Finally got around to the final sowings today.
Direct-sown into the salad garden was three varieties of lettuce, along with corn salad and spinach. Into the herb garden went chives and dill (I also transplanted in a parley yesterday). And into the Mexican garden went jamaica, a variety of hibiscus that makes a tasty drink. I also sowed another row of peas, and transplanted the watermelon.
Into seed trays went: ancho chilli, Marconi red pepper, tomatillo and epazote (all for the Mexican garden), plus basil, bergamot and passionfruit. I'm hoping it's not too late for these Mexican additions, I should really have had these underway a month ago.
A quick trim of the citrus trees to remove some of those lower small branches attracting the whitefly, and done for the day!
28 November 2010
20 November 2010
Courgette
The two courgette plants have been in the ground for a couple of weeks now. Although they are both Cocozelle, one has variegated leaves while one doesn't!
17 November 2010
Into the garden this week
Over the weekend most of the seedlings were planted out in the garden - the cape gooseberry, 11 tomato seedlings, and four Mexican marigolds. I really need to get a wriggle on sowing the remaining late spring/early summer seeds though....Also up from the direct-sown seeds are the peas, beetroot and carrot.
While I wasn't looking whitefly has arrived on the citrus, so the round of spraying with Neem Oil has commenced today. Begone!
While I wasn't looking whitefly has arrived on the citrus, so the round of spraying with Neem Oil has commenced today. Begone!
09 November 2010
08 November 2010
Parsnip
(It doesn't look quite as big in the photo as it does in my head - but still, a triumph compared to the carrots!)
07 November 2010
Parsnip!
Thumbs up - the two courgette plants were planted out today, and the direct-sown coriander has emerged.
Thumbs down - No sign of the cumin as yet - at least, I'm pretty sure the things that are popping up are more likely to be weeds than cumin......The tomatoes still aren't quite big enough to be planted out but are coming along nicely in the new "greenhouse" and will probably go in next weekend. No sign of the watermelons - I planted three, two pots are inside and one is outside in the greenhouse as a bit of an experiment to see if the additional heat would help things along, but there's nothing to report as yet (at least a week in).
Harvested today - one big beautiful perfectly formed parsnip. Also three carrots that the perfectly formed parsnip is probably pointing at and laughing. I'll try and grab a photo of the parsnip tomorrow evening.
And I have a guilty conscience over everything else that still hasn't been sown. Must remember to get a tray sorted out tomorrow!
Thumbs down - No sign of the cumin as yet - at least, I'm pretty sure the things that are popping up are more likely to be weeds than cumin......The tomatoes still aren't quite big enough to be planted out but are coming along nicely in the new "greenhouse" and will probably go in next weekend. No sign of the watermelons - I planted three, two pots are inside and one is outside in the greenhouse as a bit of an experiment to see if the additional heat would help things along, but there's nothing to report as yet (at least a week in).
Harvested today - one big beautiful perfectly formed parsnip. Also three carrots that the perfectly formed parsnip is probably pointing at and laughing. I'll try and grab a photo of the parsnip tomorrow evening.
And I have a guilty conscience over everything else that still hasn't been sown. Must remember to get a tray sorted out tomorrow!
11 October 2010
Weekend sowings
On Saturday I finally got around to resowing the seedlings I managed to destroy.
It had been mostly dry all week so on Sunday I was able to do some digging (well, supervise some digging), and some direct sowing. Into the Mexican garden went cumin and coriander, along the fence went peas, and into the root vege garden went carrot, parsnip and beetroot. I also weeded out the strawberry patch - it's looking good in there! The plants have been flowering without me noticing, and there's baby strawberries!
The sad news is that two of the bigger beds have gone from being far too wet to go near, to rock hard dry, within a week. Hopefully today's rain will have evened things out a bit - those are my salad beds in theory!
