Gardening time

[mjg]

It's harvest time here (Australia), so here's a few photos of today's pickings. 

I always do a variety of tomatoes.  They've ripened later this year (it's been a wet summer for a change), but damn, some of them are huge. 



This guy is the largest so far... not sure I can top this.  That's 1.6 pounds for those who use non-Metric:



Also... jerk birds, eating my sunflowers.  Was saving the seeds for our chickens, but the cockies like to bite off the stalks half way down and then eat the pulp out of the stems.  Jerks.

[harryklippton]

Nice. I'm eagerly anticipating spring in the opposite hemisphere currently. Got some of my seeds started. Let's see those chickens mjg! I used to have 60 or so layers.

[davent]

Nice harvest! What variety is the giant, i'm guessing Costoluto Genevese for the other smaller lobed ones, see some yellow pears in there...

We can't grow sunflowers here for the squirrels, no chance in our yard but a few yards over neighbours have no issues.

Start tomatoes in early/mid April for planting out latish May. Peppers, onions and a few other things should start by end of next week.

My large seed/supplies ordered was place mid January and still waiting. Local to us we usual shop in person but these days no in person shopping no curbside pick up so have to wait. People who ordered in December were 2 months getting orders. Company says they had more orders in January of this year alone then in all of 2019.
dave

[mjg]

Yep, that's Genevese and yellow pear.  Also some tigerella, Amish paste, jaune flamme, and black Russian in there.  Unfortunately I have no idea what the giant one is.  It came up in the place of another variety, and I know it's not one of them.  I'll save some seeds from it and see if it produces the same next year.

Our zucchinis and trombonchini have done really well this year too.  Had one about 60cm long...but the photo I took was NSFW. 

I'll find some photos of the chickens later.   

[davent]

Yep, that's Genevese and yellow pear.  Also some tigerella, Amish paste, jaune flamme, and black Russian in there.  Unfortunately I have no idea what the giant one is.  It came up in the place of another variety, and I know it's not one of them.  I'll save some seeds from it and see if it produces the same next year.

Our zucchinis and trombonchini have done really well this year too.  Had one about 60cm long...but the photo I took was NSFW. 

I'll find some photos of the chickens later.   

Amish Paste do really well for us here, grow a dozen of those each year and that provides all our tomato sauce and tomato chunks we need for the year. Only variety of tomato starts my sister asks for.

Have some seed to try this year for one called Amish Canning, see how it rates against the Paste.  Grew the Juane Flame for a few years but with so many varieties to try we're constantly trying new varieties.

In place of the Genevese this year trying the Costoluto Fiorentino, another lobed one. Altogether seventeen different varieties eight of those new, if i can fit them in.
dave

[davent]

Went back and checked the compost bin we've been adding to all winter, see how frozen it was as we still have snow here and there. Taken by surprise, 20" probe...





Will need to mix it up soon.

Set things up inside yesterday to get seeds started for annual flowers, peppers and few different green and herbs. Tomatoes don't get started until early April.
dave

[mjg]

That's impressive composting, Dave.  We have a couple of bays, but the chickens tend to dig in them, so it's never got enough bulk in there to get hot. 

As requested, here's a photo of the chickens.  Grogu helps collect the eggs. 



This week I've been pulling out the pumpkin plants and harvesting the last of them.  Some Buttercup and a Potimarron.

[jimilee]

Bwahahahaha helps collect the eggs....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[davent]

That's impressive composting, Dave.  We have a couple of bays, but the chickens tend to dig in them, so it's never got enough bulk in there to get hot. 

As requested, here's a photo of the chickens.  Grogu helps collect the eggs. 



This week I've been pulling out the pumpkin plants and harvesting the last of them.  Some Buttercup and a Potimarron.

Thanks, hopefully it will be ready by the end of May, i'll keep mixing it and if i'm lucky it will keep heating up, secret ingredient, rabbit bedding.

I'm envious of you with your chickens, would be great to wander out back and have a supply of fresh eggs. City council vetoes even any discussion of urban/suburban chicken here in the city, maybe one day welled vote in an enlightned council.

In the meantime garden wander while grilling dead chickens tonight... our years supply of garlic, sixty or so bulbs coming up strong, been planting this garlic on since 1994, well adapted. Our years supply of rhubarb for winter pies is looking good as well.




dave

[davent]

Gardening update, 4 x 4' (1.2m) raised bed i planted mid April, bok choys ready to start harvesting, heads of lettuce in another bed almost ready. Twenty six year old radish i planted ten days ago just to see if anything might happen, three seeds in eight holes, 23 of 24 seeds have germinated. Ten days ago planted twenty four feet (7.3m), split between five varieties of carrots, covered with row cover and huge improvement in germination.








Have a good one...dave

[peAk]

Not sure how I missed this thread. Some really cool stuff, guys.

Subscribed!

I have always been into landscape but this is the first year I have actually started doing a small garden. So far so good, we will see hot it goes. Nothing too special, doing some tomatoes, green beans, arugula, and misc peppers (Thai, Jalapenos, Poblano. Also doing some different basils like sweet, purple, Thai, and Holy. I am also doing an herb called Epazote which I havent actually cooked with yet. It popular in Mexico but hasnt really made its way into Texas all that much. It's kind an interesting smell - sort of like paint thinner...haha.

Anyway, glad to see the thread and hopefully I can learn a thing or two.   

[davent]

Not sure how I missed this thread. Some really cool stuff, guys.

Subscribed!

I have always been into landscape but this is the first year I have actually started doing a small garden. So far so good, we will see hot it goes. Nothing too special, doing some tomatoes, green beans, arugula, and misc peppers (Thai, Jalapenos, Poblano. Also doing some different basils like sweet, purple, Thai, and Holy. I am also doing an herb called Epazote which I havent actually cooked with yet. It popular in Mexico but hasnt really made its way into Texas all that much. It's kind an interesting smell - sort of like paint thinner...haha.

Anyway, glad to see the thread and hopefully I can learn a thing or two.

Have fun, never ending variety of new things to try, another bottomless rabbit hole to fall into...

Epazote, paint thinner,  i grew it one year my impression was kerosene, never did sample it.
dave

[peccary]

You all have some great gardens! I put in an above ground one last year and used it to grow some San Marzanos. I have plenty of seeds for all kinds of things, I just need to get them in the ground. Living in Southern California I don't have any excuses other than my own laziness.

[davent]

Until last Friday we'd had something like 12mm of rain in May, last Friday it rained all day, at least enough to refill the rain barrel. Last night into the morning a steady drizzle and things are looking pretty happy again.

Shade garden at the front.




dave

[alanp]

I have an old toilet as a plant pot by the shed out back... got chives planted in it. They're a bit ratty at the moment, it being winter, but hopefully they'll perk up a bit come spring.

Planted some garlic cloves along the strip of earth between the driveway and the fence. Will wait and see if they sprout or not.