A veggie garden thread

Fliplid, have you watched Salt of the Earth, Wim Wenders' doco about Sebastiao Salgado? Stunning, literally.

Salgado is my favourite photographer of all time. I will look up the doco. Thanks IB.

It's hard to stomach, but absolutely beautiful. I felt physically sick half way through, and cried afterwards.

Island Bay I haven’t seen that one but will check it out. He definitely is up there with the best Cromwell. After seeing what he has done and the efforts from the guys in Simbas and Zens links it gives some cause for hope after all

Finally got around to building the planter boxes, and getting some soil in them. Ready to plant out, will have to build some kind of structure to keep the chooks out.

star pickets and chook wire around the boxes.

bit late to get much vegetative growth on the winter crop.

Good work.

Yes, I meant to get onto them sooner, but stuff got in the way. Will just plant heaps of leafy greens for starters. The whole courtyard behind the them there is full of veg that we've already got on the go. Will just drape some netting over them for starters, but want to build something like an A frame that I can lift up access doors. All lined with fine netting to keep the moths out too.

great thread!

love your garden blowin looks incredible!
great planter boxes tiger!
Growing produce is so satisfying.
I would love to be able to grow tropical fruits .
Down in S.A more difficult. But I have had a good crop from the apple and nectarine trees this year.
avocadoes apparently can grow here so will be looking into that. Also bananas apparently but i worry about the cold wind.

By the way for anyone trying to grow broccoli and cauliflower and watching them get eaten by the white moth I found a good deterrent - molasses spray!
Simply melt some molasses in water on stove then pour into spray bottle. I sprayed a couple times a day ( hehe) but it worked!

fuking awesome.

tons of kale, rocket, lettuce, herbs, huge broccoli heads, cauli, asian greens etc etc

probably one of the better autumn growing seasons I've seen.

been swapping surplus for avos, lemons, onions and whatever else.

been using chilli/garlic spray to keep the caterpillars off and hand picking snails, using crushed up eggs shells to deter.

"but want to build something like an A frame that I can lift up access doors"
Tiger I got a heap of 75/90mm PVC downpipe from the tip shop for about $2, got a few 90 degree elbows from Bunnings and made up U-shaped frames that you just drop onto some timber posts screwed onto your planter box. Drape your netting over that and hook it off onto some screws you put in the sides. You can make it as high or low as you want and can access it from anywhere.

saltyone I have 3 avocado trees growing in Tasmania as well as a passionfruit vine that has gone ballistic. With the avocado trees I kept them under cover in pots for the first two years just so they got some wintery blasts then planted them out and they now survive some hectic frosts quite well. Don't know about bananas but have seen them selling pineapples at Bunnings locally. Hope they sold them with a money back guarantee!!!

I was slow out of the blocks this season, however the beds were in fine shape from cycling the trench composting which led to rich, friable soil. When the leafy greens went in they took hold quickly and I'm now at the stage where I have to pick the bok choy, kale, rocket, and spinach at least every second day to keep up. No attacks yet, but I've got a big bottle of chilli spray made from surplus summer harvest ready to go.

Also, the orange tree is sagging under the weight of a big load. I'm not sure of the variety, but they're OK to juice. The cockies will find the tree soon enough and I'll have to harvest the whole lot in a day so I'll shortly have a heap of oranges.

Trying to get a passionfruit vine established but the possums keep giving it a haircut. I've netted it but they eat to the edges, then the other night one got in under the net and scarfed half the growth.

We're coming into summer- my herbs are powering, Stu has inspired my to grow chilli- not sure what type it is but it's coming along nicely and flowers are starting to show. Creatures of the night have been smashing my strawberries but I don't mind and my tomatoes are starting off.

My hydrangea's are gonna be insane this year to splash some colour around.

btw Stu- when's the next Enforcer?

Stu if theyre good for juicing its probably Valencia. Other type are Navels which have what looks like a.... Navel... growing out the bottom. Easy to peel and super tasty but the juice goes sour quickly.

In SA its just gone cold enough where the oranges are sweet to eat and whatever bug eats the kale has gone back into hiding. Both of those are on the daily menu.

Garlics up and strong, looking good for christmas. Plenty of other leafy greens, beets, raddish and carrots. I didnt bother with broc, couli and cabbage cos the bugs seem to love them and i'll claim to be natural but really just to lazy to do anything about it.

GaryG - i have an Avo in a pot for about 2 years. Normally struggles through winter and this year really boomed through summer under shadecloth. Now i have a greenhouse should i move it in there for the winter? Also, do you need more than one to get fruit? Cheers

Ben keeps asking the same question too, Zen.

I keep saying "next week", but now that homeschooling has finished the answer is less evasive, more literal.

So yeah, the Enforcer will paddle out again in a few days.

Stunet a simple possum deterrent other than a bullet is lapsang souchong tea. I bought some on line. Brew up a huge pot of the stuff and spray it on your vine. The possums hate the smell. Only downside is you have to reapply after rain. Personally I wouldn't drink the shit. Smells like burnt 10 day old socks.

Cheers Gary, looking it up now.

charles-barkley mine came from the compost bin where the seed just popped up. Apparently it will take about 7 years to fruit so I'm about half way there. Apparently they self pollinate but do better with cross pollination. I saw a double grafted specimen at the nursery which they reckon will fruit straight away but it was $150 and I'm a tight arse gardener. I reckon putting it in a green house will turn it into a sook. Give it another year under the shadecloth maybe in some nice fresh potting mix. Mine were the same - went all brown over winter but recovered in summer with nice new green growth. They still get nailed by the frost but seem to get through it no problem now.