It had been mostly dry all week so on Sunday I was able to do some digging (well, supervise some digging), and some direct sowing. Into the Mexican garden went cumin and coriander, along the fence went peas, and into the root vege garden went carrot, parsnip and beetroot. I also weeded out the strawberry patch - it's looking good in there! The plants have been flowering without me noticing, and there's baby strawberries!
The sad news is that two of the bigger beds have gone from being far too wet to go near, to rock hard dry, within a week. Hopefully today's rain will have evened things out a bit - those are my salad beds in theory!
09 October 2010
A rocky start
The potatoes FINALLY made it into the ground last Sunday. They were EXTREMELY well-chitted!
Several seedlings had popped up their heads in my seedling tray. I promptly got overexcited and put the trays outside in the new greenhouse (three-tier, plastic-covered) for the day and cooked them. So I'll be starting again today. There was only one survivor, a Purple Calabash tomato that has subsequently popped up its head in the tray which I hadn't emptied!
Several seedlings had popped up their heads in my seedling tray. I promptly got overexcited and put the trays outside in the new greenhouse (three-tier, plastic-covered) for the day and cooked them. So I'll be starting again today. There was only one survivor, a Purple Calabash tomato that has subsequently popped up its head in the tray which I hadn't emptied!
18 September 2010
A bigger, better garden
At the end of summer we cleared away a big camellia bush in the garden which has freed up a rectangular space (2.5m x 3.8m) - looks enormous compared to the rest of the garden. Hola, my Mexican garden!
It's now early spring, and sown indoors today were:
* five varieties of tomatoes (Yellow Plum, Green Zebra, Purple Calabash, a beefsteak and a cherry tomato)
* Parsley
* Cape Gooseberry
* Mexican marigold
If it stops raining long enough to let the soil dry out a bit I'll be able to get out and do the direct sowing that needs to be done. Right now it's looking a little too boggy.
It's now early spring, and sown indoors today were:
* five varieties of tomatoes (Yellow Plum, Green Zebra, Purple Calabash, a beefsteak and a cherry tomato)
* Parsley
* Cape Gooseberry
* Mexican marigold
If it stops raining long enough to let the soil dry out a bit I'll be able to get out and do the direct sowing that needs to be done. Right now it's looking a little too boggy.
09 August 2010
Heads are forming
The broccoli are progressing!
That one looks like I'd expect. Unfortunately, two out of the three are instead trying to grow as tall as they possibly can. In the last day or two small yellow flowers are forming around the base of the "head". This can't be good - are the top bits still edible and should I just eat them now?
And I have one tiny cauliflower forming a head as well.
That one looks like I'd expect. Unfortunately, two out of the three are instead trying to grow as tall as they possibly can. In the last day or two small yellow flowers are forming around the base of the "head". This can't be good - are the top bits still edible and should I just eat them now?
And I have one tiny cauliflower forming a head as well.
04 July 2010
New year, new plantings
I have been very neglectful of the garden lately - but in my defence it is winter! There's some broccoli and cauliflower slowly coming along (no sign of any heads forming as yet), four leeks down the end of the garden that appear to be thriving (comparatively speaking of course, my previous efforts being very dismal) a single lettuce to eat, and lemons ripening up. We're eating carrots and parsnips from time to time but it's fair to say they are definitely on the petite side! And the rhubarb has sadly passed away.
Looking forward to the new season, last week the garlic went in. This year I started fresh with new NZ-grown organic garlic from Ceres - one of these looked like it might be elephant garlic rather than ordinary (either that or I've just planted a very strange mutant), and I planted a total of 8 ordinary-looking cloves and 2 mutant ones. Time will tell!
I also visited the garden centre to check out seed potatoes. They had several different varieties, all first earlies, but no Jersey Bennes which I was hoping for. Instead I purchased a bag of Rocket variety and they are now chitting away. These seed potatoes are enormous compared to the Heather variety I had last year....
Looking forward to the new season, last week the garlic went in. This year I started fresh with new NZ-grown organic garlic from Ceres - one of these looked like it might be elephant garlic rather than ordinary (either that or I've just planted a very strange mutant), and I planted a total of 8 ordinary-looking cloves and 2 mutant ones. Time will tell!
