My Online Scrapbook

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/FP2.jpg[/img]
Italian Parsley
What: Seedling (Zoom Italian Parsley).
Where: Small rectangular Self Watering Planter.
When: March 2009(?).

Sown in: Top 100mm of Yates Premium Seed Raising Potting Mix, rest Yates Regular Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: Seedling
Actual Germination: Seedling

Advertised Maturity: Not shown.
Actual Maturity: 4 weeks.

Very lush foliage able to cope with heavy harvesting.

Light infestation of Aphids sprayed with MULTICROP: Pyrethrum + Garlic Insect Spray on the 20th June 2009.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/FP.jpg[/img]
23 June 2009

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/CP2.jpg[/img]
Curled Parsley
What: Seed (Grower's Pride Parsley Moss Curled).
Where: Large Rectangular Self Watering Planter at base of Snow Peas.
When: March 2009(?).

Sown in: Top 100mm of Yates Premium Seed Raising Potting Mix, rest Yates Regular Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: 21-28 days.
Actual Germination: 30 days.

Advertised Maturity: 10 weeks.
Actual Maturity: 12 Weeks.

Grown in an area that receives mostly reflective light.

Very subtle Flavour.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/CP-1.jpg[/img]
June 23 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/CurleyParsley.jpg[/img]
15 August 2009

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Corr.jpg[/img]
Coriander
What: Seedling (Zoom Coriander).
Where: Medium black pot.
When: May 2009.

Sown in: Top 100mm of Yates Premium Seed Raising Potting Mix, rest Yates Regular Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: Seedling
Actual Germination: Seedling

Advertised Maturity: Not shown.
Actual Maturity: 4 weeks.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/CANDR.jpg[/img]
23 June 2009


Very lush foliage able to cope with heavy harvesting and actually needs to be constantly pruned as it keeps trying to bolt to seed.

Heavy infestation of Aphids sprayed with MULTICROP: Pyrethrum + Garlic Insect Spray on the 20th June 2009.

Harvested it back to almost the roots in July but it has come back strong and continues to try to bolt to seed:

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Coriander-1.jpg[/img]
15 August 2009

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/shiso.jpg[/img]

Shiso
What: Seed (4 Seasons Seeds: from ebay).
Where: 5 x small seedling pots.
When: 14 July 2009.

Sown in: Patio Seed Raising Mix.
Fertiliser:

Advertised Germination: 7-14 Days.
Actual Germination: 11-12 Days.

Advertised Maturity: Not Shown.
Actual Maturity:

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Shiso-1.jpg[/img]
July 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Shiso-2.jpg[/img]
15 August 2009

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Oreg.jpg[/img]
Oregano
What: Seedling (Zoom Oregano).
Where: Small Rectangular Self Watering Planter.
When: March 2009(?).

Sown in: Top 100mm of Yates Premium Seed Raising Potting Mix, rest Yates Regular Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: Seedling.
Actual Germination: Seedling.

Advertised Maturity: Not shown.
Actual Maturity: 4 Weeks.

Very lush foliage initially but died off substantially after a light harvest. Possibly overly shaded by adjacent Chives and parsley.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Oregano.jpg[/img]
23 June 2009

Root stock has started to re-shoot! 25 July 2009.


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/oregano23.jpg[/img]
Oregano
What: Seedling (Yates Oregano).
Where: Medium black pot.
When: 23 June 2009.

Sown in: Top 100mm of Yates Premium Seed Raising Potting Mix, rest Yates Regular Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: 8-10 days
Actual Germination: 9 days.

Advertised Maturity: 8-12 weeks
Actual Maturity:

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Oregano-1.jpg[/img]
Yates Oregano: 3 July 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Oregano-2.jpg[/img]
August 2009

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/RR4.jpg[/img]
Roma Tomato
What: Seedling (Floriana Reggae Roma Tomato).
Where: Large square self watering planter.
When: March 2009 (?).

Sown in: Top 100mm of Yates Premium Seed Raising Potting Mix, rest Yates Regular Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: Seedling
Actual Germination: Seedling

Advertised Maturity: Not shown.
Actual Maturity: 14 weeks.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/RR.jpg[/img]
23 June 2009


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/RR2.jpg[/img]
23 June 2009


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/RR3.jpg[/img]
23 June 2009


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ReggaeRoma.jpg[/img]
23 June 2009


Woke up to find that this plant has started to turn yellow from the bottom leaves.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Tom1.jpg[/img]
3 July 2009

It has been quite cold here the past few mornings but from what I've been able to research this is most likely due to over-watering or a result of magnesium deficiency.

