroke at the moment!
Sweet:)
Room for a cow and a couple of sheep..
Lucky1 said:
Dinetta said:
Lucky1 said:
Dinetta do you live on a large block of land??? The photos remind me of the homestead we grew up on.
It’s 20 acres, bisected by the house into 2 paddocks…MrD says the house block is 2 acres but I reckon it’s a quarter acre…lots of mowing with the 4 stroke at the moment!
Sweet:)
Room for a cow and a couple of sheep..
Yes, 2 cows only (about 1 cow to 5 acres here). I’ve been thinking longingly of goats, for milk mostly…besides the chooks…we have a pony who earns his keep as a charmer…
Dinetta said:
Lucky1 said:
Dinetta said:
Lucky1 said:
Dinetta do you live on a large block of land??? The photos remind me of the homestead we grew up on.
It’s 20 acres, bisected by the house into 2 paddocks…MrD says the house block is 2 acres but I reckon it’s a quarter acre…lots of mowing with the 4 stroke at the moment!
Sweet:)
Room for a cow and a couple of sheep..
Yes, 2 cows only (about 1 cow to 5 acres here). I’ve been thinking longingly of goats, for milk mostly…besides the chooks…we have a pony who earns his keep as a charmer…
Do you milk one of the cows?? Or are they to keep the grass down???
Now goats wold keep all under control !
The Estate said:
Now goats wold keep all under control !
And the sides of the main road, the neighbour’s place and the local town verges…..LOL
my sister keeps goats to control the blackberries.
Lucky1 said:
The Estate said:
Now goats wold keep all under control !
And the sides of the main road, the neighbour’s place and the local town verges…..LOL
and any blackberries as well, just watch your roses if you grow them, their fav. food like candy to a kid LOL, I made a funy
bluegreen said:
my sister keeps goats to control the blackberries.
snap
Do you milk one of the cows?? Or are they to keep the grass down???
____________
Sorry Lucky, I didn’t mean to mislead you…the cows were sent to MrD’s brother’s place as we could no longer afford to feed Minnie, Molly2, Daisy and Annie (bitch) through the drought…
Yes, I used to milk Molly, mother of Minnie and grandmother to Molly2…fannnntastic butter I used to get as well, as she was a Guernsey…
The Estate said:
Now goats wold keep all under control !
Apparently you need to watch what you feed them but yes, they’re great little lawnmowers (like sheep?)
and…
the proposed lettuce bed…
The sides are leucaena logs, and the bed was originally my hay bale bed that eventually collapsed.
This is the best I could do, filtered light and lots of breeze, but I will prolly need to organize some bird netting…
Not sure what happened there, but parthenium to the left of the bed and buffel in the background. The southeastern corner with the swing set in previous photo, is to the right, out of the photo.
This is looking north north east…
Dinetta said:
Do you milk one of the cows?? Or are they to keep the grass down???
____________Sorry Lucky, I didn’t mean to mislead you…the cows were sent to MrD’s brother’s place as we could no longer afford to feed Minnie, Molly2, Daisy and Annie (bitch) through the drought…
Yes, I used to milk Molly, mother of Minnie and grandmother to Molly2…fannnntastic butter I used to get as well, as she was a Guernsey…
Lovely photos and the trees and space…….so much you could do…. you could go crazy……good crazy that is:D
Lucky1 said:
Lovely photos and the trees and space…….so much you could do…. you could go crazy……good crazy that is:D
Oh I could…that’s why I’m going to check with the sports physiologist on Monday, find out just how I can incorporate yard work into my exercise routine without upsetting the dietician…everything has to be “measurable”…
lovely yard.
a series of chook pens would keep it clean for you.
you are certainly not short of space but weeding is a constant chore on that size property. i suggest you limit the garden to an area near the house.
when you say lettuce bed – how many lettuces?
thanks for showing us
pepe said:
lovely yard.
a series of chook pens would keep it clean for you.
you are certainly not short of space but weeding is a constant chore on that size property. i suggest you limit the garden to an area near the house.
when you say lettuce bed – how many lettuces?
thanks for showing us
HI Pepe,
this caught my eye just as I was heading off…
Yes, Weeding is a chore, such as keeping that feral leucaena under control or even eliminated…maybe the chooks would eat the seeds for me? That would be good…then there’s the green panic and buffel…
My idea of garden, apart from the vegetable beds, is to have “rooms” in the yard…I think this is what the original owner tried to do…
Not too sure how many lettuces, the bed is about 1.5 metres across and 3 metres long – or it will be by the time I’ve cleaned it up…was hoping to grow other things like mescaline (?) mixes as well, and Asian greens…
I have access to 4 × 4 round bales of mulch, wheat and sorghum stubble for example, at very reasonable prices e.g. $35 – $40 per bale…
When Sonny Jim comes back I hope he will show me how to use the round-up spray, this should get rid of the panic around that front bed…
Will see if I can do a mug’s map , show the layout of the house etc…the more advice people are kind enough to give me, the better…
Dinetta said:
pepe said:
lovely yard.
a series of chook pens would keep it clean for you.
you are certainly not short of space but weeding is a constant chore on that size property. i suggest you limit the garden to an area near the house.
when you say lettuce bed – how many lettuces?
thanks for showing us
HI Pepe,
this caught my eye just as I was heading off…
Yes, Weeding is a chore, such as keeping that feral leucaena under control or even eliminated…maybe the chooks would eat the seeds for me? That would be good…then there’s the green panic and buffel…
My idea of garden, apart from the vegetable beds, is to have “rooms” in the yard…I think this is what the original owner tried to do…
Not too sure how many lettuces, the bed is about 1.5 metres across and 3 metres long – or it will be by the time I’ve cleaned it up…was hoping to grow other things like mescaline (?) mixes as well, and Asian greens…
I have access to 4 × 4 round bales of mulch, wheat and sorghum stubble for example, at very reasonable prices e.g. $35 – $40 per bale…
When Sonny Jim comes back I hope he will show me how to use the round-up spray, this should get rid of the panic around that front bed…
Will see if I can do a mug’s map , show the layout of the house etc…the more advice people are kind enough to give me, the better…
Sounds like you need a garden party makeover too!
