Tomatoes

This has been my first year of tomato success! Last year was dismal, I can't say I had any decent tomatoes to eat.  So what did I do different?  Firstly I Googled "growing tomatoes" and took lots of notes, I think it is great that everyone can share tips via the net. After raising healthy seedlings I planted out eight plants in two rows with a good sprinkle of tomato dynamic lifter, I then staked each plant with a bamboo stake, after that I hammered in very tall tomato stakes on each side of the plant in rows I drilled holes and then threaded wire in lines from end to end, this allowed the tomatoes to branch out without breaking and it gave extra support to the main trunk. This year I paid special attention to pinching out new growth between the stem and new branch. The biggest decision was to use a herbicide, I used Yates Success and it kept away the caterpillars. So this year I had so many tomatoes I was able to make tomato stock, tomato chutney and semi sun dried tomatoes. My deep freezer is filled to the brim with tomato stock this is great for soups or making a good old spaghetti bolognaise. This year I grew Mini Romas, Green zebras, Cherry and Tommy Toe tomatoes, they were all a success! Happy Gardening!

Cucumber Glut!

Cucumbers are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, they grow just about anywhere, & as long as you have a fence or something for them to climb on you can be assured of a bumper crop! This year I decided to grow Mini Munchers and Parisian Pickling Cucumbers, and I have not been disappointed (oh and there is a rogue Lebanese Cucumber growing amongst the mint and parsley). Last year I had 6 cucumber vines and I had too many, so this year I have again 6 cucumber vines and still have far too many. So this year I have decided to pickle my excess cucumbers as well as give them away to neighbours and friends. Here is a simple pickling recipe.

Ingredients

750 g of small cucumbers sliced finely

2/3 cup of fresh dill leaves chopped finely

2 tsp black peppercorns

750 ml water

125 ml white wine vinegar

1 1/2 tbs coarse salt

• Wash cucumbers, dry well and thinly slice, then layer evenly in a clean jar with the dill and peppercorns.
• Combine water, vinegar and salt in a saucepan, bring to the boil over a medium heat, carefully pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers and seal jar and set aside in the fridge for one week to pickle before serving.

There is nothing quite like a freshly picked cucumber, the difference between the ones in the store and the ones picked fresh of the vine is in the proof of the tasting and they are so good I often pick one and eat it like an apple it is so crisp and juicy on a hot Summer's day. So if you have a fence and a patch of dirt I recommend popping in some cucumber seeds and you won't be disappointed. Happy Gardening!

Pumpkins!

This year I decided to grow pumpkins, I popped in 2 Musquee de Provence and 2 Jarrahdale seeds. I had no idea how invasive they are, they have literally taken over half of the garden, but saying that they have been fairly productive. The Jarrahdales have produced 4 large pumpkins in total with a couple more on the way and the Musquee de Provence sadly only produced one, but it is the biggest pumpkin I have ever seen, so I can't complain too much, we will be eating pumpkin soup all Winter.

When planting pumpkins I followed the general rule of planting good quality seeds in a heaped mound of well composted soil, I planted 2 seeds for every mound and once they were a decent size I would remove the weakest plant and leave the strongest to grow. A lot of gardeners "play bee" by taking a soft brush and hand pollinating flowers, I didn't have too many problems with pollination as we had an abundance of bees. The only problem I encountered was fruit yellowing and then dropping off the vine, this also seemed to happen with my zucchini's. I only watered them a few times a week and and a little extra on the days that were extremely hot, I have found pumpkins to be quite drought tolerant. Next year I will try Butternuts (they are considered a squash, but in Australia they are often referred to as pumpkins) and maybe something more exotic like Turks Turban. Happy Gardening!

Sunflowers

I have my first ever sunflower growing tall and proud in my little veggie garden. It is so cheery and bright you just cannot miss it. I planted quite a number of them, but sadly I grew quite impatient and pulled them all out except for 2, now I am kicking myself for not having some self control and patience. As the saying goes "all good things come to those who wait" next year I am definitely going to be patient and watch these beautiful flowers grow into tall majestic golden suns. Happy gardening.

Happy Christmas and New Year!

Wishing everybody a very happy Christmas and New Year! See you all in 2011 for more gardening stories!

My Veggie Garden!

Hot Summer Days!

The weather has been a little warm over the last few weeks and I must confess to becoming a little lazy due to the heat, it has made me quite lethargic and not terribly interested in doing much at all.  The veggies are growing in front of my eyes and the bugs are eating them just as quickly, I have succumbed to spraying Dipel (a bio insecticide) that only kills caterpillars, and is safe for bees, lady bugs and other flying insects, sadly it doesn't kill slugs or snails that seem to be everywhere and are eating their way through all forms of plant matter (they are even happy to munch on rhubarb leaves which I thought were poisonous!)
On the other hand the tomatoes I planted are laden with fruit and now I am waiting for them all to turn a glorious cherry red, fingers crossed this might be my best year at growing tomatoes. I have mainly all heirloom varieties and some "tommy toes".  I am a little perplexed with the green zebra tomatoes, how will I know when to pick them? If anyone has grown them before I would love some tips!

Mini Roma Tomatoes

The hot weather is even affecting the animals I spotted Milo flat out and sound asleep enjoying the cool afternoon breeze wafting by on the veranda!  Happy gardening and happy holidays!