I also visited the garden centre to check out seed potatoes. They had several different varieties, all first earlies, but no Jersey Bennes which I was hoping for. Instead I purchased a bag of Rocket variety and they are now chitting away. These seed potatoes are enormous compared to the Heather variety I had last year....
01 April 2010
It's not rocket science.....
In the past I have sown seeds into compartmentalised trays and let them germinate inside, then transferred the baby seedlings to larger individual pots, then finally popped them outside only the day or so before planting out. I didn't want the delicate things to die! But I sowed some broccoli and cauliflower seeds last week - the tray was taking up space inside so I moved it outside as soon as they germinated. Turns out they grow MUCH faster if you do that. Obviously they are tougher than I thought!
13 March 2010
First carrots
*I* think they're beautiful. If we were to survive off what we grow, I don't think the garden is big enough for the quantities we'd need though!
The longest one is 11 cm, the fattest one is 2.5cm diameter.
23 February 2010
Parsnip
Pastinaca sativa - Guernsey, a early 19th century French heirloom variety from Kings Seeds
Direct sow early spring (the cold helps revive the seed), through to late spring and early summer. Parsnip seed is apparently a bit finicky and must be fresh or it won't germinate - it also needs lots of moisture to germinate which takes around 14 to 20 days. The notes for this particular variety said 30 cm apart but most books seem to say 15 to 25 cm apart, and the closer they are the larger they are which seems a little odd! The parsnips just sit there, growing, growing, through summer and autumn and can be left in the ground all winter until required. A good frost will make them sweeter and more tender, however there's basically no chance of that in my garden. I did see that you can make parsnip wine and parsnip beer which sounds interesting!
I didn't sow any of these until summer so I imagine they definitely won't be ready until we hit winter - patience will be required. At least I'll know for next year. In a recent NZ Gardener email newsletter someone in the South Island had the same variety planted early and they are already ready.
If they have to sit in the ground that long, they might make interesting dividers for the garden?
Direct sow early spring (the cold helps revive the seed), through to late spring and early summer. Parsnip seed is apparently a bit finicky and must be fresh or it won't germinate - it also needs lots of moisture to germinate which takes around 14 to 20 days. The notes for this particular variety said 30 cm apart but most books seem to say 15 to 25 cm apart, and the closer they are the larger they are which seems a little odd! The parsnips just sit there, growing, growing, through summer and autumn and can be left in the ground all winter until required. A good frost will make them sweeter and more tender, however there's basically no chance of that in my garden. I did see that you can make parsnip wine and parsnip beer which sounds interesting!
I didn't sow any of these until summer so I imagine they definitely won't be ready until we hit winter - patience will be required. At least I'll know for next year. In a recent NZ Gardener email newsletter someone in the South Island had the same variety planted early and they are already ready.
If they have to sit in the ground that long, they might make interesting dividers for the garden?
22 February 2010
Carrots
Scarlet Nantes, daucus carota var sativa
Carrots like well-worked, fine, crumbly, well-drained soil that has been composted six months or so earlier. Rocky soil is a no-no, as is heavy clay, as the roots will get distorted. Direct sow, germination takes around 12 to 14 days, thin initially to 5 to 7 cm apart then later to 10 to 15 cm apart (the tops can go into salad). Generally the younger and smaller the carrot the sweeter. A good companion crop is onions (prevents carrot fly). This particular variety apparently likes warmer temperatures, grows to 25 cm long, and takes around 70 days.
My first sowing was before Christmas so in theory they should be ready by the beginning of March - and that's next week! Second sowing should come through mid-March, I also did a sowing in a container around the same time (perhaps a little later, I really should have written it down), so seeing the results from my slightly-clay soil vs the container mix will be interesting. There was also a sowing last week that should be ready by the beginning of May.