Not too sure how many lettuces, the bed is about 1.5 metres across and 3 metres long – or it will be by the time I’ve cleaned it up…was hoping to grow other things like mescaline (?) mixes as well, and Asian greens…
———————————
that is a good sized bed – you will be able to supply the family greens – probably a dozen each of mesculin, lettuce ( cos, mignonette, iceberg), spinach and some bok choi will fit.
apart from rain how do you water?
pepe said:
Not too sure how many lettuces, the bed is about 1.5 metres across and 3 metres long – or it will be by the time I’ve cleaned it up…was hoping to grow other things like mescaline (?) mixes as well, and Asian greens…
———————————
that is a good sized bed – you will be able to supply the family greens – probably a dozen each of mesculin, lettuce ( cos, mignonette, iceberg), spinach and some bok choi will fit.
apart from rain how do you water?
I am so annoyed with myself, instead of assembling the bolt and self-tapping nut that holds the pump assembly together, I placed them separately on the tile that the pump sits on, and lost the b**y nut…how can something so solid, vanish? Can’t do the washing up until the grey water is pumped: it is chockers…
To water the gardens, we have grace and favour access to the pipeline from Lake Maraboon to the minesites…this is SunWater domain, but the local council has an arrangement so that our “hill” – about 13 blocks – can have access to this water. I think our block’s “limit” is 1 meg, after that the penalty rates kick in…
When we first came here, the water might not flow for 5 days, which was a bummer during extreme heat (think of the summer you’ve just had). The last couple of years this water has flowed 24/7…
We have a concrete tank that the water is stored in, for household use: showers, laundry, stock trough and washing up.The yard is watered directly from the pipeline: we don’t use the stored water on the yard. The rain water is usually only drunk, but with the split pipe in the “mains” (our pipe) we have been using the tank water to top up the pot plants in between showers. Have pumped the rainwater tank dry 3 times and it is a hassle…need to cart water from town in jerry cans as it is very expensive to buy.
Thanks for the advice re the greens I could grow…not Iceberg I don’t think..we don’t like it and I’m guessing it would only grow successfully in winter? Cos lettuce grow very well in town…ooh, I’m starting to feel enthusiastic! Project for this AM is to cut back the laburnum down one side, I can’t get to my potplants out the back…
Sounds like you need a garden party makeover too!
++++++++++++++
Yes, but first I gotta get organized!
LOL!
Dinetta,is the swing still being used for the billy lids? If not it would make great trellacing for climbers…………AL
al said:
Dinetta,is the swing still being used for the billy lids? If not it would make great trellacing for climbers…………AL
Oh no the swing never had a swing…the kids used to climb it…we even installed a thick rope once…I was thinking more along the lines of a shadehouse. It is a very sturdy item…climbers aren’t really my “thing”…
Sounds good…………….AL
al said:
Dinetta,is the swing still being used for the billy lids? If not it would make great trellacing for climbers…………AL
You know I was going through this thread and I thought…excellent! I could use it for the pumpkin and other vines!
Thanks Al, if you ever sign in again…
Well we left town too late to call into the sawmill at Dingo re the garden bed panels…borders…Trevor…however MrD’s vote for the front garden bed is one-third for the 3-Sister’s and two-thirds for the Tomatoes and associated herbs…sounds good to me…definite body-language when I asked him LOL! Think this bloke likes his tomatoes home-grown: full of flavour …
I am going to have to re-think the Border Control of any garden beds…forget bunnies and hares…Sonny Jim went out to check why Elle Wuffles was barking so furiously…there were 3 big ‘roos lined up at our house gate…unh…
So a little electric fence of 2-3 rungs up to 18” high might not do the job…got to Think Big now…was considering leucaena saplings tied at the corners and covered with white bird netting?
Guess the ‘roos are looking at my lawn and they can have it…I have been soaking the yard pretty thoroughly the last 3 weeks mainly to save my trees…but my lettuce etc (when it gets going) will be a No-No to ‘roos…they’ve got about 100 acres of nicely headed wheat down the back anyway, but maybe they know they’re export meat if they damage that???
:P
Guess the ‘roos are looking at my lawn and they can have it…I have been soaking the yard pretty thoroughly the last 3 weeks mainly to save my trees…
—————————————————-
geez youse guys are dry up there. so when do the next rains come to emerald?
pepe said:
Guess the ‘roos are looking at my lawn and they can have it…I have been soaking the yard pretty thoroughly the last 3 weeks mainly to save my trees…
—————————————————-
geez youse guys are dry up there. so when do the next rains come to emerald?
We’ll get the odd newsworthy wild storm in October, November the clouds will build up, and then hopefully (if El Nino keeps its head down), intermittent storms through December until the Wet begins January / February…
Supposed to be like that…
Dinetta said:
pepe said:
Guess the ‘roos are looking at my lawn and they can have it…I have been soaking the yard pretty thoroughly the last 3 weeks mainly to save my trees…
—————————————————-
geez youse guys are dry up there. so when do the next rains come to emerald?
