Aussie 2007 Season

[Spatzbear]

Mantis, I just love your greenhouse! Great job!
The plants look healthy. The washing line is nearly empty. Everything is looking good. Will you have tomatoes before Christmas?

[Mantis]

Hi Spatz and thanks

I should get ripe fruit by mid November on Juanne Flammee and maybe Gregoris Altai although Italian Sweet and Crkovic Yugoslavian have the first flowers to open which was yesterday.

[Full Moon]

I think I'm going to make some of those self-watering tubs for the dwarfs. I read about a few different designs and think I'm ready to go shopping!

At the moment I can water wednesday and sunday morning between 6:00 and 8:00 am. That's it! So unless I get some rain water tanks (providing it RAINS!), I need something I don't have to water twice a day. Self-Watering Tubs to the Rescue!
(yes, yes I have more plants than garden spots )

Mantis what did you use to fertilise the tubs? I read you soil mix recipe but I want to know what you added during the season.

[mcsee]

FM - If you check out Mantis's Home Page, he has all info on the tubs and potting mix etc. Maybe he can update it on his feeding regime.

[Mantis]

FM , I use a granular rose fertiliser and I cant remember the brand at the moment. It has an NPK of roughly 4.5:6:6 and contains good amounts of calcium. It is put down in a strip along the top front edge of the tub just under the surface. This is Earthbox directions and seems to work well.

[Grub]

Here are my lanky skanky tomato sprouts... dwarves in front... as you should be able to tell. Not in blue tray, the tall weeds there are dill and fennel.

I'm sure they are salvagable...

[Grub]

The better news are my overwintered eggies and peppers... here are some of them.

Overwintering is go.

[Mantis]

You sure got the jump with the overwintered plants eh.
My only overwintered is Mariachi pepper but it is sprouting nicely now.

[Grub]

Thanks for the kind words... some peppers and eggies are flowering madly, but I've found from my four-year orange hab. that the first crop can be all small peppers as the plants kind of need a first post-winter flush to sort themselves out. Then they flower normally and set biggies.

Off to buy some foam cups soon for a big potting-up session of the tomato alfalfa... the lankiness came in one or two nights of a hot bathroom floor and no light... one day nothing the next a mess.

[tessa]

looks nice grub. you got a real jump on it.
how big's your block again?

[Spatzbear]

Originally Posted by tessa

how big's your block again?

*chuckle* *snort*

Tessa, it's MASSIVE!

Grub always tries to convince everybody that he only has a small backyard. But nobody believes him anymore. I mean, look at all the pots of eggplants and chillies! And the chook pen! And then all the tomatoes! Really!!

[Grub]

Spatz is right. It's pretty laughable. But it's mine.

The block measure 550s square metres in total. The LEP here is one dwelling to 250 sq metres. We're 11km from the CBD and 1.5km from Manly Beach, so it's pretty good by urban standards.

Still, I dream about the setup Spatz has. But then I would miss the beach and harbour. I think this wee backyard is big enough for me. It and all the veggies require maintenance.

[Spatzbear]

See?! Here he goes again! Trying to tell us how small his block is.

Actually, I do want to say that Grub's place is impressive!

[Grub]

Aw, come on. It's very modest, Spatz... we have done some work, but I much prefer your Valley of Eden. Only problem where you are: all those wineries .

[cosmicgardener]

We are growing all our produce on 400 sq metres including hothouse.