# Who's growing tomatoes



## Ducatiboy stu (8/1/14)

Got Black Russians,Gross Lisse and Roma's.

The Roma's are going nuts, just wont stop fruiting.

The Black Russians taste fantastic so far.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (8/1/14)

Grosse Lisse plus a purple one and another heirloom whose name I don't remember. 

The near cyclonic winds here in the last week have battered my plants.

But bought them as seedlings and niw they're bushes starting to fruit.


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## Hintadupfing (8/1/14)

Grosse Lisse, Black Russian, Green Zebra, Big Yellow, Yellow Cherry Pear, Mortgage Lifters, Tree Tomatoes, Big Red. They're all going exceptionally crazy - I came back from 2 weeks holiday to find my garden overgrown with tomatoes at one end, all laden to breaking-point with fruit, and a mad hops jungle at the other.


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (8/1/14)

Cherry's and ox heart tomatoes. Just started fruiting, still to ripen yet.


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## Feldon (8/1/14)

I'm blaming the cool weather here in Melb., but my few plants in pots are going nowhere. Might die of old age before they fruit up.


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## mr_wibble (8/1/14)

I've got a whole garden full of feral cherry tomatoes.
Maybe putting the rotary how through them was not such a good idea.

My grosse lisses went nowhere though. Maybe I should have watered them.


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## maxim0200 (8/1/14)

Yep i am but its my first time so only stuck them in the ground and watered them, 
The buggers have grown like a weed and the 3 plants i have are bigger than my corn!
No ripe fruit yet.


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## Cube (8/1/14)

I've had great success with tomato growing. However in my experience growing tomatoes next to chilli is a very bad thing. Tomatoes bring the bugs in and they love chilli also. No tomato growing - a great season with chilli. Grow tomatoes I get smashed with white fly, caterpillars, fruit fly, etc.

Sure i can spray the crap out of everything but I found that I had a better use of my time elsewhere.


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## Ducatiboy stu (8/1/14)

Yeah....I have been lucky so for...no flys or bugs so far.


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## Wolfman (9/1/14)

Only planted cherry and Roma this year in pots. Last year had big bushes and no fruit? This year looking more productive. Just need the weather to warm up a bit!


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## Steven @ Home Make It (9/1/14)

Nice to see some people being at one with the tomatoes

If anyone interested here a sauce recipe we use
works best with roma tomatoes

*[SIZE=25pt]Aussie Tomato Sauce. [/SIZE]*

16 lbs. (7.3 kgs) tomatoes,
4 lbs. (less than 2 kgs.) sugar.
1 oz. (1 tablespoon) cloves.
1oz. (1 level tablespoon.) Cayenne.
4 tablespoons of salt.
1&1/2. Pints of vinegar (840 mls.)
2 whole cloves of garlic.
Bottles and caps

In a large saucepan bring all the above ingredients to boil, gently simmer for 3 hours (lid on). Strain, bottle into sterilized jars when cold. This tomato sauce is used for pies, pasties & frankfurts, 

For this part some precautions should be taken for handling hot products Prepare, the sterile jars or bottles by placing them in a hot 200 degrees oven for 15 minutes .immediately place jars on a tray whilst still hot, ladle the hot sauce into the jars allowing a space for expansion, shake jars so no air pockets will be present in sauce. Twist the cap on jars securely, turn jars upside down, let stand in this position for 10 to 15 minutes, turn upright, and leave to cool. you should get a seal on the lid that means it has suck the lid down and you get no bounce back unlike an opened lid
Store in a dark place, this sauce can be added to a variety of dishes as its ready to use.

For best results, selection of tomatoes is the most critical factor and good cap and bottle selection as well. 
Always buy bottles and caps the week before to ensure enough supply for the day you want to make the sauce.

In general to sterilize jars we suggested the following methods 


Heat sterilized
Commercial powder Sterilizer
Boiling method of sterilizing


you only make good sauce for good quallity ptrduce and good practices


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## Feldon (14/1/14)

Well, how things can change. Had a few days of 40C here in Melb., and few more to come it seems. The tomatoes have responded with vigour, almost swelling up before my eyes. Still green but I think will be blushing red by the weekend at this rate.