We’ll get the odd newsworthy wild storm in October, November the clouds will build up, and then hopefully (if El Nino keeps its head down), intermittent storms through December until the Wet begins January / February…
Supposed to be like that…
well i hope you get your storms because they often tail out down here – spring and summer storms from the north are the most welcome rain of all.
Dinetta said:
pepe said:
Guess the ‘roos are looking at my lawn and they can have it…I have been soaking the yard pretty thoroughly the last 3 weeks mainly to save my trees…
—————————————————-
geez youse guys are dry up there. so when do the next rains come to emerald?
We’ll get the odd newsworthy wild storm in October, November the clouds will build up, and then hopefully (if El Nino keeps its head down), intermittent storms through December until the Wet begins January / February…
Supposed to be like that…
I heard that we won’t get anything much till November. Good rain for that month apparently.
I have defrosted some canetoads (I need the ice cream containers for this coming season) and buried them in the proposed 3 sisters garden.
Also planted out the corn seeds from the packet that I bought at Crazy Clark’s. They looked weird. All shrivelled up and white, with something red sprayed on them. Will they be goers, do you think?
Planted out 2 rows like Pepe told me, and the packet said after these are about 10” high, plant out some more…
Oh oh oh I have little corns coming up! I had a look this AM and there they are, 1 “ high and more obviously coming along…can I water them with the worm wee now? it’s very diluted believe me, after all that watering yesterday… :P
Dinetta said:
Oh oh oh I have little corns coming up! I had a look this AM and there they are, 1 “ high and more obviously coming along…can I water them with the worm wee now? it’s very diluted believe me, after all that watering yesterday… :P
Yes I’d do it, pour on the worm wee. Magic stuff for seedlings :D
Ok, I think I may have planted the corn a bit close: 6” apart is fine but my 2’ row is closer to 1’…can I dig the 2” seedlings out and move them so the rows are the proper distance apart? I think I might need to do this today?
The last of last year’s cane toads have defrosted so I am going to bury them in the proposed tomato patch…what harm can they do? LOL
Dinetta said:
You can move them while they are still little. Carefully and keeping as much soil on the roots as you can. Keep moist. I’ve had dizzy zucchini bounce around punnet to garden bed and back to punnet, then got blown flat. They’re going great.
Ok, I think I may have planted the corn a bit close: 6” apart is fine but my 2’ row is closer to 1’…can I dig the 2” seedlings out and move them so the rows are the proper distance apart? I think I might need to do this today?
Well Here I am, happy as a bumble bee as four out of 8 of my BBY tomato seeds have come up, including the yellow one. They were about ½ an inch high yesterday…one came up to the side of the pot when I distinctly remember planting them all in the middle…so who knows? Possibly with moving the HP each day, I may have moved the seeds and disadvantaged the others….there is a feral in the garden bed, so I’ll pot him/her up until the rest are ready to move out…or is that in?
One of the corn is 6” high already…I’m waiting on the chainsaw to come back from its service as some leucaena is right beside the carport wall and needs to dieeeeeeeeeeeeeee…..hahahahahaha (evil cackle)…there’s plenty of boganvillea there for the pumpkins to climb once they get going…I think I will plant…
over from the Chat thread
Now where was I? lost me train of thought…BBL…
Da Boyz are all “psyched” to Grazon the leucaena for me…rag or brush, but MrD says brush…for a herbicidal version of “cut and paste”…
They’ve repaired the leak in the mains water for me (from the mains to the house), found the pipe by plunging the crowbar into it…but good news is they’ve found the telephone wire as well, running beside the water pipe…so they did better than the eejit in town with the backhoe, who has dug up the telstra cable to all our neighbourhood…I think they’ve put the repairs out to tender…the wire was dug up last Monday and nothing has happened much…
I’ve planted blue lake beans beside the corn, as it was New Moon on the 19th…also planted out another row of corn…
Something knocked one corn plant flat, and bit another one, so Pony was given the flattened plant…also topped up the mulch around these plants with well-rotted HP. Emptied a bag of Searle’s organic fert over where the first tomato plants are to go, Sonny Joe is to make me tripod stakes out of leucaena trimmings…water retention seems to be a problem in that bed, but I think once I get some plants established, that’ll help…
Bought some vietnamese mint ( a bit of an allrounder, that) and some common mint. Also an eggplant that has little fruit and will grow well in a pot.
The heritage tomatoes desperately need to be bedded out…I might have to plant them out without benefit of staking for the time being…will a row or two of parsley and marigolds, between the corn/beans and tomatoes, minimise the dislike these have for each other???
Dinetta said:
The heritage tomatoes desperately need to be bedded out…I might have to plant them out without benefit of staking for the time being…will a row or two of parsley and marigolds, between the corn/beans and tomatoes, minimise the dislike these have for each other???
I should think so, depends how desperately they dislike each other! It is probably a ph thing I think. Tomatoes like it acidic and corn/beans I think like a bit of lime…
Oh good, thanks for that BlueGreen…
bluegreen said:
Dinetta said:
The heritage tomatoes desperately need to be bedded out…I might have to plant them out without benefit of staking for the time being…will a row or two of parsley and marigolds, between the corn/beans and tomatoes, minimise the dislike these have for each other???