Carrots like well-worked, fine, crumbly, well-drained soil that has been composted six months or so earlier. Rocky soil is a no-no, as is heavy clay, as the roots will get distorted. Direct sow, germination takes around 12 to 14 days, thin initially to 5 to 7 cm apart then later to 10 to 15 cm apart (the tops can go into salad). Generally the younger and smaller the carrot the sweeter. A good companion crop is onions (prevents carrot fly). This particular variety apparently likes warmer temperatures, grows to 25 cm long, and takes around 70 days.
My first sowing was before Christmas so in theory they should be ready by the beginning of March - and that's next week! Second sowing should come through mid-March, I also did a sowing in a container around the same time (perhaps a little later, I really should have written it down), so seeing the results from my slightly-clay soil vs the container mix will be interesting. There was also a sowing last week that should be ready by the beginning of May.
21 February 2010
End of harvest cleanup
It's nearly the end of February so things are starting to slow down a bit. Today I actually did a fair bit of weeding, pulled up a beetroot, removed half of the tomato plants, raked up all the fallen lemons, removed all the rocket that had started flowering, trimmed one of the sage plants (this looks like the catnip in that you can cut it right down to the ground and let it regrow again, there does appear to be new growth down the bottom of the stems), and started trimming down the strawberries. Phew!
I was also going to sow some of the new lettuce varieties that I bought this week but first I need to decide where I'm going to put the broccoli and cauliflower - once they germinate of course and for that to happen I have to sow them! I was also supposed to be making another bottle of tomato sauce, but don't think I have quite enough tomatoes, and make some lemon curd, except it was easier to sit around on the couch and watch tv all day. So after an energetic start to the day the harvest-related activities have petered out.
I was also going to sow some of the new lettuce varieties that I bought this week but first I need to decide where I'm going to put the broccoli and cauliflower - once they germinate of course and for that to happen I have to sow them! I was also supposed to be making another bottle of tomato sauce, but don't think I have quite enough tomatoes, and make some lemon curd, except it was easier to sit around on the couch and watch tv all day. So after an energetic start to the day the harvest-related activities have petered out.
20 February 2010
Microgreens
Earlier this week I put in another seed order to Kings. I did forgot to order more phacelia to use as a cover crop over winter in the new bed we've created by removing a large camellia bush, but now I have some new seeds of edible crops.
I've sown an indoor tray of mustard streaks and cress and these are already up and tall enough to be bending towards the light so I guess nibbling later on next week might not be out of the question? But tomorrow I have a big cleanup and seed sowing day planned - not to mention blogging about carrots and parsnips which I sowed some time ago but didn't research so have no idea how long they take!
I've sown an indoor tray of mustard streaks and cress and these are already up and tall enough to be bending towards the light so I guess nibbling later on next week might not be out of the question? But tomorrow I have a big cleanup and seed sowing day planned - not to mention blogging about carrots and parsnips which I sowed some time ago but didn't research so have no idea how long they take!
13 February 2010
Danyelle, Paris, Detroit and Guernsey
I'm hoping it will be third time lucky for the Danyelle lettuce (or maybe fourth time lucky?). Today I've sown a good sprinkling of seeds in a large container rather than in the garden bed in the hope that the seeds prefer the container mix to the soil!
I also sowed some more of the Paris cos lettuce and the peas. On the pea front I might be getting closer to having something to eat, the current plant is actually growing upward and attaching itself to the ladder of string supports I rigged up.
When going through my seeds to see what else I have that might warrant another sowing now (another round of beetroot, carrot, and parsnip for starters - I'm determined to have a steady supply of my winter crops), I see that half the seed collection has now reached its best-before date. I imagine these would probably still germinate just fine but I'm tempted to have a cleanout in advance of next spring.
And tomorrow I MUST mulch the rhubarb with compost! It's still growing, but the small round bed it's in seems to suddenly be low on soil, and turns to mud every time I water it.
I also sowed some more of the Paris cos lettuce and the peas. On the pea front I might be getting closer to having something to eat, the current plant is actually growing upward and attaching itself to the ladder of string supports I rigged up.
