Food Gardening

[Camo6]

Picked a nice little haul from the garden today. The pumpkin is from last year and is just starting to go mouldy on the base.
Might commit a bit more space to corn next year and have a go at getting more than one or two ears per plant.



Got the chook pen sorted too and picked up a few ex cage hens for a few bucks each. Averaging a couple of eggs a day even in that hot spell so can't complain considering they're second year birds. Will be nice when they get all their feathers back. The kids and I named one each : Goldie, Hotdog and Colonel Sanders who we call KFC for short.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

And how did the Brussel sprouts go Camo?

 

[Camo6]

And how did the Brussel sprouts go Camo?

They're coming along Weal. Starting to drop their leaves and sprouts are about marble size atm. Been a battle keeping the cabbage moth away but should be able to get a fair few off them.

 

[Curly79]

Logan berries. I think? Absolutely delicious. Especially with ice cream. Havnt bothered netting them this year and the birds have left them alone luckily.

If you can wait until they are black they are sensational. Little bit red is ok though.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I have got a full hedge of Jostaberry was confident of a return this year they are big and bushy, one flower last year and that has been it, not even a flower this year so they will be coming out over winter.

I thought those sprouts were going to cause a few tears Camo, as far as I have got them is the marble size then they just flower up, especially in the hot weather.

 

[wynnum1]

I have got a full hedge of Jostaberry was confident of a return this year they are big and bushy, one flower last year and that has been it, not even a flower this year so they will be coming out over winter.

I thought those sprouts were going to cause a few tears Camo, as far as I have got them is the marble size then they just flower up, especially in the hot weather.

What climate do you need Jostaberry could it be too hot.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

No not to hot ,I went to a berry farm close by and they had jostaberries, I initially thought it may be the heat but theirs get as much sun as mine.

 

[Camo6]

I thought those sprouts were going to cause a few tears Camo, as far as I have got them is the marble size then they just flower up, especially in the hot weather.

Haha, no tears here. I haven't cried over Brussel sprouts for at least thirty years.

 

[drsmurto]

Logan berries. I think? Absolutely delicious. Especially with ice cream. Havnt bothered netting them this year and the birds have left them alone luckily.

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1484114841.663812.jpg

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1484114871.494062.jpg
If you can wait until they are black they are sensational. Little bit red is ok though.

Both the plant and the fruit look like boysenberries. So much nicer than raspberries as they have a little bit of tartness to them.

No need to net as the plants are thorny like blackberries so the birds can't land on them. Bugs are a completely different story.

Edit - picked a bowl full for my breakfast this morning. Covered in yoghurt. Yum!

 

[wynnum1]

No not to hot ,I went to a berry farm close by and they had jostaberries, I initially thought it may be the heat but theirs get as much sun as mine.

How long have they been growing going by what others say air layering produces fruit quicker then cuttings producing some new plants and Guerrilla gardening may be worth trying.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I have had them in for about 6 years, when pruning them you have to make sure to pick up all the bits cos they will grow.

 

[wynnum1]

Have you looked at adding trace elements very important and if going to dig out could trim back and dig up and trim roots and replant some plants flower when they think they are going die.

 

[fungrel]

Thanks for all the thoughts guys, I ended up wandering around the local nursery and grabbed an heirloom tomato - Russian Black.
Grows about 1.8m, so should fill the space nicely. The idea of black tomatoes amuses me too.

These are the same variety, you need to stake AND support the branches as the fruit will grow so large they literally break off. They are such a fantastic variety though, well with the extra effort.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

The bushes are so healthy, a lot healthier than the ones at the berry farm, they are well cared for it could be that they are so dense and the air isn't getting through them. Another thing is they taste bloody awful, I had to spit the one out which I tried at the berry farm.


The rest of the outdoor plot is doing fine, the last 3 kilo of spuds were taken up yesterday, Musque de Provence pumpkins doing well, giving the outdoor tomatoes a bit of shade, and loads of beans.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Autumn just around the corner, plums finished, nectarines finished, peaches last of them picked, only fruit left to harvest apples pears kiwi fruit and feijoas
(later in the season) first pumpkins harvested , getting dangerous in the sling they were in, more to go, far to many tomatoes and still going strong, plenty of capsicum and egg plant, won't bother with Italian tomatoes again, can highly recommend King's Cobra climbing beans an improvement bred from Blue Lake.



