overlandflyer
Well-known member
huh.... i have a friend who paints signs as a curb-side business. i like that idea... going to suggest it to him.
Vegetable Gardening Club
- Thread starter Trusylver
- Start date
overlandflyer
Well-known member
this is so funny... in my browser this morning it just occurred to me why I’m being pelted with ads for farm equipment.
alligatorob
Respected Member
alligatorob
Respected Member
Do home grown peaches count here? The OMG peach I ate tonight:
Going,
going,
gone!
Going,
going,
gone!
Today I dug the first swale on the hill below the house water tank, and built the bed ready for planting. Also built a frame over the wicking bed to accommodate the ability to train the tomatoes which are doing well and be able to put effective bird netting over the top at harvest time to keep the chooks out. My lavender is still alive, coriander has sprouted and my German chamomile seems to be doing ok in its big pot. Not bad for a HOT winter day.
Swales in permaculture are designed to manage water runoff, filter pollutants, and increase rainwater infiltration. so in this case when we get heavy tropical rain the runoff will be caught in the ditch on the upper side stopping it from running down the hill and wasting it. This give the water time to soak into the garden bed on the berm located on the down hill side of the ditch.
The bed has been built in the no dig style with layers of organic matter and a thick top layer of mulch so the bed can retain water without getting too soggy.
The plan for this bed is to plant a couple of fruit trees with pigeon pea trees to protect them from the HOT tropical afternoon sun while they become established, the plan is also to have an under story of comfrey, sweet potato etc and for the mid story, vines on trellis between the trees. I will be building more swales expanding further down the hill as time and energy allow. The wicking beds are on the other side of the house and are for growing temperate climate veg that will need more care and attention due to not being a good match for my climate.
The bed has been built in the no dig style with layers of organic matter and a thick top layer of mulch so the bed can retain water without getting too soggy.
The plan for this bed is to plant a couple of fruit trees with pigeon pea trees to protect them from the HOT tropical afternoon sun while they become established, the plan is also to have an under story of comfrey, sweet potato etc and for the mid story, vines on trellis between the trees. I will be building more swales expanding further down the hill as time and energy allow. The wicking beds are on the other side of the house and are for growing temperate climate veg that will need more care and attention due to not being a good match for my climate.
Planted out comfrey into the swale garden today and took the seeds for more comfrey out of the fridge and planted into pots in the greenhouse.
I definitely need a lot for poultry feed and improving our soil
Gave everything a good feed with seasol. My second attempt at coriander is doing well in hanging baskets, after possums ate the first lot in normal garden beds. Passionfruit is doing well and the first of my tomato plants is beginning to bud. Beetroot is also looking good.
Hubby planted bamboo yesterday, a large clumping variety we can use for building stuff.
I definitely need a lot for poultry feed and improving our soil
Gave everything a good feed with seasol. My second attempt at coriander is doing well in hanging baskets, after possums ate the first lot in normal garden beds. Passionfruit is doing well and the first of my tomato plants is beginning to bud. Beetroot is also looking good.
Hubby planted bamboo yesterday, a large clumping variety we can use for building stuff.
That's an interesting tip about comfrey improving soil - thanks! Ours is pretty bad - very alkaline, and of course dry. I'll look out for some next time I'm on a shopping trip.
(and solidarity from a rabbit-dodger.)
Cheers for hanging garden gardeners!
(and solidarity from a rabbit-dodger.)
Update:
Coriander is growing well in the hanging basket
Pidgeon Peas are finally sprouting in the greenhouse but something wants to eat them, cover now placed over them
Tomatoes are looking good in the wicking bed but my capsicum is not liking it.
Beetroot is so so
German Chamomile is finally starting to look established in large pot
Passion fruit is doing well
Comfrey also doing well after transfer into the swale, a couple of leaves burned in the heat of the first couple of days.
Starting again with more comfrey seeds in the fridge after something knocked over my seedling pots, probably the same thing that ate the Pidgeon peas.
Largish Wormwood in pot needs to be planted into the ground, Not in the peacock enclosure this time lol
Today
Planted Beans and 2 varieties of Silverbeat
Coriander is growing well in the hanging basket
Pidgeon Peas are finally sprouting in the greenhouse but something wants to eat them, cover now placed over them
Tomatoes are looking good in the wicking bed but my capsicum is not liking it.
Beetroot is so so
German Chamomile is finally starting to look established in large pot
Passion fruit is doing well
Comfrey also doing well after transfer into the swale, a couple of leaves burned in the heat of the first couple of days.