I should think so, depends how desperately they dislike each other! It is probably a ph thing I think. Tomatoes like it acidic and corn/beans I think like a bit of lime…
http://www.sgaonline.org.au/info_companion_planting.html
roughbarked said:
http://www.sgaonline.org.au/info_companion_planting.html
Thanks RoughBarked: I like that site. so my planned plantings are on the money…
:)
Sonny Joe has been running amok with the machete, trimming some stakes for me as in Burke’s Backyard magazine…I’ll use rags plaited together instead of buying rope, this will work just the same…
Dug in some bags of compost that I invested in last year, will need to water that in tomorrow morning…
Some drama when adding the bags to the bed: (1) Puta stung herself on the electric fence whilst chewing on the green grass growing through it (poor little baitch…I shouldn’t laugh) (2) something peed on me when I was forking the bagged compost…talked to Sonny Joe about the dog (he couldn’t figure out why she was shaking – he was out the back and I was in the front yard) and then I continued to fork…called Sonny Joe back and displayed my trophy: a canetoad as big as my clenched fist, impaled on a fork tine. Sonny went and got the toad icecream container and the toad is now degenerating into compost…I’ll freeze him tonight…(3) Sonny Joe and I worked out that if you jump and touch the electric fence when you’re in the air, you don’t get shocked because you’re not “grounded”…
Guess I’d piddle on something too if it impaled me…the stream shot half a metre across the garden…
Dinetta said:
Guess I’d piddle on something too if it impaled me…the stream shot half a metre across the garden…
Was it piddle or the glandular excretion from the Toad?
pain master said:
Dinetta said:
Guess I’d piddle on something too if it impaled me…the stream shot half a metre across the garden…
Was it piddle or the glandular excretion from the Toad?
Well I thought it was pee…not sure what the glandular excretion looks like…his backside was facing the direction of the fluid ejection…
Dinetta said:
pain master said:
Dinetta said:
Guess I’d piddle on something too if it impaled me…the stream shot half a metre across the garden…
Was it piddle or the glandular excretion from the Toad?
Well I thought it was pee…not sure what the glandular excretion looks like…his backside was facing the direction of the fluid ejection…
It was obviously a good thing that you weren’t facing the rear end then.
Hi RoughBarked…
No the poison comes from a gland almost on the toad’s shoulder…I have just been reading up on this and the toad will turn sideways to direct this poison, which mostly oozes…altho’ it can be ejected a “short way” and I am thinking possibly 6”? so what this toad shot out onto my leg and past it, was piddle…thankfully!…the forking of him was unexpected on both sides so if he did excrete poison my guess is he did it after he was forked, but I didn’t see any fluid around his poison sacs…
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/glance/869276/surfing-with-a-tsunami-in-the-sky
One day…
Couldn’t remember if there was a tomato thread, so this will have to do.
My tomatoes have been transplanted into the big bed for 10 days now, but some of them have got leaves near-white. They got worm castings planted under them, and the wind has been strong and drying continuously since transplanting. The leaves are wholly discoloured: there is no green veins and white patches kind of thing…
The parsley, marigolds and alyssum, transplanted the same time, are powering along, but the zinnias were pale-leaved when I bought it and continues to be so: it is still healthy and one (they’re only 4 inches high! ) has a flower coming along…
The soil is lovely and moist: I have had to stop myself from over-watering (unusual!) and everything has a lovely 3 inch layer of sugarcane mulch.
I’m inclined to give a dose of liquid seaweed this week plus a sprinkle of B&B, a dose of charlie carp next week. My fear is that the plants are not taking up the nutrients in the soil, which is beautiful blacksoil plus loads of compost: about 6 months in the making and building on last year’s good result….they got a good dose of worm wee when planted out…
wot! wot! wot!
All suggestions gratefully accepted…iodine?
Try some potassium too Dinetta….. helps strengthen and set fruit when they start to flower.
I’m not sure what to tell you what to do Dinetta, as my BBY toms are looking the same as yours! Quite pale and some whitish leaves. But they are way taller and have 2 and 3 sets of leaf. Mine are still in the tubes in the light box but out in the daytime morning sun, then I bring them in at night , no light on..it’s still very cold at night here sometimes 3C so I’m not planting them out yet.
I might try the potash at planting time too.
Happy Potter said:
I’m not sure what to tell you what to do Dinetta, as my BBY toms are looking the same as yours! Quite pale and some whitish leaves. But they are way taller and have 2 and 3 sets of leaf. Mine are still in the tubes in the light box but out in the daytime morning sun, then I bring them in at night , no light on..it’s still very cold at night here sometimes 3C so I’m not planting them out yet.
I might try the potash at planting time too.
Most likely too wet and cold.. tomatoes hate both in unision.
Dinetta said:
Couldn’t remember if there was a tomato thread, so this will have to do.My tomatoes have been transplanted into the big bed for 10 days now, but some of them have got leaves near-white. They got worm castings planted under them, and the wind has been strong and drying continuously since transplanting. The leaves are wholly discoloured: there is no green veins and white patches kind of thing…
The parsley, marigolds and alyssum, transplanted the same time, are powering along, but the zinnias were pale-leaved when I bought it and continues to be so: it is still healthy and one (they’re only 4 inches high! ) has a flower coming along…
The soil is lovely and moist: I have had to stop myself from over-watering (unusual!) and everything has a lovely 3 inch layer of sugarcane mulch.
I’m inclined to give a dose of liquid seaweed this week plus a sprinkle of B&B, a dose of charlie carp next week. My fear is that the plants are not taking up the nutrients in the soil, which is beautiful blacksoil plus loads of compost: about 6 months in the making and building on last year’s good result….they got a good dose of worm wee when planted out…
wot! wot! wot!
All suggestions gratefully accepted…iodine?
what’s the ph of the soil? Could be it is too alkaline.