On further inspection it's unlikely that it is over-watered as the soil doesn't feel very wet at all and the self watering reservoir is not overflowing so it must be a magnesium deficiency.

3 July 2009 Gave the plant about 2L of water with dissolved Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulphate) at a rate of 18g/L.


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Tom.jpg[/img]
5 July 2009

Got carried away and pruned the bejebus out of this today in an effort to increase air flow and get a bit of sunlight on the fruit in that hope that they will ripen in the next week. About 20 minutes later a big Currawong landed on the planter……. Tied a few CD’s to the support pole in the hope that it will fry the fu#@er’s eyes out before its beak does much damage.


Just noticed that the weight of all the fruit made the whole plant slip down the support and the main stems were fairly kinked towards the bottom as you can see in the '5th July' picture above.

Re-supported it and hopefully the remaining fruit will ripen up although the temperature has dropped significantly in the last week.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/tomtom.jpg[/img]
9 July 2009


The last of the tomatoes are ripening up nicely!

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/RomaTom.jpg[/img]
11 July 2009


Here's the pick of the bunch from my Reggae Roma Tomato plant weighing in at about 180g.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/180g.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/POTB.jpg[/img]

Will save some seeds from this big boy to plant.

I have harvested over 50 good sized tomotoes from this one plant in the last two weeks and decided to have a crack at making up some pasta sauce.

I planted some seeds from that big tomato on the 5 August and 10 days later I've got a bunch of first generation seedlings.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ReggaeRoma-1.jpg[/img]

I also took a couple of cuttings from the original plant (in case the seeds didn't germinate) which are also growing nicely:

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Bottle.jpg[/img]
15 August 2009

[SP8]

MAKING PASTA SAUCE

After giving away about 20 tomatoes I still had about 30 left over from my Reggae Roma plant so I decided to make up a couple of batches of pasta sauce to freeze.

I decided on making 4 types of sauce using around 450g of tomatoes for each lot, these being:


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/PS3.jpg[/img]
1. Tomato and Chilli.


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/PS4.jpg[/img]
2. Tomato and Basil.


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/PS1.jpg[/img]
3. Tomato, Parsley and Chives.


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/PS2.jpg[/img]
4. Tomato and Mini Capsicum.


METHOD

‣ Cut a shallow cross on the bottom of tomatoes.
‣ Blanched tomatoes in boiling water for about 1 minute.
‣ Chilled tomatoes in iced water for about 1 minute.
‣ Skinned tomatoes.
‣ Diced tomatoes.
‣ Put diced tomatoes, other ingredients into a saucepan.
‣ Mashed ingredients.
‣ Seasoned with salt and pepper.
‣ Brought saucepan mix up to the boil and then simmered for 2 minutes.
‣ Chilled saucepan in a cold water bath for 2 minutes.
‣ Poured sauce into labelled plastic storage container.
‣ Bunged into the freezer.


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/PastaSauce.jpg[/img]
Pasta sauces destined for the freezer 25 July 2009


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Pasta.jpg[/img]
The end result!

[SP8]

Drying and Storing Herbs

I've found the best two ways is to first trim them up as whole stems, dunk in a bucket of cold water, paper towel dry or I often use the wife’s hairdryer (when she's not around) and then either:

- Put them in a zip-lock plastic bag and bung them in the freezer.

or

- Tie a bunch of stems together with a bit of fishing line, poke a tiny hole in the bottom of a brown paper bag and thread the line through it so the herbs are in the bag with the open end down, tie it up in a cool dry place for about 2 weeks.

If drying you should always use full stems and dry upside down so all of the oils in the stems run into the leaves.

Make sure that they're well dry before you hang them up or they'll go mouldy.

I've found the sun (at least in Aus) is way too harsh and literally burns before drying and that stuff from the freezer is good for pizzas and salads and what not while dry stuff is good for simmering type dishes such as pasta sauce etc.


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Herb2.jpg[/img]
Harvest for drying 5 July 2009.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Herb.jpg[/img]
L to R = Curled Parsley, Coriander, Flat Parsley and Chives.


Hung this lot up in a good spot and they were ready in less than a week!

