My Veggie Garden

Tomato Wilt

2012-01-24T09:01:00.000+10:00

Not a pretty picture.

I found this great article on Tomato Wilt this morning and thought you might find it interesting. Tomato wilt article.

Gone in 60 seconds.

2012-01-03T09:47:00.001+10:00

Gone in 60 seconds. The highlight of my veggie growing summer.

Sweet sweet corn.

2012-01-03T09:20:00.001+10:00

Mawhahahah. In the pot cooking as I type!!!!

Happy new year.

2011-12-31T19:54:00.002+10:00

Super splendiferous happy veggie gardening for 2012 everyone. May your bugs be few and your harvest be bountiful.
I'll be celebrating tomorrow by eating the first sweet corn for the season. All hot and buttery.

Cheers and happy new year

Stewart.

Brain fade or memory full?

2011-12-29T20:11:00.000+10:00

It seems my brain has gone on holidays along with the season. I've racked my brain for the last two days and have come up empty for anything to write about.

Pretty huh?

If it's not that it could be that I'm distracted with the new iPhone 4s that I got from Optus just before Christmas.

Or it could also be that I'm distracted with making plans to get myself to the Snowy Mountains to climb or walk to Mt Kosciusko. You're looking at a thoroughly inexperienced traveller here. So far I've managed to get myself from Toowoomba to Brisbane with only a vague idea of how to get from there to Canberra and then on to the mountain. Aside from the planning to get there, I also have to fit in some training so as I can make the walk in some style.

Either way about all that I've been able to manage is watering, weeding and some mulching and liquid fertilizing.

It's raining from a storm here as I write this so it looks like I'll get a few days off from watering.

Now that I'm sitting here writing I'm beginning to think of a few things I can write about. So it looks like I'll get a few post out of the old brain yet. Yay!

Cheers, I'll be back in a day or two

Stewart

My favourite tool

2011-12-27T21:15:00.001+10:00

I couldn't get by in my veggie garden without my Dutch hoe. What tool could not do without?

Today's harvest

2011-12-18T20:56:00.003+10:00

Today's harvest. I'd already eaten half the carrot. Heaps more coming on too.

The zucchini and yellow button squash have small fruit on them and there's potatoes everywhere, more beans, oh and I ate my first Burke's Backyard 'Santorini' tomato. Boy are they a tasty little tomato. You can also see my very first Yellow Taxi tomato after nearly 18 months of trying. Nearly all the potatoes are self sown so I'm not sure what is under the ground but they have different coloured flowers and the leaves vary from bush to bush.

Plenty of new seedlings have burst through as well. there is, leeks, lettuce, zucchini, squash, more radish, some self sown golden beetroot, water melon, parsley, some pickling onions and some spring onions. Oh the Chinese cabbage and the pak choy are up too. Some fennel seed I planted seems to have failed so I'll need to replant them.

It's hard to imagine but as I'm picking this Summer harvest I'm already working out what and where I'm going to put my winter planting. I've never had great success with Brussels sprouts but I'm going to have another go this year. Eventually I'll find a variety that likes it here.

Any way I'd better get going, taxi tomorrow and heaps of veggie gardening to do on Tuesday.

Cheers,

Stewart

Just watch the video

2011-12-15T20:35:00.003+10:00

Just watch the video. It's self explanatory.

http://observertree.org/

Coming up.

2011-12-15T20:15:00.000+10:00

It might just look like a row of lettuce seedlings to you but to me I see a whole lot of summer salads coming up.

1910 Rhubarb Chutney

2011-12-13T12:52:00.000+10:00

1.5 kgs of Rhubarb cut up and ready to be turned into chutney

And an hour and a bit later.

My Rhubarb's growing well and I saw a recipe for rhubarb chutney so as they say one thing lead to another.

I didn't dissolve the sugar enough and most of it sunk to the bottom of the pan and toffied itself there but it still turned out alright.

I've only had a small taste and with 1 teaspoon of extra hot chillie powder it certainly has a nice kick to it but you don't lose the rhubarb taste or the sweetness from the sugar.

I'll leave it for a month or so and give it a good taste test but I think this will be a keeper.