Thanks to all for the responses :)
Okies, Potassium…where will I find that? Potash: I put hardwood ashes in the bed that’s got the OK tomatoes, about 2 months ago…I’ll need to work out how to add it to the bed with the “white” tomatoes…will a slurry do?
Weather: the temps are up in the high 30’s, low 40’s during much of the day (say 9 am to 4 pm)…down into the mid teens some nights but mostly high teens…
I had to plant them out: they were trying to crawl out of their pots and were getting too tall and needed staking…
Happy I think you’re doing very well just to keep your tomatoes alive, in the circumstances…I read about your weather and think “oh that’s not good for the tomatoes”…
On a positive note, I saw a “flower” (looks like a green sorghum head) trying to form inside my first corn planting… frilling!!…
and I have harvested my first “proper” garlic (a purple mexican): it is currently magneted to the fridge whilst curing or whatever they do…there’s one more bigger one to pick and then a little one…couldn’t have done it without you guys…so next year I will plant them into a garden bed, now that I have some confidence…
roughbarked said:
Happy Potter said:
I’m not sure what to tell you what to do Dinetta, as my BBY toms are looking the same as yours! Quite pale and some whitish leaves. But they are way taller and have 2 and 3 sets of leaf. Mine are still in the tubes in the light box but out in the daytime morning sun, then I bring them in at night , no light on..it’s still very cold at night here sometimes 3C so I’m not planting them out yet.
I might try the potash at planting time too.
Most likely too wet and cold.. tomatoes hate both in unision.
so let them dry out a bit?
bluegreen said:
Dinetta said:
Couldn’t remember if there was a tomato thread, so this will have to do.My tomatoes have been transplanted into the big bed for 10 days now, but some of them have got leaves near-white. The leaves are wholly discoloured: there is no green veins and white patches kind of thing…
what’s the ph of the soil? Could be it is too alkaline.
Yes, I did wonder about pH issues BlueGreen, as this affects the uptake of nutrients…will need to buy a new pH kit…what kind (brand) do you use?
Dinetta said:
roughbarked said:
Happy Potter said:
I’m not sure what to tell you what to do Dinetta, as my BBY toms are looking the same as yours! Quite pale and some whitish leaves. But they are way taller and have 2 and 3 sets of leaf. Mine are still in the tubes in the light box but out in the daytime morning sun, then I bring them in at night , no light on..it’s still very cold at night here sometimes 3C so I’m not planting them out yet.
I might try the potash at planting time too.
Most likely too wet and cold.. tomatoes hate both in unision.
The best instructions I ever saw on a plant label were indeed on a tomato label and they were: Give it enough water to last two weeks and don’t water for two weeks.
so let them dry out a bit?
Dinetta said:
bluegreen said:
Dinetta said:
Couldn’t remember if there was a tomato thread, so this will have to do.My tomatoes have been transplanted into the big bed for 10 days now, but some of them have got leaves near-white. The leaves are wholly discoloured: there is no green veins and white patches kind of thing…
what’s the ph of the soil? Could be it is too alkaline.
Yes, I did wonder about pH issues BlueGreen, as this affects the uptake of nutrients…will need to buy a new pH kit…what kind (brand) do you use?
too much water can also change the Ph
Dinetta said:
It’s nicer today with a warm sun 22C (for one day only though, then back to another cold week). The toms are out there soaking up the sun . I keep them on the dry side. Worm wee now and then.
roughbarked said:
Happy Potter said:
I’m not sure what to tell you what to do Dinetta, as my BBY toms are looking the same as yours! Quite pale and some whitish leaves. But they are way taller and have 2 and 3 sets of leaf. Mine are still in the tubes in the light box but out in the daytime morning sun, then I bring them in at night , no light on..it’s still very cold at night here sometimes 3C so I’m not planting them out yet.
I might try the potash at planting time too.
Most likely too wet and cold.. tomatoes hate both in unision.
so let them dry out a bit?
roughbarked said:
Dinetta said:
roughbarked said:Most likely too wet and cold.. tomatoes hate both in unision.
so let them dry out a bit?
The best instructions I ever saw on a plant label were indeed on a tomato label and they were: Give it enough water to last two weeks and don’t water for two weeks.
Noted…maybe that’s why my previous crops did well? The soil kept drying out on me and I kept forgetting to water them as well?
roughbarked said:
Dinetta said:
bluegreen said:what’s the ph of the soil? Could be it is too alkaline.
Yes, I did wonder about pH issues BlueGreen, as this affects the uptake of nutrients…will need to buy a new pH kit…what kind (brand) do you use?
too much water can also change the Ph
Ooooh, I wasn’t aware of that…
Went out just now and had a Captain Cook: one has gone rotten where the mulch was touching it, and there was a big hole in the stem, so I pulled it out…the other was heading that way so it came out too…
I’ll start a couple more just after the 18th (new moon)…
Happy Potter said:
Dinetta said:I keep them on the dry side. Worm wee now and then.so let them dry out a bit?
Maybe that’s why they did well in the pots: I didn’t overwater…but since they have been in the bed I have worried about the soil becoming water repellent as it has in the past so I’ve kept watering…gonna get the piggy in the middle with this soil:watering soon I hope…
Dinetta said:
Yes, I did wonder about pH issues BlueGreen, as this affects the uptake of nutrients…will need to buy a new pH kit…what kind (brand) do you use?
