Are there any backyard veggie gardeners here?

[mcmich]

I took home made berry jam to WA for CP 63.   There is nothing quite like it.  I think she was going to hide it at the back of the fridge !!!!! 

I tried some of the jam you gave Cookie on sourdough loaf. It was lovely. Nothing like homemade jam on freshly baked bread.

[djinni373]

Djini, do you spray your greens with anything?

Hi Wonder. No I don't use any sprays and I don't use any commercial fertilizers. (I make fertilizer teas and use those) I put broken egg shells between plants to deter hungry crawlies.

The garden is in the wide open spaces so lots of birds hang around. Maybe they are doing pest control for me The only pests causing trouble are the possums. There are a couple of resident possums who regard my garden as their private pantry. They seem to love the parsley and the geraniums

Kale is wonderful. I grow a couple of different types and use heaps of it  

[keiramax]

My little chat with the girls has encouraged them to start laying.  So far 3 eggs over the last 3 days.  They are not old but the cold does stop them laying.  So hopefully it's a sign of things to come.

Plenty of silverbeet/rocket in the garden, asparagus starting to pop up as well now.  My seedlings are going great guns at the moment, so will be planting out the more cold hardy soon. 

I'm experimenting with an avocado tree, it is one for cold climate and I've put it in amongst other trees for protection.  See how it goes.  We can get down to -8 where I am.

Loving the sunshine over the last couple of days, only problem is I can see the grass growing.

[obbie]

Keiramax glad they are laying.

we still get 8-9 eggs per day. I used a fair few yesterday, and made 3 cakes, and lemon butter.

[Wonder]

thanks djinni, I'm going to go at lunchtime and buy some more seedlings and put them in pots again rather than directly in the garden bed. We have a possumm that ate our lime and lemon trees but with two dogs he stays away from anything that means he needs to actually get on the ground in the backyard. The last spinach seedlings I planted the new puppy ate!

[keiramax]

It's a constant battle against possums, dogs, kangaroos, wombats, deer, bugs etc.  My theory is just plant more than you need.

Loving the sunshine.  Have mowed one section of grass and planted a blueberry plant.  Out now to tie up raspberry canes.

[Aussie Brenda]

Hi Keiramax where do you live.  My Raspberry canes are just starting to shoot, I've been out in the garden too, weeding and planted some more Kale.  Keiramax my raspberry canes are just coming on the three years old, I have put up a sort of trellis work in the middle to tie them too do you cover yours or do anything special to them, I haven't had enough to bring inside yet, just stood and ate them at the bush.

[keiramax]

My raspberries have been in for 8 years, last year was the first time I netted them and picked about 8kgs in total.  I really want to put them on a trellis and in rows but at the moment I just bang in a garden stake and tie them up to it.  My Mum gave me about 20 canes to start with and I just stuck them in the corner of the veggie garden.

I live near Gembrook in Vic.  So get alot of frosts and low temp during winter which raspberries love.

[Aussie Brenda]

Thanks Kieramax, I went on line to have a look at what to do and I think I have done the wrong thing the last two years I have cut them all off and think I should have left some of the new canes for this year, oh well i know now and hopefully next year I can make some jam..

[keiramax]

Raspberries fruit on two year old canes.  In autumn, prune out the canes that have fruited and leave all the new canes which will fruit in the next season.  mulch well and ensure they get plenty of water during the fruits to get nice big berries. 

Last season my daughter lived on raspberries (she was 18 months at the time) as well as the dogs who helped themselves.

[obbie]

we picked more bananas, and mulberries on the weekend.

[Nikkit]

Miss 11 and I planted tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, cucumbers, radishes, capis and eggplants over the weekend. Potatoes are growing like mad. Also planted some corn and peas seeds, I found them in the shed, so they are probably 10 years old. Don't really expect too much from them - but thought we'd give it a whirl!
So far the chooks, horses, dogs and anything else that likes to eat greenery or dig have not found the garden.
Yet...

[keiramax]

Good job Nikkit.  I've just been planting seeds in my little hot house.  Can't really plant out until the end of Oct because of frost.  But hopefully will have large established seedlings to plant.  Have planted out all the garlic that spouted in the shed so that's about 160 cloves.  Might have to have a stall out the front of the house selling Aussie grown garlic.

Also planted some snow peas today

[Nikkit]

keiramax - where are you - I'll buy your garlic! Gee it is hard to get good Aussie garlic these days. I refuse to buy the Chinese stuff, never know what we are eating.
I never have any luck with garlic  my chooks loved the last lot I planted.
It has rained a bit here this morning, so the veges are watered for the day. We still have to get the retic set up in the vege garden, although with weekends booked out I'm not sure when we'll get it done.

[Halex]

Keiramax, would love to buy your garlic too

Veggie patch growing well. Very happy to see corriander still alive & growing. Zuchini plants have sprouted lots of leaves so all looking good