Here goes the recipe

1910 Rhubarb Chutney

1.5kgs chopped rhubarb
500g onion' chopped
500ml vinegar
750g sugar
1 tsp salt
1tsp nutmeg
1tsp mixed spices
1tps ground cloves
1tps cayenne (optional)
1tps curry powder

Method

Combine all ingredients and boil for one hour, making sure all sugar is dissolved before you reach boiling.
Bottle and seal in sterilized jars
Leave for a month or two to mature before use.
And that's it. Here is a link to the recipe I used. 1910 Rhubarb Chutney from Best Recipe's

Cheers

Chutney Stewart

My Basic Coleslaw

2011-12-06T13:37:00.001+10:00

Raining a little here today so I'm just sitting back and listening to the seedlings grow. Also have nectarines on the stove cooking, getting ready for a nectarine chutney I'm going t try. And that'll be interesting to say the least seeing as it will be a first for me. Nectarine recipe I'll be trying.

My Basic Coleslaw

Lots of extra carrots but just as tasty.

I'd dare say almost everyone would have their own favorite coleslaw recipe but just in case you don't here's one I use with much success and enjoyment.

Stuff you'll need

6 cups shredded cabbage
1 carrot grated (sometimes 2)
2/3 cup mayo ( I like the whole egg mayo)
1/2 sour cream
2 tbsp vinegar (apple if you like)
2 tbsp veggie oil
2 tbsp sugar (I use castor sugar) (or to taste)
I also grate radish 1 or 2
A diced onion as well

Method

Toss cabbage in a large bowl with the carrots, onion and radish. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients Pour the mixture over the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat thoroughly. Bung it in the fridge until you're ready. There you go a s easy as falling off a log.

I find if you half the above recipe you'll have enough for about four people or in my case three people and some left over for a chicken and coleslaw sandwich.

Cheers

Stewart

It's a squishy problem

2011-12-04T22:41:00.002+10:00

A couple of posts ago (FYI, Tuesday, November 8, 2011) I let you know about the nasty 28 spotted ladybeetle and thought I'd share an odd 28 spotted ladybeetle experience I had today.

It all started early this morning while I was working in the veggie garden when I noticed a couple of 28 spotted ladybeetles sunning themselves on one of my potato bushes and having a good old munch on my potato leaves as well no doubt.

In the past I've never bothered with them because I'd only ever see one or two on a plant and think 'they couldn't do that much damage' and would then be surprised at the damage that was done. Today though I thought ' I'll fix you ya little buggers' and I squished the few I saw but during the day when I walked past the same potato bushes I'd notice a few more and then I'd squish them too.

By the end of the day I'd squished 44 of the buggers off five different potato bushes and now I can see why so much damage occurs. What I haven't worked out though where they hide or where they come from or why I only see two or three at a time because I gave each plant a good looking over after I'd removed the obvious beetles and never found any sign of any more but and hour later I'd go past and there'd be another two or three on each plant. I can see I'm going to have to keep up my squishy vigilance if I am to keep on top of this spotty problem but there remains a few questions that I need answers for..

Cheers

Stewart

Leek 'Lyon - Prizetaker'

2011-12-03T21:34:00.001+10:00

Not mine, but I hope they look like this when I'm finished

There's a rain a comin'. Well at least it been forecast to. And when there's rain a comin' and I have a day off, Sunday that is, that can only mean one thing. It's a seed planting time.

I'll have my work cut out for me tomorrow because I want to get all of these planted so as I can take advantage of the coming rain.

Leek 'Lyon - Prizetaker'
Watermelon 'Sugar Babe'
Zucchini
Squash yellow button
Spring onion
Pak Choi
Chinese Cabbage 'Nagaoka F1'
Fennel 'Florence Finale'
Radish
and some Marigolds

As usual I have a ton of weeding to do as well as spreading blood and bone around the other half of the garden that I didn't get done before the last rain.

Cheers then to a busy and productive Sunday

Stewart

Lettuce rejoice.