I use the one where you mix a bit of soil with a liquid, sprinkle the powder on top, then compare the colour with the chart…
Dinetta said:
This is where the passionfruit is going, we have some reinforcing mesh and will use that …this area has been cleaned up considerably, still some leucaena up-rooting to do but the most of it is gone…
My corn is suffering: I haven’t watered it for 2 days for fear of overwatering and the south-westerly has shrivelled some of the lower leaves…the beans aren’t looking juicy either…so I have been sprinkling them tonight and hope they come good…back to the morning watering for them…the remaining tomatos (4) are sitting there, thinking about “things” but at least they aren’t going backwards any more…I have cut off a few flowers on one, to give it a chance to settle into it’s new situation…the parsley transplants look so healthy I was considering moving the mature plants from their pot into the garden? Input, anyone?
Dinetta said:
My corn is suffering: I haven’t watered it for 2 days for fear of overwatering and the south-westerly has shrivelled some of the lower leaves…the beans aren’t looking juicy either…so I have been sprinkling them tonight and hope they come good…back to the morning watering for them…the remaining tomatos (4) are sitting there, thinking about “things” but at least they aren’t going backwards any more…I have cut off a few flowers on one, to give it a chance to settle into it’s new situation…the parsley transplants look so healthy I was considering moving the mature plants from their pot into the garden? Input, anyone?
heavy mulching is in order. water the mulch down with seaweed mixture to prevent it blowing away.
i saw the photo of the swing area. if you are going to grow passionfruit up that swing it sounds great. you get a little shady tunnel inside the swing as well – do you? mushrooms in tunnel??
pepe said:
heavy mulching is in order. water the mulch down with seaweed mixture to prevent it blowing away.
i saw the photo of the swing area. if you are going to grow passionfruit up that swing it sounds great. you get a little shady tunnel inside the swing as well – do you? mushrooms in tunnel??
Thanks Pepe re the corn…it’s looking better this morning as I forgot about the sprinkler overnight…but I will mulch it up …this is where the pumpkin was supposed to come in: as shade and protection for the corn’s roots…
Not sure about mushrooms, have never grown them, would the passionfruit really grow that much? Have only one (very sick – nearly dried out) plant at the moment and it still needs to be planted out…was thinking of the reinforcing mesh to the east of the swing, it, like the house, faces north east…
Dinetta said:
pepe said:heavy mulching is in order. water the mulch down with seaweed mixture to prevent it blowing away.
i saw the photo of the swing area. if you are going to grow passionfruit up that swing it sounds great. you get a little shady tunnel inside the swing as well – do you? mushrooms in tunnel??
Thanks Pepe re the corn…it’s looking better this morning as I forgot about the sprinkler overnight…but I will mulch it up …this is where the pumpkin was supposed to come in: as shade and protection for the corn’s roots… Not sure about mushrooms, have never grown them, would the passionfruit really grow that much? Have only one (very sick – nearly dried out) plant at the moment and it still needs to be planted out…was thinking of the reinforcing mesh to the east of the swing, it, like the house, faces north east…
passionfruit goes crazy. but without rain you and your garden are sensibly defensive. wait for rain and rethink when it comes. mushrooms would be good but you had better check out local knowledge – they too require water.
Pop quiz: I have 4 × 2 leaved rockmelons to plant out between the corn: do I plant them 2 × 2 or 4 separate plantings? Which would give them the best chance of survival???
Also, the pot has been moved out for the passionfruit, about 40 – 50 litre is my guess…a glazed affair…we have put it’s tray under it but I’m inclined to take the tray away…the piece of liver turns up this week I hope, along with half a beast for me to pack away…still eating the one from 3 years ago…what do you reckon about the tray under the pot?
Dinetta said:
Pop quiz: I have 4 × 2 leaved rockmelons to plant out between the corn: do I plant them 2 × 2 or 4 separate plantings? Which would give them the best chance of survival???Also, the pot has been moved out for the passionfruit, about 40 – 50 litre is my guess…a glazed affair…we have put it’s tray under it but I’m inclined to take the tray away…the piece of liver turns up this week I hope, along with half a beast for me to pack away…still eating the one from 3 years ago…what do you reckon about the tray under the pot?
If they are rockies in little cells, then even the 2×2 planting will be alright, they’ll survive together and you won’t have to remove the weaker, unless it really is weaker. But then again the 4×1 arrangement will be oky dokies too.
Don’t worry about the tray if you can get some feet underneath and raise the bottom just off the ground, and if your ground area is okay to get wet from time to time. A tray is only necessary for indoors and areas that you don’t really want to get wet…
Thanks for both answers, PM…I think I’ll put some sand/pebbles under the pot to keep it out of the black clay…might not drain properly during the Wet (if it comes) …quite well-draining but stays boggy for days after good rain…can always use the base for inside as you suggested, for other pots…
Okay, off to plant out the rockmelon, I think I will plant 2 × 2 as that garden bed is getting intensive care…will plant the pumpkin seeds as well tonight…and all I need now is that hairy cucumber that’s supposed to love the tropics…
Have planted out the rosemary, the aubergine, the basil and sage, all around the tomatoes…also the cherry bite tomato that I purchased this morning to replace one of my failed tomatoes…
I have planted out my purchased lettuce seedlings: they say 30cm apart but I have used a hand-length (20cm) as these are in boxes…I ran out of space in a box so one of them has gone between the rows of corn…see how it goes…all watered with worm casting slurry…now to stop myself from picking it…
The passionfruit is looking a lot better than the dried-out, shrivelled specimen it was last week…need to get 40 litres of potting mix ready…I have been mixing the Searle’s vegetable mix with good loam and well-rotted HP for the herb and lettuce potting mixes…the dill was planted out and watered, it is with the ferns so shouldn’t be too hot…If Fashionasta could grow it through BrownTown’s heat, then I can grow it here…
Have just returned from Mitre 10, some of my favourite bags of compost/mulch were on special (Searle’s) so I got two of each…as I said to the raffle ladies, it’s not like it’s going to go “off” in a hurry…
Sadly there are paper wasps where I usually store this stuff in the carport…my goosebumps come up every time I remember the sting they just gave me…however they’re great little de-buggers for the yard so I’ll leave them alone… I’m short of muddies (mud wasps) tho’…
I avoided the seedling trays…prefer another gardening centre for those…
Also ended up buying another coir mat: a pretty one for the front door as I suspect the current cheapie will not survive this summer…and a flexible plastic shower attachment for bathing the dawg in the bath…
My little garlic has shelled…now what do I do with it? Cut off the top and roots?
