Food Gardening

[wide eyed and legless]

Have got some red amaranth seeds but it is for edible sprouts, got back to my garden from holidays netted the espaliered apples an pears which the birds had just started on and my silver peach, outside hydroponic cherry tomatoes doing well up to the 3 Meter mark, will take the tips off as they all reach the top. The black cherry seems to produce more than the red, and the green house is one of the more shady spots in the garden thanks to the cucumber and the F100 sweet bite tomatoes growing in the apex.

Planted more green cabbage as my brother hadn't put a cloche over the cabbages that were doing well but are now devastated by
caterpillars, cauliflower seed also in along with Bok Choi and one more crack at some late money maker tomatoes if I can clear the green house and get some light in there.

 

[spog]

Throwing the question out, what seedlings are recommened for raising for the next season of vegies ?
Bog standard suits me but I'm willing to have a go at darnn near anything !

 

[manticle]

It depends on your region.
Gardenate is not a bad website for suggestions based on region/climate and season.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Throwing the question out, what seedlings are recommened for raising for the next season of vegies ?
Bog standard suits me but I'm willing to have a go at darnn near anything !

Grow what you like to eat spog, coming up is cabbage cauli, in fact all the cruciferous family, peas, beetroot, leeks, not forgetting carrots, an easy grown vegetable and if you like neeps stick them in as well.
I have a second bigger green house which catches full sun and I will be growing early spuds in that, plus keeping my chili's and sweet peppers in over winter.

 

[Dave70]

Have got some red amaranth seeds but it is for edible sprouts, got back to my garden from holidays netted the espaliered apples an pears which the birds had just started on and my silver peach, outside hydroponic cherry tomatoes doing well up to the 3 Meter mark, will take the tips off as they all reach the top. The black cherry seems to produce more than the red, and the green house is one of the more shady spots in the garden thanks to the cucumber and the F100 sweet bite tomatoes growing in the apex.

Planted more green cabbage as my brother hadn't put a cloche over the cabbages that were doing well but are now devastated by
caterpillars, cauliflower seed also in along with Bok Choi and one more crack at some late money maker tomatoes if I can clear the green house and get some light in there.

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Impressive production. Whats the set up with your pots? I'm ready to give up on mine and switch to a raised bed as many of my plants seem to either dwarf or stagnate. I'm thinking it may have something to do with the heatsoak of the sun hitting the black pots perhaps cooking the roots a little.

Have you ever been approached by an after shave or cigarette company to do a little modeling work?
Just saying..

 

[wide eyed and legless]

The pots are run on a smart valves and a small 12 vol diaphragm pump, powerful little thing running 87 pots at the moment, trouble is the back pressure can be quite strong an it has blown the hoses a couple of times before settling down. I have an ebb and flow system which will take 26 large pots but that I don't use, (mother in law is interested in that for growing water chestnuts and wasabi)

Raised beds are the go for drainage but I have to shade the whole of the vegie patch even then I get burnt leaves, just have to watch your pH and give the plants the right feed at the right time.
You being a plumber Dave you could knock up an ebb and flow system or even something to take the smart valves, I got my wide channel from W.A, about 300 mm wide, for the ebb and flow system and made a fly cutter to cut out the holes for the pots, but if I were you go for the raised beds, get a couple of smart valves and play around with them with a gravity feed.

Never done any modeling work, made a skin flick in China which is buried in this computer somewhere, about the only thing that gives me an adrenaline hit is when I see my wife using my computer and me thinking its going to pop up.( the movie that is)

 

[malt and barley blues]

That storm last night put my beetroot seedlings to the test, had left them out to harden off and had to go out in that downpour to bring them in again, I think I have got away with it.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Young plants almost ready to go in :- Tomatoes, Cabbages, Cauli, Bok Choi, (I have to make sure we have a constant supply of that on the go)



Made a stuff up with my Pennsylvania Crook Neck pumpkins, positioned them to climb but now jockeying for position with my Kiwi Fruit not to much light getting through to the detriment of the tomato plants which are below, red cabbage doesn't seem to mind though.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Going to have a few pumpkins this year