2011-12-01T19:01:00.001+10:00

Working like mad again (I'm self employed. It's the only way I can get a Christmas bonus and a few days off) and I've only managed a few hours in the garden on Sunday afternoon but I still managed to find out something interesting.

You see I've tried getting some lettuce seed up and running but my strike rate has been appalling which it usually isn't.

As I'm a reasonable seed starterer I began to suspect the seed although they were supposed to be viable and not out of date.

Therefore in order to see if it was me or the seed I went out and bought two varieties of 'fresh' lettuce seed and planted them as I usually do and 'hey presto', wouldn't you know it, within four days I had lettuce seeds germinating and sprouting all over the place.

So if you every find yourself puzzled as to why you are having trouble getting seeds up try some fresh seed first.

Cheers and happy sowing

Stewart

Catastrophes

2011-11-26T18:17:00.000+10:00

Here it was on the 30-10-11. It had grown since.

I'm devastated, disillusioned and verging on tears, um, yes, well, that might be a little over dramatic but I will say I am disappointed at the very least.

You see, what happened is, I'd left one of my Bulls Blood Beetroot go to seed with the obvious goal of collecting the seed for future plantings. Now all has been going well, it had (notice the past tense) grown to a height of over two meters and was multi-stemmed as well as being absolutely covered in flowers that would have turned into seed for me to collect.

Now, as I mention the past tense, then you will have gathered that my seed collecting days are over, for now at least. and why might you ask?

Simple really, it got too big for it britches, or root system if you like. Over Wednesday night we had 80mm of rain in which I was rejoicing but it was all to much for the a fore mentioned Bulls Blood Beetroot. With the added weight of all the water covering the plant and the softening of the ground from the rain it just fell over and uprooted itself. So now my Bulls Blood Beetroot is an ex Bulls Blood Beetroot without seed.

Another catastrophic event, sent to test me I'm sure, was when a good friend dropped around a few Amaranthus plants in exchange for a few I had. All was good. I put them in a safe place, gave them a water and would get around to planting them in the next few days. How wrong was I, the very next morning having my walk around the veggie garden before I went to work and there where my amaranthus reduced to three chewed up stems and not a leaf in sight. Arrrggghhh, I said to myself, the bloody possum likes amaranthus.

And just in case you're wondering about the purple dutch carrot then you'll be glad to know it is fine and you can also bet your life that I going to stake it tomorrow so as to prevent the same fate happening to it.

Barring any further catastrophes it's been all plain sailing so far and I hope it stays that way.

Cheers and good luck to you,

Stewart

Purple dutch carrot progress.

2011-11-24T18:38:00.000+10:00

Good news trendsetters, after running a cleanup program on my PC and almost killing my modem I'm now back online.

And even more good news my fellow veggie fiends, 80mm of rain here overnight and I swear I can hear the veggies giggling with glee.

In the beginning

Apart from all the good news above the reason I'm here is to show you this, ta-dah. Yep you guessed it, this is how much the 'purple dutch' carrot has grown since I brought it home from the supermarket and planted it, to see if it would do what it is doing, back in August. Go here to check out the beginning.

It has grown a flower stalk about 60/70cm tall and has started forming flower buds.

I can hardly wait for the seed to ripen so I can have a go at growing my own. It will still take a while from here but I'm sure it will be worth the wait.


Nice seed head	s forming

One thing about carrot foliage is it's green.

All work and not much play. But it's nearly Christmas.

2011-11-16T20:36:00.000+10:00

It's all work, heat, dry and watering here for me since Sunday. So far it's been Mon 34c, Tue, 36c, and today it was 34c again. On top of that I was asked to work on Tuesday, my regular day off, to which I said yes. With Christmas being just around the corner I could use a few extra dollars.

Sunday itself was a productive day with lots of weeding, watering, mulching and fertilizing. I planted the sugar baby watermelons that I'd grown from seed and they are now powering along with all this heat we're having. I also sowed seed for more baby beetroot and carrots along with two punnets of lettuce (can't have too much lettuce) and one of some Yates wild rocket seed.

They, that is those who profess to know, aka the Bureau of Meteorology, have us, Toowoomba, down for 28c tomorrow so that is something of a reprieve.