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/DRYHerbs.jpg[/img]

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/MexPie.jpg[/img]
MEXICAN TORTILLA PIE

Ingredients (serves 4)

* 2 teaspoons olive oil
* 1 large red onion, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, crushed
* 500g beef mince
* 1 small red capsicum, finely chopped (4 'large' ones from the garden)
* 125g can corn kernels, drained, rinsed
* 2 teaspoons Mexican chilli powder (used 2 fresh chillies from the garden)
* 415g can diced tomatoes (used 3 large tomatoes from the garden)
* 1/2 cup torn fresh coriander leaves (from the garden)
* 1/4 cup chopped flat parsley: not in original recipe (from the garden)
* 4 salsa-flavoured tortillas (used plain ones from work)
* 1 1/2 cups grated tasty cheese
* 1 large tomato, deseeded, finely chopped (from the garden)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Reserve 2 tablespoons onion. Add garlic and remaining onion to pan. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until soft. Add mince. Cook, breaking up mince with a wooden spoon, for 8 minutes or until browned.

2. Add capsicum, corn and chilli powder. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until capsicum is just tender. Stir in diced tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture is thick. Add half the coriander and half the parsley. Season with salt. Stir to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

3. Place a 6cm-deep, 20cm round springform pan on a baking tray. Place 1 tortilla in base of pan. Spread one-third of the mince mixture over tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of cheese. Repeat layers twice with remaining tortillas, mince mixture and cheese, finishing with 1 tortilla. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

4. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is golden. Set aside for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

5. Meanwhile, combine chopped tomato, reserved onion, coriander and parsley in a bowl. Serve pie with tomato mixture.

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Br.jpg[/img]
Simple Tuna Bruschetta


Ingredients
* 1 loaf crusty baguette
* Garlic clove halved.
* 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
* Splash of Balsamic vinegar.
* 2 medium-sized tomatoes diced (from the garden)
* 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves chopped, extra whole leaves for garnish (from the garden)
* 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves chopped, extra whole leaves for garnish (from the garden)
* 1/4 cup fresh flat parsley leaves chopped, extra whole leaves for garnish (from the garden).
* 1/2 cup of red onion, diced
* Small tin of flavoured tuna. We use 'Japanese style' which has wasabi and soy sauce
* Salt and pepper to taste


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/JT.jpg[/img]


Method
1. Slice the baguette into ½ inch rounds, cut on the diagonal.
2. Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil.
3. Grill bread for about 2 minutes per side, until browned but still soft inside.
4. Rub one side of each bread slice with the garlic.
5. Combine and mix tomatoes, basil, coriander, parsley, onion, salt, pepper, tuna and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.
6. Divide the mixture between the bread slices, garlic side up, and garnish with extra basil, coriander or parsley leaves if desired.

[SP8]

https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2607562.htm

Good story on the TV about this on the weekend:

Presenter: Colin Campbell, 27/06/2009

SERIES 20 Episode 22

When insect pests invade your plants you've got to get on to the problem right away. Colin prefers to use home-made remedies where possible because they're generally safer for the environment and more economical. However he advises, "Be careful of these solutions around children, as they should not be ingested. Don't store them in soft drink bottles and make sure you keep them out of reach of children.


Scale and Mealybugs: Make an oil preparation that suffocates them by mixing four tablespoons of dishwashing liquid into one cup of vegetable oil. Mix one part of that mixture to about twenty parts of water, put it in your sprayer and spray the affected plants.

Aphids, Caterpillars and Other Insects: Add two tablespoons of soap flakes to one litre of water and stir thoroughly until completely dissolved (this is quicker in warm water). There is no need to dilute this further, just spray it on as is.

Black Spot Fungicide: In Queensland, Black Spot's a major problem with roses, but this fungicide mixture works miracles. Add three teaspoons of bicarb soda to one litre of water. Don't get carried away with the bicarb soda because if you make it too strong, it'll cause all sorts of problems. Add a few drops of either dishwashing liquid, or fish emulsion to help the solution adhere to the leaf more effectively.

Fungicide: Mix one level teaspoon of bicarb soda into one litre of water. Add one litre of skim milk and a pinch of Condy's Crystals which you can get from a produce agent (someone that supplies to horse owners). Shake thoroughly.

Grasshopper, Caterpillar, Possum and MIL Deterrent: Mix a cup of molasses into one litre of water and spray it over new foliage.

Nematodes: Add half a litre of molasses to two litres of water and spread over one and a half square metres of affected garden area.

All-round Insecticide: Chop four large onions, two cloves of garlic, and four hot chillies. Mix them together and cover with warm, soapy water and leave it to stand overnight. Strain off that liquid and add it to five litres of water to create an all-round insecticide.

Pesticide: Crush a whole bulb of garlic and cover with vegetable oil. After two days, strain off the liquid, add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid and use one millilitre of concentrate to one litre of water.

Herbicide: Add a cup of common salt to a litre of vinegar. After it's dissolved, brush it directly onto weeds. Remember, it's not a selective weed killer. It'll kill anything it touches so be very careful how you use it.