Just a little heads up in case anyone has missed it .

The lockdown prompted a pretty large scale home renovation program by handyman homeowners. If the local tip here is anything to go by , the amount of useful timber etc which has been turfed in the name of progress is off tap.

A lot of crew have moved out of rentals or whatever and there’s lots of old bed frames which often are perfectly straight.

Whilst a lot of other gear isn’t perfectly straight, it’s still great for veggie gardens or any backyard infrastructure you want to build. A lot of it is in very good condition. Some brand new !

I literally just saved myself close to a thousand dollars by hitting the local tip armed with a hammer and pinch bar instead of going to Bunnings.

Go during the odd hours when most crew aren’t visiting the tip , be nice to the bloke on the gate and you will be amazed what you can salvage. Pays to have a shopping list of what you need so you’re not dawdling for hours as this makes you look like you’re taking the piss and allowing scavenging isn’t the look the bloke on the gate is after.

A box of beer and a good attitude may earn you some leeway .

Blowin our local tip demands a $2 donation and you can load a whole 10 yarder up with timber. Even a cheap option as firewood - just don't use the treated pine stuff. Nothing like a bit of a scavenge to satisfy the tight arse in us all.

As it should be Gary !

I understand that there will always be some clown who would find themselves trapped under an avalanche of debris and wanting to sue the local council after doing stupid shit , but the tip should really be a point of collection for unwanted goods first and foremost.

If the community is serious about looking after the planet then reusing materials should be the first port of call.

It’s criminal to see some of the gear headed towards landfill.

Agree totally. I do a fair bit of heritage restoration and I'm literally in tears when I see the doors, windows and other 100 year old timber just lying there waiting to be destroyed. Here's a tip if you ever see some old timber double hung windows lying around. Grab them and keep the sills. Mostly they were made from durable timber like King Billy Pine or Huon Pine. They might have used differemt species on the mainland but it will still be good timber.

"As it should be Gary !

I understand that there will always be some clown who would find themselves trapped under an avalanche of debris and wanting to sue the local council after doing stupid shit , but the tip should really be a point of collection for unwanted goods first and foremost.

If the community is serious about looking after the planet then reusing materials should be the first port of call.

It’s criminal to see some of the gear headed towards landfill."

those few paragraphs show a lot about where the environment movement has gone way off the rails

we are all supposed to fall in line behind a bunch of counter common sense sign installing office jockeys, spewing all sorts of dogma and statistics about the model, whilst they are deeply entrenched in this model of gross unsustainability

go the bottom feeders!

As freeride said, been a great autumn growing season after the late summer rains. Just pulling the last of our capsicum and pumpkin. Got stacks of greens and herbage powering. Peas and beans are all in flower with small poddage happening. Zuch's, caulis, and Broc all coming along.
In regards to the planter boxes. I like your idea Gary! I've used conduit and PVC pipe etc as frames with netting or mesh draped over them. But have gone a bit more deluxe this time.

Deluxe doesn't do that justice tiger. That's a work or art. Hope your veggies appreciate it!!!

Current situation at home. Pretty good growing weather lately although it’s definitely starting to cool down a bit with fewer hours of sunshine

Tiger that’s a great setup

Looking good , gentlemen.

Well done , Tiger. Nice work.

Thanks Gary . Well if Avos grow in tassie then It’s promising ! Gets windy here so under cover in pots sounds gd just hope they would survive transplant . The banana tree was given to me by friend still in pot I reckon I’ll try to plant when it gets warmer . She’s had a few bananas off her plant so that’s encouraging !

Can we post pics of our flowers?

About this time of the year when my hydrangea's kick off and gives a great splash of colour to the place.

Hydrangeas? Haha you old grandma zen

Ha ha Goof, i think i've been in Japan too long.

After cherry blossoms hydrangea' hold a special place in Japanese hearts.

https://bestlivingjapan.com/top-five-ajisai-hydrangea-festivals-tokyo/

Let’s see your flowers, Zen.

Growing isn't just about food on the table. It’s about the connection to the planet and the universe we inhabit.

Sun / Earth / Water / love

I like looking out my living room window in summer.

hd picture size

Bloody beautiful

Thanks Goof. We're in a good spot here- miles of hiking trails just behind us, 5 mins drive to closest surf and view of the ocean right up and down the coast. it's very peaceful.

Easiest plant in the world to propogate Zen. Just snip off a piece of stem chuck it in the ground and off they go. Good value too for cut flowers around home. Spectacular show you got going there.

Killing it Zen!

Looks very inviting, Zen.

Cheers guys. We're very happy here.

Thanks Patrick funny I just sent that same link to a friend recently ! I don’t have a brick wall but timber facing north but yes would need to somehow stop the wind getting in actually been thinking about that lately perhaps even putting up clear plastic to let in warmth by stop wind ? Could attach to verandah Frame possibly and have it so it can lift or roll up if I need to . Ah you’ve got me motivated again to get this done !

Beautiful Flower colours Zen even matches your profile pic . Is that in nsw somewhere? Sounds stunning

Lush Zen!!

Cheers Craig, wish I could have had you here those years ago, we bought well.

Sorry Salty, long way away- it's Japan, i've been living here for 14 years. One year turned into two, two into ten.

Nice one Patrick