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Are you pollinating them yourself stu or have you got plenty of bees around your way?
I have Butternut around the front garden and the Crooknecks in the back I am having to go out each morning and pollinate them myself, and if I have had no male Butternut flowers I have used the Crookneck flowers to pollinate the female Butternut, but it doesn't seem to work in reverse.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Must have bees around cause there are already little pumpkins growing

 

[Camo6]

I pollinated all my Queensland Blues this year. Harvested two good sized fruit and there's a couple more growing.
Had a stray plant pop up from the compost and figured it would be a butternut but not sure what it is now and there's only one that's maturing. Very yellow, bland looking thing that's only just starting to get some colour. Will post a pic for the brains trust if I remember.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Could be a seed from all those Butternut you got last year, I found some Jap pumpkins growing in my compost this year and planted them out, (my wife calls them by their proper name Kaboocha pumpkins)
A good pumpkin variety to grow is Musque de Provence a sweet large French heirloom, missed out this year but have got the seeds for next year.

 

[Airgead]

A good pumpkin variety to grow is Musque de Provence a sweet large French heirloom, missed out this year but have got the seeds for next year.

Love those ones. I grow them most years but didn't have the bed ready in time this year. Great variety. Keeps forever.

 

[manticle]

Hand pollination is so much fun. Been doing it with zucchinis and the golden nuggets. Jap pumpkins so far only showing male flowers.
Any idea if squash plants like honeydew, cantelope or watermelon also require it?

 

[Camo6]

Could be a seed from all those Butternut you got last year, I found some Jap pumpkins growing in my compost this year and planted them out, (my wife calls them by their proper name Kaboocha pumpkins)
A good pumpkin variety to grow is Musque de Provence a sweet large French heirloom, missed out this year but have got the seeds for next year.

That was my first though WEAL but it started throwing small round fruit. I hand pollinated these but very few fruit set. Eventually I got a few going but due to neglect and the weather only one has matured. It is only starting to take on colour and has little in the way of surface texture. Recognise it? Could be a grey that the wife bought from the supermarket.


Keen to try the Queensland Blues soon. The cores split on the underside (inconsistent watering I eggspect) so need to use them quick before they rot.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Could be a hybrid reverting back to a parent if it was shop bought pumpkin Camo, chance we take when something springs up in the compost.
I set some beef steak tomato seeds in spring and I got a ringer in with those seeds, weirdest looking tomato plant I've ever seen.
Pity those QB's split, and you will have to use them fairly quickly though they will keep for a little while sliced up and wrapped in cling wrap and stored in the fridge.
Manticle you do have to hand pollinate watermelon if you haven't got many bee's around, but don't you have plenty of those Bumble Bee's in Tassie?
I have bought a packet of English Lavender seeds to plant out in autumn and I am thinking of getting some local apiarist to put a hive in the garden.

 

[manticle]

We've got plenty of both bumbles and honey bees around but since my success rate with pumpkins and zucchinis is so evident, I figure I'll help the bees out.
Had honey dews once spring up from compost and fruit but I had to move house before the fruit matured.

No flowers on any of my melon plants yet anyway so I'll have to wait and see.

 

[wynnum1]

We've got plenty of both bumbles and honey bees around but since my success rate with pumpkins and zucchinis is so evident, I figure I'll help the bees out.
Had honey dews once spring up from compost and fruit but I had to move house before the fruit matured.

No flowers on any of my melon plants yet anyway so I'll have to wait and see.

We've got plenty of both bumbles and honey bees around but since my success rate with pumpkins and zucchinis is so evident, I figure I'll help the bees out.
Had honey dews once spring up from compost and fruit but I had to move house before the fruit matured.

No flowers on any of my melon plants yet anyway so I'll have to wait and see.

Do you have gorse weed growing in your area with yellow flower had yellow bells weed in garden and it was attracting bees so let stay.

 

[Danwood]

Lavender is good for all types of bees (as mentioned), I just hate the smell of the stuff, personally.

And native species of bee have a special liking for blue flowers, apparently.