I planted some leek about a week and a half ago but there is no sign of them germinating just yet but I'll persevere with them a bit longer and the corn seed I planted Tuesday week ago is just starting to poke through the soil. And the corn I planted before that must be between 2 and 3 feet tall now and almost growing in front of my eyes.

What else then? Potatoes are just starting to flower as are the tomatoes. the cucumber is looking like the best I've ever grown. The cabbage are rocketing along as are the cabbage grub eating them. I promise myself to make a garlic and chilli spray for them this weekend.

I think I have covered everything... no wait there is the yellow button squash, zucchini, beans and climbing beans are growing very well and the french breakfast radish I planted on Sunday are starting to sprout as well.

Then there is the lettuce I planted from punnets Tuesday week ago. They're settling in and getting a go on and the cos lettuce I planted I have started to harvest some of the outer leaves for when ever I need some lettuce in the house.

Then there's the rhubarb, ginger, turmeric and silverbeet all doing well. I'm thinking this has been the best spring, summer garden that I planted so far and I'm feeling excited about what is to come over the next few months. My only concern is the weather and I've got everything crossed that it will be very king to me.

Cheers and I hope you're enjoying your veggie garden as much as I am,

Stewart.

Burke's Backyard 'Santorini' tomatoes

2011-11-11T20:01:00.001+10:00

the Burke's Backyard 'Santorini' tomatoes that I planted from seed in the video I made on planting tomato seed.

They are about ten weeks old now after planting the seed and are just starting to flower. They seem to be making good growth with just basic tomato care.

I'm a little concerned about blossom end rot here (having had to deal with it before) which can be caused by a deficiency in calcium and or irregular watering so I'm watering before the soil dries out too much and before the plant wilts. I've also added about 500g of gypsum to the soil around the base of each plant to ensure a good supply of calcium.

My only other concern for this tomato or all my tomatoes for that matter is the dreaded fruit fly. Now I've read that this is a type of cherry tomato which I'm hoping will work in my favour because for some reason unbeknownst to me fruit fly don't bother cherry tomatoes.

It has also been very hot here the last few days so the first chance, probably Sunday at this stage, I'll mulch them up with some straw to help save some soil moisture and keep the soil around their roots a little cooler.

Next time I hope to be showing you a huge bountiful harvest of bright red Santorini tomatoes, if everything goes to plan.

Until then cheers

Stewart

FYI

2011-11-08T20:39:00.003+10:00

I took this photo to let you all know this little bugger will eat the green above ground bits of your potatoes to smithereens. It is called the 26 or 28 spotted lady bug. I was going to waffle on about it but someone who I follow has already done a way better job than I might have.
So if you get yourself on over to Aussie Organic Gardening you can find out all about
Epilachna vigintioctopunctata and Epilachna vigintisexpunctata with some great links to other sites as well.

My first passion-fruit flower

2011-11-08T10:24:00.002+10:00

My first passion-fruit flower. About to supply some extra tlc. Some sulfate of potash, a bit of gypsum, a handful of pelleted chook poo, some straw mulch and a nice big watering.

Cheers and it's a cracker of a day here today;

Stewart

Cucumber, radish snow-pea-salad.

2011-11-06T21:30:00.000+10:00

After a little searching I've found lots of interesting ways of preparing radish and this one has topped my list for now.

Cucumber, radish snow-pea-salad.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Ingredients

Serves: 4

175 g snow peas, trimmed
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
pinch of salt
2 cucumbers, scored and thinly sliced
2 bunches radishes, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

Preparation method

Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 5 minutes | Extra time: 5 minutes

Cook snow peas in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold running water.

For the vinaigrette, whisk the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and salt in a bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved.

Combine the snow peas, cucumber and radish in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.

Radish! What to do?

2011-11-05T18:12:00.001+10:00

Howdy trendsetters? Today on facebook I asked my friends this question, 'I'm after recipes and ideas or ways to use radish. I can grow the little buggers but I don't know how to use them! Anyone?' And now it's your turn.
Just pop your recipes and ideas or ways to use radish into the comments for me. Much appreciated.

So far I have.