Dinetta said:
My little garlic has shelled…now what do I do with it? Cut off the top and roots?
what do you mean by “shelled”?
The outside has gone papery…
Dinetta said:
The outside has gone papery…
OK. have the tops started to go brown? Then again, I assume you have pulled them already? Don’t cut the tops off yet. Let them dry naturally and the juices and flavour will get drawn back into the cloves. Once the are dry you can cut them off. You can cut the roots off now but be careful not to damage the base of the cloves. I usually do this when I cut the tops off though.
Yes, I’ve pulled it already, it has been drying, stuck to the fridge with a magnet, for about 4 weeks now…the top is dry although there is still one green bit sticking out…I’ve mislaid it for the time being…dammit…
The green bit (about 8 inches up the stalk) looks like it kept its’ colour when it dried…maybe I’ll give it another couple of weeks just to make sure…found it stuck to the fridge with a peg magnet…
brag post…coming home from our little saunter just now, I could smell the frangipani 30 metres away…what a sweet perfume that particular frangi has…not as “full” as some of the others…then I got to 15 metres and the roasting topside took over :P
I’ve transplanted the lettuce again, this time to between the onions…not a good time of day for tranx lettuce but I think I will only lose one…glad I bought that new bag of sugarcane mulch, as the chickpea mulch is too twiggy for this…the Asian greens will do better than the more conventional lettuce, and the rocket is well-named…what do they do to it before we buy it in the shops? Tastes so tame when bought…
Dinetta said:
…what do they do to it before we buy it in the shops? Tastes so tame when bought…
force fed and watered = no flavour
Aaaahhh, well mine certainly are not going to be overwatered!! and they’ll have to make do with worm wee for food…
A nice storm forming over Dorrigo to my south and west. Come on huey.
The wind has finally swung to the north east, this augers well…
Boy is it going to be hot today…that breeze is deceptive…
I’ve been and done my Chopin already, for the garden anyhow…need to take back some overdue CD’s…
Bought another bale of compressed lucerne, to mix ‘n’ match with the sugarcane and chickpea mulch…I’m still pouring worm wee on nearly everything, plus that Kelp mix once a fortnight…I think the mulching is the most important thing at the moment…
The Big Green Pot (about 40 – 50 litres) is ready to go, it is up on a couple of pieces of 4 × 2 (to get it off the blacksoil)….there is only one hole in the pot but I will have about 6 inches of charcoal at the bottom for drainage…
pouring soil / compost mixes onto the lettuce/onion bed is next, followed by breaking one of the 4×4 wheat bales and commencing the large area mulching. Need to pull out heaps of leucaena before the soil dries out after the big soak of the other day…if I do a patch a week it will all get done before christmas…so will my windows “P
Have been handwatering the corn of a morning, a nice deep soak, but many of the leaves were knocked around with Wednesday’s temps and are drying out…
As an experiment, I have planted out a couple of rockmelon seedlings that sprouted in the worm farm and they look OK today…Wednesday’s temps knocked out at least one rockmelon seedling and I don’t know if one of the others is a pumpkin or a rockmelon…{shame!}
I have decided that when I sow some tomato seeds this weekend, they’ll be the hot-weather tolerant variety, as the “cooler” climate tomatoes just can’t cope with the heat…
The lebanese eggplant is over 2 foot tall now, it has about 4 fruit to a “chandelier”, how do I know when to pick them? they look good and glossy (cross fingers) and some are about 2½ to 3 inches long, about ½ and inch diameter at the thickest…
I have tended to pick eggplant at that moment that I start to think “is this the right time?” because normally if you procrastinate too long, then its too late.
pick one, try it, if it ain’t ready, then wait until you pick the next?
pain master said:
I have tended to pick eggplant at that moment that I start to think “is this the right time?” because normally if you procrastinate too long, then its too late.pick one, try it, if it ain’t ready, then wait until you pick the next?
Thanks PM…advice I can relate to…do you know how to preserve eggplant? although I suppose the ones I pick will keep in the crisper until I have sufficient for cooking with…
I have chargrilled it in the past in long lengths and then placed the grilled pieces in a jar and then covered in olive oyl. Then used them afterwards for anti-pasto, or even on top of pizzas and foccacias….
pain master said:
I have chargrilled it in the past in long lengths and then placed the grilled pieces in a jar and then covered in olive oyl. Then used them afterwards for anti-pasto, or even on top of pizzas and foccacias….
my mouth’s watering…
Dinetta said:
pain master said:
I have chargrilled it in the past in long lengths and then placed the grilled pieces in a jar and then covered in olive oyl. Then used them afterwards for anti-pasto, or even on top of pizzas and foccacias….
my mouth’s watering…
mmmm cold pressed cob loaf..layered with cold meats herbs and vegies..
