Tomatoes
Replanting the vege gardens in midsummer
29 December 2007 14:47 Filed in: Planting
The replanting is done, well for now anyway :)
I'd already taken out the peas and broad beans, and reduced the silverbeet, mesclun, carrots and lettuces by eating them. A couple of days ago a new row of peas went in and I bought a couple of punnets of plants, so I was ready to go!
Today I took out almost all of the rest of the gone-to-seed silverbeet, the last of the carrots, and the last two lettuces in one row. So with all the space I planted:
In general I'm pretty pleased with how it's go so far. The rotation is mostly working – once the broad beans go in each section will have had a legume season. What I'm not managing so well is constant production, I'll have a couple of weeks of total glut of one kind or another, weeks like this one where there are relatively limited options (leafy green things and the last of the carrots), and then the occasional well balanced fortnight.
And before I forget, the tomatoes are fascinating me. Clearly the ones in the lemon garden are much happier than the ones in the front garden. The lemon garden ones are huge happy plants and I expect to start seeing tomatoes soon. The front garden ones get solid morning sun but not so much in the afternoon, and it shows.
I'd already taken out the peas and broad beans, and reduced the silverbeet, mesclun, carrots and lettuces by eating them. A couple of days ago a new row of peas went in and I bought a couple of punnets of plants, so I was ready to go!
Today I took out almost all of the rest of the gone-to-seed silverbeet, the last of the carrots, and the last two lettuces in one row. So with all the space I planted:
- Beans – Roquefort (the last fornight of the progressive planting I started a little over a month ago).
- Red onions – California red
- Potatoes – unlabelled well sprouted ones from the cupboard :)
- Kohlrabi – Early Purple Vienna
- Carrots – Mini sweet, the same as the ones I'll eat the last of this weekend
- Coriander – Indian Summer
- Parsley – Flat leaved, this time in the blueberry garden as the ones in the herb garden were replaced by the summer basil crop last week
- Dill – Bouquet
- Lettuce – a mixture
In general I'm pretty pleased with how it's go so far. The rotation is mostly working – once the broad beans go in each section will have had a legume season. What I'm not managing so well is constant production, I'll have a couple of weeks of total glut of one kind or another, weeks like this one where there are relatively limited options (leafy green things and the last of the carrots), and then the occasional well balanced fortnight.
And before I forget, the tomatoes are fascinating me. Clearly the ones in the lemon garden are much happier than the ones in the front garden. The lemon garden ones are huge happy plants and I expect to start seeing tomatoes soon. The front garden ones get solid morning sun but not so much in the afternoon, and it shows.
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And the tomatoes are in
25 November 2007 18:37 Filed in: Planting
More mad activity today!
The last of the tomatoes went in first thing this morning, and were visited by the chooks almost straight away due to a small fencing issue. The boysenberries (Mapua and McNichol's Choice) and blackberries (Black Satin) were next, followed by the final gooseberry (Pax) which is next to the two transplanted Invictas from last year.
Later, after an interlude with some hedge trimming, brownie baking (more cocoa than flour is the secret!) and visitors I planted the sweetcorn (Honeysweet) and put a higher roost in the chook house.
I'm looking forward to next weekend! :)
The last of the tomatoes went in first thing this morning, and were visited by the chooks almost straight away due to a small fencing issue. The boysenberries (Mapua and McNichol's Choice) and blackberries (Black Satin) were next, followed by the final gooseberry (Pax) which is next to the two transplanted Invictas from last year.
Later, after an interlude with some hedge trimming, brownie baking (more cocoa than flour is the secret!) and visitors I planted the sweetcorn (Honeysweet) and put a higher roost in the chook house.
I'm looking forward to next weekend! :)
The chooks are out
The chooks left the chookery for the first time
today, very very cautiously. It's been a really hot
day so they spent a lot of time hanging out under the
trees, but now it's cooled down are exploring the
bank under the plums.
Sometimes the way they move in a group reminds me of fish; it's not just that they stick near each other it's the way they move in sync.
As well as running plastic mesh around the garden to keep the plants safe, I got heaps of planting done:
Sometimes the way they move in a group reminds me of fish; it's not just that they stick near each other it's the way they move in sync.
As well as running plastic mesh around the garden to keep the plants safe, I got heaps of planting done:
- Grapes – Golden Chasselas, Albany Surprise, Iona and Steuben
- Squash – Rampicante
- Beetroot – Bulls' Blood seeds
- Bush Beans – Roquefort seeds
- Florence Fennel – Orion F1
- Melons – Tigger Moon and French Charentais (inside)
- Watermelons – Moon and Stars (also).
Late Autumn
07 May 2007 00:08 Filed in: Pictures
I think that we’ve reached the end of the tomatoes —
the sungold cherry tomatoes were definitely the
outstanding performers and are on next year’s must
have list. The paste tomatoes aren’t too bad either,
but the rest hated the slow start to summer and
didn’t make it to red.
The sweet peas are also winding down, with seed pods galore and only wind battered flowers left. The mulberry has already lost its leaves, perhaps because it’s exposed to the northerly and we’ve had a few over the last few weeks. I’m hoping that planting Raubritter up wind from it next year might give it some protection, but it’s been pretty happy and has lots of glossy buds waiting for spring.
The grape and persimmon are also losing their leaves — I can’t wait until the persimmon gets a little bigger, the leaves are truly gorgeous as they change and it works well next to the grape.
The herb and flower bed along the front of the house is still going strong, the pineapple sage is stunning (possibly because it was also delayed by the summer), and the alliums, salvia and oregano are also in full bloom, I’m enjoying the salvia more than I thought I would, the strangely curled flower stalks make a strong display and the bumble bees love it.
Anyhow, lots of late autumn tasks to do, the roses need to be tied up once I disentangle them from the sweet peas, then I should weed and mulch that bed. Although I really need to get some seeds in pots today and the daylilies need temporary homes for the next few weeks.
The sweet peas are also winding down, with seed pods galore and only wind battered flowers left. The mulberry has already lost its leaves, perhaps because it’s exposed to the northerly and we’ve had a few over the last few weeks. I’m hoping that planting Raubritter up wind from it next year might give it some protection, but it’s been pretty happy and has lots of glossy buds waiting for spring.
The grape and persimmon are also losing their leaves — I can’t wait until the persimmon gets a little bigger, the leaves are truly gorgeous as they change and it works well next to the grape.
The herb and flower bed along the front of the house is still going strong, the pineapple sage is stunning (possibly because it was also delayed by the summer), and the alliums, salvia and oregano are also in full bloom, I’m enjoying the salvia more than I thought I would, the strangely curled flower stalks make a strong display and the bumble bees love it.
Anyhow, lots of late autumn tasks to do, the roses need to be tied up once I disentangle them from the sweet peas, then I should weed and mulch that bed. Although I really need to get some seeds in pots today and the daylilies need temporary homes for the next few weeks.