Trick is to give them water early morning after they've cooled down from the previous day. If I give them a drink while they are still hot (even at sunset or into evening) I've found that a lot of the young flowers drop off, which means less toms.


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## DJ_L3ThAL (14/1/14)

My heirloom plant has some yellow flowers but no fruit, it's bad if they flower as they are going to seed, yea (I'm a vegie noob)?


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## JDW81 (14/1/14)

Mine went in late this year, but the melbourne heat has really kicked them along. Hopefully they'll start fruiting soon.


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## JDW81 (14/1/14)

DJ_L3ThAL said:


> My heirloom plant has some yellow flowers but no fruit, it's bad if they flower as they are going to seed, yea (I'm a vegie noob)?


Nah, tomatoes don't run to see like herbs do. Flowers mean fruit is on the way.


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/1/14)

Mine are still powering with new growth. The Roma bush as producing fruit like I have never seen. Seems that the fruit wont ripen untill they are all ready. Have had full sized green fruit for over 4 weeks with new fruit still coming.

I have been just running the hose and flooding the garden every few days to keep the soil wet with a weekly feed of power feed & seasol.

Bloody things wont stop growing and flowering.


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## wide eyed and legless (14/1/14)

I have Gardeners Delight and Tommy Toe, LRG you probably have the Purple Russian.
I was reading that some Italian gardeners at the end of the season cut their tomatoes at the base and cover them up over winter and they will grow again following year so they may be bi annual.
I have them in the unheated greenhouse over winter and last year had tomatoes in winter for the first time.


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## Aces High (14/1/14)

Yeah mine have been going nuts for about 2 months:

Currently grosse lisse, tigarella (heirloom variety), roma, unknown self sown, cherry also self sown. I had 1 single bunch of 14 tomatoes all ripen at once. Its pretty cool to harvest a 14 tomato truss, wish I had a photo of it.

Getting a bit crazy into permaculture, so all this was achieved without any use of chemical fertilizers or sprays. I did relent and use tomato dust once and then felt guilty about it.


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/1/14)

I have used no chemicals and dont want to. I have suffered leaf spot but only on old growth. They are still going mad so figure that plant health can help overcome disease.

Fully recommend Seasol & Powerfeed weekly.

Have picked a few Black Russians and they are to die for. Beautiful and sweet.


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## browndog (14/1/14)

Can't grow a decent tomato to save myself, anyone care to share the secret?

-Browndog


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/1/14)

Not a great pick, but the Roma on the right would easily have a bucketful of toms, and it is still flowering

Going to make passata with them.


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## Feldon (14/1/14)

> My heirloom plant has some yellow flowers but no fruit, it's bad if they flower as they are going to seed, yea (I'm a vegie noob)?


Each yellow flower turns into a tomato (hopefully).

You want them to go to seed (and you'll find those seeds inside your tomatoes)


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## Aces High (14/1/14)

Same here Stu, all the old leaves go brown but the tomatoes are just fine. I've been using horse manure tea (basically a 200L olive barrel, throw a bag of horse manure in and fill with water, then dilute down 10 to 1) The hop bine loves it as well. Also worm juice from the worm farm and compost.


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## warra48 (14/1/14)

browndog,

They're hungry feeders, make sure your soil is well conditioned with plenty of compost etc.
You need good drainage, they don't like wet feet, but you must also not let them dry out.

Other than that, follow the advice of Ducatiboy stu.


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/1/14)

Aces High said:


> Same here Stu, all the old leaves go brown but the tomatoes are just fine. I've been using horse manure tea (basically a 200L olive barrel, throw a bag of horse manure in and fill with water, then dilute down 10 to 1) The hop bine loves it as well. Also worm juice from the worm farm and compost.


Know exactly what you are saying.

Big drum filled with manuare,fish guts &frames, water and yeast slurry. Needs a lid cause it stinks like all ****

Cup or 2 in a watering can every week.