Happy Potter said:
Dinetta said:
pain master said:
I have chargrilled it in the past in long lengths and then placed the grilled pieces in a jar and then covered in olive oyl. Then used them afterwards for anti-pasto, or even on top of pizzas and foccacias….
my mouth’s watering…
mmmm cold pressed cob loaf..layered with cold meats herbs and vegies..
Don’t keep me in suspenders Happy Potter…“Please explain?” (best Pauline Hanson voice)…(re the cold pressed cob loaf)…thanx in advanx…
Dinetta said:
Happy Potter said:
Dinetta said:my mouth’s watering…
mmmm cold pressed cob loaf..layered with cold meats herbs and vegies..
Don’t keep me in suspenders Happy Potter…“Please explain?” (best Pauline Hanson voice)…(re the cold pressed cob loaf)…thanx in advanx…
LOL suspenders..
You’re welcome!
here at ‘The Notebook’ site , only I change the recipe and add whatever I have on hand or in season. And I use a couple large cob loaves instead of the 4 smalls. Can freeze one. I always add lots of my italian parsley. Potatoes, if I add them, I slice thin then fry a little in olive oil first. ect.
http://www.homehints.com.au/cooking+tips/1685/how+to/cob+loaf
Happy Potter said:
Dinetta said:
Happy Potter said:mmmm cold pressed cob loaf..layered with cold meats herbs and vegies..
Don’t keep me in suspenders Happy Potter…“Please explain?” (best Pauline Hanson voice)…(re the cold pressed cob loaf)…thanx in advanx…
LOL suspenders..
You’re welcome!
here at ‘The Notebook’ site , only I change the recipe and add whatever I have on hand or in season. And I use a couple large cob loaves instead of the 4 smalls. Can freeze one. I always add lots of my italian parsley. Potatoes, if I add them, I slice thin then fry a little in olive oil first. ect.http://www.homehints.com.au/cooking+tips/1685/how+to/cob+loaf
looks nice but fiddly…
bluegreen said:
Happy Potter said:
Dinetta said:Don’t keep me in suspenders Happy Potter…“Please explain?” (best Pauline Hanson voice)…(re the cold pressed cob loaf)…thanx in advanx…
LOL suspenders..
You’re welcome!
here at ‘The Notebook’ site , only I change the recipe and add whatever I have on hand or in season. And I use a couple large cob loaves instead of the 4 smalls. Can freeze one. I always add lots of my italian parsley. Potatoes, if I add them, I slice thin then fry a little in olive oil first. ect.http://www.homehints.com.au/cooking+tips/1685/how+to/cob+loaf
looks nice but fiddly…
Easy though and once you have made one the rest seem dead easy. You don’t have to find a cob loaf, any shape will do. I’ve cut the top off an oblong loaf, pulled the guts out and flung stuff in .. raid the garden and make in the cool part of the day or night before. Leave out meat for vegetarians of course.
I won’t put a can of anything for a weight in the oven, so I use a clean brick.
Thanks for the recipe, Happy Potter…I went away for a few days after that post…just logged in opportunistically (hmmm, that’s a word!)
Feeling a bit demoralized here, the front garden bed is getting watered to billy-o but I find things aren’t coping with the heat as the water doesn’t seem to be soaking up around the plants…am considering poking a stick at about 5 points around the plants, then filling up with water…this is what I did for a basil and it worked…
Apart from that, am I doing something wrong? The mulch is a bit thin but I don’t think that’s the problem…the lettuce bed does not have this problem…all ideas appreciated…the only thing I can think of with one part of the problem bed, is I spread a thin layer of paper and hardwood ashes over it before building up…
Dinetta said:
Thanks for the recipe, Happy Potter…I went away for a few days after that post…just logged in opportunistically (hmmm, that’s a word!)Feeling a bit demoralized here, the front garden bed is getting watered to billy-o but I find things aren’t coping with the heat as the water doesn’t seem to be soaking up around the plants…am considering poking a stick at about 5 points around the plants, then filling up with water…this is what I did for a basil and it worked…
Apart from that, am I doing something wrong? The mulch is a bit thin but I don’t think that’s the problem…the lettuce bed does not have this problem…all ideas appreciated…the only thing I can think of with one part of the problem bed, is I spread a thin layer of paper and hardwood ashes over it before building up…
sorry to hear the heat is getting you down dinetta – but i can believe it – it was me a week ago.
ideas for getting the ground wet
hoeing – break the surface of the soil with a pointed hoe leaving a little trench and mounds behind. soak the trench then mulch and soak again. non-wetting can be a surface fungi and breaking the surface gets it working again.
forming a dam around plants and filling the inside with fine saturated coir.
Try using some water wetter.
CollieWA said:
Try using some water wetter.
Thanks for both the suggestions…I have some coir but am not sure if it’s “fine”…also the garden bed is circular with a gentle rise to the centre…there’s water wetter and water wetter…which is less likely to leave a residue of salts?
Dinetta said:
CollieWA said:
Try using some water wetter.
Thanks for both the suggestions…I have some coir but am not sure if it’s “fine”…also the garden bed is circular with a gentle rise to the centre…there’s water wetter and water wetter…which is less likely to leave a residue of salts?
First thing I’d try is making a small depression in the ground, and pouring 1/2 a glass of water into it.
It’ll be pretty obvious if the water doesn’t want to soak into the soil, in which case I’d be applying a wetting agent. There are usually a few brands that say “frog-friendly” – I normally have a squiz at the labels of these ones and just go by instinct.
Also, I don’t know what your soil is like compared to mine, but I would never plant something at the top of a gentle rise – the water would just run away from the plants. If you have soil that’s more sandy than clay, I’d try to reverse the gentle rise so the ground slopes towards the plants..