The pumpkins are Musque De Provence.
Any gardeners interested in brewing the glass contains Garret Olivers Summer Ale, highly recomended.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Garden is starting to wind back, picked a load of capsicum still plenty more coming through and the last crop of dwarf beans still producing well, will get these again, called Simba, stringless and tasty. Tomatoes just about finished.
Planted early potatoes yesterday along with garlic, peas and broad beans.

 

[manticle]

Any tips on what to do with starchy corn?

Planted loads of corn and got some delicious cobs but should have harvested the remainder much earlier and either frozen or given to friends.

Lesson learned for next season but in the meantime I've got quite a few cobs that won't be great as cob corn.

Corn chowder?
Adjunct in beer?

 

[Mardoo]

If you have the freezer space and not the time you can freeze them on the cob and cut them off later.

 

[manticle]

Yeah but what to do after? They're starchy and bitter now - freezing won't reverse that.

 

[wynnum1]

Mexican tacos or corn bread tacos the corn needs processing.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Any tips on what to do with starchy corn?

Planted loads of corn and got some delicious cobs but should have harvested the remainder much earlier and either frozen or given to friends.

Lesson learned for next season but in the meantime I've got quite a few cobs that won't be great as cob corn.

Corn chowder?
Adjunct in beer?

Don't know what you could do with it apart from saving it and replanting for next season. Came back today from Easter Hols garlic is about eight inches high, early spuds just poking through and peas and broad beans up and going well.
Pumpkins and capsicums still going, beans finished, the only thing I will plant now is some more greenfeast peas, will be making major changes to the garden for next year.
My 2 exotics which I am allowed,(or is that an urban myth) came in at a good weight so that's the winter gas bill taken care of, totally energy independent now.

 

[manticle]

Just chewed a bit of each cob and anything that wasn't utterly dry starch was cut from the cob and turned to chowder with chook stock, potatoes, chilli and fresh herbs. Delicious and a good solution.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I don't know how quick Monty Don thinks the sugars turn to starch, but I watched his TV show where he dug up some spuds, ran to the kitchen, washed them and put them straight into the pot.

 

[manticle]

Probably needed a wee

 

[knot_gillty]

I don't know how quick Monty Don thinks the sugars turn to starch, but I watched his TV show where he dug up some spuds, ran to the kitchen, washed them and put them straight into the pot.

If only he knew how long spuds are out of the ground before they hit the supermarket shelves...

 

[Dave70]

Wicking beds finally motoring along with various kales, carrots, beetroot, mesclun and spinach. Bastard cabbage moths found the kale early and are being dealt with via a DIY veg oil / garlic / chili spray.
I think the baby spinach looks a little light on green, though the plants are healthy. Might just be use to the heavily fertilized shop bought stuff. The basil is clearly in strife, I'm tipping they dont like wet feet.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Looking good.

 

[earle]

What did you line your wicking beds with? I've been talking with my neighbour who lined his with builders plastic (PE) but cautioned me that it seems to be easily perforated by the bottom section of fill - he thinks one of his beds has a leak. I think builders plastic is about 200 micron. I was having a look at the big green shed and they have PVC pond liner which is 500 or 600 micron. Thinking it could be a better option as its thicker and seems to have a little give/stretch to it - unless there's a good reason not to use PVC liner.

 

[Dave70]

What did you line your wicking beds with? I've been talking with my neighbour who lined his with builders plastic (PE) but cautioned me that it seems to be easily perforated by the bottom section of fill - he thinks one of his beds has a leak. I think builders plastic is about 200 micron. I was having a look at the big green shed and they have PVC pond liner which is 500 or 600 micron. Thinking it could be a better option as its thicker and seems to have a little give/stretch to it - unless there's a good reason not to use PVC liner.

Yeah..dont, at least not on a larger scale. These things are 1200 x 3200 x 600 and hold well over over a tonne of - hand shoveled - material in each, so a lot of weight bearing down on the aggregate, and thus, the liner. I ended up getting paranoid and putting down two layers of plastic then a HD polly tarp. A pond liner would have been a far better option, but you still have to be careful.

To be honest, would have been easier to split up two IBC containers and knock up an attractive surround than try to line the tubs I had rolled. Those things are made just for the job with none of the fretting over leaks.

 

[LiquidGold]

The basil is clearly in strife, I'm tipping they dont like wet feet.

I've grown basil in a deep water culture aquaponics setup with great results through summer so as long as there is enough oxygen and warmth they don't seem to mind wet feet. Not sure what is causing yours to be growing so poorly though.
Nice setup by the way.