Have only been in this place for 6 mnths but the soil is awsome. A fantastice loam that drains easly. Only needs the regulare seasol powerfeed mix


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## Aces High (14/1/14)

Yep that's the stuff, works a treat on everything.....smells like ****. Always seems to get on your hands


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## hellbent (14/1/14)

Is the question "Who's growing tomatoes" or "Who's *trying* to grow tomatoes," Our bushes are pretty small and plain at the moment but help is in sight, Supermarkets have truss tomatoes at $2.99! :icon_cheers:


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## technobabble66 (14/1/14)

Okay. Ducati et al, I need some advice. 
I have 2 tomatoes. A Black Russian & a generic tomato. They're both in a 2.5m x1m x1m planter box. They're at one end & a new Chinook is at the other. All 3 are growing like crazy. In fact I've been stunned at how big the 2 Tommie's have grown. Lots of flowers. 

The big problem is the flowers all just fall off. They all look fine, then go brown & drop. WTF?!?
I thought it was water/heat stress, but I've been watering them religiously over the last 2-3 weeks and this is the first hot day in 2 weeks. 
They also get plenty of fertilizer & seasol. 
They're also next to some dwarf beans that produced a decent crop, so there's definitely something buzzing around fertilizing flowers. 

Any suggestions?


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## benno1973 (14/1/14)

Planted tomatoes in autumn last year and they grew happily throughout winter. By the time Perth spring kicked in, they were big enough to fruit, and they started doing so with a passion. The hot weather here has killed them off since, but we got a lot of nice early crops of cherry toms, as well as some other unidentified variety.


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/1/14)

No idea...keep the water up....not all flowers produce.

Be suprised if you get nothing of them in the ling term.


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## Camo6 (14/1/14)

technobabble66 said:


> Okay. Ducati et al, I need some advice.
> I have 2 tomatoes. A Black Russian & a generic tomato. They're both in a 2.5m x1m x1m planter box. They're at one end & a new Chinook is at the other. All 3 are growing like crazy. In fact I've been stunned at how big the 2 Tommie's have grown. Lots of flowers.
> 
> The big problem is the flowers all just fall off. They all look fine, then go brown & drop. WTF?!?
> ...


Google Blossom drop Techno. Might be something to do with Melbourne's late summer. I didn't do tomatoes this year but I've found my hops seem a bit slow to sprout laterals so far.


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## technobabble66 (14/1/14)

Thanks.
Not a single fruit on the Black Russian. 3 tomatoes on the other. I could safely say, with no exaggeration, there've been at least 50 flowers on each so far. 
~3% yield. 
Not happy, Jan!!


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/1/14)

I think regular light fertilizing is the go...and keep them moist, especially in the heat.

Letting them dry out then watering is not the best method.

Have noticed when its hot they drink lots of water. So give them water morning,noon &night.


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## Aces High (14/1/14)

Blossom drop is annoying. If they look great you might be adding too much nitrogen. This causes the plant to drop the flowers and just throw bucketloads more growth out. I think you can get fruiting fertilizer which contains less nitrogen, or just cut back on the fertilizer and add compost and mulch or just seasol which doesn't contain any nitrogen (don't use power feed though)


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## Aces High (14/1/14)

just managed to delete my last post somehow. couldn't get it to quote property.

Anyway, I reckon it could be too much nitrogen causing the blossom drop. Nitrogen makes the plant grow crazy but stops the tomatoes from growing. I would suggest using seasol (but not powerfeed)


edit... apparently I didn't


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## Feldon (14/1/14)

> Okay. Ducati et al, I need some advice.
> I have 2 tomatoes. A Black Russian & a generic tomato. They're both in a 2.5m x1m x1m planter box. They're at one end & a new Chinook is at the other. All 3 are growing like crazy. In fact I've been stunned at how big the 2 Tommie's have grown. Lots of flowers.
> 
> The big problem is the flowers all just fall off. They all look fine, then go brown & drop. WTF?!?
> ...


Given that the plant is well fed and not missing an essential nutrient, I think the watering regime might be the cause of your flower drop problem.

When the plant is in high water demand mode, like today when its 40+ outside, if you dump a load of water on the roots the plant will suck up too much water too fast. The small capillaries in the tiny stem connected to the flowers burst,( at the last 'knuckle' near the flower). The small stem dies and the flower then drops off a bit later on.

So give them water to the roots when the plant is in low demand (eg. in the morning cool)when its not sucking everything it can out of the soil.