When going through my seeds to see what else I have that might warrant another sowing now (another round of beetroot, carrot, and parsnip for starters - I'm determined to have a steady supply of my winter crops), I see that half the seed collection has now reached its best-before date. I imagine these would probably still germinate just fine but I'm tempted to have a cleanout in advance of next spring.
And tomorrow I MUST mulch the rhubarb with compost! It's still growing, but the small round bed it's in seems to suddenly be low on soil, and turns to mud every time I water it.
Harvest time
Wow, doesn't time fly, it's been almost a month since my last post! Notes on this year's harvest:
Tomatoes - have ripened, been picked for the most part, and I even took out the first plant today. This year I didn't water enough and completely forgot to give them any fertiliser (hangs head in shame), so the harvest was pretty small. However I understand it hasn't been the best year for tomatoes Auckland-wide for whatever reason. The Tigerellas and Green Zebras were both delicious, and I've made one jar of tomato sauce from each variety. The Watermouths were smaller than last year but still tasty. I wasn't that keen on the Dali tomatoes, these didn't seem as interesting or as tasty as the others - possibly the colour put me off, they are a pinky shade rather than a rich red. Interestingly the birds didn't really go for the tomatoes this year. I think they were too full of strawberries!
Courgettes - one plant does seem like the right number if you don't want to get sick of them! They are still going strong, and got quite a long way into summer before the powdery mildew showed up.
Lettuce/mesclun - should have sown more. I think I should set up the Google calender now with sowing reminders for next spring and summer, better to have too much than too little!
Spring onion - still growing slowly, I definitely planted these too late, mustn't forget them next year.
Garlic - I have harvested these today, a good six weeks after the summer solstice. One was a good size, another three weren't too bad, and the remaining five were runts of the litter. Like the tomatoes, I don't think I treated these right this year - I didn't water much through December and January and never got around to mulching them.
Oooh, and I had these weeds popping up near the front door. Never got around to pulling them out, and just as well because the first one has flowered and it turns out they are self-seeded borage! I didn't recognise them from last year.
Tomatoes - have ripened, been picked for the most part, and I even took out the first plant today. This year I didn't water enough and completely forgot to give them any fertiliser (hangs head in shame), so the harvest was pretty small. However I understand it hasn't been the best year for tomatoes Auckland-wide for whatever reason. The Tigerellas and Green Zebras were both delicious, and I've made one jar of tomato sauce from each variety. The Watermouths were smaller than last year but still tasty. I wasn't that keen on the Dali tomatoes, these didn't seem as interesting or as tasty as the others - possibly the colour put me off, they are a pinky shade rather than a rich red. Interestingly the birds didn't really go for the tomatoes this year. I think they were too full of strawberries!
Courgettes - one plant does seem like the right number if you don't want to get sick of them! They are still going strong, and got quite a long way into summer before the powdery mildew showed up.
Lettuce/mesclun - should have sown more. I think I should set up the Google calender now with sowing reminders for next spring and summer, better to have too much than too little!
Spring onion - still growing slowly, I definitely planted these too late, mustn't forget them next year.
Garlic - I have harvested these today, a good six weeks after the summer solstice. One was a good size, another three weren't too bad, and the remaining five were runts of the litter. Like the tomatoes, I don't think I treated these right this year - I didn't water much through December and January and never got around to mulching them.
Oooh, and I had these weeds popping up near the front door. Never got around to pulling them out, and just as well because the first one has flowered and it turns out they are self-seeded borage! I didn't recognise them from last year.
18 January 2010
What's up, Doc?
Mildly worried about these. Any thoughts - both just watering problems?
The first is one of my tomatoes - I think it's a Green Zebra (if not, it's a Tigerella). This particular plant is at the front of the tomato patch, and the leaves mostly have this dried-out, inside-out appearance. They feel pretty dry too. I don't remember this from last year's Green Zebra crop. I would guess this indicates it's not retaining enough water? The fruit itself appears to be growing fine though. The neighbouring plant (which is a different variety) also has a slight tendency towards this, while the third plant at the front is the one with blossom rot. I've been trying hard to keep water levels consistent but perhaps I'm not trying hard enough - I think I'll mulch the tomatoes next year.