Predator Attractor: Predators that prey on pests are great things to have in the garden. Lacewings are particularly desirable because they consume aphids and many other pests. To encourage them into your garden, dissolve one teaspoon of a yeast based sandwich spread in water and spray it all over the plants.


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/HMSPRY.jpg[/img]
MY BREW

I had an attempt at brewing up my own concoction of bug death using garlic, chilli and dash of brown vinegar but the aphids loved it! I left it to ferment and 3 months later man o man is it potent! I only need a few drops in a litre of water to kill or move on most bugs now.

[SP8]

HARVEST TIME

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Harvest.jpg[/img]
1 July 2009: Stir Fry

[Diane]

HARVEST TIME

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Harvest.jpg[/img]
1 July 2009: Stir Fry

Very nice garden. I'd like to grow the peppers and roma tomatoes.
This pic is artwork. The food looks yummy.
Boy the bugs find our produce no matter where it is.
Early on and with rain every day I had tons of aphids. I held and gave short bursts of water from the hose on some plants.
On the fragile ones I put on my gloves and wiped them off. Some plants I just clipped the infested top off of. It was a battle and I won.

[nes]

I'm so impressed with your determination with the appartment garden!! Looks beautiful

[SP8]

Very nice garden. I'd like to grow the peppers and roma tomatoes.
This pic is artwork. The food looks yummy.
Boy the bugs find our produce no matter where it is.
Early on and with rain every day I had tons of aphids. I held and gave short bursts of water from the hose on some plants.
On the fragile ones I put on my gloves and wiped them off. Some plants I just clipped the infested top off of. It was a battle and I won.

Artwork you say

Cheers!

I was keeping my thumbs up with the Aphids but a month of 50hr weeks at work let them get way ahead of me. Not sure how my neighbours in the apartment downstairs would react to me going gangbusters on the Aphids with a garden hose though

[SP8]

I'm so impressed with your determination with the appartment garden!! Looks beautiful

It's amazing how productive such a small area can be!

[Diane]

I'm so impressed with your determination with the appartment garden!! Looks beautiful

It's amazing how productive such a small area can be!

You know that old saying "Bloom where you are planted", looks like you did.
I thought about the hose problem.

[kgall]

Wow!! Incredible! You have been way more successful than I ever have been on my porch!

[somegeek]

Nice work, SP8!

[Jewell]

Great growing! Love your balcony garden. Just shows that the love of gardening doesn't have to be forgotten if you have the water, soil and sunlight. Thanks for sharing

[SP8]

I've just added a bunch of edits and heaps of pictures to update many of my previous posts.

[gixxerific]

SP8 I'm quite impressed with what you have done. You are very passionate about your garden as am I. Keep up the good work. I may have to try some of those homemade (green) death sprays you posted.

[SP8]

I'm getting a bowl of this size full of Rocket and Ruby Chard every week at the moment from a container only about 60cm x 30 cm x 30 cm

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ChardandRocket.jpg[/img]


it's nights like last night that make me glad to have my small veggie garden under cover on my balcony. A big thunder storm rolled in with high winds and pelting rain, but all I had to do to protect my newly planted seedlings and established crops was pull the containers back about 1m. There will be lots of people waking up this morning in the local area going out to inspect their smashed up veggie gardens.......

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Patch.jpg[/img]

My Reggae Roma Tomato plant that I grew from that 180g tomato has started to take off

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/7.jpg[/img]

[Duh_Vinci]

Very impressed with your container style garden and it's performance! Well done!

Regards,
D

[crobi13]

Amazing garden. Well done!

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/radish-gentle-giant.jpg[/img]

Radish
What: Seed (Yates Radish - Gentle Giant).
Where: Square self watering planter, large black pot around Shiso.
When: 25 August 2009.

Sown in: Used Seed Raising Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: 5-8 days.
Actual Germination: 4 days.

Advertised Maturity: 6 - 8 weeks.
Actual Maturity: 4 weeks.

Just over a month after planting and harvest time!

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Radish1.jpg[/img]

A couple of these got a little on the big side and are quite hot to eat as a result…

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Radish2.jpg[/img]

I planted another 12 seeds around the Shiso plant and left 1 plant in a corner of the square container to see just how big it can get.

[gixxerific]

I tell you what sp8 you never cease to amaze me. You probably have one of the smallest gardens on this site but you always come up with a large bounty of goods.

Keep it going bro.

Till the next amazing accomplishment.

[SP8]

Thanks mate!