Edit: agree that too much nitrogen make a pretty plant, nice and bushy. But it is yield and flavour that's the name of the game. It not a beauty contest. They need potassium (potash) when flowering and fruiting more than nitrogen. Potassium is what gives them that old-fashioned home grown tomato taste. And if you snap off those scabby dead branches at the base before they completely die (still green where they join the main stem) it scares the shit out of the plant. It 'thinks' its in distress and sends bio-chemicals throughout the plant causing prolific flowering (I Will Reproduce Before Death!) and thus more tomatoes.


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## wide eyed and legless (14/1/14)

NO feeding when the temperature goes over 27, 28 degrees Celsius, don't feed until the flowers appear, give them a bit of a shake when in flower to get the pollen falling ( I go around mine with an old electric tooth brush) and a little bit of tough love, don't keep giving them water every day.


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## technobabble66 (14/1/14)

Thanks for the comments!!

Ok, so it sounds like water stress and a less ideal ratio of nitrogen and potassium are the likely culprits. 

Fwiw, they've been getting watered most mornings &/or nights (9-10am & 8-11pm) Or at least once every 2 days in cooler weather.


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/1/14)

Agree on the slowing nitrogren and upping potassium

Found keeping the ground damp helps. I flood the garden when the top looks dry, but it also depends on your soil.

But it also depends on variety.


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## Feldon (14/1/14)

Yeah, I think geography/climate has a bit to do with it too. Melb fluctuates so much that poor tomatoes don't know what to do.

(eg. about ten days ago I was walking the dog with parka and beanie on. Today its 40+)


Edit: Just watching the tennis. Poor bastards.


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## shaunous (14/1/14)

My tomatoes are growing like my chilli's, absolutely fukin hopeless. About 2in outa the ground. Mine aren't covered though, right out in the open paddock, they cop all the sun, rain, wind, frost and hail. I'm thinking I'm going to have to build a greenery for my beds, never wanted to, but it will probably help my vege produce.


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## Mattress (14/1/14)

I've been growing beefsteak tomatoes this year.
Started from seed in a mini hot house in August, planted out in early November. (The local rule in Canberra with tomatoes is you don't plant them out until Melbourne Cup day.)
Plants growing well, heaps of flowers, heaps of fruit.

The only problem is the bastards wont ripen and just keep growing.
They are huge!
Will be great once they are ready, will only need one slice per sandwich.

zucchinis, silver beet, cucumbers, carrots, beans and corn going great by the way. Capsicum and squash not so well.


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## WitWonder (14/1/14)

I've had major issues with the fruit splitting on mine. Quite a good crop from the grosse liss but lots of split fruit which apparently is due to erratic watering. Mine are on the retic but apparently my occasional watering by hand in the evening might have been what's done it? Still got quite a load off the cherry variety.


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## SmallFry (14/1/14)

Spotted 3 fruit on my Jalapeno's today. Very, very happy. Hopefully this is just the start, and my Habanero's will follow soon.

Tomatoes are still mostly green, and splitting, so interesting to read WitWonder's advice above.

Will water them tomorrow morning, when it's not so hot.


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/1/14)

Splitting tomatoes is common, as with most fruit.

Caused by sudden uptake of water when given lots of water after a dry spell. 

Basically the plant pumps as much water into the fruit as possible and the skin splits. 

Fruiting plants use fruit as water storage, when there is lots of water the plant fills the fruit, then as the ground water dries up, the plant uses the water within to survive.


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## Bribie G (14/1/14)

browndog said:


> Can't grow a decent tomato to save myself, anyone care to share the secret?
> 
> -Browndog


Probably too hot daytime temps in Ipswich, I never had much luck even on Bribie Island but they grow like the clappers from Grafton South.
The daylight saving helps as well.


h34r:


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## Ducatiboy stu (14/1/14)

Daylight savings FTW.

Poor old QLD....their gov is to involved in harrasing the general public. Shame.


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## JDW81 (14/1/14)

Bribie G said:


> The daylight saving helps as well.
> 
> 
> h34r:


It makes the tomatoes (and basil) grow well, but fades the curtains something shocking.


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## Bribie G (14/1/14)

Actually the tomatoes are pretty dumb and just go with the flow, as opposed to the higher forms of wildlife.

For example I always fed the magpies and kookaburras at 5 o'clock but when daylight saving came in they knew to queue up at 6 instead. Now that's smart.