Starting again with more comfrey seeds in the fridge after something knocked over my seedling pots, probably the same thing that ate the Pidgeon peas.
Largish Wormwood in pot needs to be planted into the ground, Not in the peacock enclosure this time lol
Today
Planted Beans and 2 varieties of Silverbeat
The comfrey seed which were knocked over and simply had the seed growing mix scooped back into the pots has sprouted in 2 of 4 pots, so surprisingly not a complete loss. Planted some passionfruit seeds after soaking them overnight to replace the failed attempt (the pots were knocked over by a Goanna). Little miss almost 3 wanted to plant more things for the garden, so we also have Marshmallow seeds in a large pot in the greenhouse. Now waiting for it to cool down this arvo to transplant the wormwood.
Bamboo looks to have survived being transplanted from a friends place and has a couple of new shoots growing.
Bamboo looks to have survived being transplanted from a friends place and has a couple of new shoots growing.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Thanks for the updates Trusylver, your garden sounds both interesting and great. I envy you, I always like the beginning of the season, planting and planning. Our season is almost over, it getting cooler, less sun and we almost always get an October freeze. Not yet though. I did have some fun yesterday, I took a bowl out to the garden filled it with what I could find and then steamed the veggies for lunch. I picked about 25 really small eggplants, some no bigger than grapes. I also picked peppers and tomatoes for the mix. Less than 30 minutes from the vine to eating, can't beat that.
Just picked.
Ready to eat
Just picked.
Ready to eat
overlandflyer
Well-known member
nice little haul today ... going to try stringing the Serrano peppers together and drying them.
overlandflyer
Well-known member
something happened to one of my plants... maybe insect damage?
put these in the fridge for a day and will do an autopsy tomorrow.
i do spray for caterpillars (BT), but that's mostly for my prop-64 crop and i may have missed this plant which was growing wirh another group upstairs.
put these in the fridge for a day and will do an autopsy tomorrow.
i do spray for caterpillars (BT), but that's mostly for my prop-64 crop and i may have missed this plant which was growing wirh another group upstairs.
overlandflyer
Well-known member
speaking of prop-64 (CA legalization to grow), i always hate to post early pictures because i've had mixed success in the past three seasons, but this year turned out to be the best yet. ...never too old to learn. harvested 10 days ago and should be cured within a month.
when microbrew beer became mainstream, i stopped home brewing because it really wasn't cost effective anymore.
feels good to have a new hobby and i doubt if i'll have the same outcome with gardening.
when microbrew beer became mainstream, i stopped home brewing because it really wasn't cost effective anymore.
feels good to have a new hobby and i doubt if i'll have the same outcome with gardening.
overlandflyer
Well-known member
this is either strange or different... no other pepper plants i have do this, but when the pimento plants reach the stage where the peppers turn red, almost all the leaves drop off. two other plants that i had picked a few days ago are now showing signs of the upper leaves returning/ sprouting. since this is San Diego, i'm pretty sure i'll get another round of peppers if i get them all picked in a few weeks.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Can I get into the Guinness Book for the world's smallest peach? Only 3 more left...
Thanks for all the pictures Flyer, you are our master pepper gardener!
Thanks for all the pictures Flyer, you are our master pepper gardener!
overlandflyer
Well-known member
prop 64 harvest update... after 2 weeks of drying, i stripped the plants down to 4 loosely packed gallon jars... 23 oz total. the good news... next year i think i will grow maybe one or two plants just for fun, but that'll leave six 6.5 gallon pots to garden in. gotta start thinking about a plan for this. things i'd like to try... carrots, eggplant, corn (?? ... got to say, even if i get one or two stalks, i think it would be great to watch grow)... and of course, some biga** pepper plants for a change...!
Rob.... do your plants survive the winter... or do you plant new stuff every year? it says "winter" on the calendar here and of course the days get somewhat shorter, but i really can't even remember the last time it got down below 50°.
Rob.... do your plants survive the winter... or do you plant new stuff every year? it says "winter" on the calendar here and of course the days get somewhat shorter, but i really can't even remember the last time it got down below 50°.
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alligatorob
Respected Member
No, just the fruit trees. It is much too cold here, we often get sub zero (F) temperatures and months of below freezing. When I lived in Florida we did get peppers, sometimes tomatoes, and other things to overwinter. The peppers did the best, tabasco peppers produce best at about 2 or 3 years. And where I was in Florida our winter temps could get lower than yours.
Enjoy your prop 64 garden! When I stopped (mostly) drinking on the diet I tried some, legally purchased in Oregon, but did not seem to like it. Maybe I am too old, LOL.