Jatz with cream cheese and little round slices of radish. Yum.
cut in half and dipped in salt and cracked pepper yum! Or you can make a radish cream like horseradish for a condiment
Roast radishes are delicious!
Sliced very very thin in salads is the only way I have had them
Ingredients (serves 6)
18 lamb cutlets, excess fat trimmed
11/2 tbs curry powder
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbs peanut oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Radish yoghurt
1 x 200g container natural yoghurt
6 radishes, washed, dried, stems and roots trimmed, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup loosely packed finely chopped fresh coriander
2 green shallots, ends trimmed, finely chopped
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
Pinch of salt

Method
Place cutlets in a large glass or ceramic dish. Combine curry powder, garlic and oil in a bowl. Pour over cutlets and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate.
Meanwhile, to make the radish yoghurt, combine the yoghurt, radish, coriander, green shallot, lemon juice and garlic in a serving bowl. Taste and season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until required.
Preheat a char grill on medium-high. Drain cutlets and season with salt and pepper. Cook on grill for 2 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the radish yoghurt.
Hop into spring with our favourite pasta salad recipes, lemon recipes, zucchini recipes and easy desserts.

What about a radish curry? Apparently it's common in India. Significant other, here, does a respectable one...

I'm about to hit google and the interweb up for ideas and any I think worthy I'll let you know about.

Cheers and how was your gardening today?

Stewart.

4 weeks in the life of a bean

2011-11-03T18:46:00.000+10:00

Seed planted Sunday, 1st Oct, 2011

One week later at 6am

I'm equally amazed and fascinated with the rapid growth a bean seed can make once planted. So here is a four week photographical diary of the growth of a bean seed I planted on the first of October

Same day as above at 12pm.

Week three


And week four.

Cheers

Stewart

fruits of her labor

2011-11-01T08:15:00.000+10:00

From the book 'Victorian Preserves, Pickles, and Relishes by Allison Kyle Leopold

Equipped with silver knife and enamelled preserving

kettle, the housewife joyously proceeds with her task of

converting the baskets or cases of luscious fruit into

delisious preserves, spicy, pungent pickles,

rich marmalades and translucent jellies; and when

all is finished, it is with worthy pride and

satisfaction that she gazes upon the

"fruits of her labor."

-"The Housekeeper," The Ladies' World, 1901

Sweet, Sweet Corn

2011-10-29T19:07:00.000+10:00

Sweet corn, if I'm planting in late October then obviously that makes it a warm weather crop.
I'm planing on planting four monthly crops of nine or ten plants, which will make early February my last planting but should leave me enough warm weather to finish off the crop.

Sweet corn is also a hungry plant as in it likes plenty of water and a rich well fertilized and well drained soil at planting time and additional fertilizer, applied in my case at monthly intervial until all the corn cobs have been eaten.

Talking about eating when it comes to reaping the rewards of home grown produce then sweet corn is right up there. When it comes time for me to cook my corn I usually have the water boiling on the stove before I go and pick what I want to eat. I also remember an episode of M.A.S.H. where Col. Potter was talking getting back home an his idea was to somehow peel back the skin off the corn and just lean the plant over and dip the corn cob into the boiling water. Now that's fresh.

The photo on the left shows a roughly one meter square area that I prepared for the corn I used a bucket of aged compost and a half bucket of Searl's 5 in 1. I also used two hundred grams of Organic Xtra, an organic fertilizer I've been using with some good results.

I usually grow my corn from seed sown direct where it is to be grown but I've had a late start to the growing season therefore I bought a punnet of corn in order to catch up four of five weeks. The next crop will be planted from seed.

Organic Xtra blends the proven properties of

composted manure
blood and bone
feather and fish meal
seaweed
natural minerals
and Sulphate of Potash.

Ta-dah, the finished product. Watered in with a fish and seaweed liquid fertilizer (told you they were a hungry plant) I'll mulch with some straw after I get the first lot of weeds out, fish and seaweed liquid fertilize every week or two plus another one hundred grams of Organic extra at the beginning of each month.

Have I missed anything?I think I've covered it all.

Cheers and happy Sweet Corn to you

Stewart.