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## Aces High (15/1/14)

This year I built a shade house poly tunnel thingy. I bought some conduit from the recycling centre for about 10 bucks. It bends to a point, so I put in star pickets, cabled tied a length of conduit to each and bent them over and joined them in the middle with more cable ties (what would I do without cable ties). did the same thing 3 more times, ran a rib down the middle (cable tied of course) then pulled over and attached 60% shade cloth. I'll pull it down again around march.

Perth summer just gets too hot otherwise and there is zero moisture in the air, so things like tomatoes just don't survive. Its made a massive difference. Ive got tomatoes, cucumbers, all sorts of peppers and chilli's, egg plant, broccoli corn, beetroot and about 15 other things that I couldn't be bothers listing all going great under the shade tunnel.


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## technobabble66 (15/1/14)

Looks great, Aces!
Amazing what that extra bit of protection (/effort) can do.

A handful of ash (for the potash) went onto the toms this morning, plus a good watering in the cooler parts of the day: 10pm & 9:30... while it was only 35*C. 
So we'll see if that brings on the fruits. 
I also chucked some on the hops (& cumquat, lemon, lime, kaffir, & blood orange). Can't hurt I assumed. 

OT: My chinook from DrS is going crazy! (at least for a <1yr old). It's even just started putting up extra, new bines.


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## flano (15/1/14)

I back onto the bush/national park and the possums are enjoying my tomato's .
I have had to pick them green to stop them having one big bite out of all of them.
The chicken wire must work as a ladder .

I have two types.. one is little grape version the other is big ones. The big ones are the most popular.
I used a lasagne layered vege patch technique to grow them in.

They are going great.
so is my perpetual spinach , chillis , cucumbers, rocket and herbs. Just tanked rainwater .


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## wide eyed and legless (15/1/14)

I have just about all of my veggie patch under the shade cloth, I was using the lighter one but now use the green heavier cloth, I was worried about the tomatoes ripening until I read that it is the heat which will ripen them not the sun.


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## shaunous (15/1/14)

All plants go off temperature change, that's how they know what season it is, and that's why sometimes they get real confused, like lately around here, spring had scorching summer temps and the plants were all over the shop.

I'll build a shade setup like yours Aces High, neighbour done the same thing, good idea, it's the price of the shade cloth that scares me. I get a coupla plants going great guns, buk fukall, most of them get smashed to the enth degree, no middle ground, it's full blown storms, to droughts and not much time off in between.


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## SmallFry (15/1/14)

Flano said:


> I back onto the bush/national park and the possums are enjoying my tomato's .
> I have had to pick them green to stop them having one big bite out of all of them.
> The chicken wire must work as a ladder .


Try using the green, plastic trellis from Bunnings, and give it plenty of slack. Apparently possums don't like climbing anything that's not stable.

Put some of the possum spikes along the fence last night to stop them getting at the strawberries I've got growing. This morning, strawberries are fine, but they've gone & chewed the succulents instead. Cheeky buggers.


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## Ducatiboy stu (15/1/14)

Shotguns are also effective


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## shaunous (15/1/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Shotguns are also effective


Make sure you pick the lead shots outa the tomatoes and strawberries though, you might crack a tooth.


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## Ducatiboy stu (15/1/14)

Rock salt


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## shaunous (15/1/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Rock salt


Used to work in the old slug gun for toads


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## SmallFry (15/1/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Rock salt


And _that_ is why your ratatouille never tastes right. Too salty.


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## Bizier (16/1/14)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Rock salt


Rice is probably better for your barrel.


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## Bizier (16/1/14)

I have had cherry toms kicking arse here from winter to start of summer, but I have had my dog dig anything and everything up and the Perth summer incinerating everything, so the tomatoes I hoisted up into the air have copped it. I got a few black russians, which were freakin' delicious and some others.

Today I am doing my 4th modification to my simple hydroponic setup out the front of my kitchen to get me some basic things herbs and hopefully veges going. I might have to split the system into two reservoirs and pumps so that I can separate fruiting and vegetative crops, rather than having all my herbs and greens bolting their balls off, or little to no fruit.


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## Ducatiboy stu (27/1/14)

Romas ripening


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## Ducatiboy stu (30/1/14)

Picked a nice crop today. Got the same amount still ripening. Going to make passata


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