The second is the pea in the foreground below. This is the one that died, then decided to send out new shoots again. It now has other plants behind it for comparison - as you can see the first one (which has had a couple of pods on it) has now developed a whitish colour while the others are still lush and green. Is it on its way out? Is this something that should be fixed?
The first is one of my tomatoes - I think it's a Green Zebra (if not, it's a Tigerella). This particular plant is at the front of the tomato patch, and the leaves mostly have this dried-out, inside-out appearance. They feel pretty dry too. I don't remember this from last year's Green Zebra crop. I would guess this indicates it's not retaining enough water? The fruit itself appears to be growing fine though. The neighbouring plant (which is a different variety) also has a slight tendency towards this, while the third plant at the front is the one with blossom rot. I've been trying hard to keep water levels consistent but perhaps I'm not trying hard enough - I think I'll mulch the tomatoes next year.
The second is the pea in the foreground below. This is the one that died, then decided to send out new shoots again. It now has other plants behind it for comparison - as you can see the first one (which has had a couple of pods on it) has now developed a whitish colour while the others are still lush and green. Is it on its way out? Is this something that should be fixed?
17 January 2010
What's growing on
I have two Dali tomato plants. This is a generic name and indicates it's one of the varieties that the Yugoslavian community (who settled predominantly in Northland back in gumdigger days) brought with them or commonly grow here. There was no photo with these seeds so I wasn't sure what they were going to look like - now I know. This particular plant (which is at the back of the tomato patch and is therefore more sheltered) is doing well, the other plant is the one with the blossom rot.
Technically the Dali with blossom rot won the ripening race this year, but I ruled it ineligible due to its inedibility. We now have a new winner - it's Tigerella! Another new one this year.
Over in the winter root crops bed, things are looking good. The carrots still need thinning, and the beetroot is at the pretty stage.
Technically the Dali with blossom rot won the ripening race this year, but I ruled it ineligible due to its inedibility. We now have a new winner - it's Tigerella! Another new one this year.
Over in the winter root crops bed, things are looking good. The carrots still need thinning, and the beetroot is at the pretty stage.
13 January 2010
Second sowing
Just did a second sowing of my winter root crops - beetroot, carrot and parsnip. I also thinned out the first sowing of beetroot a bit (and even popped those leaves in the salad leaf bowl in the fridge rather than tossing them), and will need to do the same with the carrots but want to wait until they get a bit bigger first, they still look fairly insubstantial. Three of the first parsnip sowing have now germinated, they were quite a bit slower than the others.
Interestingly enough, I've now become quite a fan of direct sowing. The first year of gardening I needed the reassurance that seeds will actually germinate and grow, now I can't be bothered with all that transplanting - just sprinkle some seeds on the ground and see what happens!
Oooh - and one of the Dali tomatoes now has a yellow tinge instead of green :)
Interestingly enough, I've now become quite a fan of direct sowing. The first year of gardening I needed the reassurance that seeds will actually germinate and grow, now I can't be bothered with all that transplanting - just sprinkle some seeds on the ground and see what happens!
Oooh - and one of the Dali tomatoes now has a yellow tinge instead of green :)
07 January 2010
Blossom rot
Spent yesterday morning tying up the tomatoes and removing the lower branches and stray laterals. One of the Dali plants had lots of fruit but most of them had blossom rot so I have removed them. The other Dali is fine.
Apparently this is a sign of inconsistent watering. Seems a bit harsh, I was watering them every other day if it hadn't rained, and stepped this up to daily about a week ago, so I've been trying hard to make sure they are hydrated.
Apparently this is a sign of inconsistent watering. Seems a bit harsh, I was watering them every other day if it hadn't rained, and stepped this up to daily about a week ago, so I've been trying hard to make sure they are hydrated.
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