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/chinese-cabbage-buk-choy-white-stem.jpg[/img]

Buk Choy - White Stem.
What: Seed (Yates ).
Where: 1 x small seedling container and 3 x 1L Yoghurt container.
When: 4 August 2009.

Sown in: Re-used Seed Raising Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of blood and bone 100mm below surface.

Advertised Germination: 7-10 Days.
Actual Germination: 4 days!

Advertised Maturity: 6-8 Weeks.
Actual Maturity: 5 Weeks!

22 August 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/BC.jpg[/img]


29 August 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/BukChoy.jpg[/img]


6 September 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/BukChoy-1.jpg[/img]


This plant just took off once I put it in a bigger pot and we had our first meal from it just the other night only 5 weeks after planting it! With 6 other plants also potted it's going to be a struggle to eat it all, it's a nice problem to have I guess.

19 September 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/BukChoy-2.jpg[/img]


With seven Buk Choy plants producing far more ‘cut and come again’ leaves than the two of us can eat every week I decided to snip this one off to make some room for something else.

29 September 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/BokChoy-1.jpg[/img]

[Diane]

Not only do you get a great harvest, you get it early!!
Great job.

[SP8]

Pulled all of my Spring Onions in order to plant snow peas and a fresh row of Spring Onions in the container.

5 October 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Spring.jpg[/img]

My Reggae Roma Tomato has really taken off in the last week.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Tom-1.jpg[/img]

and is already flowering 2 months from seed!

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/TomFlowers.jpg[/img]

[SP8]

The skin on the radish I left to grow started to loose its shine so I pulled it out today. It's a good size but not surprisingly it's quite woody to eat.


[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Radish-2.jpg[/img]

[SP8]

In just under 2 weeks my Reggae Roma Tomato plant has almost doubled in size and is now starting to set fruit although annoyingly all of the flowers are growing in towards the support pole..... I pruned some of the lower leaves as they were starting to look a bit worse for wear, maybe some early signs of over-watering......?

18 October 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Tom1-1.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Tom2-1.jpg[/img]

In other news my cukes, zukes, a new container of ruby chard and rocket, and finally a decent lot of shiso have all germinated.

The snow peas are on their way despite a few issues with a bunch of seeds failing to germinate.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Snow.jpg[/img]

My eggplants are starting to flower, fingers crossed I'll get a decent crop from this lot.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Egg.jpg[/img]

[SP8]

Lots of fruit settling in at this stage on my Reggae Roma! Contrary to just about everything I have ever read on growing tomatoes I have found I get the highest production by pruning the living daylights out of my plants and encouraging the growth of suckers.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ReggaeRoma-4.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ReggaeRoma2.jpg[/img]

I've finally got an edible looking capsicum on the way after several attempts ending badly in the mysterious curls of death.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Capsicum-2.jpg[/img]

The rest of the plot is looking a bit shabby but I'm getting there.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Plot-4.jpg[/img]

[SP8]

Harvest time!

From seed to harvest took 16 weeks for my Reggae Roma.

25 November 2009

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/toms.jpg[/img][/b]

[rainbowgardener]

Very productive. 16 weeks is good. I think it takes just about that for my early girls to start having ripe tomatoes, counting from when the seeds are started indoors and about 18 weeks for beefsteak. Here in the northern hemisphere I start my tomato seeds at Valentine's and have ripe tomatoes in June mid to late June, depending on variety.

[SP8]

The Great Summer Cull of 2009

The lack of sun [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20274&highlight=]at the moment[/url] has really put the brakes on my token dietary supplementation efforts.

In despair I have put a number of plants out of their misery including:

3 x Eggplants
6 x Snow Pea Vines
1 x Row of Spring Onions
1 x Row of Rocket
1 x Row of Swiss Ruby Chard
2 x Containers of Bok Choy
2 x Zucchini plants
1 x Chilli plant

Now I am down to just my herbs, a couple of cucumber vines on the way out, a zucchini plant that isn't showing much promise and a couple of tomato seedlings. It's a very sad looking balcony at the moment but on the plus side it gives us a bit more room to hang out my son's cloth nappies....

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Plot-5.jpg[/img]

[gixxerific]

Sorry to hear that.

But smile at least it's not in the single digit temps with snow there.

[SP8]

Sorry to hear that.

But smile at least it's not in the single digit temps with snow there.

Yes very true although I've forgotten what being cold looks and feels like and quite enjoyed having to put on coats and gloves and what not back in the day.

[SP8]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/AD.jpg[/img]

It's Australia day, bugger the veggies they can get some sun tomorrow!